Firefox OS (codenamed Boot to Gecko) is an open-source mobile operating system for smartphones and tablets, developed by Mozilla.
It’s unusual with the fact that it is designed to run HTML5 applications with direct access to the device’s hardware using JavaScript.
The Firefox OS was announced in July 2012.
The browser-based operating system was developed with HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and C++. A web-based user interface called Gaia runs on top of the Firefox OS stack, which includes the operating system layer, known as Gonk. Gecko, a layout engine, reads various types of content — HTML or JavaScript, for example — and renders it for the user. The system is designed to work with HTML5 apps, which are build with responsive web design (RWD) to be device-agnostic.
The first version of Firefox OS, released in mid-2013, was created for low-end phones to make them more accessible for people with limited means. Since that time, developers have added features to make the system more competitive with well-established mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. Alcatel, Huawei, LG, Nexus and ZTE are among the vendors that have released Firefox OS devices.
Firefox OS was called Boot to Gecko (B2G) in the initial development project.
Mozilla explains the concepts behind Firefox OS:
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Firefox OS 2.1 nightly build lock screen (Italian)
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| Developer | Mozilla |
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| Written in | HTML5, CSS, JavaScript,[1] C++ |
| OS family | Firefox OS/Open Web (based on Linux kernel) |
| Working state | Discontinued; forked to form KaiOS |
| Source model | Open source[2] |
| Initial release | February 21, 2013 |
| Latest release | 2.2.0 / April 29, 2015 |
| Latest preview | 2.5.0 |
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| Marketing target | Smartphones Tablet computers |
| Platforms | ARM, x86, MIPS |
| Kernel type | Linux |
| Default user interface | Graphical |
| License | Free software (MPL 2.0) |
| Official website | mozilla |
Firefox OS (project name: Boot to Gecko, also known as B2G) is a discontinued open-source operating system – made for smartphones, tablet computers, smart TVs and dongles designed by Mozilla and external contributors. It is based on the rendering engine of the Firefox web browser, Gecko, and on the Linux kernel. It was first commercially released in 2013.
Firefox OS was designed to provide a complete, community-based alternative operating system, for running web applications directly or those installed from an application marketplace. The applications use open standards and approaches such as JavaScript and HTML5, a robust privilege model, and open web APIs that can communicate directly with hardware, e.g. cellphone hardware. As such, Mozilla with Firefox OS competed with commercially developed operating systems such as Apple‘s iOS, Google‘s Android, Microsoft‘s Windows Phone, BlackBerry‘s BlackBerry 10, Samsung‘s/Linux Foundation‘s Tizen and Jolla‘s Sailfish OS. In December 2015, Mozilla announced it would stop development of new Firefox OS smartphones, and in September 2016 announced the end of development Successors to Firefox OS include the discontinued B2G OS and Acadine Technologies’ H5OS as well as KaiOS Technologies’ KaiOS and Panasonic’s My Home Screen.
