Mozilla's mobile browser due out in September

While the world rightly awaits Firefox 3.0 with anticipation, it's actually the mobile Firefox browser Fennec that I am looking most forward to seeing. According to the head of Mozilla Europe, we should be seeing Fennec in September, with a beta release later in 2008.

The problem? It won't run on my iPhone:

For the iPhone, Apple's licence can not install software to have an interpreted language. But Firefox includes JavaScript, which makes it legally impossible to carry on the iPhone....For Android, Webkit is integrated into the OS, and only Java applications can run. And Firefox is not written in Java. So that's why [Fennec will not run on Android]. However, in both cases, things may change in future, but it does not depend on Mozilla.

It will be hugely disappointing if Apple forces the world into its Safari browser. I like Safari and used to prefer it (until CNET forced me to use Firefox, much to my belated delight), but I'd prefer to use Firefox on my mobile device, just as I do on my Mac. Long term, Firefox is going to be where the innovation is.

In sum, the news is bittersweet. Mobile Firefox is coming, but it's deployment will be hobbled (for me) by Apple.

[milrtime]

Heh, being forced to use a browser because you bought a certain device....that sounds worse than another large company who got into a big lawsuit partially for just bundling their browser with their operating system...

[Lerianis]

And he hits the nail on the head! Microsoft got in trouble for this ********, why is it that Apple never does? If anything, they are MORE of a monopoly than Microsoft is, because they: make the hardware, make the software, make the applications, make the OS..... they are infinitely worse than Microsoft is, because just about ANYTHING will work on Microsoft Windows. You cannot say the same thing about a Mac.

[morecowbell]

Milrtime,

Don't you know that the rules don't apply to Apple? They also bundle QuickTime with every Mac that ships, but I've never heard about the EU suing them! However since Microsoft includes Windows Media Player they are capitalist pigs and must pay!

[celticbrewer]

Here's a solution, Matt... get a real smart phone.

Like Miller says, being forced to use anything is wrong.

[kinglaurie]

Coming soon fierce wireless long range chip sets. My fears are to protect as many existing carriers as well as
allowing for non governmental interference in reading wireless signal I believe communications should be addressed the same way as freedom of speech issuses

[gabeheim]

No one, other than some mac loyalists, thinks Apple is the paragon of freedom either. And if Apple's market share becomes larger, they may run headfirst into regulators. Itunes/ipod is already giving them problems in europe. The difference is that MS, due to its OS monopoly, has the proverbial gun pointed at your head. It is difficult to move from MS infrastructure, at least for large corporations, large websites (that have horrendous code written to support the once > 90% crappy browser), and other organizations. I have more faith that the market can regulate apple more readily than MS, since few people are locked into Apple and can walk away if they want. That might change in a few years, but I don't think it will.

Of course, if you want a truly free platform for mobile and desktops, then go open source. They are the only ones who have no power and want no power, by design or license, to manipulate what you can do on the platform.

This does raise one question, however. How can android stop you from installing firefox? It has a linux kernel stack, they must provide a libc implementation, there is a gcc toolchain for it, there must be X or a framebuffer device, and if not installed already, it is certainly possible to build and install GTK for that platform. If a device manufacturer or phone company tried to put DRM to prevent you from loading apps, they could get sued for GPL violations. So is the support question raised by the author merely a matter of it's not implemented yet?

[kinglaurie]

Well as long as documentary videos do not get destroyed by agreements between corporate interests It may be alright. Personally I prefer that all three kept separate ownerships with media sharing agreements. I have been preaching to some extent that I feel that one of this planets biggest problems is global corporate corporations dictating Government agendas and right of citizens to participation of both ownership and controls of resources and markets.

[hagenm]

Sweet, just in time for the Pandora(openpandora.org) Launch (I hope).
Of course, its not a smartphone, but Fennec should be perfect for that 'UMPC meets gaming handheld' device.

I assume it will work on the Openmoko cell phone, and Nokia N8XX series as well.