A-ha! Today, Palm said that it is making the software development kit for webOS publicly available to anyone who wants it. This is huge news for Palm Pre owners and those interested in developing for Palm's webOS.One of the chief complaints of Palm Pre owners is that the Palm Apps Catalog is a bit thin. Barely more than a few dozen applications are in there, compared to the monolithic fifty-thousand apps that populate the iTunes Apps Store.

The reason behind the lack of applications is that the software development kit (SDK) has only been available to a limited number of "tier 1" developers and corporations. Today, that changes.

Palm revealed in a blog post that the Mojo SDK beta is now available to all. According to Palm, the SDK and all the associated documentation is available starting today. All the developers need is a valid email address, and the SDK is theirs. They will also get access to the developer forums.

Palm says, "The initial response to Palm webOS apps -- from both developers and customers -- has been enthusiastic. Even in its initial beta stage, over 1.8 million apps have been downloaded from the beta App Catalog since Palm Pre was released less than six weeks ago. Thousands of developers have participated in the Mojo SDK early access program since it began in early April. New applications are in the pipeline for the Palm App Catalog, and the App Catalog submission process will be opened to all developers beginning this fall."

That last bit should get owners of the Palm Pre excited. Palm is pretty much saying, "Yo, you want applications? Well, we got applications. They're coming to a Pre near you soon."

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as though the SDK wasn't coming for months. Keep in mind, this SDK is still in beta form. Even so, it will deliver the basics to developers who are interested in adding their own applications to the Palm Apps Catalog.