WebProNews

Tag: Mozilla

  • Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Steps Down Amid Controversy

    Brendan Eich has stepped down as Mozilla’s CEO following controversy about his support of California anti-gay marriage law Proposition 8 in 2008, which recently came to light.

    Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker announced the news on the Mozilla blog after a number of interviews Eich gave indicating that he would not be going anywhere.

    “He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community,” she writes. “Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard. Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.”

    She continues, “We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community. While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better. We need to put our focus back on protecting that Web. And doing so in a way that will make you proud to support Mozilla.”

    They’re still figuring out what the next move is as far as leadership at Mozilla. Baker says they’ll have more info next week.

    “We will emerge from this with a renewed understanding and humility — our large, global, and diverse community is what makes Mozilla special, and what will help us fulfill our mission. We are stronger with you involved,” she concludes.

    Comments on the blog post are closed.

    According to Re/code, Eich, who also co-founded Mozilla (in addition to creating JavaScript) will also be resigning from the board of the Mozilla foundation (the nonprofit behind the for-profit Mozilla Corporation). Also, according to that report, Baker said Eich had not been forced to resign by her or others on the board.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mozilla Ends Firefox Metro Development

    In March 2012, Mozilla announced that it was developing a version of Firefox for Windows 8’s Metro UI. The non-profit included Firefox for Metro in its Nightly distribution starting February of last year. If you became a fan of Mozilla’s touch friendly Firefox in that time, you’ll want to make your peace now.

    Mozilla announced this morning that development of the Metro version of Firefox has ceased. In fact, the non-profit says that to release a version 1.0 of Firefox Metro “would be a mistake.”

    So, why kill of the Metro version of Firefox? Two reasons – resources and adoption rates. The first is perhaps the most important as Mozilla notes that its resources are not infinite. It has to focus on what works to compete in a market against juggernauts like Google. That’s why it wants to refocus its teams on the versions of Firefox that can make the most difference.

    As for adoption rates, Mozilla notes that it’s been “pretty flat.” In a comparison, it says that pre-release versions of Firefox desktop is being tested by millions of users whereas Firefox Metro has “never seen more than 1,000 active daily users.” With so few users, any release would suffer from bugs that were never discovered during the alpha and beta. To avoid that, Mozilla would have to devote its own resources towards QA, and the non-profit doesn’t think it would be worth it.

    Despite all this, Mozilla will not erase Firefox Metro’s existence from the Web. It will keep the code alive for anybody who wants to poke around. Even Mozilla admits that Firefox Metro could one day take off and it will “scramble to catch back up” if that happens. It just feels that it’s safer to focus on other products for now instead of one that has never shown much promise.

    Image via paulrouget/imgur

  • Mozilla Brings Unreal Engine 4 To Firefox

    Mozilla Brings Unreal Engine 4 To Firefox

    HTML5 has come a long way since it was being used to render simplistic 2D scenes in a browser. Just last year, Mozilla ported Unreal Engine 3 to Firefox for complex in-browser 3D scenes. Now they’re taking it one step further.

    Mozilla and Epic Games announced today that the two are bringing Unreal Engine 4 to the Web through Firefox. Much like Unreal Engine 3, UE4 will run via JavaScript using Mozilla’s asm.js subset. They claim that asm.js has increased the performance of Web applications to 67 percent of native and that it will get even better. The porting of Unreal Engine 4 is a testament to the power of the Web.

    “This technology has reached a point where games users can jump into via a Web link are now almost indistinguishable from ones they might have had to wait to download and install,” said Brendan Eich, CTO and SVP of Engineering at Mozilla. “Using Emscripten to cross-compile C and C++ into asm.js, developers can run their games at near-native speeds, so they can approach the Web as they would any other platform.”

    Here’s a video showing Unreal Engine 4 running natively on Firefox without the use of plugins:

    Mozilla and Epic both feel that the Web is the next great platform for games. Developers haven’t exactly flocked to it just yet, but it’s certainly impressive that HTML5 can handle a complex engine like Unreal Engine 4.

    “We were blown away by what this Mozilla-pioneered technology achieved with Unreal Engine 3 on the Web, so we had no hesitation in working with Mozilla to port Unreal Engine 4,” said Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO, Epic Games. “We believe the Web has a crucial part to play in the future of game development and deployment, and Mozilla has proven it is the catalyst to make this happen.”

    If you want to learn more about Mozilla’s efforts to bring Unreal Engine 4 to the Web, you’ll want to check out their booth at GDC.

