6 ms·

Building Cordova apps for Firefox OS

143 points by jweathersby 13y ago

suyash 13y ago
What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? If you all you need for firefox os apps are: html, css, js then why do I need to add additional cordova library? The big plus of Cordova is you can use HTML5 and write apps that run on other platforms where HTML5 is not natively supported but Firefox OS claims to be HTML5 first. Cordova seems useless for FireFox OS apps..specially if I'm not using Cordova for any other platform, since performance wise it's not as fast as native on Android/iOS.
- batmansbelt 13y ago
  Cordova is good because you can make the app in HTML and then publish it to be multi-platform (i.e. android and ios). This is just adding a platform to that process. The fact that the platform they are adding already running apps in the same framework you've written your mockup in is secondary. Wrapping an HTML app into a firefoxOS app is fairly simple, but this will now handle that process for you.
- jlongster 13y ago
  There is no advantage of using Cordova if you're only creating Firefox OS apps. The advantage is if you are already using Cordova to write cross-platform HTML apps, you can simply run `cordova platform add firefoxos` and it'll run on Firefox OS now (barring any issues with the API shims). Eventually, the Web APIs supported in Firefox OS will hopefully become the standard APIs for hardware access, and Cordova will change their APIs to match it, and in the end you will just need to write apps against the Web APIs and we can get it to run everywhere. But we are not there yet.
- fwenzel 13y ago
  I think you are on the right path: If you're making an app exclusively for Firefox OS, wrapping it in Cordova is not the path I would take. However, if you're also planning on submitting it to the iOS app store, then making a Cordova app is useful. Similarly, if you already have a Cordova app that you submitted to iOS and Android's stores, then you are now able to turn it also into a Firefox OS app fairly easily without having to fork your entire project.
- TheCraiggers 13y ago
  >What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? I suppose the advantage would be the ability to have your app run on the current biggest app stores, and a possible up-and-coming popular app store. I'm assuming Mozilla is aware that most developers don't want to create apps that only run on Firefox OS, since it has such a small install base. But if they show how easy it is to write cross-platform apps they can get some traction.
- jonesetc 13y ago
  It seems to me you answered your own question. > What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? The post doesn't seem to say anything about that. I figure this would just be one step for your Cordova app. You would also use it to target Android or iOS (I don't know enough about Cordova to know if iOS is a target).
- hub_ 13y ago
  The advantage is of Cordova is leverage the web as a framework to build cross-platform mobile apps. FirefoxOS just became another supported platform. That's all the point.
- T-A 13y ago
  The ability to also build the app for Android, iOS etc. with no or minor code tweaks?
- _random_ 13y ago
  It simplifies your life if you don't need quality (tailored platform experience). Makes it simpler to tick the mark that you have a version of app you don't really care about on every platform.
- nathanathan 13y ago
  Phonegap Build has some useful features for packaging, debugging and distribution that could eventually become available to Firefox OS Cordova apps.
thebokehwokeh2 13y ago
Cordova is wonderful if you know how to use it. It allows for cross platform apps with a single codebase. The problem lies in how it is used. Our project tried to incorporate a ton of native UI/UX conventions that screwed us over royally. CSS transitions, layered divs, swipe gestures, all of these were far too complicated for a little phone to handle. Stay away from these, and do simple hides and shows. Or go the hybrid method of having barebones native wrappers and web-views inside of those views. The web (i.e. HTML/CSS/JS) promises a lot but mobile browsers are nowhere near where they should be in terms of pure processing power. As of right now, native is still the way to go.
- zalun 13y ago
  That really depends on the type of the app and the target device. BTW "the web" is native on Firefox OS.
  - camus2 13y ago
    you mean javascript is native on Firefox OS. Firefox OS api =/= web standards.
    - zalun 13y ago
      Well for sure. But it does support vast majority of it.
    - lmorchard 13y ago
      As far as I'm aware, the intent is to develop any non-standard Firefox OS API into a web standard API. Any API that starts out as non-standard on FxOS, starts that way so that it can be shaped to serve practical uses before it gets standardized.
  - Pacabel 13y ago
    I really don't buy the "web is native on Firefox OS" argument that you and others make. Architecturally, it's really no different than a PhoneGap or web app running on Android, iOS or BlackBerry OS. They all involve an "app" typically written with HTML+JavaScript, executed in a web browser (often full-screen and without chrome), which in turn runs on an operating system of some sort. If it's "native" on Firefox OS, then why isn't it just as "native" on Android, or iOS, or BlackBerry OS, or other mobile OSes? What I think we really see is Firefox OS totally lacking any sort of real native software development support. This creates the illusion that web apps are somehow "native", when this is just a result of there being no other viable option.

