FIREFOX OS Fulfilling the promises of HTML5 Christian Heilmann (@codepo8) DEVIEW 2013, Seoul, Korea. When the iPhone reinvented the phone and shook the foundations of the mobile space one of the promises was that there is "no SDK" and that HTML5 as the Flash successor will enable developers to benefit from the web as a distribution platform and get access to the all hardware parts that make a phone fun. This promise is now kept by Firefox OS, an operating system targeted at emerging and existing markets that is written in HTML5 and gives HTML5 all the power it deserves. In this session Chris Heilmann of Mozilla shows how easy it is to build engaging apps using HTML5 and benefit from the simple distribution model that is the web. You'll learn how to reach new audiences and re-use what you create in closed environments.
Transcript
FIREFOX OSFulfilling the promises of HTML5
Christian Heilmann (@codepo8)DEVIEW 2013, Seoul, Korea.
When the iPhone reinvented the phone and shook the foundations of the mobile space one of the promises was that there is "no SDK" and that HTML5 as the Flash successor will enable developers to benefit from the web as a distribution platform and get access to the all hardware parts that make a phone fun. This promise is now kept by Firefox OS, an operating system targeted at emerging and existing markets that is written in HTML5 and gives HTML5 all the power it deserves. In this session Chris Heilmann of Mozilla shows how easy it is to build engaging apps using HTML5 and benefit from the simple distribution model that is the web. You'll learn how to reach new audiences and re-use what you create in closed environments.
BENEFITS OF HTML5
★ In-built distribution - the web
★ Simple technologies used by lots of developers
★ Evolution of existing practices
★ Open, independent, standardised
Let’s quickly recap what HTML5 promised us as a platform. In essence it was an evolution of the web, taking advantage of its distributed nature and extending its reach into hardware.
PROMISES OF HTML5
This was also the dream of Steve Jobs when the iPhone first came out. It was a revolution, re-inventing the phone to be web-based rather than a closed environment. No SDK required - just build like you build for the web.
LOCKOUT
In reality, things look different now. The browsers that come hard-wired withmobile operating systems are very much falling behind when it comes to their HTML5 support and developers have to resort to writing native apps.
FIREFOX OS
Firefox OS wants to change that. It is an open operating system based on HTML5.
The architecture is simple, we build on top of the Gonk layer of Android (whyreinvent and open architecture) and added the Gecko rendering engine. On top of that we have Web APIs and Activities, GAIA, the UI of Firefox OS and third party HTML5 apps.
- + =
In essence it is Android without the Java.
PREDICTABLE HTML5 SUPPORT
The browser support for HTML5 is a given as it is the same engine as Firefoxon Desktop uses.
SECURITY
Security is a big issue when it comes to HTML5. The web as it is now is suffering from some massive security holes which is why we can not allow any JavaScript on the web to access for example the camera of your phone.
APPLICATION MANIFEST{ "version": "1.0", "name": "MozillaBall", "description": "Exciting Open Web development action!", "icons": { "16": "/img/icon-16.png", "48": "/img/icon-48.png", "128": "/img/icon-128.png" }, "developer": { "name": "Mozilla Labs", "url": "http://mozillalabs.com" }, "installs_allowed_from": ["*"], "appcache_path": "/cache.manifest", "locales": { "es": { "description": "¡Acción abierta emocionante del desarrollo del Web!", "developer": { "url": "http://es.mozillalabs.com/" } } }, "default_locale": "en"}
HTML5 apps need to have a manifest file to be Firefox OS apps. In this one you define what your app is, but also what kind of hardware access it needs.
"permissions": { "contacts": { "description": "Required for autocompletion in the share screen", "access": "readcreate" }, "alarms": { "description": "Required to schedule notifications" }}
You need to declare all the permissions you want in your manifest file.
WEB APIS
Web APIs are standards proposals and agreements with the W3C to enableJavaScript to access hardware and sensors of devices.
WEB APIS (FOR ALL)
Vibration API (W3C)
Screen Orientation
Geolocation API
Mouse Lock API (W3C)
Open WebApps
Network Information API (W3C)
Battery Status API (W3C)
Alarm API
Web Activities
Push Notifications API
WebFM API
WebPayment
IndexedDB (W3C)
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Notification
These are a few of the APIs defined with the standards bodies to allow you access to more than the screen. Some of the are enabled across browsers, all of them in Firefox OS for any web content.
BATTERY STATUS API
The battery status API allows you to read the current state of the battery. Thisis very useful to build apps that warn the user before losing data.
The Network Information API tells you what the connection is and if it is metered or not. This helps your users not to spend too much money on downloads and defer upgrades to when they are connected to WiFi.