    Image via firefoxchannel/YouTube

  • Mozilla’s Mozjpeg Should Make Firefox Faster

    The JPEG has been around for more than 20 years now. When technology gets that old, you either take it out back or teach it some new tricks. Mozilla is opting for the latter even as it prepares for a future where the former is a reality.

    Mozilla announced Wednesday that it’s working on a new project called mozjpeg that will improve JPEG compression without breaking browsers. The non-profit says it’s doing this because the modern Web uses pictures more than ever before and this can really slow down a page’s loading time. With new compression techniques, they can decrease the time it takes Firefox to load a page full of images.

    Even though its building mozjpeg, Mozilla doesn’t see JPEG remaining the dominant image format on the Web. Of course, moving to a new image format brings with its own unique challenges so mozjpeg is being built to help improve JPEG encoding even while the Web moves to a new format.

    Production JPEG encoders have largely been stagnant in terms of compression efficiency, so replacing JPEG with something better has been a frequent topic of discussion. The major downside to moving away from JPEG is that it would require going through a multi-year period of relatively poor compatibility with the world’s deployed software. We (at Mozilla) don’t doubt that algorithmic improvements will make this worthwhile at some point, possibly soon. Even after a transition begins in earnest though, JPEG will continue to be used widely.

    Given this situation, we wondered if JPEG encoders have really reached their full compression potential after 20+ years. We talked to a number of engineers, and concluded that the answer is “no,” even within the constraints of strong compatibility requirements. With feedback on promising avenues for exploration in hand, we started the ‘mozjpeg’ project.

    If you want to try out mozjpeg for yourself, Mozilla released version 1.0 today. It’s a fork of libjpeg-turbo with “jpgcruch” functionality added for good measure. They found this combination can reduce jpeg file sizes by 10 percent and they’re obviously hoping they can increase this with help from the community.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mozilla Unveils New Line Of Firefox OS Devices

    Mozilla Unveils New Line Of Firefox OS Devices

    Mozilla stumbled upon a hit last year with its Firefox OS devices. The low cost of entry combined with a Web-friendly OS earned the alternative mobile platform a few million fans in emerging markets. Those emerging markets will continue to be important going forward, but Mozilla has set its aspirations a bit higher for the second year of Firefox OS.

    At Mobile World Congress, Mozilla announced that it has partnered with even more hardware manufacturers to create a wide range of Firefox OS devices that will satisfy both spectrums of the market – those who desire affordable entry level devices and those who desire high-performance devices.

    Future Firefox OS devices will be made by existing partners Alcatel and ZTE, alongside newcomers Huawei and LG. ZTE will be introducing successors to last year’s phones with the Open C and Open II. Alcatel will be introducing a wide range of new devices with the Fire C, Fire E, Fire S and Fire 7 tablet. Huawei will be testing the waters with the Y300 while LG does the same with the Fireweb.

    As an example, here’s the ZTE Open C:

    Mozilla Unveils new Line Of Firefox OS Devices

    “We’re pleased to see the Firefox OS ecosystem grow so quickly as users, developers and partners come together to experience and build the future of mobile experiences,” said Andreas Gal, Mozilla Vice President of Mobile. “Firefox OS will continue to evolve and add more features to offer choice and customization that is unmatched by any other smartphone. We’re excited to see what other features and services will result from an open platform being contributed to by developers, partners and community around the world.”

    All the new hardware will launch with a new version of Firefox OS that introduces tons of new features. Here’s a partial from Mozilla:

  • Deep customization options for operators and manufacturers, developers and users. This includes the ability to create custom ringtones and replaceable home screens, which were direct requests from Firefox OS users.
  • A new universal search that will revolutionize how users discover content on their phones. The feature is available on any screen – simply swipe down from the top to find new apps, content or navigate to anything on the phone or the Web.
  • New navigation features to make multitasking intuitive, fluid and smart, much like how users interact with the Web. Users can easily swipe from the left and right edges to seamlessly move between pages, content and apps in a fun way that saves time.
  • Easy and direct sharing of content (and even software updates) in a secure way with NFC support, without the need for data or Wifi.
  • LTE support to make the mobile experience even faster.
  • Firefox OS will introduce Firefox Accounts and services. Firefox Accounts is a safe and easy way for users to create an account that enables them to sign in and take Firefox everywhere. With Firefox Accounts, Mozilla can better integrate services including Firefox Marketplace, Firefox Sync, backup, storage, or even a service to help locate, message or wipe a phone if it were lost or stolen.

