6 ms·

"Chrome-style" Desktop Apps that work today in Firefox

107 points by potch 13y ago

kungfooey 13y ago
Is this just a link to the Firefox OS marketplace? I had no idea these could be installed to the desktop, too.
- jlongster 13y ago
  Sure is. The runtime for desktop apps is in desktop Firefox, but Mozilla has been focusing on mobile and hasn't really given enough PR to the desktop story. Expect to see more about desktop apps in the next year.
- potch 13y ago
  Yessir! Developers can submit apps with the notion that they can run on Firefox Desktop, and it will work.
  - jemeshsu 13y ago
    Anyone knows how to bypass OS X 's Gatekeeper to launch the app? Normal app is Ctrl-click to overwrite Gatekeeper blocking. But can't Ctrl -click on the "Launch" button on the page as it pop up context menu.
    - potch 13y ago
      The app is also in your Applications directory, and you can Ctrl-click the icon in there.
- doublec 13y ago
  They can be installed in Firefox for Android too. For a while I ran an AOSP version of Android without the Google apps but with Firefox installed and using twitter, facebook, etc installed as 'Apps' from the Mozilla Marketplace. It's not quite a Firefox OS experience but not too bad.
markchristian 13y ago
It's a little embarrassing that the Soundcloud screenshot is of Chrome.
- orclev 13y ago
  I noticed that as well. There's actually quite a few apps in there that have screenshots of a Chrome tab. I think whoever submitted them just re-used an existing screenshot they had sitting around.
  - jaxbot 13y ago
    Take once, use everywhere. We have achieved zen WORA
- walid 13y ago
  In reality Firefox/Firefox OS apps can run in other browsers as well and equally so in Chrome since it regular HTML/CSS/JavaScript. This has been one of the points Mozilla has been highlighting and sometimes they blog about it too.
math0ne 13y ago
First time i've seen this. Must have missed the announcement?
- potch 13y ago
  It wasn't announced, sadly. I consider it a 'best kept secret'.
- kumar303 13y ago
  marketing/PR has been focused on mobile so that we can shift as much focus there as possible. The dilemma is that most devs are not spending time to make their apps work on mobile devices. However, a miniscule amount of people use Firefox OS on their phone so it would have been nice to use desktop apps to bootstrap the ecosystem.
Refefer 13y ago
Apparently uninstalling apps is only easily available currently for Windows and Mac. You have to go through a somewhat manual kludge currently for Linux varieties. edit: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Marketplace/Mozillian_Preview#Uninstalling_an_Application https://wiki.mozilla.org/Marketplace/Mozillian_Preview#Unins...
javascript4life 13y ago
Before Chrome and Firefox there is Pokki, which has been doing this for over 2 years. HTML, JavaScript, and CSS desktop apps, with App Store. http://developers.pokki.com http://developers.pokki.com
- walid 13y ago
  The weakness with such an approach is that it is not the browser itself pushing the apps through user discoverable means. You have to know about Pokki before hand in order to find it. I myself never knew such a service existed until now. In some ways Pokki is more powerful than Firefox on Windows but it nearly providing the same kind of functionality.
dahjelle 13y ago
Is it possible to create a desktop app like this, for web sites of my choice, without using the Marketplace? It occurs to me that Firefox is very nearly able to provide a site-specific browser experience, like Fluid[1], but I'm not sure how to do it. [1] http://fluidapp.com/ http://fluidapp.com/
- potch 13y ago
  There is, but only if you can place a manifest file[1] on the domain where the app resides. Any website can trigger installation of an app via an API[2]. [1] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps/Manifest https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps/Manifest [2] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Apps.install?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=DOM%2FApps.install https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Apps.instal...
- walid 13y ago
  Actually the whole point of Firefox OS is that you don't target the desktop anymore. So the answer is that you can't do that in Firefox without actually releasing an app packaged to run standalone. Some other service that don't contain the full packaged app create a glorified bookmark which redirects you to the website's service like SoundCloud does.
walid 13y ago
Thanks for the reminder. I actually used some apps early on but there weren't many and somehow forgot about them. I'll use some of these desktop apps more especially Wikipedia and SoundCloud.
truebosko 13y ago
It's not the best experience. When you install an app, you don't really know where to go to use it. Atleast in Chrome, you see it pop into the apps screen.
