Actually, I have the feeling Mozilla is doing this to make developer resources available to fix existing problems add new stuff to the browser (like better support for HTML5 and other specifications).
Instead of having these developers be busy backporting security fixes.
It is a choice, it might be the wrong choice though.
On the technical side there is a whole lot of stuff that has changed, that whole HTML5-thing. You know ?
It added a boatload of features and it will add a boatload of features again because no browser is done with implementating all the HTML5- and related specifications.
The HTML5-specification it self isn't even completely done yet.
I think it is the other way around. As an example Microsoft is adding it to Windows 8 as one of it's primairy development platforms, so it seems.
Hardware gets faster and have longer battery life, JavaScript- and HTML-/CSS-render engines get faster and use less power.
Every browser that implements some HTML5- or related specifications have not implemented the whole specification yet.
There is still a lot which isn't finished in the HTML5 specification yet.
So things are improving on the webapps-side and with a native wrapper it also has access to the native API to do pretty much everything a native API can do, but with the abillity to have the bulk of the code the same on all platforms.
You did read the summary, right ? This is about locally installed HTML/JS/CSS on your smartphone which has some access to the native API, not some random website which you can't reach when you don't have a working wifi-connection/data-connection.
Please read the summary again, this isn't about webservices. This is about locally installing HTML/JS/CSS on your smartphone. Why would you want to do that ? Because you can use the same code on many different types of smartphones.
For certain environments, like public websites, you might want to add a javascript-file which does the same for old browsers, but this isn't a shortcoming of HTML/JS/CSS specifically.
I've never looked into this, but I'm pretty sure you can't use OpenGL on your old Atari either. As the OpenGL-specifications didn't exists when the Atari was created.
* HTML5 and other specifications which people all seem to lump together to call "HTML5"
I don't know if you read the summary, but this is about using webtechnologies with a native wrapper (preferable existing open source wrapper like PhoneGap) which gives the webapp access to the native API.
The native wrapper has the same API on all smartphone platforms, PhoneGap currently supports 6 platforms. Why do this ? Because you don't want to write your application in all the different languages of all the platforms.
You clearly have no idea of what this article/summary was about or some people have created some horrible solution to a problem that might (at first glance from your text) does not even exist.
Did you even read the summary ? I guess not, this is Slashdot after all.
Because many "native apps" are actually wrappers around an embedded browser with the "web app" (locally installed JavaScript/HTML/CSS) having access to the native API.
This because then you can just use an open source wrapper and distribute to all the devices, Android, iPhone and all the other smartphone systems.
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Actually, I have the feeling Mozilla is doing this to make developer resources available to fix existing problems add new stuff to the browser (like better support for HTML5 and other specifications).
Instead of having these developers be busy backporting security fixes.
It is a choice, it might be the wrong choice though.
Chrome is auto-updating, but what versions do actually get security updates ? I think it is just the lastest one.
And updates can be on daily or hourly basis, so how do you handle that ?
Sounds like you are obviously always behind.
On the technical side there is a whole lot of stuff that has changed, that whole HTML5-thing. You know ?
It added a boatload of features and it will add a boatload of features again because no browser is done with implementating all the HTML5- and related specifications.
The HTML5-specification it self isn't even completely done yet.
Just a random example, how about videoï conferencingï:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcwnQW_AnC8
I think it is more like Firefox 3.6.0 after Firefox 3.5.x and no security fixes for Firefox 3.5.x.
People without proper education can't recognise a decent framework when they see it.
So a lot of the time they choose wrong. :-(
Yeah, I know. :-)
But if you have a the HTML/JS/CSS which is already mostly crossplatform, why would you want to write your backend for each and every platform again ?
I think it is the other way around. As an example Microsoft is adding it to Windows 8 as one of it's primairy development platforms, so it seems.
Hardware gets faster and have longer battery life, JavaScript- and HTML-/CSS-render engines get faster and use less power.
Every browser that implements some HTML5- or related specifications have not implemented the whole specification yet.
There is still a lot which isn't finished in the HTML5 specification yet.
So things are improving on the webapps-side and with a native wrapper it also has access to the native API to do pretty much everything a native API can do, but with the abillity to have the bulk of the code the same on all platforms.
You did read the summary, right ? This is about locally installed HTML/JS/CSS on your smartphone which has some access to the native API, not some random website which you can't reach when you don't have a working wifi-connection/data-connection.
Please read the summary again, this isn't about webservices. This is about locally installing HTML/JS/CSS on your smartphone. Why would you want to do that ? Because you can use the same code on many different types of smartphones.
Mostly because of old browsers, this is not the same problem as on smartphones.
On your smartphone.
Actually, HTML5* does solve most of the list of issues you mention.
Just have a look at this page:
http://diveintohtml5.org/forms.html
For certain environments, like public websites, you might want to add a javascript-file which does the same for old browsers, but this isn't a shortcoming of HTML/JS/CSS specifically.
I've never looked into this, but I'm pretty sure you can't use OpenGL on your old Atari either. As the OpenGL-specifications didn't exists when the Atari was created.
* HTML5 and other specifications which people all seem to lump together to call "HTML5"
I don't know if you read the summary, but this is about using webtechnologies with a native wrapper (preferable existing open source wrapper like PhoneGap) which gives the webapp access to the native API.
The native wrapper has the same API on all smartphone platforms, PhoneGap currently supports 6 platforms. Why do this ? Because you don't want to write your application in all the different languages of all the platforms.
"don't most Android handsets have custom vendor skins?"
And why ? really, no why ? Just because of carrier and brand recognition and differentiation.
No thanks, not interrested.
You clearly have no idea of what this article/summary was about or some people have created some horrible solution to a problem that might (at first glance from your text) does not even exist.
I think most "webapps" for smartphones (actually locally installed HTML/JS/CSS with native wrapper) don't really need a back-end server.
Did you even read the summary ? I guess not, this is Slashdot after all.
Because many "native apps" are actually wrappers around an embedded browser with the "web app" (locally installed JavaScript/HTML/CSS) having access to the native API.
This because then you can just use an open source wrapper and distribute to all the devices, Android, iPhone and all the other smartphone systems.
And you have lots and lots of webdevelopers who don't know anything about how to do webdevelopment properly.
No thank you.
There are people who do webdevelopment right, but it isn't taught anywhere. :-(
Atleast not that I've seen.
Doesn't work in Firefox 7 either.
Ahh, the benefits of running dailybuilds. :-)
It probably roots the system (and thus on restart the virusscanner does not know what the rootkit does) before it does the MBR changes.
Exactly my thought and most webpages can use some work on that.
Maybe even browsers.
Yes, I know what the difference is. You don't have to tell me what I know and don't know. :-)
But I also have seen webpages crash browsers, Windows and X Windows because of hardware acceleration and bad drivers.
And that wasn't WebGL/OpenGL.
Actually, I've seen Windows crash just because of WOFF-fonts and bad drivers.
Someone just needs to create a targetted attack and all users with the similair hardware are fucked.
That doesn't mean these users should be using a secure and standardsbased browser.
There is a similair article on Chrome as well, I think it is this one: http://lwn.net/Articles/404050/
I think this is because this is a transition period. I would have liked to have seen it the other way around, but that is what they choose to do.
Firefox also has an API for extensions that aren't tied to versioning, it's called JetPack and it solved that problem years ago.
It is just all the old extensions that need to be updated/tested/rewritten where the problem is.
Chrome installs in the 'user profile' on Windows and that is why it doesn't need a popup, because it doesn't require admin-rights to install.