Mozilla Seeking to Nuke Native APIs Using HTML5
Mozilla is working on an HTML5-based platform that will host universal apps for any device, operating system and browser.
On Tuesday, Mozilla introduced WebAPI, its answer to providing a basic HTML5 platform across all devices, operating systems and browsers so that developers can create universal apps rather than separate versions for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WP7 and other platforms. While this may sound too good to be true, Mozilla is hard at work at making it happen, and is calling on contributors to apply their input. Mozilla is even hiring several full-time engineers for working with WebAPI.
"Where we are today, there’s a clear distinction between the Open Web and native APIs and how things have to be built," states Robert Nyman, technical evangelist for Mozilla. "As many developers are aware of, we need consistent APIs across web browsers, operating systems and devices to be able to build something for the world, not just a specific device or vendor. We need a way to take the web to the next step."
For starters, Mozilla wants to get the following completed within the next three to six months which will essentially provide a basic HTML5 phone experience:
- Dialer: Telephony & Messaging API, Contacts API
- Address Book: Contacts API
- SMS: Telephony & Messaging API, Contacts API
- Clock
- Camera: Camera API, Filesystem API
- Gallery: Filesystem API (could possibly be FileReader & FileWriter in conjunction)
- Calculator
- Settings: Device Status API, Settings API
- Games: Accelerometer API, Mouse Lock API
- Maps: Geolocation API, Contacts API
"Specification drafts and implementation prototypes will be available, and it will be submitted to W3C for standardization," Nyman said. "Security is a very important factor here, and it will be a mix of existing security measurements (e.g. asking the user for permission, like Geolocation) or coming up with new alternatives to ensure this."
While the project seems pretty ambitious, getting Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM and other mobile OS providers to jump on board will be another issue altogether. On iOS, these HTML5 apps will likely be accessed in Apple's Safari browser much like Facebook's Project Spartan will whenever it launches. Google may be just as stubborn, but that could change over the next six months.
According to the MozillaWiki, the Accelerometer and Geolocation APIs are already present in Firefox. All other APIs mentioned above are listed as "work in progress" save for the Filesystem API. "Mozilla will most likely not implement the FileSystem API. For local file access, we have implemented FileReader and plan to implement FileWriter," Nyman said. "A file system abstraction can additionally be built on top of IndexedDB."
As for security, Mozilla clearly doesn't want any random webpage to be able to read the user's contact list, or able to issue arbitrary commands to any USB device which is hooked up to the user's computer. "This is an area where we're still doing a lot of research," Nyman said. "I really want to emphasize that we don't have all the answers yet, but that we plan on having them before we roll out these APIs to millions of users."
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Well for once I can go with Mozilla. I think its a great idea. Now both Mozilla and MS are pushing HTML5 maybe it will flourish faster.
Plud development for the devs would be lower cost meaning lower costs to us end users.
yay! I take back everything I said the other day about Mozilla having a lack of vision about the future! They still aren't winning me back from Chrome, but it is promising at least!
honestly, unless advertisements can be disabled without losing website functionality, i hope html5 dies.
i can picture it, you go to a website, and the only way the website works is if all the advertisements are working in conjunction with each other, as in plugging in website code into the html5 ad, in a way that would kill the website unless all ads were on.
at least now, we have flash block and ad aware, which get rid of almost all advertisements, but i can see html5 being another hellish era on the internet.
granted this is just a possibility.
sounds cool, but im still not a big fan of HTML5. Mozilla needs to lose that dinosaur logo
As a socialist and communist, I approve of your logo, Mozilla.
As a T-Rex and Alhpa Centauri A, I approve of your logo Mozilla.
I can't see apple jumping on board. With revenue cuts of all sales through the app store why would they want to allow people to create apps that run nativly in a web browser with no store required?
As a Geek and a Humanoid, I approve of your logo Mozilla.
This is what I've been hoping would happen for years now. Hopefully the performance of HTML5 apps won't be much worse than native apps.
Google might benefit in this with their Chrome OS.
Well for once I can go with Mozilla. I think its a great idea. Now both Mozilla and MS are pushing HTML5 maybe it will flourish faster.Plud development for the devs would be lower cost meaning lower costs to us end users.
I agree... I just hope that MS is not going to mess up HTML5 like what they did to the Java.
Great, more abstraction. Just what underpowered mobile devices need. This will further delay the point where useful work can be done on small mobile devices.
Thunderfox: Don't you remember what happened to Voodoo and Glide? People like you said the same then, "who needs OpenGL or DirectX, just another layer of abstraction". The rest, is history.
Today's underpowered mobiles will become ultra-fast tomorrow. Hardware gets faster. Software messes doesn't solve that easy.
The key here is *more* abstraction. WebAPI built on HTML5 built on various OS APIs. It is a waste of resources to stack things like that. I would rather see one low level API shared by many devices and mobile OS's.
Unfortunately that won't happen, for the same reason WebAPI won't happen - too many people have too much invested in locking people into their platforms.
Great, more abstraction. Just what underpowered mobile devices need. This will further delay the point where useful work can be done on small mobile devices.
Useful work, mobile devices? LOL
If it's not a webpage stop putting it on the damn browser.
Abstraction is good, but starting from the web is ridiculous. It's like translating between languages by translating to and from Swahili.
I agree... I just hope that MS is not going to mess up HTML5 like what they did to the Java.
I don't think that was MS. I think it was Sun. Originally Java was a free open source program. MS used it to make their own version but then Sun was pissed so they sued. Now the only Java you can get is from Oracle (used to be Sun) and it truly is a mess.
HTML5 though is a open standard but is still standardized. It works the same on FF4/5/6 as it does on IE9 but support for every part depends on the browser having it built in. IE10 is supposed to push even more HTML5 and CSS3 standards than IE9. In fact some of the new HTML5 tests on MS IE preview page wont open in IE9 because its a newer part of it.
Still for HTML5, the biggest advantage is being able to have video with no API. It can use h.264 right in the browser which will enable faster loading and better quality than Flash.
I totally agree with Thunderfox.
...And they willlll beeee slooooow as a helllll...
There is reason why fastest applications are written in the machine specific assembler language.
But we may compensate it with faster /and more expensive/ processors. The hardware manufacturers need to maintain their business.
And don't be surprised when your new shiny hardware runs your new shiny apps slower as your old pathetic iron ran your older apps.
Oops, slow as a snail, not as a hell, hell shouldn't be slow
HTML5 though is a open standard but is still standardized. It works the same on FF4/5/6 as it does on IE9 but support for every part depends on the browser having it built in. IE10 is supposed to push even more HTML5 and CSS3 standards than IE9. In fact some of the new HTML5 tests on MS IE preview page wont open in IE9 because its a newer part of it.
As any web developer will tell you just because html is standardized doesn't mean it will open identically on all browsers.
Still for HTML5, the biggest advantage is being able to have video with no API. It can use h.264 right in the browser which will enable faster loading and better quality than Flash.
Flash also supports h.264.
As a socialist and communist, I approve of your logo, Mozilla.
I do too! The dinosaur in that star is so appropriate for those philosophies.