Prism

Personal computing is currently in a state of transition. While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications. But the latter often fit awkwardly into the document-centric interface of web browsers. And they are surrounded with controls–like back and forward buttons and a location bar–that have nothing to do with interacting with the application itself.

Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur.

Unlike Adobe AIR and Microsoft Silverlight, we’re not building a proprietary platform to replace the web. We think the web is a powerful and open platform for this sort of innovation, so our goal is to identify and facilitate the development of enhancements that bring the advantages of desktop apps to the web platform.

The first of these experiments is based on Webrunner, which we’ve moved into the Mozilla Labs code repository and renamed to Prism.

Prism

Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop.

Prism lets users add their favorite web apps to their desktop environment:

When invoked, these applications run in their own window:

They are accessible with Control-Tab, Command-Tab, and Exposé, just like desktop apps. And users can still access these same applications from any web browser when they are away from their own computers.

The Best of Both Worlds

Prism isn’t a new platform, it’s simply the web platform integrated into the desktop experience. Web developers don’t have to target it separately, because any application that can run in a modern standards-compliant web browser can run in Prism. Prism is built on Firefox, so it supports rich internet technologies like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and <canvas> and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

And while Prism focuses on how web apps can integrate into the desktop experience, we’re also working to increase the capabilities of those apps by adding functionality to the Web itself, such as providing support for offline data storage and access to 3D graphics hardware.

The User Experience

We’re also thinking about how to better integrate Prism with Firefox, enabling one-click “make this a desktop app” functionality that preserves a user’s preferences, saved passwords, cookies, add-ons, and customizations. Ideally you shouldn’t even have to download Prism, it should just be built into your browser.

We’re working on an extension for Firefox that provides some of this functionality. For more information about the user experience we hope to achieve in Prism, see Alex Faaborg’s blog post. For some of the technical details and new features found in Prism, see Mark Finkle’s blog post.

Getting Started with Prism

We have an early prototype for this working today on Windows, with work continuing on Mac and Linux (for which we should have builds available soon).

To try out the prototype, download and install it: Download Prism for Windows.

Then start Prism. It will display an Install Web Application dialog.

Enter the URL of the application you want to use in Prism (e.g. mail.google.com), a name for the application (e.g. Gmail), and pick where you’d like to create shortcuts to the application.

Then press the OK button. Prism will create shortcuts to the application in the locations you specified and then start the application.

How to Get Involved

Prism is just the first of many experiments we hope to conduct around improving the usability of web applications. It’s open source, like everything we do, and we’re interested in hearing from and working with anyone interested in further developing this concept.

• Discuss, debate and add to the design in the forum. Report bugs in Bugzilla.
• Get the source code, extend it, fix bugs and/or submit patches.

  The project lead for Prism is Mark Finkle and contributors include Cesar Oliveira, Wladimir Palant, Sylvain Pasche, Alex Faaborg, and Myk Melez.

This is interesting work, but I am curious about a comment you make here:

–
Unlike Adobe AIR and Microsoft Silverlight, we’re not building a proprietary platform to replace the web.
–

Yet, then you describe Prism as:

–
Prism isn’t a new platform, it’s simply the web platform integrated into the desktop experience. Web developers don’t have to target it separately, because any application that can run in a modern standards-compliant web browser can run in Prism. Prism is built on Firefox, so it supports rich internet technologies like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

And while Prism focuses on how web apps can integrate into the desktop experience, we’re also working to increase the capabilities of those apps by adding functionality to the Web itself, such as providing support for offline data storage and access to 3D graphics hardware.
–

You could describe Adobe AIR in exactly the same way.

So, is the main difference between something like Prism and Adobe AIR, that Adobe AIR is being primarily developed by a company (Adobe), and that Prism is being developed by Mozilla?

i.e. Adobe AIR is built on top of web standards and can run existing web applications and content. It runs on Windows and Mac (and soon Linux), and it also provides additional desktop functionality.

Btw, I don’t see any information on Adobe’s site suggesting Adobe AIR is meant to “replace the web”, but, as you ackowledge here, there are some apps that may provide a better experience if they are running out of the browser, and closer to the desktop.

mike chambers

mesh@adobe.com

Awesome! Nice to see this finally come to fruition. When will OS X and Linux builds be available?