    • The Firefox OS update will be rolling out in the near future. The new devices are either available starting today or will launch in the near future. As for a U.S. release, there’s still no word of Mozilla’s alternative OS moving out of emerging markets anytime soon.

    Image via Mozilla

  • Mozilla To Sell Ad Space In Firefox

    Last year, it looked like Mozilla was about to declare war on the ad industry while the ad industry thought the non-profit had already fired the first shot with its decision to block third-party cookies in its browser by default. It didn’t look like things would get better in 2014, but interestingly enough, Mozilla now wants to work with the very industry it scorned last year.

    Mozilla’s VP of Content Services, Darren Herman, attended the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting this week to discuss the non-profit’s approach to advertising on the Web. As part of his speech, Herman announced that Mozilla would be introducing ads into Firefox through what it calls Directory Tiles. In essence, Mozilla replace the nine blank tiles on the tab page with “pre-packaged content” for first time users.

    Here’s how Herman describes it:

    Directory Tiles will instead suggest pre-packaged content for first-time users. Some of these tile placements will be from the Mozilla ecosystem, some will be popular websites in a given geographic location, and some will be sponsored content from hand-picked partners to help support Mozilla’s pursuit of our mission. The sponsored tiles will be clearly labeled as such, while still leading to content we think users will enjoy.

    So, why the sudden change of heart? Mozilla would be the last organization I’d expect to see put ads on their product, but here we are. While Herman says Directory Tiles have “inherent value to our users,” he also throws in a bit about how it “helps Mozilla become more diversified and sustainable as a project.”

    Running a non-profit isn’t easy and Mozilla makes most of its money through donations. While it’s non-profit categorization will likely not change with this, the introduction of ads will give the organization a new revenue stream to continue its work. The Mozilla faithful can only hope that the introduction of ads doesn’t compromise the non-profit’s vision of a free and open Web.

    Image via Imgur

  • Mozilla Is Building A Firefox Launcher For Android

    Firefox OS is doing pretty well for itself in emerging markets thanks to its ability to run on low-end hardware that’s very affordable. That very reason may be why we probably won’t see Firefox OS in the U.S. anytime soon thanks to our desire to own flagship devices. Firefox OS fans will be happy to know then that they can get an authentic Firefox experience on Android without sacrificing their powerful hardware.

    Mozilla announced today that it’s working together with EverythingMe on a Firefox Launcher for Android. The new launcher will replace your Android homescreen with one that is built around Firefox for Android. That means you get the adaptive app search that’s in Firefox OS while still in Android.

    Here’s what it will look like:

    Mozilla Is Buliding A Firefox Launcher For Android

    So, what’s the advantage of adaptive app search? Here’s how Mozilla describes it:

    Firefox OS includes an easy-to-use, adaptive app search. Just type a single word, like “sushi,” to discover related mobile apps. Some apps can even make use of your location to customize the content they display. You can try out all kinds of apps this way. Find something you really like? Save it to your home screen for easy access. Let’s get started!

    That same adaptive search will be available on your Android device if you decide to use the new Firefox launcher. Unfortunately, it’s not available just yet as Mozilla and EverythingMe are still developing it. The non-profit says it will share more details regarding a beta when development is finished.

    Image via Mozilla Blog

  • Firefox OS Expands To TVs, More Phones In 2014

    Last year, Mozilla became another combatant in the smartphone wars when it released its Firefox OS mobile operating system. The OS entered into a market dominated by iOS and Android, but sought to capitalize on the emerging markets that both of its larger rivals have left alone in favor of mature markets. It seems last year’s launch must have been successful as Mozilla is already gearing up to put Firefox OS on even more devices in 2014.

    At CES, Mozilla announced a number of new partnerships that will see Firefox OS’ reach expand beyond the smartphone. In perhaps the most surprising move, the non-profit says that it has partnered with Panasonic to promote Firefox OS on Panasonic TVs. In other words, you’ll soon see Firefox OS and all its HTML5 goodness pop up in Panasonic’s range of smart TVs.

    Through Panasonic’s partnership with Mozilla, we will create further innovation in smart TV technologies and features, which will take consumers to a whole new level of interaction and connectivity inside and outside of the home,” said Mr. Yuki Kusumi, Director of the TV Business Division of the AVC Networks Company of Panasonic.

    The smart TV is certainly a big step for Mozilla, but it’s still mostly focused on the mobile scene. One of its first hardware partners – ZTE – announced that it would be stepping up its commitment to the platform after the ZTE Open performed well beyond expectations. ZTE’s increased commitment will come in the form of two new phones that will give Firefox OS fans a more powerful smartphone experience in the form of the ZTE Open C and the Open II.

