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    Prepare For Liftoff

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    jonhrick
    The document discusses the goals and history of Jetpack, Mozilla's project to simplify Firefox add-on development. It aims to make add-ons easier to create and use common web technologies, work across Firefox updates, and install/remove without restarting. An early prototype was successful but had compatibility issues, leading to a reboot with an SDK and APIs bundled with each add-on. Jetpack has since had multiple releases and previews, with ongoing work on security, additional APIs, debugging, and compatibility.

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    Prepare For Liftoff

    Uploaded by

    jonhrick
    5 views11 pages
    The document discusses the goals and history of Jetpack, Mozilla's project to simplify Firefox add-on development. It aims to make add-ons easier to create and use common web technologies, work across Firefox updates, and install/remove without restarting. An early prototype was successful but had compatibility issues, leading to a reboot with an SDK and APIs bundled with each add-on. Jetpack has since had multiple releases and previews, with ongoing work on security, additional APIs, debugging, and compatibility.

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    Prepare for Liftoff

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    The document discusses the goals and history of Jetpack, Mozilla's project to simplify Firefox add-on development. It aims to make add-ons easier to create and use common web technologies, work across Firefox updates, and install/remove without restarting. An early prototype was successful but had compatibility issues, leading to a reboot with an SDK and APIs bundled with each add-on. Jetpack has since had multiple releases and previews, with ongoing work on security, additional APIs, debugging, and compatibility.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    5 views11 pages

    Prepare For Liftoff

    Uploaded by

    jonhrick
    The document discusses the goals and history of Jetpack, Mozilla's project to simplify Firefox add-on development. It aims to make add-ons easier to create and use common web technologies, work across Firefox updates, and install/remove without restarting. An early prototype was successful but had compatibility issues, leading to a reboot with an SDK and APIs bundled with each add-on. Jetpack has since had multiple releases and previews, with ongoing work on security, additional APIs, debugging, and compatibility.

    Copyright:

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 11

    Prepare for Liftof

    Jetpack & the Future of Add-on Development


    Genesis
    • it's too hard to make and use add-ons...

    • most potential developers don't know XUL

    • Firefox updates can break add-ons

    • installing add-ons requires restarting Firefox

    • add-ons have full control over system, even


    though most don't need it
    Goals
    • simplify add-on development via high-level
    APIs that use common web technologies

    • keep add-ons working across Firefox upgrades


    (a.k.a. Write Once, Run Everywhen!)

    • make add-ons installable/removable without a


    restart

    • limit add-on privileges to the set they actually


    use
    Spring 2009: Experimental Prototype

    • Firefox add-on

    • a dozenish core APIs

    • in-Firefox development via built-in web page

    • add-ons as simple scripts

    • install/remove without restarting Firefox

    • (no privilege limiting)


    Findings

    • simple development/bundling model great,


    especially for casual developers

    • restartlessness great for users

    • bootstrapping into Firefox & compatibility


    across Firefox updates problematic

    • no way to harness third-party APIs


    Fall 2009: Reboot
    • web application for casual developers

    • SDK for professional developers w/existing


    toolchain

    • traditional XPI bundles + APIs bundled with


    each add-on (akin to static linking) to solve
    bootstrapping problem

    • CommonJS Modules implementation for code


    sharing via third-party libraries
    Spring 2010: Debut
    • initial preview release of web app to limited
    audience

    • initial release of SDK

    • project enters “incubation” phase (transition


    from Mozilla Labs experiment to production-
    level efort)
    Today
    • fve releases of SDK

    • high-level APIs (context-menu, localization,


    page-worker, private-browsing, request,
    selection, self, simple-storage, tabs, widget)

    • restartless on Firefox 4 nightlies/beta

    • unit testing harness & documentation tool

    • second preview release of web app

    • create add-ons and libraries

    • instant testing via helper add-on


    Demo!
    The Future
    • security (privilege limiting)

    • APIs (places, window, sidebar?)

    • debugging (console, memory analyzer?)

    • compatibility across Firefox updates

    • addons.mozilla.org integration
    Try
    builder.mozillalabs.com

    Participate
    jetpack.mozillalabs.com

    Thanks!

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