Mozilla Terminates Firefox OS for Phones and devices focuses on IoT

Firefox OS Logo

The final version of Firefox OS is version 2.6, which is set for release at the end of may 2016. "Firefox OS for smartphones can no longer have staff involvement beyond may," the post states.

Competing with Android and iOS is simply too hard, says Roter:

"We made an awesome push and created an impressive platform in Firefox OS. However, as we announced in December, the circumstances of multiple established operating systems and app ecosystems meant that we were playing catch-up, and the conditions were not there for Mozilla to win on commercial smartphones. We have decided that in order to succeed in the new area of Connected Devices we must focus our energy completely on prototyping the future and exploring how we can make the biggest impact in IoT".

The statement isn't a surprise, given a post in December by Senior VP Ari Jaaksi which he enthuses concerning IoT (Internet of Things) and adds that "We can explore and prototype new use cases within the world of connected devices as an open source project with a clear and concise target, the user benefit and experience."

As for connected devices, Roter says there are three projects that have passed from the idea phase to active investigation, of which one is absolutely public, the Firefox OS smart TV.

Firefox OS Devices

Firefox OS is open source, therefore in theory community work may continue, but not with the backing of a significant sponsor it's unlikely.

The barriers to entry in the smartphone market are quite huge, therefore Mozilla's retreat was perhaps inevitable. all the same, it's a tragic moment for those in search of an open smartphone platform.

The thinking behind Firefox OS was to own a smartphone operating system supported browser technology so internet apps would port simply which everything would be designed with open standards. affordable smartphones mistreatment the OS are free by vendors as well as Alcatel OneTouch, LG, ZTE and Huawei.

Firefox OS

Firefox OS is the one and only mobile operating system that's open source, developed in a very transparent way and receptive of contributions, that has shipped devices.

"Android in the variety of AOSP is essentially an open source dump. Roadmaps aren't public, contributions rare. we tend to square measure discard one thing distinctive and necessary. WP, iOS, BB10 aren't open," says community member Andre Alves Garzia during a comment.

you may also be interested in Mozilla Rebrands Here is the new face

Internet Explorers Warn about insecure connections.

Insecure Connections 

Living on-line is another word to our day-to-day life in this 21st century, we live in the world of online registrations and payments. A lot of forms are being filled-in on daily basis online. It has become an integral part of our life.

It is so common that the average user hardly thinks about the security of personal data being sent or pays a deaf ear to the warnings. 

While most of the larger companies provide their clients with a secure encrypted HTTPS connection – every now and then you can still stumble upon a form in HTTP. 

This could lead to a serious data leakage – from a password on a forum to your social security or credit card number being stolen. 

Both Google and Mozilla integrated more prominent HTTP warnings in the recent updates for their respective browsers.

Firefox Warning

This feature has already been applied in the beta version of the latest Mozilla browser but with the recent official release of Firefox 51, it became available to a much larger number of users. 

Going forward every time you come across an HTTP page asking for a password you will see a grey padlock crossed with a red strike. 

If you click on the padlock you’ll see a warning: “Logins entered on this page could be compromised.” 

This is a much welcomed change as previous versions of Firefox simply lacked such a feature – displaying a green padlock for protected HTTPS connections and no notification for HTTP whatsoever.

chrome warning

Google Chrome has taken a similar but with a more clear approach. The browser displays an information icon with a note “Not secure” in case of a not trustworthy HTTP connection. 

This warning appears not only for HTTP sites asking for login or password information but also anytime your credit card details are required. 

This is just another step in preventing personal data leakage for Google Chrome users. Further plans include displaying such a warning in incognito mode and eventually labeling all HTTP pages as not secure.