Skip to main content

MOZILLA UNVEILS ANDROID/CHROME OS COMPETITOR BUILT ON ANDROID KERNEL


Way back in 2009, the Mozilla Phone concept began taking shape. The project — kickstarted by developer Billy May — eventually matured  into Seabird, a community-driven initiative to create an open web phone. A handful of Linux distributions like Webconverger and xPud have offered quick-boot Firefox access for years — and more recently, Sebastian wondered why we hadn’t yet seen an official Firefox OS to counter Google’s Chrome OS. Now, however, with the announcement of Boot to Gecko (B2G), Mozilla seems to be ready to get the ball rolling, with the noble aim of providing a truly open mobile operating system built upon standard web technologies.
The hardware target will be handheld devices like tablets and smartphones, making Boot to Gecko more of a challenge to Android than Chrome OS (at least in their current incarnations). With internet use on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones exploding right now, the world will soon be ready for a full-on alternative OS for its future handhelds — just as it was ready for an alternative to Internet Explorer when Firefox began its rise to prominence on the desktop.

According to MozillaWiki, Boot to Gecko utilizes the Android kernel and drivers, but that doesn’t stop Mozilla from taking a jab at Android’s openness. Mozilla, for example, says that Boot to Gecko source code will be made available in real-time. That’s a stark contrast to Google’s pseudo-open attitude with Android, which still has the company keeping the Android 3.0 Honeycomb code on lockdown months after it first arrived on a tablet and its SDK was released. It’s not a surprise that Mozilla would take a stand like this, however. Work on its myriad projects has always been done in the open.
There are hurdles to clear, of course. Browser-based apps don’t yet enjoy the same direct access to system hardware that native apps do, with the possible exception of those that utilize WebGL for added graphics muscle or accelerometers for orientation. Geolocation in the browser is possible, too, but Mozilla will push for new APIs that allow developers to hook into the other hardware in our mobile devices — like cellular, NFC, and Bluetooth radios, and cameras. Mozilla again raises the open flag when speaking about these additions, saying “We aren’t trying to have these native-grade apps just run on Firefox, we’re trying to have them run on the web” and that it hopes to “displace proprietary, single-vendor stacks for application development.”
Boot to Gecko could prove to be a steep uphill climb for Mozilla, since the company doesn’t enjoy the close ties with hardware manufacturers that rivals like Google and Microsoft do. It will, however, have one key advantage: licensing fees. Mozilla’s browser OS will no doubt come with very, very few (if any) strings attached. The goal at Mozilla has always been to make the web as a whole a better place and to encourage innovation, not to fill corporate coffers and sate sharesholders. It’s that spirit that has helped the web become what it is today, a thriving, sprawling expanse packed with countless enjoyable diversions and highly useful apps — and that’s an environment in which B2G will thrive.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

Ten Tips to Keep your Computer Running Smoothly 1. Never, never, turn your computer off with the power switch until Windows has shut down . The one exception to this rule is when your computer locks up and your hard drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation, you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should only do this when you have to. Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will prevent a host of Windows problems. Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time. Press them again to reboot your computer. 2. I highly recommend that you purchase an UPS (uninteruptable power supply) for your computer. This will keep your computer from crashing during power outages, and will protect your computer from low an...
Post a Comment
Read more

SPEED UP YOUR SLOW PC WITH PC CLEANER

Anyone that has used a PC for any length of time has experienced computer slow-downs, crashes, lack of disk space, and other annoying performance problems. While there are certain steps you should and can take to improve your computer's performance (see our article Computer Maintenance Tips) some computer maintenance operations cannot be performed by other than computer maintenance/cleaning program. We were asked to evaluate a computer maintenance/speedup product developed by PC Cleaner, Inc,.called PC Cleaner. In addition to being a computer maintenance product, PC Cleaner is also a computer speedup product because it also optimizes your computer's Internet speed and system memory usage. PC Cleaner performs the following computer maintenance tasks in automatic one-click mode; Windows Registry Cleaner, System Clutter Cleaner, Privacy Guard, ActiveX Cleaner, PC Optimizer, and Malware Cleaner . Let's briefly discuss the functions of each module.
Post a Comment
Read more