Great devices are a marriage of hardware and software. Focus too much on one at the peril of the other.
Shipping an OS to basically closed hardware devices - phones is a much different ballgame than shipping a web browser app on a preinstalled operating system and with Android already being both free and popular and open source, I don't know why any hardware maker would use Boot2Gecko.
This project doesn't really feel like mozilla is trying to compete with Android or iOS in terms of developing a traditional mobile operating system.
It almost feels like mozilla is trying to lay down the ground work for what a web based mobile device SHOULD be. The entire UI using web technologies, JavaScript API's for everything. Think about that for a second... What users think about as the "OS" (basically the home skin, application launcher, widgets, themes and UI controls) is just an infinitely hackable web project for any company to come along and build on top of. Gecko or Webkit + Linux under the hood and thats it.
Mozilla is betting on Javascipt and open web. They think that is the future and I agree with them.
Google is already restricting how much manufacture can customize with latest android versions, and this opens a new door for them.
Mozilla is already working with manufacture to make sure they can build boot2geko devices on existing product line without adding additional cost.
I also don't know how Javascript can possibly run any faster than Java apps, especially on low-end hardware. Unless all you're showing is a webpage with text?
Show me B2G on a 600 Mhz ARM11 CPU phone, that's faster than Android, and then I'll buy it.
They know they have unique infrastructure capabilities and, to their credit, want to create additional value to end-users. In conjunction with their current purchasing power and influence over hardware vendors, forward-looking mobile carriers can definitely view B2G as a possible competitive edge if they can figure out how to bring one to market in the most cost-effective (read: cheapest and least disruptive) way possible.
It's a breath of fresh air considering the capabilities and branding that Mozilla has. I would love to be a fly on the wall in those discussions.
So I guess only a hardware vendor is missing?
This is probably the most widely known technology to people. Apart from Boot2Gecko you can develop HTML/JS apps for Windows Phone and Windows 8 (metro style)
As far as i'm aware the current solution for this is still to use Flash, or a native application. I'd be happy to be wrong. In any case making a phone entirely controllable via web standards will ensure that such capabilities are avilable and proven.
If anyone has more info on webcam integration with HTML5 video, this stackoverflow post could use some love: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1318834/whats-the-status-...
I'm still not totally convinced about large code bases being developed in JS but I would say that MOST iOS and Android apps don't need "programming in the large" features. But, I could also see some kind of compile-to-javascript language like CoffeeScript making this easier.
I hope this stays up to date with the now fast moving Gecko for Desktop so it has the latest and greatest HTML/CSS/JS features as they get implemented.
Another concern would be: Where does mozilla stand with hardware manufacturers and cell carriers? I feel that this isn't going to gain much traction if someone has to buy an Android device and then hack it. Windows Phone 7 has proven that even if you have the hardware, you still need Verizon and AT&T (in the U.S) on your side as well.
http://saladeprensa.telefonica.com/jsp/base.jsp?contenido=/j...