The JS chrome-less popup window comes full circle :(

“We believe the web is an open plaform …” but this just closes it to one website at a time.

Yay!

Justin: we have builds in hand, but they have bugs too big to release them yet, and Mark Finkle, the primary developer, is currently away at a conference. I’m hoping we’ll be able to provide those builds by next week.

pd: au contraire, we don’t do anything to close the web platform. We simply provide you with a dedicated window to an application running on that platform. It’s the same as if you had opened a new window in Firefox and loaded the application there, but without the browser chrome to get in your way.

-myk

looks promising but i guess it is a very very very long way to go….

ideally, what I personally am much more interested in, would be to use another scripting language (python or ruby) instead of javascript. but i guess prism is a (small) step in a right direction

she: There are Python XPCOM bindings for Mozilla, which would make it possible to use Python in chrome code (i.e. the code implementing Prism) if you were to rebuild Prism with those bindings enabled.

But I don’t think those bindings make it possible to use Python in web content running in Prism. But there’s a project called IronMonkey to implement Python support in the next-generation Tamarin JS runtime. See for example this blog post for more info.

-myk

Not to be glib, but there are more reasons than this why people want AIR or Silverlight… I see Prism as a replacement for XUL; not a competitor to AIR.

The web is great, but its a lowest-common-denominator. Web standards bodies are slower than molasses, and because of the delay they make standards that nobody uses, or that languish (*cough* VRML *cough*)

Plus, if you extend the web with stuff like CANVAS, and Microsoft doesn’t follow suit, web developers are stuck maintaining at least two very different code bases… one web app for Firefox/Prism, one for IE.

If you want flash, why not just use Flash? Its an open “enough” standard, isn’t it?

bex: I don’t quite understand how Prism is a replacement for XUL, given that Prism isn’t a user interface language, and you can use XUL inside Prism. Can you explain further?

Regarding Flash, as far as I know it isn’t an open enough standard (most significantly, it is controlled by one organization), and some web standards bodies move faster than others, f.e. the WHATWG has been more speedily putting together many interesting specifications that various browser vendors have been busily implementing (including one for canvas!).

Just 10 hours ago I saved http://wiki.mozilla.org/WebRunner to make del.icio.us account, I’m sure glad I saw this too!

More power to ya!

>Regarding Flash, as far as I know it isn’t an open enough standard

You do realize that Adobe AIR is as much about HTML, JavaScript, CSS, etc… as it is about Flash / Flex?

More thoughts here:

http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2007/10/25/mozilla-prism-and-the-disingenuous-web/

mike chambers

mesh@adobe.com

Im sorry but I installed this and I just don’t get what there is to be excited about. A webpage (ie gmail) now has an icon and runs in a firefox window without any buttons. wow.

The project looks very interesting. Can’t wait till more progress is made.

[...] Mozilla posted today with further elaboration on a product still in Labs called Prism. I didn’t quite grasp the significance of the product in some of the dry descriptions I’ve been reading here and there, but as I put the pieces together, it looks like it could be quite a revolutionary direction for web-based applications and Mozilla as an organization. [...]

Put Prism on a mobile device and I smell killer! Let’s see open phone, open OS, open browser, and Prism. Looks good!

Very nice! I haven’t gotten around to trying WebRunner, but perhaps I shall give Prism a try.

Minor nit: The Windows key for switching applications is Alt-Tab, not Control-Tab. The latter is used for changing windows within an application. (Does anyone do that anymore? Also…Ctrl-F6…but that goes back to the Windows 3.1 days. =P) Mind you, I’m writing this on a Mac…but I’m a keyboard junkie…and that keystroke is equivalent to Cmd-` on a Mac, not Cmd-Tab. (Sorry for the rambling rant. :-) )

Hello,

How do I make it work when in proxy environment?
Any Settings window / command mode?

[...] Prism  —  Personal computing is currently in a state of transition.  While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications.  But the latter often fit awkwardly into the document-centric interface of web browsers. Source:   Mozilla Labs Blog Author:   LabRats Link:   http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/ Techmeme permalink [...]

[...] Prism  —  Personal computing is currently in a state of transition.  While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications.  But the latter often fit awkwardly into the document-centric interface of web browsers. Source:   Mozilla Labs Blog Author:   LabRats Link:   http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/ [...]

