Mozilla Labs And Aurora: Envisioning A Web 3.0 Browser

Chicago (IL) - Mozilla, developer of the Firefox web browser, is asking people from around the world to participate in the creation of what could become a next-generation browser. The first ideas posted on the website include AdaptivePath’s Aurora idea, which is - to our knowledge - the first concept to describe Web 3.0 capability in a web browser.

We are just getting used to the recently released Firefox 3 browser and are beginning to understand the new features and its possibilities of Internet Explorer 8. But the innovation of both browsers is pale when compared to what is presented as a next-generation browser concept on Mozilla’s website.

Aurora is the result of Mozilla’s idea to call on people interested in becoming involved in open source projects and a motivation to shape a next-generation browser. The organization said that it is "particularly interested in engaging with designers who have not typically been involved with open source projects" and is biased "towards broad participation, not finished implementations." The stated goal is "to bring even more people to the table and provoke thought, facilitate discussion, and inspire future design directions for Firefox, the Mozilla project, and the Web as a whole."

Aurora, outlined by AdaptivePath in a video, appears to have a clear vision behind it. So far, only one video of the envisioned browser usage has been posted, but it is already apparent that AdaptivePath’s idea are based on talking advantage of a semantic web and analyzing the meaning of content to create relationships between certain objects. According to the company, a capability to automatically organize contacts, content and the association between them will users enable to interact in an easier and more meaningful way.

AdaptivePath stressed that the demonstration of Aurora was based on a "visualization of our ideas created by animators" and does not exist as a real product. And the company admits that "much of Aurora would be difficult or impossible to implement today," even if the company believes that "everything you see [is expected] to be possible in some form in the future."

You can watch the video here.