Android on Firefox - Mozilla Interview

Long and detailed interview with local Mozilla crew, incld. some hands-on video Jpn: http://bit.ly/apM9HZ

Machine Translation:

Even if it is a mobile version, the function need not be limited any longer. We Mozilla think so.

It is [katoumakoto] to talk so while still demonstrating Firefox of the Android version of the alpha version who serves as a technical adviser with Mozilla Japan.

A present smart phone and the cellular phone are equal to PC ten years ago or have CPU performance any more and the memory capacity. The screen size increases the number of terminals of about 800 pixels in side, and has contracted the difference with PC of the entry class. Therefore, it is said that Firefox for mobility will offer the same user experience as a desktop version.

Up to now are the inside where the symptom that the spread of iPhone and Android becomes full-scale is shown and what browsing experience do you try to offer the user on earth though it is Firefox with the feeling delayed starting for mobility?The story was heard with Mozilla Japan of Tokyo and Kojimachi.

The Android version:Hybrid with the native by C++

The approach of Firefox of a mobile version goes back several years ago. Browsers of the Firefox base are integrated as product “Nokia N800″ of the genre that is called, Nokia is “Internet tablet” in January, 2007. Afterwards, it is installed in N900 etc. of the successor, and original and version 1.0 of the name of project name “Fennec” have been released in January, 2010.

Version 2.0 of Fennec that appears from the end of 2010 to 2011 corresponds since Android 2.1 though the correspondence platform of Fennec is only platform “Maemo” (It integrates and rename it to MeeGo with Moblin of Intel now) up to now for the mobility of the Linux base.

“The rendering engine and the JavaScript engine written with same C++ as a desktop version are installed in Firefox of the Android version. “(Mr. Kato)

It is said that the rendering result will become the same because quite the same engine (Gecko and TraceMonkey) moves basically though the code to say nothing of the part of the architecture dependence like the difference etc. between x86 and ARM has divided.

If the development kit of the native code that is called “Android NDK” is used, the library etc. for Linux can be used without a big modification only because it compiles again though the Android application program usually operates on JavaVM that is called Dalvik VM. The UI part is Java(Dalvik VM), and the engine part is a composition named C++(NDK). An indispensable library for a high-speed application program etc. can be developed with C and C++ though Android NDK is not used to develop the native application program. Continued>>