[...] Mozilla has announced Prism, an effort to bridge the gap between the Web and the desktop. Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur. [...]

[...] It looks promising. Offline web apps are becoming more and more popular and Firefox is making a right move towards it. I’ll be writing a complete review soon, but for now, you can click here. [...]

[...] Mozila Prism Mozilla Labs Blog � Blog Archive � Prism cool stvarčica, ba� me zanima kaj bu na kraju od toga … __________________ Tra�io sam pičke, dobio sauger i ozljedio ruku. [...]

[...] Prism, Mozilla’s take on desktop web apps Mozilla Labs released today Prism, a rebranded version of WebRunner, a Mozilla-based application for running single web applications. [...]

This is awesome stuff because I’ve wanted to develop in XUL on the desktop for a long time, but (somewhat strangely) my excitement is tempered by the erroneous shots you’re taking at AIR and Silverlight.

If you must compare them, get the facts straight, but it’d be better if you guys just went back just taking the high road and kicking butt.

I just installed it to try out my website. It’s a video site in Flash (think TV-in-a-browser) and a good candidate to test out Prism. I read the article and the linked blogs and here’s what I think are the main issues:

1. Seriously long load time: I have a powerful PC (dual quad-core, 4gb ram, XP x64, scsi raid) and this thing took over 10s just to launch. Closing and opening again didn’t help speed things up. Loading the website was same speed as new tab in Firefox2.

2. Once you’ve created a “webapp”, there seems to be no way to edit the settings other than editing the webapp.ini in C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Prism\Profiles\[weird-chars].default\webapps\example.com@prism.app

3. Needs some desktop features to make it more useful than a new tab in Firefox: minimize to tray, true full screen, always stay-on-top option, borderless/no-titlebar mode, transparency option. These options are pretty easy to do in Windows (like my old app Glass2k: http://chime.tv/products/glass2k.shtml from way back when).

4. Would be great if you could right-click on the shortcut of the webapp, click Properties and edit its settings in a new tab next to General and Shortcut.

5. Needs keyboard shortcut keys. If they are present, I can’t find them. Keyboard for full screen, minimize to tray, stay on top etc. would be great.

6. It does remember windows position like a good Windows app. However, if it’s maximized on monitor 2 and closed, it reopens in monitor 1 maximized.

Since my site is all Flash, I haven’t tested any DOM/HTML operations. I’m guessing since it’s Gecko engine, it would work well. The installation was smooth and I’d much rather use a Gecko engine than AIR/Apollo for desktop webapps.

I haven’t even started to make my site accessible on AIR because it just seems like such a huge process. I was always to build a webapp within 30s of installing Prism so you guys definitely have the right foundation to start on.

I understand making neat local-storage features would be great but as a regular user, I’d much rather see more OS/desktop integration features instead initially. Eventually 2d/3d hardware acceleration would encourage games and more CAD-stuff but till then, at least give users/devs a good reason to install Prism.

>I haven’t even started to make my site accessible on AIR because it just seems like such a huge process.

To get existing Flash content to run within AIR all you have to do is create an XML file.

If you had any issue, please feel free to ping me directly, and Ill try and help you out.

mike chambers

mesh@adobe.com

[...] A slew of postings over the past day (see Mark Finkle, Mozilla Labs and Alex Faaborg) announce a new experimental project from Mozilla Labs - Mozilla Prism. Following in the footsteps of Adobe (AIR) and Microsoft (Silverlight), it blurs the lines between web applications and desktop applications. However, a distinct advantage of browser development team allows Prism to have a simpler paradigm. [...]

You might wanna fix the images in your blog post, they look a bit mashed cos you set the height & width wrong.

@Sai Kothapalle :

You need to modify the all.js file in the greprefs file. For example I use a automatic proxy and hence my values were something like.

// My Profile settings
pref(”network.proxy.type”, 2);
pref(”network.proxy.autoconfig_url”, “http://host/something.pac”);

How is this any different (or more useful) than a hyperlink? For example I could put a hyperlink to G-mail on my desktop and have it pull up a FireFox window.

This sounds kinda cool.

Something to have fun with in the comming weekend.

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism (tags: prism web next future techn) [...]

This would work great with Google Gears for the local storage/offline usage parts. The great thing is, it is open and already implemented so all you have to do is ship with it.

