Mozilla has unveiled its lengthy 2012 Roadmap, which details how the company plans to compete in an increasingly mobile marketplace. The foundation wants to “enable web apps that rival native [code].” It sees cross-platform apps as an alternative to the increasingly closed ecosystem of app stores and insists, “The Web must be made easier to develop for than proprietary platforms.”
According to the document, “HTML5 is a compelling technology for developing apps, and is quickly improving. Combined with the freedom to build what you want and distribute it directly to users on your own terms, it has great potential. But just as there are gaps to be filled from a technology point of view, there are gaps to be filled from an ecosystem point of view. The Web lacks standard, consistent ways to find, rate, review, purchase and prove ownership of apps. Mozilla’s goal is to foster an ecosystem that combines the best elements of the Web with the best elements of the app model.”
The same document also reveals that Mozilla plans to release a version of Firefox for the Windows 8 Metro interface later this year.
