Geek Meet - Boot to Gecko: The Future of Mobile?

K O E C ile? O G of mo b T T ture aw kes OO e fu Ro bH B ThHi, I’m Rob Hawkes and I’m here today to talk about Mozilla’s Boot to Gecko project.

G ) (B m2 c ko or G e pla tf t to Web a sa oo he B TBoot to Gecko, referred to as B2G, is a full operating system and platform for mobile devices.

B2G GaiaB2G is actually two separate things; B2G and GaiaThe B2G side is the hardware-related stuff and JavaScript APIs that we need to make thephone work.The B2G side is pretty much everything that you don’t see.

Gaia is the front-end operating system and application stack that hooks into the APIs thatB2G provides.Gaia is basically everything that you can see and interact with.

At the basic level, B2G is powered by HTML5 and JavaScript – the same technologies that youalready use to create websites.This makes it incredibly fast. I’m talking really fast, it boots and shuts down in a fraction ofthe time that an iPhone does.

G? B2 hy ou t? W uss ab thef is all hat WBut why is B2G important?Well to put it simply, HTML5 & JavaScript are the underlying technologies behind everythingrelated to the future of the Web.Pretty much every new technology that is coming out within the browser-space is connectedto HTML5 and JavaScript in some way.And what’s great is that every major browser has invested in them, so they won’t be goinganywhere any time soon.But there’s more to it than that.

ies log n o de ch source te he co en t Op nv iew ca yone AnIt is created with open technologies.Anyone can get involved in their creation; through browser developers like Mozilla, orthrough standards organisations like the W3C.Also, these technologies are open in that anyone can view the resulting code that is usedwithin Web pages, which is a fantastic way of learning.

ie s lo g n o ith e c h lop w e t de ve Fre ree to se.F u to FreeIt is created with free technologies.Anyone can use these technologies without having to pay anything, both for using thetechnology and developing with it.This is unlike closed environments like Flash where you have to pay to use official codeeditors and production environments.

B2G Firefox Persona Web AppsB2G is also part of the Kilimanjaro event.Kilimanjaro is a milestone across several of the Mozilla products; Firefox, B2G, Web Apps,and Persona.The Kilimanjaro Event is not a single release, it is an incremental effort that results in ancoherent experience across those products.When we reach the Kilimanjaro milestone we will have an elegant and simple experience forHTML5 Web apps in Firefox on multiple devices that puts the user in control of their apps andidentity.‘Kilimanjaro’ is planned to be reached by September 2012.https://wiki.mozilla.org/Kilimanjaro

DemoI think the best way to explain B2G and to show it’s current state is to give you a quick demo.

2 G d B hin ith be ite sw g y we bs o lo bu ild chn ff y ou Te stu ame es ThB2G is created from a whole variety of technologies, from pre-existing ones to brand newones that have been created speciﬁcally.

Firefox GeckoThe Gecko engine lays at the core of B2G, the same engine that powers Firefox.Needless to say, B2G isn’t just Firefox running on a phone. It’s much more than that.

WebNFC WebVibration Battery API WebSMS Geolocation WebContacts Full Screen API WebTelephony Settings API WebUSB Multitouch WebGL Camera WebBluetoothAt Mozilla we’re working on the WebAPI effort which is our attempt at creating the APIsneeded to run a B2G device.In other camps it might be referred to as DAP, which is the Device APIs Working Group whoare producing a W3C speciﬁcation for accessing various parts of a device through JavaScript.The illustration above shows just a few of the APIs for B2G that we’re working on right now.

tes uri avo for y f ait tw M Ican no Is AP evice DThere are so many WebAPIs and technologies in the pipeline that relate to B2G in some way.The following are just a few of my favourites.You can ﬁnd the rest of the WebAPIs here: https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebAPI

n ts Eve es uch stur ge To ch and ou ultit MTouch Eventshttps://developer.mozilla.org/en/DOM/Touch_events

PI A era era am e cam C h gt essin AccThe Camera API lets you access the camera on a device.Being able to do this with JavaScript will make a whole world of difference in so many areas.For example, instead of requiring a user to upload a proﬁle image you could take one usingthe webcam and use that instead. Simple but effective.https://wiki.mozilla.org/Platform/Features/Camera_API

P I S A SM f said eb uf W cript . ‘N avaS ithJ xtsw te ing nd SeThe WebSMS API isn’t the most glamorous, but the idea of sending text messages withJavaScript is quite appealing.https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=674725

P I y A o n lls p h ca Tele receive eb akea nd W MThe WebTelephony API allows you to make and receive phone calls using JavaScript.I can just imagine something like this being used to hook into a Web-based version of Sirithat answers your calls for you if you’re busy.https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=674726

P I n A tio ogies ibra hn ol bV nt ec We ho pe it youw ating VibrWebVibration API, previously known as the WebVibrator APIhttps://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=679966

P I C A NF ion eb un icat W m om sc les wire -like RFIDThe WebNFC API is pretty cool.It gives you the ability to transmit and receive data within distances no larger than a fewcentimetres.The idea is that it can be used in phones for things like payment (like the new Barclaycard),travel (think Oyster Card), and ﬁle transfer.https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=674741