143 points by jweathersby 13y ago

What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? If you all you need for firefox os apps are: html, css, js then why do I need to add additional cordova library? The big plus of Cordova is you can use HTML5 and write apps that run on other platforms where HTML5 is not natively supported but Firefox OS claims to be HTML5 first. Cordova seems useless for FireFox OS apps..specially if I'm not using Cordova for any other platform, since performance wise it's not as fast as native on Android/iOS.

batmansbelt 13y ago
Cordova is good because you can make the app in HTML and then publish it to be multi-platform (i.e. android and ios). This is just adding a platform to that process. The fact that the platform they are adding already running apps in the same framework you've written your mockup in is secondary. Wrapping an HTML app into a firefoxOS app is fairly simple, but this will now handle that process for you.
jlongster 13y ago
There is no advantage of using Cordova if you're only creating Firefox OS apps. The advantage is if you are already using Cordova to write cross-platform HTML apps, you can simply run `cordova platform add firefoxos` and it'll run on Firefox OS now (barring any issues with the API shims). Eventually, the Web APIs supported in Firefox OS will hopefully become the standard APIs for hardware access, and Cordova will change their APIs to match it, and in the end you will just need to write apps against the Web APIs and we can get it to run everywhere. But we are not there yet.
fwenzel 13y ago
I think you are on the right path: If you're making an app exclusively for Firefox OS, wrapping it in Cordova is not the path I would take. However, if you're also planning on submitting it to the iOS app store, then making a Cordova app is useful. Similarly, if you already have a Cordova app that you submitted to iOS and Android's stores, then you are now able to turn it also into a Firefox OS app fairly easily without having to fork your entire project.
TheCraiggers 13y ago
>What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? I suppose the advantage would be the ability to have your app run on the current biggest app stores, and a possible up-and-coming popular app store. I'm assuming Mozilla is aware that most developers don't want to create apps that only run on Firefox OS, since it has such a small install base. But if they show how easy it is to write cross-platform apps they can get some traction.
jonesetc 13y ago
It seems to me you answered your own question. > What is the advantage of creating Firefox OS using Cordova (if you're only creating firefox os apps)? The post doesn't seem to say anything about that. I figure this would just be one step for your Cordova app. You would also use it to target Android or iOS (I don't know enough about Cordova to know if iOS is a target).
hub_ 13y ago
The advantage is of Cordova is leverage the web as a framework to build cross-platform mobile apps. FirefoxOS just became another supported platform. That's all the point.
T-A 13y ago
The ability to also build the app for Android, iOS etc. with no or minor code tweaks?
_random_ 13y ago
It simplifies your life if you don't need quality (tailored platform experience). Makes it simpler to tick the mark that you have a version of app you don't really care about on every platform.
nathanathan 13y ago
Phonegap Build has some useful features for packaging, debugging and distribution that could eventually become available to Firefox OS Cordova apps.

thebokehwokeh2 13y ago

Cordova is wonderful if you know how to use it. It allows for cross platform apps with a single codebase. The problem lies in how it is used. Our project tried to incorporate a ton of native UI/UX conventions that screwed us over royally. CSS transitions, layered divs, swipe gestures, all of these were far too complicated for a little phone to handle. Stay away from these, and do simple hides and shows. Or go the hybrid method of having barebones native wrappers and web-views inside of those views. The web (i.e. HTML/CSS/JS) promises a lot but mobile browsers are nowhere near where they should be in terms of pure processing power. As of right now, native is still the way to go.

zalun 13y ago
That really depends on the type of the app and the target device. BTW "the web" is native on Firefox OS.
- camus2 13y ago
  you mean javascript is native on Firefox OS. Firefox OS api =/= web standards.
  - zalun 13y ago
    Well for sure. But it does support vast majority of it.
  - lmorchard 13y ago
    As far as I'm aware, the intent is to develop any non-standard Firefox OS API into a web standard API. Any API that starts out as non-standard on FxOS, starts that way so that it can be shaped to serve practical uses before it gets standardized.
- Pacabel 13y ago
  I really don't buy the "web is native on Firefox OS" argument that you and others make. Architecturally, it's really no different than a PhoneGap or web app running on Android, iOS or BlackBerry OS. They all involve an "app" typically written with HTML+JavaScript, executed in a web browser (often full-screen and without chrome), which in turn runs on an operating system of some sort. If it's "native" on Firefox OS, then why isn't it just as "native" on Android, or iOS, or BlackBerry OS, or other mobile OSes? What I think we really see is Firefox OS totally lacking any sort of real native software development support. This creates the illusion that web apps are somehow "native", when this is just a result of there being no other viable option.