    Moving onto tablets, Mozilla has started what it calls the Firefox OS contribution program to help speed up the development of Firefox OS for tablets. Those who enlist in the program will gain access to a number of resources, including reference hardware from Foxconn that will help developers iron out the Firefox OS tablet software.

    Finally, hardware manufacturer VIA has partnered with Mozilla to produce a functioning preview of Firefox OS for its APC Paper and Rock computers. Both computers are envisioned as cheap desktop computers that put Internet access above all else, and Firefox OS’ focus on Web technologies seems like a perfect fit. You can find out more here.

    Image via Mozilla

  • Mozilla, BBC Team Up To Improve The Web

    Mozilla, BBC Team Up To Improve The Web

    The Web is arguably the most important invention of the modern era. It’s a shame then that more organizations are not out there helping people learn how to get the most out of it. The organizations that are supporting humanity’s relationship with the Web got a shot in the arm over the weekend, however, thanks to an agreement with one of the world’s largest media companies.

    The BBC announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four organizations dedicated to the open Web. These agreements will help the BBC better promote the open Web, teach Web skills and deliver new services to consumers. The four organizations involved – The Open Knowledge Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Europeana Foundation and the Open Data Institute – will help further the BBC’s goals.

    “The BBC has been at the forefront of technological innovation around broadcasting and online for many years delivering the benefits of new technologies to licence fee payers, offering new services and products to audiences around the world, and creating public value in the digital economy,” said James Purnell, BBC Director of Strategy and Digital. “We have worked closely with many other organisations to promote open data, open standards and the open internet, and we plan to build on these MOUs to find new ways to engage audiences and deliver the BBC’s aspirations online.”

    Mozilla chimed in with its own statement on the signing of an MOU with the BBC by saying that it will continue to work with the broadcaster “on open technical standards, Web literacy, education projects and a number of other shared initiatives.” The non-profit also says that the its agreement “precede[s] a year of programming and events that support Web and Digital Creativity across the UK that the BBC will kick off in 2015.”

    [Image: Wikimedia Commons]

  • Firefox OS Devices Won’t Be Sold In The US

    Firefox OS Devices Won’t Be Sold In The US

    When Firefox OS devices started hitting emerging markets earlier this year, it was always assumed that the devices would hit the US. Mozilla even said that we would see Firefox OS devices on Sprint in 2014. Well, I hope you didn’t get your hopes up then.

    Speaking to CNET, Mozilla Executive Chair Mitchell Baker said that “there are no plans to launch in the US” when asked about the future of Firefox OS. While that’s certainly a bummer for those who were hoping to buy a Firefox OS device in the US, you might not want to give up hope just yet. Mozilla’s VP of Mobile, Andreas Gal, said that the company is “actively exploring” the logistics of a US launch.

    While it’s certainly no promise, it at least shows that Mozilla is exploring its options . Those options may be limited in the US, however, as most consumers desire the latest and greatest mobile devices. Firefox OS devices are clearly marketed at low income consumers in emerging markets, and the overabundance of cheap Android devices in the US make the device a hard sell to even the most cost conscious consumers.

    That being said, Mozilla believes it’s tapping into markets that are overlooked by the Android and iOS devices of the world thanks to the low price of Firefox OS devices. Even the cheapest Android devices still cost hundreds of dollars in many emerging markets. Firefox OS has a real chance at growth in those markets thanks to the devices sometimes costing less than $100 off-contract.

    That’s all well and good, but what about the US consumers who just really want a Firefox OS device? Well, there’s always eBay.

    [Image: Mozilla]

  • Firefox For Android Will Come Preinstalled On Kobo Arc Tablets

    When you buy an Android smartphone today, you really only have one option of browser right out of the box – the vanilla Android browser. Sure, you can download other browsers off of Google Play, but why do that when you have a perfectly good browser already preinstalled on your device. Well, Mozilla is tired of you ignoring Firefox on Google Play so it’s going to do something about it.

    Mozilla announced today that Firefox for Android will come preinstalled on two devices this year – the Kobo Arc tablets and the Gigabyte GSmart Simba SX1 smarpthones. The move is obviously intended to get Firefox for Android on more devices as Mozilla struggles to gain marketshare in the mobile market. As of October, Net Applications reported that Firefox for Android is installed on only 0.01 percent of all mobile devices.

