| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the TouchPad tablet and WebOS software from Hewlett-Packard can be considered as having happened again within the same organization. The failure of the TouchPad, which was supposed to rival Apple's iPad, lasted just seven weeks on the market before being discontinued due to weak sales [9436]. This failure was attributed to various factors, including the flawed design and execution of the WebOS software, which was acquired from Palm for $1.2 billion in 2010. The software was criticized for being slow and unable to compete with Apple's iOS in terms of performance and responsiveness. Despite efforts to improve WebOS, including investments and expansion of the team, the TouchPad ultimately failed to gain traction in the market, leading to significant financial losses for Hewlett-Packard.
(b) The software failure incident involving the WebOS software and the TouchPad tablet can also be seen as a case where a similar incident has happened at multiple organizations. The article highlights the challenges faced by companies trying to challenge Apple and Google in the mobile operating system market. It mentions how companies like Hewlett-Packard struggled to compete with the dominant market shares and developer ecosystems of Apple and Google. Additionally, the article discusses how other companies choosing Android for their products often find it challenging to differentiate themselves and stand out in the crowded market of Android devices. This broader industry context suggests that the difficulties faced by Hewlett-Packard with WebOS and the TouchPad were not unique and reflect the challenges many companies encounter when trying to establish themselves in the mobile technology space. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the development of WebOS for the Palm Pre smartphone and later for the TouchPad tablet. The former Palm employees mentioned in the article highlighted various design flaws and issues with the development process of WebOS. For example, the decision to rely on WebKit for WebOS was considered a mistake as it hindered the performance of applications, making them slower compared to the iPhone [9436]. Additionally, there were challenges in recruiting skilled programmers with a deep understanding of WebKit, as most of the top talent had already been hired by Apple and Google [9436].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the performance issues faced by the Palm Pre smartphone. Customers complained about the device being too slow, leading to high return rates. There were also reports of the phone spontaneously restarting or freezing up, indicating operational issues with the device [9436]. The former Palm employee mentioned in the article noted that the company underestimated the number of staff needed to make improvements to the device, further exacerbating the operational challenges faced by Palm [9436]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the TouchPad tablet and WebOS can be attributed to factors within the system. The articles highlight various internal issues that contributed to the failure, such as flaws in the design and development of WebOS, including the decision to rely on WebKit, which hindered the performance of applications [9436]. Additionally, there were challenges in recruiting skilled programmers, making it difficult to execute the ambitious design of WebOS [9436]. The rushed development process, lack of reusable building blocks for applications, and leadership decisions within Palm and later H.P. also played a role in the software's ultimate failure [9436]. These internal factors within the system significantly impacted the success of the TouchPad and WebOS. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions:
- The failure of the TouchPad tablet from Hewlett-Packard was attributed to various factors, including the flawed software WebOS, which was built in a way that was deeply flawed from the beginning [9436].
- The reliance on WebKit, an open-source software engine used by browsers, was considered a mistake as it prevented applications from running fast enough to compete with the iPhone [9436].
- The software development process for WebOS involved taking shortcuts and not following the typical approach of creating reusable building blocks for applications, leading to inefficiencies and relearning for programmers [9436].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions:
- Some former employees pointed fingers at Jon Rubinstein, then Palm's chief executive, for failing to steer WebOS in the right direction and making decisions that hindered its success, such as relying on WebKit [9436].
- The departure of key members of the WebOS team, such as Peter Skillman and Matias Duarte, was seen as a significant loss for the project, indicating the impact of human actions on the software's development and future prospects [9436].
- The expansion of the WebOS team with layers of vice presidents and the addition of hundreds of engineers by H.P. to develop the TouchPad also reflects human decisions that may have influenced the outcome of the software failure incident [9436]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware can be attributed to the fact that Palm, the maker of WebOS, was a company starved for investment and lacked resources, engineers, and marketing power. Hewlett-Packard (H.P.) acquired Palm in hopes of using WebOS to accelerate its smartphone and tablet efforts. However, H.P. faced challenges as important members of the WebOS team left after the acquisition, including key individuals like Peter Skillman and Matias Duarte. This loss of talent was a significant setback for the development and success of WebOS [9436].
