December 19, 2012 at 20:04

Mozilla - for developers: “If you do not want to pay a 30% tax, you will like Firefox OS!” Include an open alternative to iOS and Android in your plans!

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    On Habré Firefox OS was already mentioned several times . Today I came across several interesting English-language articles about why it was created, about the possible future , as well as Mozilla infographics about the results of 2012 . I hope the material will be interesting.

    Mozilla recently announced that it will soon make Firefox OS available to users of mobile devices, and that it needs developers from iOS and Android. Mozilla is creating an open source mobile OS that would challenge Apple and Android.

    Developers get ready to develop applications for Firefox OS


    Jay Sullivan, vice president of Mozilla products, at the Mobile Monday Mixer event (bringing together 75 HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS developers) , said:

    “If you want to develop mobile apps and not pay the 30% tax [which Apple takes], you will love Firefox OS . ”

    He also mentioned that Mozilla has created a “payment API” for regular web browsers, with which they can work with payments in the same way as mobile applications usually do.

    Mozilla expects this development to lead to the creation of numerous application stores where developers can offer their applications directly to end users.

    Firefox OS is completely based on JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, and code models (code frameworks), which are already known to developers. On this occasion, Sullivan said:

    “Not a single new ecosystem can be born if developers have to learn too many new things.”

    Compared to other mobile OS (iOS and Android), Firefox OS will be much easier for developers . “It's not about inciting people to create HTML5 applications, but rather making applications optimized for mobile use .”

    And here is the opinion of Gary Kovacs, Mozilla Chief Executive:

    There are 2.5 billion people online right now , and Mozilla’s success will attract another 2.5 billion new users. Firefox OS will be “as punchy as Firefox .”

    “Our mission is to offer modern web technologies that remove artificial barriers for users and developers. "Firefox OS will help make smartphones affordable for billions of users who are expected to join the network in the next few years ."

    Firefox OS challenges closed mobile ecosystems


    The smartphone and tablet market today revolves around several ecosystems of heavyweights such as Apple, Google and Microsoft . These ecosystems are more or less closed, and most applications for iOS, Android or Windows Phone are created in a targeted manner. But with the growing number of devices and ecosystems, it becomes increasingly expensive for developers to create native applications for each of them . Wouldn't it be great to use an open web platform for mobile devices in the future?

    The real work is already underway - one of the largest European telecoms, Telefonica , already has a development team; another operator, Telenor, confirmed support for Firefox OS some time ago.
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    How did it all start?


    In the summer of 2011, Mozilla announced a project, code-named Boot-to-Gecko (B2G) , with the goal of bringing open web standards to mobile devices, where all programs accessible to the user are built with advanced use of HTML5 technologies, and there is also an API for working with equipment through Javascript The technology itself was named Firefox OS.

    Firefox OS consists of 3 main components: Gaia, Gecko and Gonk .
    • Gaia is the highest level OS that is responsible for the Firefox OS interface. It is fully developed using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and uses open web APIs to the Gecko level.
    • Gecko is an application runtime, including a network stack, a graphics stack, a markup engine, a JavaScript virtual machine, and port levels.
    • Gonk - consists of the Linux kernel and the abstract user space hardware layer, a port of the Gecko engine, similar to ports for MacOS or Windows.

    Together, Gaia, Gecko and Gonk provide a complete web-based runtime environment for mobile devices. Firefox OS, in comparison with Android, contains fewer software layers , which allows us to expect better relative performance, which, incidentally, show the results of the first tests.

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    What does this mean for the industry? Why should people believe in Firefox OS?


    One of the main reasons for the innovations that have occurred on the Internet over the past 20 plus years may have been the lack of individuals or institutions who would dictate what the Internet could be used for and from which devices. Everyone can create a website, a new Internet service, or invent a new business model. Today’s

    mobile ecosystems , although to a certain extent, have grown from the web, but still do not look like a truly open web. Creating native apps today means accepting guidelines and restrictionsthat determine what services can be developed and how they should look. In the short term, for users this should be a boon, as they get tested applications that are easy to use. But in the long run, this may be an obstacle to innovation , which will be limited by the rules that convey all the decision-making opportunities to a small group of powerful corporations.

    The mother of all ecosystems is still (and will be) the Internet.
    The Internet, as a comprehensive communication environment, creates powerful network effects, and mobile ecosystems, from this point of view, are only islands in this ocean. HTML5 + JavaScript today is a key platform for developing applications for web services, and many believe that this will be the case for mobile services too.

    Despite the fact that native (native) applications can work better at the moment, the development of browser technologies can lead to the fact that the performance of web and native applications will be equal in a couple of years. Ideally, applications should appear that are built using open technology standards and that can be used on all devices, including smartphones. This will give users more choices.

    Firefox OS is tryingTransfer the freedom of the Internet to the mobile ecosystem , allowing everyone to create web applications just like they create web pages . There are several players in the industry who are interested in building an open alternative to closed ecosystems , and this can help Firefox OS gain a critical mass of users to attract developers to include in their plans to adapt their applications for Firefox OS.

    Of course, success is not guaranteed, and it is brave to challenge existing mobile ecosystems. But in today's Internet industry, there is no constancy, devices are constantly evolving and evolving and integrating, and users can use them in the most unexpected way .

    Mozilla evaluates 2012 results and hopes Firefox OS will succeed in 2013


    And, in conclusion - a curious infographic: ( source )

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    Want to get involved in the development of Firefox OS?


    Comoyo and Telenor Digital Services, which support this initiative, are looking for great people and open source jobs for developers .

    Or maybe there are people who want to try to create your own web application? Then this instruction will help you .

    Earlier on Habré:

    Additionally:

    Is Firefox OS Good for the Industry?

    Will you be experimenting with this platform in the near future?
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