P I A o th are e to dw Blu ooth h ar eb et W o blu esst AccWebBluetooth APIhttps://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=674737

P I A tery ge at sa B we ru po oring onit MBattery APIhttps://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=678694

PI n A re e ul Sc we rf ull et po F im ple ,y SThe Full Screen API allows you to expand any HTML element to ﬁll the users screen, even ifthe browser isn’t running full screen itself.https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=545812https://wiki.mozilla.org/Platform/Features/Full_Screen_APIs

io n t ta ion ie n O r rie ntat en fo Scre loc kin go d an ing ng ChaThe Screen Orientation APIs allow you to do things like changing and locking, you guessed it,the orientation of the screen.Before now, it’s been incredibly difficult to lock orientation on a website or game usingnothing but JavaScript.https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=740188http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/screen-orientation/raw-ﬁle/default/Overview.html

GL eb W phics ra tedg ra ccele re-a rdwa HaWebGL brings the ability to provide advanced hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphicsdirectly within the browser.https://developer.mozilla.org/en/WebGL

ps A p eb atform W a pl pen eb as O heW t on up ilding BuOpen Web Apps is an initiative that is core to B2G and one that is important to the Web as awhole.It’s a way of creating and distributing apps that puts the developers and users of apps backin charge.It’s a way that embraces open technology and is for the good of the Web.

ach Re rm tfo s-pla cros ed us be an sc AppIt allows you to create rich HTML5 app experiences that run across multiple devices and formfactors (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc.)

g y o lo ch n es e sit n t ew eb pe om ak O us et eady alr ou ty WhaIt allows you to use Web standards and open technologies such as HTML5, CSS andJavaScript.Anything you currently use to build a website with can be used to build an app.

oice f ch ol o on tr o m ers in c ed Fre d consum an vs de tting PuIt puts you in control of every aspect of the app experience; from easy development, todistribution, to direct communication with your customers.

The Mozilla Marketplace is our own platform for selling and distributing Web apps.It’s in development right now but we plan to open the doors later this year.However, there’s nothing to stop you creating your own marketplace though. All the APIs todo that are documented and built into Firefox today. In fact, we encourage it!https://marketplace.mozilla.orghttps://developer.mozilla.org/en/Apps

te d r ta app g s ttin te an Ge to crea HowCreating a Web app isn’t crazy hard, it’s just a case of understanding the new features inbrowsers.https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Apps

tes bsi we olo gy ar e tec hn ps me Ap et he sa us ey ThApps are websites and are built using the same technology and processes.If you already know how to make a website then creating your ﬁrst Web app is a breeze.

s ite e b e w ap ps th for in g on ality nd fun cti Exte g new ddin AThe Open Web Apps project proposes some additions to standard websites and introduces afew new JavaScripts APIs into the browser that help make apps an experience unlike any otheron the Web.If you don’t know JavaScript then don’t be put off, the amount that’s needed to make an appis relatively small and should make sense to you.However, I would deﬁnitely advise learning JavaScript development if you’re planning ongetting really involved in Web apps.

fe st n i a m o an a pp io n int a t ite plic we bs Ap rninga TuThe only thing that you need to do to turn a website into app is create an applicationmanifest.

{ "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": [ "https://appstore.mozillalabs.com" ], "default_locale": "en" }This is a JSON ﬁle that effectively describes your application; it’s name, icons, and otherrelated data.

nts e irem ember q u t re ttor em fes tan ni mp or Ma IThere are a couple of important things to remember when creating an application manifest.

a in o m ty e d curi am nt of se S me ele AnThe ﬁrst is that it needs to be hosted from the same domain as your Web app.This is pretty straightforward and it adds an element of security in that it is unlikely that arouge manifest ﬁle will be able to be put on the same domain without your knowledge.

Content-type header application/x-web-app-manifest+jsonThe second is that it needs to be served with a specific content type (application/x-web-app-manifest+json).This is probably the most tricky process in turning a website into an app as it involveschanging settings on your server or a bit of hackery in your manifest file.If you don’t want to fiddle with your server then you can always set the content-type headerusing something like PHP or Node.js.

to r a lid s ok va st hin g i nife everyt Ma su re king MaIf you want to make sure your manifest is valid you can have it checked at http://appmanifest.org

p s a p lin g ce tal etp la Ins rM ark sero brow the gh hrou TYou can install apps in B2G through the browser or the Mozilla Marketplace.You can also install apps on the desktop and Android using Firefox.

Installing an app navigator.mozApps.install(manifestUrl)Behind the scenes, installing an app is achieved through the new mozApps JavaScript API.By passing the ‘install’ method a string URL to the app’s manifest ﬁle you will trigger theinstallation process.An example of when you would call this method is after a user clicks on an “Install this app”button on your own website.It would be called automatically if your app was installed from the Mozilla Marketplace, or anyother external website.