As for 3d graphics, it seems to me that you biting off more than you can chew. To go from something that really only launches the browser without the buttons to full bindings for Direct3D and OpenGL?

[...] Naar het schijnt is Mozilla - de makers va o.a. Firefox en Thunderbird-  ook al in een behoorlijk gevorderd stadium met het ontwikkelen van een soortgelijke ‘dienst’ . En met dienst bedoel ik dan het implementeren van online applicaties op de gebruikersdesktop. Bij Mozilla heet het echter Prism [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs (die kleinen grünen Kobolde die neben dem Goldschatz am Ende des Regenbogens sitzen und in ihrer Freizeit Firefox coden) hat heute Prism (ehemals WebRunner) angekündigt - ein Projekt, das das Web auf den Desktop (außerhalb des Browsers) bringen soll. [...]

[...] View: Full Story @ Mozilla Labs Explore posts in the same categories: Blog [...]

I see AIR also as environment to build quick and simple desktop applications (with access to the file system), is Prism going to target it or is going to be “just” a webapp standalone that might run offline?

I agree with Bill. I didn’t find it that interesting or rather useful.

[...] The Mozilla guys aren’t just working on Firefox 3, but also on a technology called Prism which is supposed to further blur the border between desktop programs and web applications. “Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop,” the Mozilla Labs blog states. [...]

[...] Prism, basato sul codice di Firefox, è un software che permette di far funzionare applicazioni web come applicazioni indipendenti, normalmente installate sul computer, ma che si aggiornano senza intervento dell’utente, che hanno accesso alla rete internet per gestire dati e informazioni: il futuro di questo progetto prevederà la possibilità di salvare dati in locale e utilizzare le potenzialità 3D delle schede grafiche. [...]

Your “best of both worlds” table is a little out on the Desktop site, IMHO.

Installation slow? Hmmm….maybe. I’ll let this one slide.

Update process verbose? “apt-get update && apt-get upgrade” How is that verbose? OK, it’s not *quite* as clean as not having to do *anything*, but it’s close. In face, if you consider that you ought to keep your Desktop OS up-to-date anyway, then updating your apps can be completely free.

Data not in the cloud? Hmmm…..strange. Most of the apps I use, being based on KDE, can access files via http, ftp, scp, ssh and a whole lot more with exactly the same ease that they can access local files. I’m pretty sure there are KIO slaves done or under development that can use gmail for storage too.

Just because the desktop system you use might be stuck in the ’90s, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more modern things out there that already do a lot of the things you’re looking for.

[...] Oct 26th, 2007 by deepakd The Mozilla guys aren’t just working on Firefox 3, but also on a technology called Prism which is supposed to further blur the border between desktop programs and web applications. “Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop,” the Mozilla Labs blog states. [...]

[...] Interesting stuff on the Mozilla Labs Blog: [...]

i cannot use i’m beind a autenticated proxy…… i hope that you fix it soon, i run webrunner at home and this is very usefull

[...] “Mit dem neuesten Produkt von Mozilla, Prism, lassen sich Webapplikationen aus dem Browser herausbrechen und als eigenständige Applikationen nutzen. Prism basiert dabei auf Firefox, stellt die Applikationen aber in einem eigenen Fenster ohne die browsertypischen Bedienelemente dar. So kann auf dem Desktop auch mittels “Alt+Tab” oder “Command+Tab” zwischen der Webapplikation und anderen Desktop-Applikationen umgeschaltet werden. Auch im Exposé werden diese so einzeln aufgeführt. Zudem bekommt die Webapplikation so ein eigenes Icon und kann z.B. im Startmenü von Windows verankert und daraus gestartet werden.”, so Golem.de [...]

Hi there,
I really like the idea, I’ve tried with the google services and facebook etc and it all seems sound. However, Prism seems to “forget” the shortcut, after a while when I start one of the web apps up it’ll just prompt me with the Prism dialog.
Also, I think that mouse gesture integration would really make this product shine.

I’ve given Prism a shot and I’ll be happy to see further development of it.
Nice work.

When is it going to be possible to have offline storage and auto- synching for gmail?

Without this feature, Prism is useless to me.

Looks great! Thanks a lot for this. Installing it now.

I like it!

Please add more options:
- show back/forward/reload button (lots of applications don’t have their own)
- which domains to open in its own window
- include firefox extensions

Just install it and will test it today. Hope to find good things inside, as usual for Mozilla stuff.

