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Firefox OS is Mozilla's open source mobile operating system based on Linux and Mozilla's Gecko technology. Firefox OS is a mobile operating system that's free from proprietary technology while still providing the power to allow application developers to create excellent products. In addition, it's flexible and capable enough to make the end user happy.
PLAN: introduction is to be re-jigged to provide a better start point for contributors, showing what they can do and how, and how to feedback, etc.
For Web developers, the most important part to understand is that the entire user interface is a Web app, one that is capable of displaying and launching other Web apps. Any modifications you make to the user interface and any applications you create to run on Firefox OS are web apps, albeit with enhanced access to the mobile device's hardware and services.
From a product perspective, Firefox OS is Mozilla's branding and support services on top of Boot to Gecko (B2G), which is the operating system product's engineering codename. Boot to Gecko is developed by a team of engineers inside Mozilla plus many external contributors from the wider Mozilla/open source community.
Note: You can learn how to build and install Firefox OS by following our handy guide.
Hardware requirements
Most recent ARM-based mobile devices are powerful enough to support porting Firefox OS. This section covers the basic hardware requirements as well as the recommended hardware features.
Component | Minimum | Recommended |
---|---|---|
CPU | ARMv6 | Cortex A5 class or better ARMv7a with NEON |
GPU | — | Adreno 200 class or better |
Connectivity | — | WiFi 3G |
Sensors | — | Accelerometer Proximity Ambient light A-GPS |
For a good user experience, it's a good idea to choose a device that offers a uniform color profile (implemented by the graphics device driver) and headphone support for muting and unmuting and for stopping and playing media. These features are common among modern smartphones.
Buttons and controls
A typical Firefox OS device has a small number of physical hardware buttons:
- Home button
- This button is generally centered below the screen. Pressing it will return you to the app launcher. Holding it down opens the card switching view; swiping up on an app in that view will terminate it.
- Volume control rocker
- Along the left side is the volume rocker; pressing the top half of the rocker increases the audio volume and pressing the bottom half decreases the volume.
- Power button
- The power button is at the top right corner of the device.