    As for the devices themselves, you’ve probably already heard of Kobo and its line of tablets. The company has been seen as a Nook competitor for a few years now, but Kobo has far superior hardware. It’s Kobo Arc 7HD and Arc 10HD blow the Nook HD and Nook HD+ out of the water.

    So, what does Firefox bring to the Kobo tablets? According to Mozilla, it’s all about the readability:

    Like Kobo’s Readability features, Firefox has a Reader feature to offer another way for Kobo customers to view and read Web content by removing advertisements, adjusting pictures and increasing font size to show a more clear view of the page. Everything in your Firefox Reading List is available offline, so you can catch up on reading when Internet access is unavailable, like on an airplane or subway.

    As for the Gigabyte GSmart Simba SX1, it’s a new smartphone from one of the world’s largest PC component manufacturers. It’s claim to fame is that it’s a dual-SIM smartphone that supports up to three-way calling. As for the hardware itself, it’s nothing special with a Snapdragon 400 dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.2.

    “We are pleased to partner with Kobo and GIGABYTE to offer Firefox as a pre-installed Web browser on Kobo Arc tablets and the GSmart Simba SX1 smartphone.” said Karen Rudnitski, Senior Product Manager for Firefox for Android. “Firefox is dedicated to offering users the best and most personal mobile browsing experience and we are happy to be able to bring that experience directly to users, globally.”

    The Kobo Arc tablets are now available in the U.S. and Canada while the GSmart Simba X1 will be available globally in December of this year.

    [Image: Kobo]

  • Mozilla, OTOY Introduce ORBX.js, Brings Cloud-Based Graphics Processing To The Web

    In 2010, OnLive introduced a revolutionary idea – leverage the power of the cloud to stream PC games to any PC regardless of its specs. Now a number of Web companies are taking that idea even further with a new Web technology that does the same thing in any browser.

    Mozilla announced today that it has partnered with OTOY and Autodesk to bring a new HTML5 tool called ORBX.js to the Web. The Web technology allows HTML5 applications to leverage AWS to deliver graphics-intensive applications to any modern Web browser. Think of it like OnLive for the Web, but it can be used for more than just games.

    At the moment, ORBX.js is only available to AWS customers. That means those who use AWS can integrate the new Web technology into their app to deliver high-quality graphics-intensive applications to any compatible browser. One such application is Octane Cloud Workstation – Autodesk Edition – a Web app that will allow designers to create sophisticated 3D models without having to own their own powerful workstation. All the work is done on AWS’ servers and is then delivered seamlessly to the user’s PC or other compatible device.

    “Designers and engineers have an increasing need to be mobile, accessing the tools they need anytime, anywhere and from any device. Simple viewing and mark-up of documents is no longer sufficient – they need to be able to access powerful 3D design applications, be able to do real design work and not worry about sacrificing performance,” said Jeff Kowalski, Chief Technology Officer at Autodesk. “This is now possible with technology developed by Autodesk, AWS and OTOY.”

    Here’s a video demo of Octane Cloud running in Firefox:

    Despite the main emphasis of this technology being on graphics-intensive applications, like 3D modeling software, it’s said that ORBX.js can also be used to deliver state-of-the-art gaming experiences to people over the cloud.

    On a final note, OTOY is also offering a subscription service that gives users access to a top-of-the-line workstation PC over the Cloud for $9.99 a month. The demo you saw above was using the same cloud workstation PC to run Adobe Creative Cloud and Unreal Engine 4. You can find out more over at OTOY’s Web site.

    [Image: firefoxchannel/YouTube]

  • Mozilla’s Open Web Apps Have Made Great Progress

    When building apps for Firefox OS, developers use modern Web tools like HTML5, JavaScript and CSS to deliver apps with near native performance on mobile devices. Now Mozilla is helping those same developers bring their Firefox OS apps to other platforms.

    A while back, Mozilla introduced a new technology called Open Web Apps that would help developers bring HTML5 apps to platforms like Android, Windows and OS X. The best part was that these apps would require no additional development as Mozilla’s tools would automatically convert the HTML5 app into a native app upon being downloaded to a non-Firefox OS platform.

    Here’s a video demo that shows how an app built for Firefox OS is automatically converted into a native app on Android, Windows and Mac OS X.

    Mozilla notes that privileged apps will also seamlessly install from the Firefox OS marketplace to an Android device. Just like in the Google Play store, the app will ask for a number of permissions upon being installed. All of this is accomplished without any further code being written.