The ambient light API allows you to detect if it is dark or light around the device and switch design accordingly.
AMBIENT LIGHT EVENTS
window.addEventListener("devicelight", function (event) { // The level of the ambient light in lux // The lux values for "dim" typically begin below 50, // and the values for "bright" begin above 10000 console.log(event.value);});
PAGE VISIBILITY
The page visibility API tells you if the app is currently open and used or the user has another one in focus.
PAGE VISIBILITY
document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", function () { if (document.hidden) { console.log("App is hidden"); } else { console.log("App has focus"); }});
WEB APIS (PRIVILEGED APPS)
Device Storage API
Browser API
TCP Socket API
Contacts API
systemXHR
Privileged apps are those that went through a review by the Mozilla security team and thus get more access to the hardware.
CONTACTS API
For example, privileged apps can create new contacts on the fly.
CONTACTS API
var contact = new mozContact();contact.init({name: "Tom"});
var request = navigator.mozContacts.save(contact);request.onsuccess = function() { console.log("Success");};
Certified applications are the ones built by Mozilla and partners. These needed APIs to access all the hardware.
CERTIFIED APPS = THE OS :)
We used these to build all the apps that make up the operating system.
CERTIFIED APPS = THE OS :)Dialer
Contacts
Settings
SMS
Web browser
Gallery
Video Player
Music Player
E-mail (POP, IMAP)
Calendar
Alarm Clock
Camera
Notes
First Run Experience
Notifications
Home Screen
Mozilla Marketplace
System Updater
Localization Support
Like these.
WEB ACTIVITIES
Web activities are a way to get access to the hardware without going through a review process of your app. Instead of accessing the hardware directly, the user will access it for you.
You can for example ask for a photo and the user then picks from their gallery or takes a photo with the app of their choice. They then return automatically to your app with the photo as a file blob.
GET A PHOTO?
var getphoto = new MozActivity({ name: "pick", data: { type: ["image/png", "image/jpeg"], "image/jpg"] }});
getphoto.onsuccess = function () { var img = document.createElement("img"); if (this.result.blob.type.indexOf("image") != -1) { img.src = window.URL.createObjectURL(this.result.blob); }};getphoto.onerror = function () { // error};
FIREFOX OS + ANDROID!
Activities allow for an app ecosystem on the device. You can ask the user to become the app to do certain tasks and defer to other apps instead of doing everything yourself. They also work on Android when you install Firefox.
APPDISTRIBUTION
App distribution on Firefox OS works in two ways: as a marketplace and bydistributing directly on the web using then Open Web Apps API.
FIREFOX OS MARKETPLACE
https://marketplace.firefox.com/
The marketplace works like any other out there: submit your app, get found, get rich.
var installapp = navigator.mozApps.install(manifestURL); installapp.onsuccess = function(data) { // App is installed }; installapp.onerror = function() { // App wasn't installed, info is in // installapp.error.name };
You can also re-use already existing web fame by adding a “install app” button anywhere on the web calling this JavaScript. This means your SEO efforts of the last years were not in vain.
DYNAMIC APP WEB SEARCH
Firefox OS has a unique way to search apps. Instead of just searching by name and description, the search scans the web for apps and links them to the intent of the user. For example a search for a band would find music apps.
DEVELOPMENTENVIRONMENT
The big question about HTML5 is always about the development environment.Firefox OS has no SDK or IDE, but we built a few tools to get you started faster
The Boilerplate App is a great way to start with Web Activities. In it you havestub code for all activities and you can just comment out what you don’t need.
The Simulator is and add-on for Firefox that runs a virtual phone on your desktop, complete with debugging tools and the option to send apps from the simulator to a real device.
2. Append /webapp.manifest to your Fiddle URL and paste this link into the Firefox OS simulator to install the app
3. Alternatively, append /fxos.html to your Fiddle URL to get an install page like a typical Firefox OS hosted application
JSFiddle is not only a great way to try out some functionality or ask for helpreviewing it - now it also features a way to make any code in it installable as an application in the simulator or on a device.
Many people ask us for building blocks like the iOS ones. We don’t want to stifle people in their creativity and there is no “one” Firefox OS look and feel - there are guidelines - but here are some ideas.
CERTIFIED APPS BUILDING BLOCKS
http://buildingfirefoxos.com/The creation of the OS-internal apps has been documented and all the widgets used in their creation are available at buildingfirefoxos.com.
http://mozilla.github.io/brick/Mozilla Brick is a library to allow you to build apps from web components. The benefit here is that your apps will perform much, much better and you don’t need to write behaviour yourself.
