Click here to learn
about this Sponsor:
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum

Keywords: Match:
"Mobile Firefox" takes on phones, devices
Oct. 11, 2007

The Mozilla Foundation will ship a mobile version of the popular Firefox browser in 2008, according to a blog post from Mike Schroepfer, VP of engineering. Schroepfer writes that "Mobile Firefox" (MoFi?) will be based on Gecko 1.9 with "significant changes" for improved performance and footprint.

"We are serious about bringing the Firefox experience and technology to mobile devices," Schroepfer wrote in a post on his blog. "People ask us all the time about what Mozilla's going to do about the mobile web, and I'm very excited to announce that we plan to rock it."

The Firefox browser has already been adapted for mobile devices by Nokia (story), while last week ARM announced plans to sponsor ports of the open source browser to additional mobile platforms. Projects like Ubuntu Mobile are also expected to adopt the open source browser.

When it reaches completion, Mobile Firefox will compete with other mobile browsers based on Apple's open source WebKit engine, such as Pleyo's Origyn Web Browser, as well as proprietary lightweight browsers from Opera, Access, and others. Traditionally, Firefox's Gecko rendering engine has had a larger footprint than WebKit, but has been better supported by web developers due to Firefox's popularity with Windows users. Firefox has more than 100 million users, Schroepfer claimed.

Schroepfer feels that much can be done to optimize Gecko 1.9 for low-resource mobile devices. He wrote:
"We are wrapping up work on Gecko 1.9 and there is room post 1.9 to make significant changes to the architecture for improved performance and memory use on devices. Things like reducing the use of XPCOM, unifying memory management under MMgc, and other improvements from Mozilla 2 will make Mozilla a great platform for all devices from mobile phones to your desktop. The use of a single source base gives us the leverage that makes OSS work so well."
Schroepfer also feels that there is "plenty of room for innovation" in mobile devices. In particular, he suggested that Mobile Firefox could one day let users easily sync up their bookmarks and other user data using technology similar to that pioneered by the Joey project.

Schroepfer made it clear that Mobile Firefox will support ARM processors, likely in addition to Intel's forthcoming line of mobile x86 chips. He enthused in particular about how Mobile Firefox could someday run on ARM Ltd's just-announced multi-core capable Cortex-A9 SoCs (system-on-chip processors).

More details can be found in Schroepfer's complete blog post, here.



Related Stories:


(Click here for further information)


FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.

Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.

Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.

Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.

High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.

Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.

Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.

Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

 


Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!
Free weekly newsletter
Enter your email...
Click here for a profile of each sponsor:
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
(Become a sponsor)

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Check out the latest Linux powered...

mobile phones!

other cool
gadgets



BREAKING NEWS

• POS stack targets Linux netbooks
• RIP LinuxWorld
• Multi-core networking stack ported to PowerPC
• Major Mono rev ships
• ETX module targets military apps
• Linux netbook return rates higher?
• Italian carrier ships Linux MID
• 5-second Linux boots on low-powered hardware
• MontaVista "Summit" concludes
• Freescale to jettison cellular chip business
• Open-source server appliance is "free"
• MontaVista Linux drives Dell's quick-boot feature
• "Virtual platform" targets Linux device developers
• Mobile Linux platform supports Cortex-A8 SoC
• Linux design targets 802.11n-enabled homes


Most popular stories -- past 90 days:
• Open source phone goes mass-market
• Tinest Linux system, yet?
• Garmin Nav devices run Gnome Linux
• ARM9 board boots Debian in 0.69 seconds
• Low-cost laptop runs Linpus Linux
• Linux-friendly Beagle fetches $150
• Mini Linux PC breaks $100 barrier
• Open source camera records geotagged video to SATA HDD
• Open set-top box ships
• First $100 laptop runs Linux


DesktopLinux headlines:
• RIP LinuxWorld
• Testers sought for Blackberry-Linux sync software
• Google updates photo editor for Linux
• Major Mono rev ships
• Intrepid Ibex beta-tests
• Linux netbook returns higher?
• Open-source image editing project launches
• Linux Foundation launches end-user conference
• GNOME 2.24 gains "Empathy" IM
• gOS 3.0 goes gold


Also visit our sister site:


Sign up for LinuxDevices.com's...

news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.