This document discusses various Mozilla projects including Firefox, its extensions, and other related technologies. It describes how Firefox is built on the Gecko layout engine, allowing for extensions to customize the browser experience. It also outlines Mozilla's mobile projects like Fennec Firefox for Android and Boot2Gecko, their Firefox OS. Finally, it mentions the Web Maker Project and App Maker which aim to simplify contributing to and creating content for the internet.
3. INTRODUCTION
? The tech world is in great shape right now, thanks in no small part
to a small project that was born in 1998 for this very purpose.
? To a regular person from the 90s, our current world would seem
really strange.
? Although there would be a million reasons to account for that, the
Internet would take up a huge chunk of those reasons.
? This is because today, a large faction of the community is an active
participant in the medium, as opposed to being silent spectators.
5. ? As the more tech savvy readers would be aware, Firefox runs on
Gecko, a free and open source layout engine.
? So, in essence, you can develop extensions for your browser. We’re
using the term ‘extensions’ here is a very broad sense since it means
anything created that was not shipped with the plain vanilla
browser.
? There are many types of extensions that you can create for Firefox
to customise your experience, and (hopefully) others’ as well, by
sharing (the love and) the code.
6. ? Add-ons are extensions that are generally expected to add some
new functionality to your browser, that may include (but is in no
way limited to) new key bindings (keyboard shortcuts) and new
menu items.
? Plugins are the kind of extensions that try to modify the behaviour
of the native Firefox code and thereby the behaviour of the
browser.
8. ? The Mozilla project has grown way beyond the ‘friendly
neighbourhood browser’ stage. The team is working on creating a
gamut of technologies and, of course, all of them could use your
help!
? The two ways in which Firefox has entered that space are via the
mobile browser, Fennec and the mobile operating system,
Boot2Gecko (B2G).
9. ? Fennec is the name of the Firefox for Android project.
? The project ports Gecko to run on one of the largest, while at the
same time fastest growing, platform of our time – Android.
? Boot to Gecko (B2G) is the official nickname for Firefox OS.
? As you can guess by the name, Boot2Gecko attempts to cut out the
middleman and have the whole phone just running Firefox and
apps.
10. ? Mozilla is working with the W3C and other stakeholders to ensure
that the Web APIs are an open standard and that other browsers
adopt them too.
? Now, on to what you need to develop for the platform – almost
nothing!
? All you need is the OS simulator which can be downloaded from
AMO, and installed as a regular add on to your browser. It will
provide the basic testing ground that you need for your
experiments with the system as you get your feet wet.
11. ? There are also numerous side projects initiated by the
foundation which attempt to change the web for the
better. We’re about to discuss some of the more frontline
projects as part of that initiative.
? The Web maker Project is built around the idea that
passive users of the internet can be people who contribute
to the ‘making’ of the internet.
12. ? What it provides is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You
Get) editor, and an interface to build simple content for the web.
? This includes, in its own words, Popcorns and Thimbles. Popcorn
is a tool to create and maintain effective video based interactions,
while Thimble is used to prepare web pages.
? It provides a very easy tousle interface, with a focus on
acquainting the user with the basics of web development. One of
the most important aspects of the tool is that it’s an initiative
driven by the force of the community, and that all of the
innovations are openly available.
13. ? The Mozilla App Maker is a brand new project aimed at
simplifying the process of development of mobile apps for everyone.
? And everyone means everyone here – including the folks who
don’t have a significant digital skillset.
? Although many attempts have been made to simplify and
effectively automate the process of app development, to be honest,
none of them have really panned out. The market is ripe for an
initiative of this kind, and who better than Mozilla to make the
first significant moves.