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Firefox isn't the only browser allowed by Mozilla on Boot2Gecko. Not only would that be permissible in our web store (as far as I'm aware), but you could freel

by daeken 15y ago

Firefox isn't the only browser allowed by Mozilla on Boot2Gecko. Not only would that be permissible in our web store (as far as I'm aware), but you could freely distribute it on your own without having to jump through hoops. That is one of the points of the project, and is very much by design. If the IE team wants to build a new browser for B2G, I'd love to see it! (Disclosure: I'm a B2G team member but these are my views, etc etc...)

revorad 15y ago
OT: daeken, great to see you're now working on B2G! I'm going to their hackathon in London this weekend - can't wait to see a B2G device.
st3fan 15y ago
Daeken, I thought the only thing users could download to their B2G phones were web applications. There is zero support for native apps, like alternative browsers, right?
- freehunter 15y ago
  Yeah, I'm struggling to see how a browser could possibly be implemented in another browser and expect to have competitive performance. Especially when Gecko will be running native code, and any other browser would not be.
  - Produce 15y ago
    He meant that anyone is free to take the B2G source code and modify it to boot into another browser.
    - cube13 15y ago
      So the answer is, basically, "No, you can't."
- daeken 15y ago
  Native apps on Boot2Gecko are web applications, by definition. And you're free to implement alternative browsers on top of that -- even if you're still using Gecko underlying everything, you can give a vastly different experience. Arguing that they can't run their own engine code is a technical issue, not a business/political issue. Also, one of the key things about Boot2Gecko is that it's intended to be reimplemented. You could make a Boot2IE phone or Boot2Chromium phone; you swap out the low level but keep everything on top of it the same. Everything is built on real web standards that are free to be implemented by all. It's truly open, top to bottom and bottom to top.
  - st3fan 15y ago
    I think the original question was more like: can a third party like Opera or Microsoft port their browser to B2G and make it available through the B2G store. As an app. The answer is no because third party B2G apps cannot be written in C or C++.
MatthewPhillips 15y ago
Whoa, I follow the B2G project and this would be news to me if true... are you saying someone can right a browser for B2G that JITs JavaScript to native code?

by daeken 15y ago

revorad 15y ago

OT: daeken, great to see you're now working on B2G! I'm going to their hackathon in London this weekend - can't wait to see a B2G device.

st3fan 15y ago

Daeken, I thought the only thing users could download to their B2G phones were web applications. There is zero support for native apps, like alternative browsers, right?

freehunter 15y ago
Yeah, I'm struggling to see how a browser could possibly be implemented in another browser and expect to have competitive performance. Especially when Gecko will be running native code, and any other browser would not be.
- Produce 15y ago
  He meant that anyone is free to take the B2G source code and modify it to boot into another browser.
  - cube13 15y ago
    So the answer is, basically, "No, you can't."
daeken 15y ago
Native apps on Boot2Gecko are web applications, by definition. And you're free to implement alternative browsers on top of that -- even if you're still using Gecko underlying everything, you can give a vastly different experience. Arguing that they can't run their own engine code is a technical issue, not a business/political issue. Also, one of the key things about Boot2Gecko is that it's intended to be reimplemented. You could make a Boot2IE phone or Boot2Chromium phone; you swap out the low level but keep everything on top of it the same. Everything is built on real web standards that are free to be implemented by all. It's truly open, top to bottom and bottom to top.
- st3fan 15y ago
  I think the original question was more like: can a third party like Opera or Microsoft port their browser to B2G and make it available through the B2G store. As an app. The answer is no because third party B2G apps cannot be written in C or C++.

MatthewPhillips 15y ago

Whoa, I follow the B2G project and this would be news to me if true... are you saying someone can right a browser for B2G that JITs JavaScript to native code?