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So it's an OS that requires apps to be written in JavaScript (an interpreted language that was designed by Netscape for web scripting and nonprofessional progra

So it's an OS that requires apps to be written in JavaScript (an interpreted language that was designed by Netscape for web scripting and nonprofessional programmers) and HTML (a markup language designed to display static documents in the browser). None of these technologies were designed to help developers create software applications, so why is this magical? Let's look at few possible reasons: 1. JavaScript/HTML/CSS are better tools for developing software than anything else out there. No. 2. It's open source. So is WebOS, Android. 3. It's more efficient - same software can run on cheaper hardware. No, Java & Objective C are more processor-efficient. If Firefox OS runs on $100 hardware, than iOS can run on $50. The fact that nobody is making an ulta-cheap smartphone is because there's little demand for one (it's like making a shitty Porsche) 4. Developers can package existing web applications as native mobile applications. There's already a thing called PhoneGap for that. 5. More teenagers know JavaScript than any other language It seems like #5 is the only valid reason. A lot of kids don't know Objective C or Java, so they must love Firefox OS if they just know the web stack. But sometimes you've got to ask yourself - why rewrite an OS in a new cool language? Just because you can? Look how far Apple has come with Obj-C, why constantly replace the hammer? Having said that, the force of teenagers is not to be underestimated.

kibwen 14y ago
To be clear, the OS is not written in Javascript. It's simply Mozilla's Gecko platform (the same engine used by Firefox, written in C++ since time immemorial) running directly on top of Linux. Nothing was rewritten to get this to work: Gecko was originally designed to be a portable application platform rather than "just" a layout engine (and it was this concomitant complexity that led Apple and Chrome to use Webkit (which is just a layout engine) for their own browsers). It's literally just a web browser running directly on a smartphone. Any web apps that you're using right now will Just Work on Fx OS. No rewrites required. One last point: it seems intuitive that Java would be more processor-efficient than Javascript, but SpiderMonkey is waaaaay more mature than Dalvik (Android's Java VM). I'd like to see some hard performance numbers before making that call.
marknutter 14y ago
People use javascript not because of what it was originally created for but because of what it has become and is currently being used for. But most of all, because of its ubiquity. Last time I checked, Objective-C doesn't run in a web browser. Your whole post smacks of elitism. What's with the "More teenagers know JavaScript than any other language" and "A lot of kids don't know Objective C or Java" comments? Are you just trolling, or trying to be insulting?

kibwen 14y ago

To be clear, the OS is not written in Javascript. It's simply Mozilla's Gecko platform (the same engine used by Firefox, written in C++ since time immemorial) running directly on top of Linux. Nothing was rewritten to get this to work: Gecko was originally designed to be a portable application platform rather than "just" a layout engine (and it was this concomitant complexity that led Apple and Chrome to use Webkit (which is just a layout engine) for their own browsers). It's literally just a web browser running directly on a smartphone. Any web apps that you're using right now will Just Work on Fx OS. No rewrites required. One last point: it seems intuitive that Java would be more processor-efficient than Javascript, but SpiderMonkey is waaaaay more mature than Dalvik (Android's Java VM). I'd like to see some hard performance numbers before making that call.

marknutter 14y ago

People use javascript not because of what it was originally created for but because of what it has become and is currently being used for. But most of all, because of its ubiquity. Last time I checked, Objective-C doesn't run in a web browser. Your whole post smacks of elitism. What's with the "More teenagers know JavaScript than any other language" and "A lot of kids don't know Objective C or Java" comments? Are you just trolling, or trying to be insulting?