No Firefox For iOS, Says Mozilla's Product Head

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No Firefox For iOS, Says Mozilla's Product Head

Posted by timothy on Sunday March 10, 2013 @03:28AM from the once-bitten dept.

hypnosec writes "Jay Sullivan, Mozilla's VP of Product, has revealed that the non-for-profit organization is not going to build an iOS version of its Firefox web browser as long as Apple doesn't mend its unfriendly ways towards third party browsers. Speaking at SXSW in a mobile browser wars panel Sullivan said that Mozilla is neither building nor planning to build a Firefox version for Apple's iOS. Mozilla pulled Firefox Home from the App Store back in September 2012 following Apple's not so accommodating attitude."

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Dear EU by lesincompetent · 2013-03-10 03:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's not just microsoft that engages in anti-competitive behaviour.
1. Re:Dear EU by tehniobium · 2013-03-10 03:40 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  If the EU force Apple to have a browser ballot on iOS, I do believe Steve Jobs will be turning ever so violently in his grave :D
  On a more serious note: couldn't the fact that Apple forces all apps to be purchased through their own app store just as well be seen as anti-competitive?
  
  --
  No kitty, this is my pot pie!
2. Re:Dear EU by lesincompetent · 2013-03-10 03:45 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Quite a thorny matter. It's just a matter of deciding wether the reasons that brought those fines to microsoft apply to apple too. And i don't see why they shouldn't. DISCLAIMER: i personally can't wait for the total demise of apple.
3. Re:Dear EU by Globe199 · 2013-03-10 04:23 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  My understanding is that all browsers on iOS are required to use WebKit. Mozilla uses Gecko. Being open source isn't the issue.
4. Re:Dear EU by Kjella · 2013-03-10 05:52 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  As far as I understood it, the very unfortunate VLC situation came about when a purist developer of VLC demanded that Apple would release VLC without DRM on IOS. But all apps on IOS use DRM, it is quite naive to assume that they would make an exception.
  So what? He wrote the code, he released it for use under certain terms and conditions and those conditions were being violated. He wanted Apple to stop and Apple stopped, was he unhappy with that outcome? Did he expect something else? Of course it was annoying for everybody else but if people could just ignore the license when it was incompatible or inconvenient the GPL would have died out long ago.
  
  --
  Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
5. Re:Dear EU by interval1066 · 2013-03-10 06:05 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  . As far as I understood it, the very unfortunate VLC situation came about when a purist developer of VLC demanded that Apple would release VLC without DRM...
  
  That one prefers to respect users & developers alike makes him a "purist"? I'm feeling better about my 20 year descision to avoid Apple products more and more.
  
  --
  Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
6. Re:Dear EU by miroku000 · 2013-03-10 09:24 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  As far as I understood it, the very unfortunate VLC situation came about when a purist developer of VLC demanded that Apple would release VLC without DRM on IOS. But all apps on IOS use DRM, it is quite naive to assume that they would make an exception.
  So what? He wrote the code, he released it for use under certain terms and conditions and those conditions were being violated. He wanted Apple to stop and Apple stopped, was he unhappy with that outcome? Did he expect something else? Of course it was annoying for everybody else but if people could just ignore the license when it was incompatible or inconvenient the GPL would have died out long ago.
  That's not the point. The point is that it's *apple* who gets the bad press and the blame for VLC not being on the App Store because people do not understand the story and just assume that Apple pulled it. They removed it by request of one of the developers, and as you explained, because he did not consent to it being there.
  The iOS App Store's policies were changed to make it compatible with the GPL before that (due to a different case) and there are plenty of GPL apps up in there to this day.
  The lack of VLC has nothing to do with it not having a compatible licence, or Apple being "hostile" to open source, as is so often repeated; it's merely the choice of one of the original developers to not allow it to be distributed that way (as is his right).
  If what the App store is fully compatible with the GPL, and VLC is released under the GPL, then in fact the original developer has no right at all to stop you me or anyone else from releasing it there. So, why then has no one released it if it is compatible?
OK then... by sootman · 2013-03-10 03:58 · Score: 5, Insightful

... will they allow other browsers on their new mobile OS?

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Re:Open Source please by MightyYar · 2013-03-10 04:03 · Score: 4, Insightful

Apple IS competition. There are two very strong platforms for smartphones right now, and they both improve almost daily because of intense competition.

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
News? by caspy7 · 2013-03-10 04:05 · Score: 3, Insightful

How is this news?
a) Why would Mozilla build a browser Apple has already said it won't allow?
b) This same stance has been repeated by Mozilla multiple times.
Re:Cydia please. by dreamchaser · 2013-03-10 04:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

Choice of tablet is a fairly personal decision. Why are you worried about offending anyone? Just buy yourself the tablet you want and be done with it. Just be honest if asked. "This tablet does things I can't on the iPad," " This tablet has better specs than the iPad," etc. There are a LOT of reasons to want an upgrade from an iPad to something non-Apple.
Re:Umm.. by Frosty+Piss · 2013-03-10 04:44 · Score: 3, Insightful

Try to buy a non-MS machine at any retail store other than Apple..... Yup... That's called MONOPOPLY

No, it's not.

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If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Mozilla has been in decline due to poor dev by jnull · 2013-03-10 04:45 · Score: 4, Insightful

I switched to Firefox so many years ago for innovative features, but both Chrome and Safari have beat them out in performance and integrated capabilities. How many BS Firefox updates were there last year with nothing significant delivered. Once big fan and now I don't care what system they are on. Perhaps they should pull back and focus where they may be able to be good again. (my .02)
Re:Cydia please. by ifiwereasculptor · 2013-03-10 05:50 · Score: 3, Insightful

That's what I hate about perceptive generous people and their expensive and thoughtful gifts. They always manage to get whatever you need almost right. That "almost" part is enough to leave you slightly uncomfortable with what you have but not enough to invest money into something better, since your gains would now be disproportionate to the amount spent. Just give me a cheap, ugly fucking novelty tie I can throw away and we'll both be a lot happier.
Re:Cydia please. by Belial6 · 2013-03-10 06:54 · Score: 4, Insightful

For poor friends ( which gets to be less as we get older ) I buy durable presents, but for any family or friends that have enough money to buy their own stuff, I always try my best to buy consumables. That way if it is something they like, they will enjoy it, but if it is something they don't like, they have an easy excuse for it being gone a week later.