5 ms·

I have no idea if Firefox OS is going to take off or not, but I am looking forward for it to do well. I am not saying that as someone who thinks HTML5 is the be

I have no idea if Firefox OS is going to take off or not, but I am looking forward for it to do well. I am not saying that as someone who thinks HTML5 is the best way to build apps, because it really isn't. I just like seeing Android having a great competitor that is open source and not driven by a huge company like Samsung. Also, this will keep Mozilla alive and relevant for at least another decade. That's a good thing and a very big deal IMO. Also, I love the look of the devices so far.

frank_boyd 13y ago
> someone who thinks HTML5 is the best way to build apps, because it really isn't. > I just like seeing Android having a great competitor that is open source and not driven by a huge company like Samsung You're basically looking for Ubuntu Touch, http://www.ubuntu.com/phone http://www.ubuntu.com/phone (official launch towards the end of this month, and your best bet would be a Galaxy Nexus)
- Mikeb85 13y ago
  The only issue with Ubuntu Touch is that no one knows how much traction it will get, or if it will continue to be developed. Firefox OS already has traction, devices are already in the wild, and likely will have staying power (Mozilla seems to get alot of their projects and standards out there).
badman_ting 13y ago
Someone who would know told me that the sales numbers in places where the devices have been released are above what they were even hoping for, though they did not get more specific than that. Take that bit of third-hand hearsay for whatever you think it's worth.
rhelmer 13y ago
Are you asserting that HTML/CSS/JS is not at all viable/desirable for making apps, or just not your personal preference? I'd like to know what you feel is best if the latter (and what you feel stops the former - having a standardized high-level platform has advantages!)
- programminggeek 13y ago
  I've built HTML/CSS/JS mobile apps with phonegap and while it's fun as a developer, the user experience is just not as good as building a proper native app. If you care about user experience, build using what is native to the platform. This is why most web devs don't build web apps using Flash or Java applets anymore. Those aren't native to the platform and don't provide the best possible user experience. HTML/JS as "native" apps to a platform can absolutely work and be awesome, but it really comes down to what "native" on a given platform means. On Android it's Java, on iOS it's Obj-C, on Windows it's C#, on a web browser or Firefox OS it's HTML/JS.
  - rhelmer 13y ago
    Thanks, I appreciate the details. There definitely is a "happy path" for each platform, where tools/docs/developer support and getting into the marketplaces and so forth is much simpler and well-understood - things can get dicey when you stray from that.
- zanny 13y ago
  Using a document markup as your application structural layout, in an environment built around either static links or argument supplemented static links, with the concepts of forward and backward through a chain of pieces of content, I think is a really poor way to design applications. For a better UX and developer experience, that still uses JS, just look at QML. Declarative, application focused, and scriptable in JS. Easy to create one UI that transitions to other layouts, but the elements are first, not the text within them.
aray 13y ago
The open source comment has me puzzled. Where does it differ from Android in that regard? Edit: I may have misread, I agree it is good to have more open source mobile OSes :)
- rhelmer 13y ago
  The development process is arguably more open - everything happens in public repositories, many different individuals and companies are involved at all stages, etc. Android does parts of the development in a private tree, see http://source.android.com/faqs.html http://source.android.com/faqs.html Android itself is definitely open-source in a technical sense though, and they share a ton of useful changes back to the kernel and userspace apps that Firefox OS and many other projects use and contribute to as well.
- soapdog 13y ago
  There is one pretty big difference. Android is developed by google behind closed doors and then released to the world once they think it is ready. You don't get to see the code or influence it during development. Firefox OS is developed in the open, all the code is on github and you can join the lists and participate on the process.

frank_boyd 13y ago

> someone who thinks HTML5 is the best way to build apps, because it really isn't. > I just like seeing Android having a great competitor that is open source and not driven by a huge company like Samsung You're basically looking for Ubuntu Touch, http://www.ubuntu.com/phone http://www.ubuntu.com/phone (official launch towards the end of this month, and your best bet would be a Galaxy Nexus)

Mikeb85 13y ago
The only issue with Ubuntu Touch is that no one knows how much traction it will get, or if it will continue to be developed. Firefox OS already has traction, devices are already in the wild, and likely will have staying power (Mozilla seems to get alot of their projects and standards out there).

badman_ting 13y ago

Someone who would know told me that the sales numbers in places where the devices have been released are above what they were even hoping for, though they did not get more specific than that. Take that bit of third-hand hearsay for whatever you think it's worth.

rhelmer 13y ago

Are you asserting that HTML/CSS/JS is not at all viable/desirable for making apps, or just not your personal preference? I'd like to know what you feel is best if the latter (and what you feel stops the former - having a standardized high-level platform has advantages!)

programminggeek 13y ago
I've built HTML/CSS/JS mobile apps with phonegap and while it's fun as a developer, the user experience is just not as good as building a proper native app. If you care about user experience, build using what is native to the platform. This is why most web devs don't build web apps using Flash or Java applets anymore. Those aren't native to the platform and don't provide the best possible user experience. HTML/JS as "native" apps to a platform can absolutely work and be awesome, but it really comes down to what "native" on a given platform means. On Android it's Java, on iOS it's Obj-C, on Windows it's C#, on a web browser or Firefox OS it's HTML/JS.
- rhelmer 13y ago
  Thanks, I appreciate the details. There definitely is a "happy path" for each platform, where tools/docs/developer support and getting into the marketplaces and so forth is much simpler and well-understood - things can get dicey when you stray from that.
zanny 13y ago
Using a document markup as your application structural layout, in an environment built around either static links or argument supplemented static links, with the concepts of forward and backward through a chain of pieces of content, I think is a really poor way to design applications. For a better UX and developer experience, that still uses JS, just look at QML. Declarative, application focused, and scriptable in JS. Easy to create one UI that transitions to other layouts, but the elements are first, not the text within them.

aray 13y ago

The open source comment has me puzzled. Where does it differ from Android in that regard? Edit: I may have misread, I agree it is good to have more open source mobile OSes :)

rhelmer 13y ago
The development process is arguably more open - everything happens in public repositories, many different individuals and companies are involved at all stages, etc. Android does parts of the development in a private tree, see http://source.android.com/faqs.html http://source.android.com/faqs.html Android itself is definitely open-source in a technical sense though, and they share a ton of useful changes back to the kernel and userspace apps that Firefox OS and many other projects use and contribute to as well.
soapdog 13y ago
There is one pretty big difference. Android is developed by google behind closed doors and then released to the world once they think it is ready. You don't get to see the code or influence it during development. Firefox OS is developed in the open, all the code is on github and you can join the lists and participate on the process.