May 21st, 2009
Mozilla launches Jetpack; Will add-ons be Firefox's secret sauce?
Mozilla has unveiled Jetpack, a project to make Firefox add-ons easier to code and deploy.
The general idea for Jetpack, which is in an early stage, is to develop browser add-ons with common technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Jetpack is Mozilla’s attempt to take its 8,000 developers—and 12,000 add-ons they have produced—to another level. Mozilla said that Jetpack will enable add-ons to be created in as little as a dozen lines of code.
In a blog post, Mozilla detailed:
Specifically, Jetpack will be an exploration in using Web technologies to enhance the browser (e.g. HTML, CSS and JavaScript), with the goal of allowing anyone who can build a Web site to participate in making the Web a better place to work, communicate and play.
Most importantly, from a user perspective, Jetpack will allow new features to be added to the browser without a restart or compatibility issues, resulting in little to no disruption to the online experience.
What’s notable is that Mozilla is clearly stating that its lineup of browser add-ons is a competitive edge. Add-ons could become the equivalent of applications for an operating system. But today add-ons can be a hassle. If Mozilla can make add-ons simple and lightweight Firefox may have an edge on Google’s Chrome, which downplays add-ons over speed concerns, and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Mozilla Labs Jetpack - Intro & Tutorial from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.
Subscribe to Between the Lines via Email alerts or RSS.
