Chief Mozilla Architect Brendan Eich Talks About Mozilla's Future

Hello,

  Brendan Eich (Chief Mozilla Architect) has posted
the slides from last week's Mozilla Developer Day talk
titled "Mozilla Futures: Analysis and Proposals".
  
  Brendan Eich kicks off the talk with a strategic
outlook:

  * Web standards stagnating due to Microsoft monopoly
  * W3C standards alone won't save us from this trend
  * "Desktop" and "Web" applications converging
  * Proprietary XUL-like languages springing up
  * Rich 2D graphics with animation effects wanted
  * Linux desktop (warts and all) usage growing
  
   and continues with highlighting Mozilla's strength
before pointing out Mozilla's weaknesses and how to
address them e.g.:

   1) Lack of complete, integrated 2D graphics
solution 
    
   --> Accelerate and optimize the SVG effort   
 
       * Help SVG implementors
         - DeCOMtaminate, avoid past Gecko mistaked

       * Future-proof Mozilla's rendering architecture
         - Take advantage of hardware acceleration
         - Target cairo and OpenGL; Quartz on OS X;
GDI+
         
       * Port SVG code to the new rendering APIs


   2) No well-integrated programming-in-the-large
language, only one well-integrated scripting language
(JavaScript)

     --> support popular scripting and programming
languages

     * Implement JavaScript 2 (Narcissus project -
self-hosted JS/JS2 - started)
     * Extend existing Python support to match chrome
JS
     * Integrate Perl5 a la Python?
     * Support several language runtimes (Mono,
Parrot)?
     * Better Java integration 

   3) XUL app learning curve steep for
non-web-developers

     --> integrate a Mozilla XUL builder into the
Eclipse IDE

     * wizards to generate boilerplate and packaging
     * direct manipulation graphical layout design
tool
     * integrated validation, inspection, debugging
     * use Java, SWT for builder superstructure, front
end
     * embed Geck back end with full XUL support
     * should be "two-way": can read hand-crafted
sources

   4) Poor or missing developer documentation

     --> Launch developer.mozilla.org 

     * library of API documents
     * tutorials for "how do I do X on this platform?"
     * Bite-sized documents with lots of links and
TOCs
     * Wiki front end to website CVS back end
     

   To sum up Brendan proposals include:

   * Building a new drag-and-drop style XUL designer
plugin for Eclipse
   * Focusing on adding a built-in SVG renderer to
Mozilla
   * Focusing on forging alliances with other open
source projects (fight NIH - not invented here -
syndrom)
   * Focusing on adding new scripting languages (such
as Python, JavaScript 2 and Perl 5)
   * Launching a new MSDN-like developer site
nicknamed DevMo (developer.mozilla.org) that will
offer documentation, samples and much more 
   * Working together with Apple and Opera to advance
W3C web browser standards (e.g. new CSS properties for
a XUL-like box layout system)
   * and much more
    
               
   Full story @
http://www.mozilla.org/events/dev-day-feb-2004/mozilla-futures

   - Gerald

PS: You might also want to check out Gervase Markham's
talk slides on the Mozilla Foundation online @
http://www.gerv.net/presentations/fosdem2004 from the
FOSDEM 2004 conference in Brussels.


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