- elktea 13y ago
  So where do you go? I've installed one and clicked through all of my menus and can't find it anywhere. It's not in my OS launcher either.
  - cvan 13y ago
    http://f.cl.ly/items/3Y203B2A3f0r3Y221T3j/appz.png http://f.cl.ly/items/3Y203B2A3f0r3Y221T3j/appz.png If you install the app from its detail page, there is a message telling you where the app now lives. The "Free" install button becomes a "Launch" button that opens the actual executable. On the search results pages, we don't add any messaging. I've filed an enhancement bug to consider exposing this to users: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=913728 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=913728
    - elktea 13y ago
      Thank you. I think it doesn't work on Fedora 19, my "Free" button never changes to "Launch". edit: filed a bug
      - potch 13y ago
        Thanks for filing!
  - mburns 13y ago
    It is in your Applications folder.
drivebyacct2 13y ago
This was just posted on Twitter. https://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/appmanager.webm https://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/appmanager.webm Seriously cool stuff. The kind of stuff we should be giving kids instead of closed platforms that require buying into someone's platform and dev model.
lallysingh 13y ago
The first I see is the irony vis-a-vis pre-firefox Mozilla. They had a similar system (I'm looking for the old book I had on it) using a widget set called XUL. I tried using it. It hurt. I guess the lesson is one of: (1) don't make complicated XML-based APIs (2) stick to standards (e.g., using HTML now instead of XUL) (3) if your system isn't getting traction, retry in 10 years?
- jonchang 13y ago
  I suspect that HTML was not mature enough back then which is why XUL was created and used instead.
  - drdaeman 13y ago
    In my opinion, HTML+CSS still remain quite inappropriate languages for describing desktop UIs. They can be used for such purposes, but, as compared with specialized languages (Glade XML, XAML, XUL), HTML+CSS is overly verbose for any non-trivial UIs, The worst thing is not code bloat and need for a Turing-complete language (JS) just to describe the looks, but the fact that you just can't have consistent system-wide look-and-feel. I believe, there's still completely no way to, say, bring proper system tabs or tree views to HTML+CSS+JS application.
    - potch 13y ago
      Legit question: what about a tree view do you not think is possible with HTML/CSS/JS?
      - chrismorgan 13y ago
        Native look and feel.
        cdata 13y ago
        It's interesting how the traditional definition of 'native look and feel' is starting to seem passé. Most of the computers I have sitting around the house today do not utilize a tree view in any default 'app'. There are no interface components on my tablet (that I can think of) that can't be recreated with some combination of HTML, CSS and JavaScript in a modern browser.
csuwldcat 13y ago
Sad that this PSA even needs to be written, but alas: * NO, open web apps that run on Firefox and Chrome are in no way linked to non-standard markup languages like XUL. * Please disregard any users who have made this fallacious assertion.
reirob 13y ago
Wow just tried it out in Ubuntu, installed the free calculator and guess where you find the installed app? In the Dash. I did not imagine the integration is so great. I definitely will look into Firefox apps now more closely.
- tombrossman 13y ago
  I'm using 12.04 still and was stuck with Gwibber, hoping to see something like this. I just installed TweetDeck (and an open-sourced Google Authenticator app) and what a pleasant surprise! I'll have to test these more thoroughly but both installed no problem and appear to be working perfectly. This is especially good timing because I'd like to move off Android to a Firefox OS mobile handset soon. Once I see something performance/spec comparable to a Nexus 4 I'm on board.
- Mesmoria 13y ago
  I did the same. How do you uninstall it?
lobster_johnson 13y ago
I have been wishing for this ever since the company I work for standardized communication on Google Plus/Hangouts (which I don't normally use) with the company Gmail account (which I only use for this, so I'm not usually logged into it). :-/ I can use Adium's XMPP support for the plaintext IM stuff, but for Hangouts I have to keep the damn window open all the time, logged into the company account, or people won't be able to call me. Every time someone calls, or I have to call someone, I have to hunt down the window/tab where Plus lives. Wrapping Plus/Hangouts in an app would solve this for me. Anyone know if someone has done that with Firefox or Chrome (on a Mac)?
blntechie 13y ago
Pulse app is really good and works like a native app. Never knew this worked for Desktop as well.