    So, what about Open Web Apps on iOS? At the moment, that’s not possible as Open Web Apps requires a platform that supports Gecko, Mozilla’s Web rendering platform. The non-profit does not, however, that it’s working with Cordova to allow Open Web Apps packaged by Cordova to run on iOS. You can read more about that here.

    The above video demo may have you itching for a native app experience for your Open Web Apps, but Mozilla isn’t quite ready yet. At the moment, it only supports hosted, unprivileged apps on desktops using Firefox 16 or newer, and mobile apps on Android via Mobile Firefox Aurora. Mozilla notes that the native app experience is not available on Android just yet, but it should hit Mobile Firefox Nightly in December.

    [Image: Mozilla Hacks]

  • TogetherJS Is Mozilla’s Real-Time Collaboration Tool That Works Anywhere On The Web

    Real-time collaboration is an important part of the modern Web. In fact, you could argue that it’s the most important aspect of any modern Web app – just look at how much emphasis Google Docs puts on working together. Unfortunately, such collaboration is only currently possible in Web apps built specifically with that in mind, but Mozilla wants to change all that.

    Mozilla Labs announced today that it’s releasing TogetherJS to the world. It’s an HTML5-based collaboration tool that adds the same kind of tools that you see in Google Drive to any Web app or site. While it may be focused on collaboration, TogetherJS is also a communications tool that enables text and audio chat between two or more people via WebRTC.

    Here’s a full list of the features currently enabled by TogetherJS:

  • See the other person’s cursor and clicks
  • See scroll position
  • Watch the pages a person visits on a page
  • Text chat
  • Audio chat using WebRTC
  • Form field synchronization (text fields, checkboxes, etc)
  • Play/pause/track videos in sync
  • Continue sessions across multiple pages on a site

    • And here’s a video of it in action:

    You may have noticed by now that TogetherJS is a carbon copy of TowTruck – a real-time collaboration tool that was released by Mozilla Labs in alpha back in April. As it turns out, Mozilla changed the name to TogetherJS last month, but said that the underlying technology remained the same. The reason for the name change was solely due to Mozilla realizing that TowTruck quickly outgrew its original ambition and it needed a new name to reflect this reality.

    If you want to know more about TogetherJS, check out Mozilla’s excellent technology overview. If you want to contribute, you can find its GitHub page here.

    [Image: Mozilla Webmakers/YouTube]

  • Flash Player’s Worst Nightmare Is Now In Firefox Nightly

    Adobe’s Flash Player is one of the few plugins on the Internet that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. HTML5 has certainly tried to dethrone the Web video playback king, but it still lacks many of the features that make Flash so convenient. That might not be the case sooner rather than later though if Mozilla has its way.

    Ghacks reports that Mozilla, in its never ending quest to eradicate plugins from the Web, has integrated Shumway into the latest version of Firefox Nightly. What is Shumway, you ask? It’s an open source javascript-based SWF renderer. In other words, it’s Mozilla’s attempt to create a native Web technology that can do everything Flash does.

    In a blog post from last year, Mozilla’s Jet Villegas said the Shumway project had two main goals:

  • 1. Advance the open web platform to securely process rich media formats that were previously only available in closed and proprietary implementations.
  • 2. Offer a runtime processor for SWF and other rich media formats on platforms for which runtime implementations are not available.

    • Note that the blog from last year said that Shumway was still highly experimental, and was only available as an optional extension that the more adventurous among us should play with. Now it’s available in Firefox Nightly which is a sign that Mozilla is inching closer to rolling it out to all Firefox users.

    Despite that, it’s still going to be a while before we see Shumway in Firefox Beta, or Aurora for that matter. According to Infoworld, Shumway is still very much in its experimental phase. It will probably remain that way for at least a few more months, but its move to Nightly at least means that Firefox wants more developers to help test and refine it.

    If you want to help shape the future of a Flash-less Internet, you can check out Shumway’s Github page here. If you want to use it for yourself, you can grab Firefox Nightly here.

    [Image: Wikimedia Commons]

  • Firefox OS To Launch In More Markets Before The End Of 2013

    Firefox OS, Mozilla’s mobile OS alternative to Android and iOS, launched in select European and South American markets earlier this year. It’s been a little too quiet on the Firefox OS front since then, but Mozilla and its hardware partners are starting to stir once again.

    Mozilla announced today that it and its hardware partners are preparing to launch Firefox OS in even more South American countries, including Brazil. Currently, Firefox OS devices are only available in Colombia and Venezuela through Telefonica.

