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Firefox for iOS on GitHub

github.com

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41–50 of 145 posts

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#41

Post by shadowmint »

eclipxe wrote: post #39
JoshTheGeek wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have no other choice; Apple won't accept apps with custom web rendering engines.

Rendering engines are okay. Its the Javascript execution engine that is not allowed. You can render all the HTML you want, you just can't allow untrusted code to be executed.

Well, since you can't use the native javascript engine with a separate rendering engine, there's not much difference though is there?

(if you could, everyone would just do that to get dynamic behavior using javascript in their apps as a scripting language)

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#42

Post by graetzer »

I think it's great that they are going to officially support iOS again.

Coincidentally I submitted a new version of my own browser app to the AppStore, on the same day they made the announcement. I added support for the new Firfox sync protocol - it took me forever to get it working and now it's kind of redundant :-/

Anyway, if someone is interested in the source: https://github.com/graetzer/Foxbrowser

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#43

Post by air »

eclipxe wrote: post #39
JoshTheGeek wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have no other choice; Apple won't accept apps with custom web rendering engines.

Rendering engines are okay. Its the Javascript execution engine that is not allowed. You can render all the HTML you want, you just can't allow untrusted code to be executed.

> Rendering engines are okay. Its the Javascript execution engine that is not allowed.

No, they must use WebKit:

"Apps that browse the web must use the iOS WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript"

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#45

Post by JohnTHaller »

ZanyProgrammer wrote: post #44

Since one of Firefoxes selling points for the desktop is its plethora of extensions, will those be available on iOS? If not, what's the difference with this and Safari?

They won't be available nor can they be. Firefox on iOS will be a Firefox UI over Mobile Safari, like all other browsers on iOS. Firefox's extensions are made to work with the rendering engine in proper Firefox as you'd use on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Platforms where you can install your choice of browser.

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#46

Post by JohnTHaller »

bla2 wrote: post #20

It's a bit sad that Firefox is caving in and shipping a browser using WKWebView. The rationale is that by using WKWebView they now get Nitro, and they have to "go where the users are" -- but a few years ago, it was a lot less clear that Android would be more prevalent than iOS. Also, iOS seems like a fairly hostile environment for 3rd-party browsers since it's not possible to change the system browser -- that's proba…

Ditto here. But I suppose you have to have something available for the iOS folks who still don't understand that every single browser is Safari with a different UI. I do think they should differentiate it name-wise since this absolutely won't be a real Firefox browser.

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#47

Post by JohnTHaller »

Ar-Curunir wrote: post #34
MBCook wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a bit sad that Firefox is caving in and shipping a browser using WKWebView. They don't have a choice, I'm glad to see them do something pragmatic here. On iOS you can ship a WKWebView browser or nothing. Given how big mobile has become it's sad that it took them 6+ years to do this. Lots of people use Chrome on iOS but that only came out 2 years ago. It could have been Firefox.

It isn't sad. I'm happy that instead of caving into the demands of Apple they stuck out for as long as they did.

They still caved. It's just Safari with a Firefox skin on it. Just like all other iOS browsers. Mozilla had wanted to build a REAL Firefox browser for iOS, but Apple wants to lock everyone into Safari.

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#48

Post by JohnTHaller »

0x006A wrote: post #5

- How far away from a release is this? - Given that Apple does not allow other render engines. What makes this Firefox?

> What makes this Firefox?

The icon and a bit of UI design. That plus the ability to sync bookmarks and passwords with Firefox Sync. Otherwise, it's Firefox in name only. It's just a skin over Safari, like all other iOS browsers as per Apple's rules.

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#49

Post by andyidsinga »

Touche wrote: post #32
MBCook wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a bit sad that Firefox is caving in and shipping a browser using WKWebView. They don't have a choice, I'm glad to see them do something pragmatic here. On iOS you can ship a WKWebView browser or nothing. Given how big mobile has become it's sad that it took them 6+ years to do this. Lots of people use Chrome on iOS but that only came out 2 years ago. It could have been Firefox.

They have a choice, they can not release a browser for iOS.

they could release a firefox with gecko that works on jail broken ios ( or maybe it exists?)

Re: Firefox for iOS on GitHub

#50

Post by JohnTHaller »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #11

I'm glad Firefox is coming back to iOS. I remember they used to have a similar Safari wrapper supporting sync, but they must've gotten rid of it.

It's still a Safari wrapper with sync support. Not sure what they'll call it yet. I really hope they don't just call it Firefox since it definitely isn't.
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