(b) The software failure incident related to software can be traced back to the flaws in the design and execution of WebOS itself. Former Palm and H.P. employees involved in WebOS development highlighted various issues with the software, such as the reliance on WebKit which hindered application performance, the lack of reusable building blocks for app development, and the challenges in capturing the enthusiasm and loyalty of outside programmers. Additionally, the rushed development timeline of about nine months and the difficulty in finding skilled programmers well-versed in WebKit technology further contributed to the software's shortcomings [9436]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the TouchPad tablet from Hewlett-Packard was primarily non-malicious. The failure was attributed to various factors such as flawed software design, lack of execution, reliance on inadequate technology, recruitment challenges, leadership issues, and insufficient resources [9436]. These factors contributed to the quick demise of the product, indicating that the failure was not due to malicious intent but rather a combination of internal shortcomings and external market competition.
(b) The failure of the WebOS software used in the TouchPad tablet was a result of non-malicious factors. The software was described as being built with flaws from the beginning, facing challenges in execution, technology limitations, recruitment issues, and leadership shortcomings [9436]. These factors point to a failure that was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by a series of internal and external factors that hindered the success of the product. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the intent can be attributed to both poor decisions and accidental decisions.
(a) poor_decisions:
- The failure of the TouchPad and WebOS software can be linked to poor decisions made during the development process. For example, the decision to rely on WebKit for WebOS was considered a mistake as it hindered the performance of applications compared to the iPhone [9436].
- There were issues with recruiting top talent familiar with WebKit, as Apple and Google had already secured much of the talent pool, leading to a lack of expertise in the development team [9436].
- Former employees pointed fingers at Jon Rubinstein, then Palm's chief executive, for failing to steer WebOS in the right direction and making decisions that ultimately impacted the software's success [9436].
(b) accidental_decisions:
- The article also mentions accidental decisions or unintended consequences that contributed to the failure of WebOS. For instance, the initial approach of constructing each app from scratch instead of creating reusable building blocks led to inefficiencies and rework later in the development process [9436].
- The rapid development timeline of about nine months for WebOS may have led to shortcuts being taken, which could be considered accidental decisions that impacted the software's quality and performance [9436].
In summary, the software failure incident involving the TouchPad and WebOS can be attributed to a combination of poor decisions, such as the reliance on WebKit, and accidental decisions, like the lack of reusable building blocks during development. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of the WebOS software developed by Palm for the TouchPad tablet. Former employees involved in creating the software mentioned that there were issues from the beginning due to the way it was built being deeply flawed. They highlighted that there were shortcomings in leadership, engineering, and decision-making that hindered the success of WebOS. For example, there were challenges in recruiting top talent familiar with the technology, and the company took shortcuts in the development process, leading to inefficiencies and rework [9436].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors can be seen in the case of the TouchPad tablet's failure in the market. Despite efforts to compete with Apple's iPad and Google's Android, the TouchPad faced issues such as slow performance, high return rates, and complaints about spontaneous restarts and freezing. These issues were not intentional but rather resulted from design and development choices that did not meet user expectations and market demands, ultimately leading to the failure of the product [9436]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
The software failure incident related to the TouchPad tablet and WebOS can be considered as a permanent failure. The failure was attributed to a combination of factors introduced by various circumstances, such as the flawed design and development process of WebOS, the lack of proper leadership and talent, the decision to rely on WebKit which hindered performance, and the inability to attract and retain outside programmers to develop for the platform [9436]. These factors collectively contributed to the ultimate demise of the TouchPad and the discontinuation of WebOS hardware by HP. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions instances where the Palm Pre smartphone had issues such as spontaneously restarting itself or freezing up, leading to high return rates [9436].
(b) omission: The article discusses how the WebOS software had issues from the start, with the company initially constructing each app from scratch instead of creating reusable building blocks. This led to inefficiencies and difficulties for programmers in creating WebOS apps [9436].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the articles provided.
(d) value: The article highlights that the core issue with WebOS was Palm's inability to turn it into a platform that could capture the enthusiasm and loyalty of outside programmers. This indicates a failure in delivering the intended value of the software [9436].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not provide information on byzantine behavior related to the software failure incident.
(f) other: The "other" behavior observed in this software failure incident could be related to the lack of execution of an ambitious and breakthrough design due to technological limitations, as mentioned by former senior director of software at Palm, Paul Mercer. This could be seen as a failure in aligning the software's design with the available technology [9436]. |