All Things D broke the story last night that Hewlett Packard was forced to write off a record $3.3 billion in its fourth quarter earnings, about half of which was related to its move to kill its webOS business. Meanwhile, VentureBeat is reporting that HP is trying to sell off Palm but is demanding that potential bidders license webOS back to HP “on the cheap” for use in printers. The ongoing debacle reminds me of former CEO Mark Hurd’s statement last year that HP didn’t want to move aggressively into the smartphone business, a strategy (or lack of strategy) that looks more foolish by the day. WebOS-enabled printers might have been a good idea if they integrated with an impressive line of smartphones and tablets, but HP has pretty much killed the entire platform — and any devices that might have used it.