107 points by potch 13y ago

kungfooey 13y ago

Is this just a link to the Firefox OS marketplace? I had no idea these could be installed to the desktop, too.

jlongster 13y ago
Sure is. The runtime for desktop apps is in desktop Firefox, but Mozilla has been focusing on mobile and hasn't really given enough PR to the desktop story. Expect to see more about desktop apps in the next year.
potch 13y ago
Yessir! Developers can submit apps with the notion that they can run on Firefox Desktop, and it will work.
- jemeshsu 13y ago
  Anyone knows how to bypass OS X 's Gatekeeper to launch the app? Normal app is Ctrl-click to overwrite Gatekeeper blocking. But can't Ctrl -click on the "Launch" button on the page as it pop up context menu.
  - potch 13y ago
    The app is also in your Applications directory, and you can Ctrl-click the icon in there.
doublec 13y ago
They can be installed in Firefox for Android too. For a while I ran an AOSP version of Android without the Google apps but with Firefox installed and using twitter, facebook, etc installed as 'Apps' from the Mozilla Marketplace. It's not quite a Firefox OS experience but not too bad.

markchristian 13y ago

It's a little embarrassing that the Soundcloud screenshot is of Chrome.

orclev 13y ago
I noticed that as well. There's actually quite a few apps in there that have screenshots of a Chrome tab. I think whoever submitted them just re-used an existing screenshot they had sitting around.
- jaxbot 13y ago
  Take once, use everywhere. We have achieved zen WORA
walid 13y ago
In reality Firefox/Firefox OS apps can run in other browsers as well and equally so in Chrome since it regular HTML/CSS/JavaScript. This has been one of the points Mozilla has been highlighting and sometimes they blog about it too.

math0ne 13y ago

First time i've seen this. Must have missed the announcement?

potch 13y ago
It wasn't announced, sadly. I consider it a 'best kept secret'.
kumar303 13y ago
marketing/PR has been focused on mobile so that we can shift as much focus there as possible. The dilemma is that most devs are not spending time to make their apps work on mobile devices. However, a miniscule amount of people use Firefox OS on their phone so it would have been nice to use desktop apps to bootstrap the ecosystem.

Refefer 13y ago

Apparently uninstalling apps is only easily available currently for Windows and Mac. You have to go through a somewhat manual kludge currently for Linux varieties. edit: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Marketplace/Mozillian_Preview#Uninstalling_an_Application https://wiki.mozilla.org/Marketplace/Mozillian_Preview#Unins...

javascript4life 13y ago

Before Chrome and Firefox there is Pokki, which has been doing this for over 2 years. HTML, JavaScript, and CSS desktop apps, with App Store. http://developers.pokki.com http://developers.pokki.com

walid 13y ago
The weakness with such an approach is that it is not the browser itself pushing the apps through user discoverable means. You have to know about Pokki before hand in order to find it. I myself never knew such a service existed until now. In some ways Pokki is more powerful than Firefox on Windows but it nearly providing the same kind of functionality.

dahjelle 13y ago

Is it possible to create a desktop app like this, for web sites of my choice, without using the Marketplace? It occurs to me that Firefox is very nearly able to provide a site-specific browser experience, like Fluid[1], but I'm not sure how to do it. [1] http://fluidapp.com/ http://fluidapp.com/

potch 13y ago
There is, but only if you can place a manifest file[1] on the domain where the app resides. Any website can trigger installation of an app via an API[2]. [1] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps/Manifest https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps/Manifest [2] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Apps.install?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=DOM%2FApps.install https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Apps.instal...
walid 13y ago
Actually the whole point of Firefox OS is that you don't target the desktop anymore. So the answer is that you can't do that in Firefox without actually releasing an app packaged to run standalone. Some other service that don't contain the full packaged app create a glorified bookmark which redirects you to the website's service like SoundCloud does.

walid 13y ago

Thanks for the reminder. I actually used some apps early on but there weren't many and somehow forgot about them. I'll use some of these desktop apps more especially Wikipedia and SoundCloud.

truebosko 13y ago

It's not the best experience. When you install an app, you don't really know where to go to use it. Atleast in Chrome, you see it pop into the apps screen.

