The developers at Mozilla Labs have introduced their new Application Programming Interface known as “Jetpack.” Jetpack enables ordinary users who know basic web development languages, such as HTML, Javascript, and/or CSS, to write and distribute their own custom made Firefox add-ons using these languages.
The fact that Mozilla gives the community the tools necessary to customize almost any aspect of their web browser makes Firefox a popular browser. The ability to compile and package these customizations into easily distributable add-ons will likely keep the Firefox community thriving for ages to come.
Even though Mozilla Jetpack is still in its early stage, it already has a wealth of features, including support for popular external application interfaces such as Twitter and easy inline debugging support. With Jetpack’s new technology you can seamlessly incorporate new add-ons into Firefox during runtime without the need to restart the browser. Mozilla has also taken care of compatibility issues with back and future versions of Firefox. These two elements combined result in a non-interrupted online development experience.
A key aspect when developing any application, interface, or add-on is the ability to eliminate errors and bugs. For this reason Mozilla Labs has incorporated into Jetpack their free inline web development debugger, Firebug. Developers can simultaneously monitor, detect, debug, and fix any error in their HTML, CSS, or Javascript code by using Firebug.
As typical with most, if not all, Mozilla applications, Jetpack is open source and free for the public to download, manipulate, and compile. Jetpack still lacks decent security measures, so developers should be cautious. However, being that it’s open source, someone is apt to contribute to this aspect of Jetpack in the near future.
If you wish to add to the Mozilla community and begin using Mozilla Lab’s Jetpack to make your own add-ons for Firefox check out these links:
For demos and installation go to Jetpack’s main website at Mozilla Labs here.
To acquire the source code for Jetpack, visit this link.
If you encounter a bug while using Jetpack, you can report it here.
And finally, stop by Jetpack’s Google Group found here.
