Comments on: Mozilla's Prism hits 1.0, gets new goodies

Mozilla's Prism Project hits version 1.0 and comes with some nice new features like cross-platform notifications, automatic updates, and a way to clear private data.

[blacksky21]

ill wait till it comes in my next update

[Freiheit13]

Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see the difference between this and simply creating a shortcut/weblocation for the website on your desktop from the normal browser (which has worked since Firefox 0.something). Can someone explain why this is significant?

[MafiaPenguin]

Because some people think that 30 pixels of screen space is worth the hassle caused by doing this.

[htcstech]

I agree... I can't see the advantage, unless Prism+site uses less memory and perhaps a cleaner interface.

[Angmarr]

cant agree more. I don't see the advantages of application shortcuts. Maybe in a few years/moths when somebody add some feature but as of now i don't see the use to just launch either facebook, or youtube.

[3rdalbum]

It runs in a separate instance, so is unaffected by your main browser crashing (and vice-versa). Your Prism will appear in the taskbar rather than in your set of tabs, so it makes the website appear to be more of a natural application than a website.

A Prism definition can be copied between computers, too; so I can make a Prism shortcut for my home server's Transmission web interface, and chuck it onto my other two computers too.

You can set a window size that will always be in use for that application, so your Meebo window will be the size of your buddy list and IM windows, and your Facebook instance will be larger to deal with the feed. It saves more than 30 pixels on browser chrome; it saves a lot of screen space because each application is in a window that's exactly the right size.

Also, the people who can't see an advantage should READ THE ARTICLE!:

an updated API that lets developers tack on Prism-specific features to their Web applications.

tray icon notifications, application-specific settings,

[firefoxluva95]

I totally agree. Prism is almost along the same lines as Adobe AIR. If you've ever used an Adobe AIR application, you'll understand that it's not just a simple "shortcut to the webpage". Instead, the AIR app has it's own individual features that you don't see in a typical browser window. Prism can be seen as the "open source adobe AIR".

[FreekyMage]

Are people to lazy to type? Or just create a bookmark/favorite?
IE's favorites have been shortcuts for like 15 years. You could change the icon on them to and put them on your desktop... This isn't new people.

[kelleydr]

Its obvious from most of these comments that Mozilla's big challenge is to communicate to the ignorati why there is value in an application such as Prism.

I've been using the app since it was known as WebRunner, and, as one commenter previously stated, the underlying value of Prism is that it creates separate instances of an isolated browser session. This means that I can have multiple accounts of Gmail, Remember the Milk, or any number of other web apps open at the same time, since user credentials are not passed between sessions. I cannot do this within Internet Explorer or Firefox. I can have multiple Prism apps open, and still be opening and closing Firefox to add or update extensions, etc., without affecting the Prism sessions.

My experience with Google Chrome's implementation of this leads me to believe that even Chrome does not accomplish this, because I can only be logged into one account at a time. Apparently Chrome apps share user credentials, although I may be wrong on this understanding.

[karan_shh1]

i'll try it

[yogi.hammerhead]

Can anyone explain what this software is for....

[axis_304]

Why is it that all these people are willing to type into this comment box and ask for an explanation, but not willing to read the ones already provided for them?

Its stated at least twice above in the comments, and I'm fairly certain in the article (if not then on the website?)

[ibelieve01]

I stated this when Chrome first offered a similar feature: I think this gets precisely backwards the way most people use their computers. The idea is that, with such applications, the Web becomes invisible....You're using it without ever knowing you're using it. So you use the Web to listen to the radio, to write a letter, to create a spreadsheet, yet you don't know you're on the Web. But most people aren't looking for a way to stay off the Web. Most people spend most of their computing time in their browsers. The future of the Internet and computing is not to be found hiding the fact that you're using a browser, but recognizing the fact that most people keep their browser up 99% of the time they're on their computers....and therefore, what SOMEONE EVENTUALLY NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND DO is turn the browser into a computer OS....that is, make it just as easy to accessess your desktop apps from your browser as you can from your desktop.

[johnny_ray3g]

seems ok if you need to create more than one instance of a web location which is unaffected by the browser performance. i just don't see where i would use it personally. i do like the fact that they've relaesed an API that my prove useful.

totally useless. By clicking on the shortcut you start some mini-browser that opens the webpage. I can code such application in Delphi in less than a minute with publicly available components.

[bcgreen24]

I agree with the majority of other posters...this is pretty much pointless.