I could write a whole essay on this topic, believe me... so lets go with the short version.
First is that most of the phones out there are running Firefox OS 1.1 and this version is not as snappy as Firefox OS 1.3 which is probably the next version those phones will upgrade to. Firefox OS 1.3 is much faster and solved a lot of bugs.
HTML5 is the native thing in Firefox OS. All apps and parts of the system itself are built with it. Thats how good it is when we build Telephony stuff in Javascript.
The thing is that Firefox OS is also the easiest platform to develop for. Its much easier to develop for web technologies than it is to learn ObjC and Java. That being said, lots of new developers are coming on board are still learning the best practices so we see a lot of apps that could be better just like you see a lot of pages that could be better on the web.
The Gecko engine and its WebAPI provide the developer with all that is needed to create good quality apps but since this is our first year, some of our third party developers are still learning the trade. Its getting a lot better.
There are 8 million web developers in the world. They could all be shipping apps on Firefox OS if they wanted to. Its free and we provide all the docs, also, its quite easy to develop for Firefox OS first and then pass thru Cordova or similar tech and deploy on other platforms.
We believe that the web will win in the long run and that a "web first" mentality will emerge where people will opt to go with an HTML5 solution instead of ObjC/Java/C# threesome.
I invite you all to explore our rich APIs at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/WebAPI and see how every time we feel that something can't be done in HTML5 we try to come with a proposed standard. Its this type of evolution of web standards that moves the web forward in all platforms such as desktops, laptops, TVs and more.
As for used cellphones being sold, that doesn't really count in the larger scheme of things. Specially when dealing with Apple. As an exercise try picking an iPhone 3GS and installing random stuff from the App Store... its very hard because developers in those platforms are always developing for the new shiny and forget old customers with outdated hardware very easily. Now try installing an old web browser, something like the same Firefox that was available at that time and browsing the web. It will work because thats how web stuff is made, its made to keep working or degrade nicely. This means that what we call "open web apps" not only are easier to build but they can be used by more people with different hardware and thats why we have the world wide web and not some strange silo such as compuserve...
Think of yourself in five years: What type of world do you want? A world where web standards and engines have evolved to the point where you can do all you wish as a developer without moving away from web technologies and you're free to run your app in different platforms and systems or a world where you need to ask "pretty please" to a company in the north region of california every time you want to ship an app?
Sorry for making this long...
First is that most of the phones out there are running Firefox OS 1.1 and this version is not as snappy as Firefox OS 1.3 which is probably the next version those phones will upgrade to. Firefox OS 1.3 is much faster and solved a lot of bugs.
HTML5 is the native thing in Firefox OS. All apps and parts of the system itself are built with it. Thats how good it is when we build Telephony stuff in Javascript.
The thing is that Firefox OS is also the easiest platform to develop for. Its much easier to develop for web technologies than it is to learn ObjC and Java. That being said, lots of new developers are coming on board are still learning the best practices so we see a lot of apps that could be better just like you see a lot of pages that could be better on the web.
The Gecko engine and its WebAPI provide the developer with all that is needed to create good quality apps but since this is our first year, some of our third party developers are still learning the trade. Its getting a lot better.
There are 8 million web developers in the world. They could all be shipping apps on Firefox OS if they wanted to. Its free and we provide all the docs, also, its quite easy to develop for Firefox OS first and then pass thru Cordova or similar tech and deploy on other platforms.
We believe that the web will win in the long run and that a "web first" mentality will emerge where people will opt to go with an HTML5 solution instead of ObjC/Java/C# threesome.
I invite you all to explore our rich APIs at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/WebAPI and see how every time we feel that something can't be done in HTML5 we try to come with a proposed standard. Its this type of evolution of web standards that moves the web forward in all platforms such as desktops, laptops, TVs and more.
As for used cellphones being sold, that doesn't really count in the larger scheme of things. Specially when dealing with Apple. As an exercise try picking an iPhone 3GS and installing random stuff from the App Store... its very hard because developers in those platforms are always developing for the new shiny and forget old customers with outdated hardware very easily. Now try installing an old web browser, something like the same Firefox that was available at that time and browsing the web. It will work because thats how web stuff is made, its made to keep working or degrade nicely. This means that what we call "open web apps" not only are easier to build but they can be used by more people with different hardware and thats why we have the world wide web and not some strange silo such as compuserve...
Think of yourself in five years: What type of world do you want? A world where web standards and engines have evolved to the point where you can do all you wish as a developer without moving away from web technologies and you're free to run your app in different platforms and systems or a world where you need to ask "pretty please" to a company in the north region of california every time you want to ship an app?
Sorry for making this long...