Remember when FF wasn't shit?
Good times. I miss my extensions that no longer work.
Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
31–40 of 63 posts
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#32But, why?
Because both AR and VR still have the possibility of enormous growth.
Mozilla as an organization these days seems to be hunting for that one trick that will let them magically become big again.
I don't want a trick. I want a good web browser. From its beginning, Firefox got popular because it was just a good web browser, not because of any gimmick. If anything, it was the lack of gimmicks that made it good. Unlike previous Mozilla products, it was just the browser.
I'd be curious to see an interview with their executive team. Their solutions just don't seem to align with people's problems any more.
(Last year, I might have guessed they're just abandoning the desktop web browser market, but today they're the only remaining completely independent implementation, so they've lucked themselves into a position of great importance. A lot of people who never use Firefox still want it to succeed.)
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#33Right, this from the organization that can’t manage RSS integration because it’s too hard.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#34I don't have a clue about VR stuff, and this is the first time I'm hearing about "Firefox Reality". Why do you need a special browser? What's different about this one?
A web browser can browse to site that display VR content. A VR browser has to handle various aspects of this:
1. Displaying the VR content itself. Most can do this already but it's not always switched on by default. 2. Render the browser chrome - the UI around the VR content in a way that's sensible and usable in VR. 3. Handle transitioning from VR web contentto a non-VR content in a sensible way. (where does the browser Chrome live when the "web page" is covering 360 degrees in both directions? VR content can't be contained in a rectangular frame)
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
A parallelizable layout engine should make it a lot easier to get the kind of framerate needed for vr. Mozilla have used this as a test-case for Servo. I’ve previously criticized them for it as an extreme niche market and a diversion from mainstream use cases, but happy to swallow my words if it goes well.
I was indeed wondering about how niche this was. Are there any reliable usage statistics for, say, how many people currently use a VR browser daily? (And to forestall the inevitable comment, I understand the potential of VR, and have since the 1990s VR wave. What I'm wondering about is actual sustained (that is, non-novelty) use.)
It's rather chicken and egg at the moment but if you believe in the web and you think VR is an important new medium it's important that the web doesn't get left out of the party.
Something has to be the connecting tissue of the multiverse and we'd better hope it's not Facebook or something equally proprietary.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#36Is this going to be a text-free browser?
Trying to display/read small text in VR really shows up the limitations of current tech.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because both AR and VR still have the possibility of enormous growth.
Mozilla as an organization these days seems to be hunting for that one trick that will let them magically become big again. I don't want a trick. I want a good web browser. From its beginning, Firefox got popular because it was just a good web browser, not because of any gimmick. If anything, it was the lack of gimmicks that made it good. Unlike previous Mozilla products, it was just the browser. I'd be curious to se…
To the best of my knowledge, Mozilla relies on Google for the vast majority of their operating budget. That is a precarious position to be in. So of course they're searching for other sources of revenue.
I'm glad you want Firefox to succeed. I do too. (I'm posting this from FF!) But unless you can find a few dozen million friends to pony up actual cash for it, every year, Mozilla's going to have to keep looking for other options.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#38Cool, going to try this on my Daydream setup right now. Chrome on Daydream presents a super simplified UI. I'd love to be able to open a few tabs, move them around spatially, adjust the size, etc. There is so much potential for improving browsing experiences in VR.
What device are you using? I'm using a Pixel 2 XL and had to sideload it because the Play Store shows it as incompatible. It is broken, though, can't type more than one letter. There's a ton of promise though. I haven't found a good VR browser yet.
Somewhat considering actually working on the project, I know they're on Github but don't know if they are looking for help.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#39Why would they deal with HTC and not just Steam in general. I have had Vive since day 1. I am never touching anything HTC again. I'm happy enough with the device and technology I have- but the HTC software is horrendous and there's no place for it. I've heard just horror story after horror story of HTC customer service / repair, wanting $200 for a new controller etc. Vive Pro is a complete joke, in price. HTC hasn't…
You might notice HTC Vive seems to be distancing themselves from Steam, including focusing pretty much entirely on their own Viveport platform. Though I'm not sure why, that seems to be the mentality behind their current direction.
To non-gamers, Steam looks kinda wacky - there's crazy popups, really intense graphics, nonstandard UIs, and it has to update most times it launches. It's also blocked on lots of networks - businesses, schools, etc. I personally love Steam and its craziness, but that's the main reason - HTC wants Vive to become mainstream and to capitalize on other uses for VR besides gaming.
Re: Mozilla Announces Deal to Bring Firefox Reality to HTC VIVE Devices
#40Cool, going to try this on my Daydream setup right now. Chrome on Daydream presents a super simplified UI. I'd love to be able to open a few tabs, move them around spatially, adjust the size, etc. There is so much potential for improving browsing experiences in VR.
What device are you using? I'm using a Pixel 2 XL and had to sideload it because the Play Store shows it as incompatible. It is broken, though, can't type more than one letter. There's a ton of promise though. I haven't found a good VR browser yet. Somewhat considering actually working on the project, I know they're on Github but don't know if they are looking for help.
Pixel 2 XL also
What else have you tried?