Mozilla has today announced a new software project, aimed to take on the likes of Apple, Google and Blackberry by creating their very own smartphone operating system.
Boot to Gecko, as the project is known, is set to be a “complete, standalone operating system for the open web”. Mozilla’s VP of Technical Strategy, Mike Shaver, announced their plans to develop a mobile OS via a Google discussion forum earlier today.
Boot to Gecko will be loosely based on Google’s Android OS and also take inspiration from Google’s Chrome OS, with all apps being based on HTML5. Shaver says that the focus of their new OS is most definitely smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. He says we may see early PC-based prototypes, but the mobile space is where Mozilla are headed.
Mr Shaver was also very keen to point out that the requirement of Android in their software will be solely for loading drivers and booting their OS – they want to use “as little of Android as possible”.
Mozilla seem to have a straightforward goal and believe Gecko can really make an impact on the mobile and tablet market.
“To make open web technologies a better basis for future applications on mobile and desktop alike, we need to keep pushing the envelope of the web to include – and in places exceed – the capabilities of the competing stacks in question.”
We’ll be very interested to see how Boot to Gecko turns out and you can be assured we’ll be bringing you the latest developments from the Mozilla camp as we hear it.
What should Mozilla implement within their software to make it stand out from the Androids and iPhones of this world? Let us know what you think via our Official Twitter Page.