Web APIs Articles
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BroadcastChannel API in Firefox 38
Recently the BroadcastChannel API landed in Firefox 38. This API can be used for simple messaging between browser contexts that have the same user agent and origin. This API is exposed to both Windows and Workers and allows communication between iframes, browser tabs, and worker threads. The intent of the BroadcastChannel API is to provide […]
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The P2P Web: Wi-Fi Direct in Firefox OS
At Mozilla, we foresee that the future of the Web lies in its ability to connect people directly with multiple devices, without using the Internet. Many different technologies exist and are already implemented to allow peer-to-peer connections. Today is the first in a series of articles presenting these technologies. Let me introduce you to Wi-Fi […]
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ServiceWorkers and Firefox
Since early 2013, Mozillians have been involved with the design of the Service Worker. Thanks to work by Google, Samsung, Mozilla, and others, this exciting new feature of the web platform has evolved to the point that it is being implemented in various web browser engines. What are Service Workers? At their simplest, Service Workers […]
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Easy audio capture with the MediaRecorder API
The MediaRecorder API is a simple construct, used inside Navigator.getUserMedia(), which provides an easy way of recording media streams from the user’s input devices and instantly using them in web apps. This article provides a basic guide on how to use MediaRecorder, which is supported in Firefox Desktop/Mobile 25, and Firefox OS 2.0. What other […]
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WebAPIs – Firefox OS for developers: the platform HTML5 deserves
In the fifth video of our “Firefox OS – the platform HTML5 deserves” series (part one, part two, part three and part four have already been published) we talk about how Firefox OS extends the capabilities of the Web by adding new APIs, called WebAPIs to the existing stack of technologies. Check out the video […]
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The Proximity API
Something that’s very nice with bringing the web to the mobile platform with Firefox OS and WebAPIs is the ability to connect more into the physical world. One part there is the Proximity API, which is also a W3C Working Draft – Proximity Events. What it is The API is about detecting how close the […]
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Ambient Light Events and JavaScript detection
I think that one of the most interesting things with all WebAPIs we’re working on, is to interact directly with the hardware through JavaScript, but also, as an extension to that, with the environment around us. Enter Ambient Light Events. The idea with an API for ambient light is to be able to detect the […]
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Introducing navigator.mozPay() For Web Payments
What’s wrong with payments on the web? Any website can already host a shopping cart and take credit card payments or something similar. The freedom of today’s web supports many business models. Here’s what’s wrong: Users cannot choose how to pay; they have to select from one of the pre-defined options. In most cases, the […]
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Using WebAPIs to make the web layer more capable
Part of making both Firefox OS and the web as a platform a stronger layer and alternative for developers, we are working on a number of WebAPIs. I’d like to introduce you them here! Many things covered in this blog post are also available in a talk I’ve given on this topic. Standardization When you […]
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Introducing Web Activities
One of the more powerful things lately for apps on various mobile phones have been intents. Register your app for handling certain types of actions, or specify in your app what kind of support you are looking for, for the thing you are trying to do. This is especially important in the case of Firefox […]