Windows8

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Status

Windows 8 Metro Firefox
Stage	Definition
Status	In progress
Release target	`
Health	OK
Status note	Placeholder feature page for all requirements to build a Windows 8 Metro-specific Firefox browser.

{{#set:Feature name=Windows 8 Metro Firefox

|Feature stage=Definition |Feature status=In progress |Feature version=` |Feature health=OK |Feature status note=Placeholder feature page for all requirements to build a Windows 8 Metro-specific Firefox browser. }}

Team

Product manager	Asa Dotzler
Directly Responsible Individual	`
Lead engineer	`
Security lead	`
Privacy lead	`
Localization lead	`
Accessibility lead	Alexander Surkov
QA lead	`
UX lead	`
Product marketing lead	`
Operations lead	`
Additional members	`

{{#set:Feature product manager=Asa Dotzler

|Feature feature manager=` |Feature lead engineer=` |Feature security lead=` |Feature privacy lead=` |Feature localization lead=` |Feature accessibility lead=Alexander Surkov |Feature qa lead=` |Feature ux lead=` |Feature product marketing lead=` |Feature operations lead=` |Feature additional members=` }}

Open issues/risks

This proposal depends on Microsoft providing the same capabilities for Firefox as it does for IE -- running at the Medium level integrity process that allows us the full use of the Win32 API and what we need from Metro, or a set of APIs that allow Mozilla to port Gecko to the WinRT. For the purposes of this feature proposal, I'm assuming we'll get the first and we won't have to port the bulk of Gecko and instead will use the win32 dlls from within Metro.

Windows 8 is not complete and may change some or a lot between now and when it's released. We anticipate Beta in February and RTM sometime between June and the end of 2012.

Stage 1: Definition

1. Feature overview

Windows 8 contains two application environments, "Classic" and "Metro". Classic is very similar to the Windows 7 environment at this time, it requires a simple evolution of the current Firefox Windows product. Metro is an entirely new environment and requires a new Firefox front end and system integration points.

The feature goal here is a new Gecko based browser built for and integrated with the Metro environment.

Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps will be full screen, focused on touch interactions, and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts.

Firefox on Metro will bring all of the Gecko capabilities to this new environment and the assumption is that we'll be able to run as a Medium integrity app so we can access all of the win32 Firefox Gecko libraries avoiding a port to the new WinRT API for the bulk of our code. (Though we will need to have a pan and zoom capability for content.)

We will need to determine if the Firefox front end on Metro will be built in XUL, C/C++, or HTML/CSS/JS (I'm assuming for now that .Net and XAML are off the table.)

Firefox on Metro is a full-screen App with an Appbar that contains common navigation controls (back, reload, etc.,) the Awesomebar, and some form of tabs.

Firefox will have to support three "snap" states -- full screen, ~1/6th screen and ~5/6th screen depending on how the user "docks" two full screen apps. Our UI will need to adjust to show the most relevant content for each size.

In order to provide users with access to other content, other apps, and to Firefox from other content and apps, we'll need integration with the share contract, the search contract, the settings contract, the app to app picking contract, the print contract, the play to contract, and possibly a couple more. We'll be a source for some, a target for some, and both for some.

We'll need to handle being suspended by the OS when out of view.

We may want to offer a live tile with user-centric data like friends presence or other Firefox Home information updates

Ideally we'd be able to create secondary tiles for Web-based apps hosted in Firefox's runtime.

Links with info

Specific requirements to come shortly.

2. Users & use cases

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3. Dependencies

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4. Requirements

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Non-goals

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Stage 2: Design

5. Functional specification

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6. User experience design

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Stage 3: Planning

7. Implementation plan

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8. Reviews

Security review

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Privacy review

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Localization review

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Accessibility

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Quality Assurance review

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Operations review

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Stage 4: Development

9. Implementation

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Stage 5: Release

10. Landing criteria

` {{#set:Feature open issues and risks=This proposal depends on Microsoft providing the same capabilities for Firefox as it does for IE -- running at the Medium level integrity process that allows us the full use of the Win32 API and what we need from Metro, or a set of APIs that allow Mozilla to port Gecko to the WinRT. For the purposes of this feature proposal, I'm assuming we'll get the first and we won't have to port the bulk of Gecko and instead will use the win32 dlls from within Metro.

Windows 8 is not complete and may change some or a lot between now and when it's released. We anticipate Beta in February and RTM sometime between June and the end of 2012. |Feature overview=Windows 8 contains two application environments, "Classic" and "Metro". Classic is very similar to the Windows 7 environment at this time, it requires a simple evolution of the current Firefox Windows product. Metro is an entirely new environment and requires a new Firefox front end and system integration points.