    “These first launches of Firefox OS in Spain, Colombia and Venezuela have surpassed our expectations demonstrating a strong consumer appetite for a great value and open smartphone offer,” said Yotam Ben-Ami, Director of Open Web Devices at Telefonica. “We now look forward to bringing the benefits of Firefox OS to our customers in Brazil and three other Latin America markets during Q4 2013 as well as making it available through many more Telefónica operating businesses during 2014.”

    Telefonica may operate in Spain, but what about the rest of Europe. Mobile carrier Deutsche Telecom says that it plans to expand upon its successful launch in Poland with more launches in Germany, Greece and Hungary.

    Mozilla also announced a new partner in Telenor – a Norway-based telecom company. The carrier will launch Firefox OS devices in Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro before the end of the year.

    Of course, Mozilla won’t be simply resting on its laurels as more Firefox OS devices make their way into the hands of more people. The company announced today that it’s pushing out version 1.1 of Firefox OS today. This update adds MMS messaging and a variety of performance improvements.

    Mozilla CEO Jay Sullivan says the latest update to Firefox OS is all about delivering the best product to people who may be buying their very first smartphone:

    “The positive market reception of the first Firefox OS smartphones demonstrates that people like the user experience and openness we’re building with Firefox OS,” said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Chief Operating Officer. “We continue to enhance Firefox OS to deliver the best experience for the many people around the world buying their first smartphones. We are looking forward to seeing the response to the next round of Firefox OS launches.”

    While there’s still no word on a U.S. launch for Firefox OS, ZTE confirmed last month that its Firefox OS device would be launching in the states next year. If you’re super impatient, you can get one through eBay right now.

    [Image: ZTE]

  • ZTE Firefox OS Smartphone Coming to U.S. Next Year

    Earlier this summer, Mozilla and its partners launched Firefox OS smartphones throughout Europe and South America. Though the mobile os certainly hasn’t displaced Android or iOS, the platform has evidently proved popular enough for manufacturers to keep on creating devices for it.

    A DigiTimes report today revealed that Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE is already developing a next-generation of its ZTE Open Firefox OS device. The report cites a Sina report that quotes ZTE Vice President He Shy-yoy as confirming the company’s intentions to continue making Firefox OS devices. He also stated that ZTE expects to sell more than 200,000 ZTE Open devices.

    Shy-you went on to state that ZTE’s second-generation Firefox OS smartphone (presumably and update of the ZTE Open) would ship to the U.S. sometime during the first half of 2014. The original ZTE Open is not available from U.S. mobile providers, though an unlocked version of the smartphone can be found on eBay.

    As smartphones begin to saturate western markets, analysts have predicted that future mobile industry growth will be centered on emerging markets such ask Brazil, India, and China. In these markets, low-priced mobile devices make up a sizable poriton of sales. With cut-rate hardwre the norm, manufacturers may have to turn to outdated versions of Android or alternative operating systems that will run on low-end handsets. As one of these alternative platforms, Firefox OS could be well-positioned to end up more popular worldwide than other recent alternative mobile operating systems that tied their debuts to high-end smartphones.

  • Firefox To Soon Block Plugins By Default

    Plugins are a necessary evil of the Internet. The often vulnerable software plugins that enable video and audio streaming on Web browsers are regularly exploited by hackers. To stop the spread of malware, Mozilla is now moving to change how Firefox handles plugins.

    Mozilla announced today that Firefox will soon block most third-party plugins by default. This means that future versions of Firefox will ask your permission to display plugin-enabled content. There permissions will be handled on a per-site basis so enabling Microsoft Silverlight to run on one Netflix video will ensure that all of Netflix will be whitelisted in the future.

    It should be noted that Firefox will not be blocking all third-party plugins. It won’t block for Adobe Flash because it’s “so common on the Web.” Mozilla also notes that blocking Flash by default would confuse many users due to the fact that many Web sites use hidden Flash instances all throughout a Web page.

    Wait, that’s a little unfair, right? Flash is just as vulnerable as any other plugin, so why does it get special treatment? For starters, Flash is still everywhere on the Web, and a blanket blockade would ruin a lot of Web pages for a lot of people. Besides, Firefox already blocks older versions of Flash while reminding users to upgrade to the latest secure version.

    Mozilla may be trying to protect users with this latest move, but that’s not the only reason it’s blocking plugins. The non-profit is known as a strong proponent of Web technologies like HTML5 and has been encouraging developers to dump plugins in favor of it. While HTML5 has certainly made some great strides over the last year, it still can’t match the performance of a plugin like Flash or the Unity Web Player. Until it can, plugins are here to stay.