elktea 13y ago
So where do you go? I've installed one and clicked through all of my menus and can't find it anywhere. It's not in my OS launcher either.
- cvan 13y ago
  http://f.cl.ly/items/3Y203B2A3f0r3Y221T3j/appz.png http://f.cl.ly/items/3Y203B2A3f0r3Y221T3j/appz.png If you install the app from its detail page, there is a message telling you where the app now lives. The "Free" install button becomes a "Launch" button that opens the actual executable. On the search results pages, we don't add any messaging. I've filed an enhancement bug to consider exposing this to users: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=913728 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=913728
  - elktea 13y ago
    Thank you. I think it doesn't work on Fedora 19, my "Free" button never changes to "Launch". edit: filed a bug
    - potch 13y ago
      Thanks for filing!
- mburns 13y ago
  It is in your Applications folder.

drivebyacct2 13y ago

This was just posted on Twitter. https://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/appmanager.webm https://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/appmanager.webm Seriously cool stuff. The kind of stuff we should be giving kids instead of closed platforms that require buying into someone's platform and dev model.

lallysingh 13y ago

The first I see is the irony vis-a-vis pre-firefox Mozilla. They had a similar system (I'm looking for the old book I had on it) using a widget set called XUL. I tried using it. It hurt. I guess the lesson is one of: (1) don't make complicated XML-based APIs (2) stick to standards (e.g., using HTML now instead of XUL) (3) if your system isn't getting traction, retry in 10 years?

jonchang 13y ago
I suspect that HTML was not mature enough back then which is why XUL was created and used instead.
- drdaeman 13y ago
  In my opinion, HTML+CSS still remain quite inappropriate languages for describing desktop UIs. They can be used for such purposes, but, as compared with specialized languages (Glade XML, XAML, XUL), HTML+CSS is overly verbose for any non-trivial UIs, The worst thing is not code bloat and need for a Turing-complete language (JS) just to describe the looks, but the fact that you just can't have consistent system-wide look-and-feel. I believe, there's still completely no way to, say, bring proper system tabs or tree views to HTML+CSS+JS application.
  - potch 13y ago
    Legit question: what about a tree view do you not think is possible with HTML/CSS/JS?
    - chrismorgan 13y ago
      Native look and feel.
      - cdata 13y ago
        It's interesting how the traditional definition of 'native look and feel' is starting to seem passé. Most of the computers I have sitting around the house today do not utilize a tree view in any default 'app'. There are no interface components on my tablet (that I can think of) that can't be recreated with some combination of HTML, CSS and JavaScript in a modern browser.

csuwldcat 13y ago

Sad that this PSA even needs to be written, but alas: * NO, open web apps that run on Firefox and Chrome are in no way linked to non-standard markup languages like XUL. * Please disregard any users who have made this fallacious assertion.

reirob 13y ago

Wow just tried it out in Ubuntu, installed the free calculator and guess where you find the installed app? In the Dash. I did not imagine the integration is so great. I definitely will look into Firefox apps now more closely.

tombrossman 13y ago
I'm using 12.04 still and was stuck with Gwibber, hoping to see something like this. I just installed TweetDeck (and an open-sourced Google Authenticator app) and what a pleasant surprise! I'll have to test these more thoroughly but both installed no problem and appear to be working perfectly. This is especially good timing because I'd like to move off Android to a Firefox OS mobile handset soon. Once I see something performance/spec comparable to a Nexus 4 I'm on board.
Mesmoria 13y ago
I did the same. How do you uninstall it?

lobster_johnson 13y ago

I have been wishing for this ever since the company I work for standardized communication on Google Plus/Hangouts (which I don't normally use) with the company Gmail account (which I only use for this, so I'm not usually logged into it). :-/ I can use Adium's XMPP support for the plaintext IM stuff, but for Hangouts I have to keep the damn window open all the time, logged into the company account, or people won't be able to call me. Every time someone calls, or I have to call someone, I have to hunt down the window/tab where Plus lives. Wrapping Plus/Hangouts in an app would solve this for me. Anyone know if someone has done that with Firefox or Chrome (on a Mac)?

blntechie 13y ago

Pulse app is really good and works like a native app. Never knew this worked for Desktop as well.