I still don't understand why Firefox OS will go anywhere when webOS did not. Aren't we talking about basically the same thing? HTML5/JS/CSS? Is it timing, the changed environment that now focuses attention on web apps? Is it the reputation of Mozilla vs that of Palm/HP? I'm not saying web apps won't have a place, I'm just extremely confused about the seeming contradiction or about-face here.
The Promise of Firefox OS
51–60 of 147 posts
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
And this doesn't even mention the pain of actually MAKING such a webpage. HTML5/javascript/css are, to put it blunt, rubbish and antiquated technologies. Why even force people to use this "boxed" and shit set? Firefox OS is just wrong from so many perspectives..
This is just trolling, come on now.
Not at all. Dead serious. If HTML/CSS/javascript had been properly developed we wouldn't even have to deal with all the issues surrounding web dev. All these issues have been addressed by OS development decades ago (e.g. duplex connectivity, UX layout, MVC split, performance, just to name a few), yet we still have to deal with them now. Million of man-hours have been wasted due to them.. So no, this is not trolling.
Mobile apps have been an absolute blessing and finally enabled proper mobile development. I don't see a need to go back to html other than legacy..
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#53In the abstract FireFox OS is appealing.
But the likely realities aren't. It's hard not to assume the ease with which Firefox the browser can be installed by my Mom when thinking about the OS. But doing so is plain wrong.
For most end users it will be as tied to a particular device by the manufacturer as any other mobile OS. And the likelihood that the end user will, as a practical matter, be able to load Firefox OS on their own is low because there is no ISA for mobile and the mobile ecosystem is so mined with patents.
It's not that some people may not be able to hack Firefox OS onto an iPhone - I actually expect it. It's that such hacks will kludged beyond utility for most non-technical people.
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#54So... it's 2013, and I'm sitting here with my blazingly fast nexus 4, and the web sites I visit are... slow. terrible. broken. spammy. Half of them have 'popups' that try to banner at the bottom of the screen, but end up flailing wilding and either taking up the entire screen, or just helpfully sitting exactly over the middle of the page. A lot of them try repeatedly to direct me to a specific page, or a native app w…
Really, this is the top comment? Everything you just listed is exactly what FirefoxOS is trying to fix.
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#55So... it's 2013, and I'm sitting here with my blazingly fast nexus 4, and the web sites I visit are... slow. terrible. broken. spammy. Half of them have 'popups' that try to banner at the bottom of the screen, but end up flailing wilding and either taking up the entire screen, or just helpfully sitting exactly over the middle of the page. A lot of them try repeatedly to direct me to a specific page, or a native app w…
You could try Firefox Mobile and install adblock.
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#56So... it's 2013, and I'm sitting here with my blazingly fast nexus 4, and the web sites I visit are... slow. terrible. broken. spammy. Half of them have 'popups' that try to banner at the bottom of the screen, but end up flailing wilding and either taking up the entire screen, or just helpfully sitting exactly over the middle of the page. A lot of them try repeatedly to direct me to a specific page, or a native app w…
While a lot of the web is still horribly broken on touchscreen devices, it should be noted that the situation is getting better.
The popularity of iOS and Android devices means that a lot of even regular websites now have to pay attention to responsive layouts, large input elements, etc.
Of course, there is a lot of web that updates slowly, HN included. Getting all those on board the modern, responsive web will probably take years.
But having used touchscreen devices daily for browsing since early 2006, the situation is clearly improving all the time. Popular CSS frameworks like Bootstrap help, too.
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is just trolling, come on now.
Not at all. Dead serious. If HTML/CSS/javascript had been properly developed we wouldn't even have to deal with all the issues surrounding web dev. All these issues have been addressed by OS development decades ago (e.g. duplex connectivity, UX layout, MVC split, performance, just to name a few), yet we still have to deal with them now. Million of man-hours have been wasted due to them.. So no, this is not trolling.…
Mobile apps have made it possible to write your app once and have it work on multiple platforms? Gee, I must have missed that (as I post to HN, a web app that works on multiple platforms).
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#58So... it's 2013, and I'm sitting here with my blazingly fast nexus 4, and the web sites I visit are... slow. terrible. broken. spammy. Half of them have 'popups' that try to banner at the bottom of the screen, but end up flailing wilding and either taking up the entire screen, or just helpfully sitting exactly over the middle of the page. A lot of them try repeatedly to direct me to a specific page, or a native app w…
I worked as a front-end developer for an adnetwork for two years, so I take a little responsibility for your experience. I tried my best, but there just wasn't that much interest in getting it right. Here's why I think we're all having a hard time with advertising in mobile. Basically, adnetworks are still learning how to do it right, the same way designers and developers are still learning how to do mobile websites…
Frankly, if all the ad networks in existence fall over and die from their own crudulence, I'll not shed any tears whatsoever.
Any site that uses crap ads that affect my user experience will really have to be something special for me to continue to use them. I'm happy to leave these sites for other sites that don't do stupid things to users.
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is just trolling, come on now.
Not at all. Dead serious. If HTML/CSS/javascript had been properly developed we wouldn't even have to deal with all the issues surrounding web dev. All these issues have been addressed by OS development decades ago (e.g. duplex connectivity, UX layout, MVC split, performance, just to name a few), yet we still have to deal with them now. Million of man-hours have been wasted due to them.. So no, this is not trolling.…
(in response to marknutter's comment below, for some reason the reply button was previously not available. HN bug?):
You can (and we do):
iOS: http://xamarin.com/monotouch android: http://xamarin.com/monoforandroid
You should give it a shot. And as much as I like HN and its content, its mobile UX is pretty shabby (dare I say incompatible? ;)).
Re: The Promise of Firefox OS
#60I still don't understand why Firefox OS will go anywhere when webOS did not. Aren't we talking about basically the same thing? HTML5/JS/CSS? Is it timing, the changed environment that now focuses attention on web apps? Is it the reputation of Mozilla vs that of Palm/HP? I'm not saying web apps won't have a place, I'm just extremely confused about the seeming contradiction or about-face here.
Palm/HP didn't exactly make it a huge deal to go to standards bodies, did they? That was my impression. Could be wrong.