As the Web is becoming the main ground computing, browsers need to evolve to meet the demands. It can not be driven by the simple HTML markup of yesteryear, but by a more sophisticated API and faster JavaScript. Firefox is leading the way, implementing the HTML5 specification and other enhanced features for developers. This talk will delve deeper into some of these features such as Open Video, Web Workers, Geolocation and the File API. We'll take some detours here and there to discuss the role of Mozilla in the wider fields of data, privacy, and the Open Web.

1. Mozilla, Firefox, and the Open
Web
HTML5, Web Hacks, Add-ons,
Jetpack, Mobile & More
Brian King
Free Software & Linux Days
Istanbul, Turkey - 3 April 2010

3. Manifesto
The Mozilla Manifesto
http://www.mozilla.org/about/manifesto

4. Mozilla 2010 Goals
1. Openness, participation, and distributed decision
making in Internet life
2. Make data safer, more useful, and more
manageable
3. Integrate mobile into one unified, open and
innovative Web
4. Reinforce Firefox role as a driver for innovation,
choice, and a great user experience

5. Why Firefox?
Open Source
Safe
Customisable
350+ million users (~25% market share)
Made by a public benefit, not-for-profit organisation
Devoted to enriching people’s lives by preserving choice
and innovation on the Internet
Global (Firefox 3.6 - 73+ locales)

6. Firefox 3.5
New Features for Web Developers
Tracemonkey - faster JavaScript
Audio
Video
Web Worker threads
XMLHttpRequest enhancements
Geolocation
Offline Storage

7. JavaScript 3.6
Consolidation of 3.5 features, speedier JavaScript, and:
New CSS features
Drag and Drop
File API
Web Open Font Format
Device Orientation
And more...

8. hacks.mozilla.org

9. Video
More than just a tag:
http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/07/video-more-than-just-a-tag/
Attributes
JavaScript API
Events
http://openvideoalliance.org/
Player: http://jilion.com/sublime/video
Converters: Miro, VLC, Pitivi

10. Web Workers
var worker = new Worker("worker.js"); // Create worker
object
worker.postMessage(0); // Message the worker file
// Triggered by postMessage in the worker file
worker.onmessage = function (event) {
alert(event.data);
};
worker.js
onmessage = function (evt) {
// Receive value from postMessage,
//process it and send it back
postMessage(valueBack)
};

11. Worker Usage
* Supported in Firefox 3.5+, Safari 4, and upcoming in Chrome
Beware of spawning too many threads which can cause odd
browser behaviour
Sometimes processing on the single thread can be faster, e.g.
processing a large image and rendering it

12. Geolocation
Not part of HTML5 but the Geolocation API Specification.
if (navigator.geolocation) {
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(function
(position) {
alert(position.coords.latitude + ", " + position.
coords.longitude);
});
}
More information from Robert Nyman

13. D&D, XHR and File API
XHR Enhancements
cross-domain
progress indicators
File API
W3C Specification
asynchronously read from the filesystem
DEMO time

14. The Hackable Web
Advocated by Tristan Nitot, Mozilla Europe
http://www.slideshare.net/nitot/hackability-what-it-means-why-
its-important
The browser should provide tools for ...
accessibility and mashing-up content
enabling other tools
Wikipedia, Twitter, Flickr, Open Street Maps, ... and millions
more.

16. 2+ Billion
Add-ons!

17. Why Add-ons?
Core to the Mozilla mission of “choice & innovation”
Huge momentum versus other browsers.
Customization is a key differentiator for Firefox and helps
users feel like Firefox is “mine”
Innovation incubator
1st class deployment infrastructure at Mozilla Add-ons
(AMO)

18. AMO - Fun Facts
2B downloaded from AMO (1.2M daily visitors)
250M add-ons in use
Add-ons from AMO have been shared 140,000 times
33-50% of Firefox installs have at least one add-on
Average number of add-ons per user is 5
Add-on Store by the end of 2010

19. Vibrant Ecosystem of Startups

20. The Majors

21. 3.7 Redesign - Add-ons in a Tab

22. Jetpack, aka Add-ons 2.0

23. Jetpack
Web-Based : Attractive to Web Developers
More secure
Remixable
Robust - Versioned API
No restart / Silent updates

24. Mobile
Guidance principle:
Bring the Web to mobile phones in a richer, broader way
than before. Make the Web a platform for developers to
create compelling content and applications for mobile
devices.

25. Picture by Kai Hendry.

26. Mobile - Features
Tabs, Awesome Bar, Bookmarks, and so on...
... so, everything you expect from a browser.
Gestures, Panning, Zooming
... device dependent features
** NEW features being added all the time...
form autocomplete, tap-n-hold-context, site preferences,
portrait rotation, scroll indicators, ...

27. Mobile Add-ons

29. Drumbeat
Mozilla Drumbeat is a global community of Mozillians who
*use* web technology in new ways to understand, participate
and take control of their online lives.
Propose a project, get involved.
http://www.drumbeat.org/

30. Get Involved
Giving Back, in many ways...
Write patches
Documentation
File Bugs
IRC
Evangalism

31. Thanks!
brian@mozdev.org
Twitter: @brianking
Blog: http://brian.kingsonline.net/talk