Firefox OS

The evolution of the Operating System continues as does the logical competitive engagement.

   “Firefox OS is a new mobile operating system developed by Mozilla's Boot to Gecko (B2G) project. It uses a Linux kernel and boots into a Gecko-based runtime engine, which lets users run applications developed entirely using HTML, JavaScript, and other open web application APIs.” This is evidence that Mozilla has no intention of being left behind as PC and Smartphone Operating Systems evolve. Mozilla’s team has released an emulator to allow installation of this OS as any other Firefox extension would install, from within the Firefox browser. “Firefox OS is currently under heavy development; we are constantly working on ways to make it easier for you to use and hack on Gaia and create apps. However, you need knowledge about systems in order to do things like build the entire Firefox OS stack, or flash a phone with a build of Firefox OS.”

   Given what is quoted above from Mozilla Contributors it seems that the new Firefox OS can be installed by most people who have just a little experience and it can also provide a platform for those more experienced who wish to see what development opportunities this new OS can provide. It should prove very interesting to see what it looks like on Smartphones which will soon ship with the Firefox OS pre-installed. In the meantime there are a few options to try if you want to try it out on your phone or your PC: Android users can likely find it in the App Store (or Play Store) and in my case it was named “Firefox OS Go Launcher Ex” developed by 11.Gravity (this had a cost of $1.00). Another option would be to find the .XPI file located at Blue Sky On Mars if you wish to try it on your home computer. The Windows version is reportedly buggy, but as stated above the Firefox OS is under heavy development at this time and it does look good for something that is in “Alpha Stage”. Can Mozilla keep up with Microsoft, Chrome (Google) Linux, and any other potential OS developers? The next several months will likely help to prove that out.

{youtube}GZczEGDC8qE{/youtube}