The install method triggers an installation dialogue within the browser that allows the user todecide what to do with the app.On Windows, a desktop shortcut is created for the app you installed and it will also be in thestart menu.On Mac, the app is added to your /Applications directory.On B2G, the app is added to your homescreen.

nce erie exp eb sit es ive ifie dw at lor N er jus tg long no are ps ApI think what is most interesting about the apps project is the ability to break away from theconcept of apps being nothing more than gloriﬁed websites.Instead, the new functionality allows Web apps to look and act much like native applicationsthat you would ﬁnd in an operating system, rather than a website running within a browser.We call this WebRT (Web run-time) and it’s really cool.

It’s really easy to use and you don’t need to do anything special as a developer to enable it inyour app.Whenever a user requests to install an app it be be installed natively by default.

ock e d th reen m ro or home sc f nch sktop, Lau or de …Apps installed using WebRT are no different to any other native application that you have onyour computer.They’re installed in the standard native applications location and can be launched in the sameway that you launch any other application.

U I ser row alo ne o b rs ou N an dy rs ou isy ation lic app TheWebRT applications use a browser rendering engine behind the scenes but don’t display anynormal browser UI that would clutter your app.Instead, WebRT apps look and feel like native applications while actually using HTML andJavaScript behind the scenes.

This is an example of a Web app installed as a native application. Notice the lack of browserUI.Right now WebRT uses the version of Firefox you already have installed to grab the renderingengine.In the future you won’t necessarily need a browser installed and WebRT will handle grabbinga relevant rendering engine behind the scenes.

a y d to ns 2 G tio g B op sin are a f ew U he re TThere are a whole bunch of ways to start using and testing B2G today.

If you have some knowledge of git, you can clone the Gaia repository and launch Gaia using arecent Firefox Nightly build.Pros: - No build system and very little setup required- Can use the Firefox dev toolsCons:- The viewport is based on the size of the browser window- Many device-like things wont work- Apps are launched in separate, pinned tabs- Firefox Nightly might be unstablehttp://nightly.mozilla.orghttps://github.com/andreasgal/gaia/

There is also gaia-devserver, a node-based tool for developing Gaia in Firefox Nightly.https://github.com/jrburke/gaia-devserver

Gaia in NightlyYou’ll have to resize the browser to get it looking right but it’s a great way to quickly playwith Gaia and start developing for it.

B2G SimulatorIt is also possible to build a Boot to Gecko simulator and run Gaia using this application.This software is based on Firefox but behaves similar to the on-device experience of Boot toGecko.If you are familiar with building the Firefox code-base or C++ projects, you can build thisapplication yourself.Pros: - Mobile viewport, similar experience to a mobile device in most respects- More device apis (not all)Cons:- Need to install a C/C++ build system and build gecko- The Firefox dev tools are not availablehttps://wiki.mozilla.org/Gaia/Hacking#Building_B2G

B2G DeviceThe last option is to build B2G on your own device.This is the most difficult option and is only recommended on a spare device by someone whoknows what they’re doing.We’re constantly improving the method of getting B2G onto your own device so we hope thatit will be a lot more reliable and safer in the near future.https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Mozilla/Boot_to_Gecko#Setting_up_.26_building_Boot_to_Gecko

2 G B g to ture u t in he fu ib et ntr cre at Co an help uc YoThere are plenty of ways to get involved with B2G, from development all the way to generaltesting.The best way to keep up to speed with things is to frequent the B2G mailing lists.- https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/community-b2g- https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/mozilla.dev.b2gIf you want to help with development then the best place to do that is on the B2G and GaiaGitHub repositories.- https://github.com/andreasgal/B2G/- https://github.com/andreasgal/gaia/

u s lk to C Ta illa IR oz M on elive WThe general rule of thumb at Mozilla is to look for the relevant people on IRC if you want aquick response, we tend to live on there.The server you want is irc.mozilla.orgThe channels you want are #b2g and #gaia for B2G-related stuff, #openwebapps for OpenWeb Apps, and #webapi for anything about WebAPIs.

ol g co th begin inning m e f so jus tthe ld o is is o Th resh ThI think it’s amazing that we can now build an entire operating system for a phone using Webtechnologies. It just blows my mind.We really are on the threshold of something awesome here.I deﬁnitely advise you to start checking out B2G and the related projects, developing forthem, and helping with their development.I’d love to see a day where all sorts of devices are powered by the Web, like TVs and set-topboxes.Perhaps we’ll even get those Internet-enabled fridges that we desire so much!

Rob Hawkes @robhawkes Rawkes.com Personal website and blog RECENT PROJECTS MORE COOL STUFF Twitter sentiment analysis Rawket Scientist Delving into your soul Technical Evangelist at Mozilla Rawkets.com Slides HTML5 & WebSockets game slideshare.net/robhawkesGet in touch with me on Twitter: @robhawkesFollow my blog (Rawkes) to keep up to date with stuff that I’m working on: http://rawkes.comI’ve recently worked on a project that analyses sentiment on Twitter: http://rawkes.com/blog/2011/05/05/people-love-a-good-smooch-on-a-balconyRawkets is my multiplayer HTML5 and JavaScript game. Play it, it’s fun: http://rawkets.comThese slides are online at slideshare.net/robhawkes

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Geek Meet - Boot to Gecko: The Future of Mobile?

by Rob Hawkes

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