    If you want to try the new plugin blocker for yourself, just download the latest Firefox Aurora release.

  • You Will Soon Be Able To Buy A Firefox OS Smartphone Through eBay

    You Will Soon Be Able To Buy A Firefox OS Smartphone Through eBay

    Have the Firefox OS launches across Europe and South America left you wanting your own alternative mobile OS? Unfortunately for you, Mozilla has yet to announce a solid release date for its new mobile OS in North America, and best estimates put the launch at next year. Worry not, however, as one of Mozilla’s hardware partners is willing to hook you up.

    ZTE announced today that it will start selling an unlocked ZTE Open through eBay for $79.99. The device is one of the first to run Firefox OS, and has recently heralded the arrival of Mozilla’s mobile OS in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia.

    “It is great honor to launch the ZTE Open Firefox OS phone worldwide through eBay,” said Dai Wenhong, VP of ZTE Corporation. “ZTE is devoted to providing more options for customers globally and enabling them to live better lives via advanced technology. The ZTE Open offers customers a smartphone experience at an incredible price point, making it ideal for cost conscious consumers or those looking to upgrade to a smartphone for the first time.”

    The move isn’t just a win for consumers that wan’t an alternative mobile OS, but for developers who until now have only been able to buy the developer version of Firefox OS devices from Geeksphone. With this, developers will be able to test out their Firefox OS-capable HTML5 apps on consumer hardware.

    “Mozilla is dedicated to moving the Web forward as a platform for innovation and building products that people love,” said Dr. Li Gong, Mozilla Senior VP of Mobile Devices. “We are pleased that now we will put the full power of the Web in even more people’s hands. With a great potential user base, we know that even more developers around the world will create their apps with new APIs to stimulate an inspiring new wave of innovation.”

    So, what are you going to get spec wise from the ZTE Open? Well, the $79.99 price tag should already tell you a lot, but here goes: the Open features a 3.5 320×480 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 single core CPU, 256 MB of RAM, 512 MB of built-in storage, a 3.2MP camera and a 1200 mAh battery. In short, you’re getting what you pay for.

    The ZTE Open isn’t available on eBay just yet, but it will be available to U.S. and UK consumers when it does go live. The device will be unlocked so interested consumers will be able to activate it on any carrier.

    [h/t: Gigaom]

  • Mozilla’s Persona Now Supports Gmail Users

    Mozilla’s Persona Now Supports Gmail Users

    Persona began as a browser customization option in Firefox, but Mozilla soon used the name for its ambitious new plan to make the Web more secure. In short, it’s a single identity that’s used across all of the Web sites you frequent, and it’s secure as it only requires an email address. Gmail wasn’t initially supported at launch, but that all changed this week.

    Mozilla announced on Thursday that its Persona ID system now supports Gmail. In other words, you can sign into your favorite Persona-enabled Web sites with nothing but your Gmail email address. With the addition of Gmail, Mozilla says that Persona now natively supports 700 million email users.

    As an added bonus, Mozilla reveals that Persona will protect your privacy, even from Google. The non-profit says that Google can’t track which sites you sign into via Gmail for Persona.

    If you want to try out Persona right now to see what all the hubbub is about, check out any of Mozilla’s sites. They all support Persona.

  • Mozilla Integrates A Share Button Directly Into Firefox

    Firefox became a social browser last year when it integrated with Facebook. Since then, Firefox has become home to a number of social networks from all over the world. Now the browser is taking it to the next step with Facebook sharing from any Web site.

    Mozilla announced today that the latest update to Firefox will include a social share button. The button will allow you to share whatever Web page you’re currently on with your friends and family on Facebook or Cliqz.

    Besides the addition of a share button, Firefox 23 includes a number of new features, additions and upgrades to keep users secure. The major addition is mixed content blocking to prevent eavesdropping on HTTPS pages. The latest version of Mozilla’s browser also includes a simplification of plugin installations and the removal of the “Enable JavaScript” preference checkbox.

    As for Firefox Mobile for Android, here’s all the new features you can expect to see in today’s update:

  • New: Smaller tablets will now get the full tablet UI
  • New: Slovak locale added
  • Changed: Improved WebGL rendering performance through asynchronous canvas updates
  • HTML5: New data and time elements
  • Fixed: Startup crash on LG Optimus Black
  • Fixed: Nested frames cannot be scrolled vertically

    • If you want to check out all the new features in Firefox 23, you can download it for desktop here and Android here.