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism Unlike Adobe AIR and Microsoft Silverlight, we’re not building a proprietary platform to replace the web. We think the web is a powerful and open platform for this sort of innovation, so our goal is to identify and facilitate the development of enhancements that bring the advantages of desktop apps to the web platform. [...]

[...] Jednym z takich projektów jest Mozillowy PRISM -  nowe beta dziecko, które pozwala nam “zainstalować” aplikacje działające w sieci (gmail, google calendar etc.) na lokalnym komputerze i odpalanie ich ze skrótów albo z menu start. [...]

Very good idea! Prism is just what we needed for our web-based information system. No more users irritated by unneeded toolbar and stuff.

>How is this any different (or more useful) than a hyperlink? For example I could put a hyperlink to G-mail on my desktop and have it pull up a FireFox window.

Well Im guessing this will be very useful for below average computer user and to gain Mozilla some more users. Not everyone knows how to put hyperlinks on their desktops.
Its also useful for people who like the chrome gone. Popups offer this yes but rarely any sites do. I would also suggest all the ideas Chirag offered. Boot up time is my main concern though. IE has always beat Mozillas boot up time. I dont think your normal addons should be present automatically either. You should have the option to enable them but give a warning that it may slow down boot time. But as I said before get it quick and people will use it. Also you guys really need to fix how much RAM firefox takes up after long use. Im not gonna be running Gmail or anything under this and have to restart it because I get up to 100mgs in RAM.

I don’t understand how this is any different from Adobe AIR. Some explanation would be nice, instead of mindless jabs at large corporations without having your facts straight.

I have been working with AIR since the beginning, and they need better marketing for it to get rid of confusion. The problem has been that their Flex/Flash team has been more on the ball when it comes to AIR than their HTML/JavaScript/CSS team. AIR is, and always has been, about bringing web applications to the desktop, not replacing the web. There is nothing proprietary about it, other than it is being created by Adobe. The majority of the development environments are open-source, including Flex, with only Flash not open source. But Flex builds Flash-type applications, so that doesn’t matter.

And for those that think it will be a huge hassle to convert to AIR, all you need is an xml file, and the AIR framework.

Of course, a nice feature of Prism, as described, is the ability to convert apps to Prism apps at the touch of a button, without the creator doing anything to leverage the desktop. Though, an added feature of AIR, which places it well out of competition with Prism (as described here) is that AIR has full access to both Web-based storage, and desktop based storage. The developer can develop an AIR app to leverage the desktop specifically, but can also simply port their web-app over to the desktop.

Well said Mike.

Adobe AIR and M$ Silverlight are not even comparable. You may compare Silverlight with Adobe Flash.AIR wont “replace” the web. It allows web developers to leverage on their existing skills in HTML,Javascript etc., and create applications targeted specifically for desktop.AIR enhances the web experience and takes it out of the browser.

As far as i understand, all Prism does is to render webpages (or webapps) without Firefox’s native buttons and menus.
Is that the case or do you have anything more than that?

Mike@adobe.com seems to be really scared of this… I wonder why.

I was not interested in offline applications because the market was mainly controlled by two large corporations. Now it is definitely on my radar.

Thanks Mozilla.

Will the linux version be ready soon? When can we expect it?

[...] Prisma es una aplicación basada en Webrunner que permite a los usuarios poder “dividir” las aplicaciones de la web y poder ejecutarlas directamente desde el escritorio en ventanas independientes al navegador. [...]

I don’t get this project.

If it aims to create a shortcut to a website, and place it in a non-navicable window; what does the user gain but non-navigability?
Also, to use applications online, support Google Gears (open source and cross platform). Don’t open up ANOTHER standard..
The only interesting part about this is a possible competitor to Silverlight or Flash, an OPEN one.. That is cool! Nix the parts about shortcuts and google gears, and focus on a flash competitor.

If you pre-install it in firefox (or at least bundle it), you will have INSTANT market share, so you have an advantage!

SVG in Prism apps, nice …

[...] Mozilla Labs has just released some information and some preliminary code about its new Prism project.  The bottom line of this is that they want to disassociate the Web from the browser.  In other words, they want to allow browser-based applications to run on the desktop without a browser.  Interesting idea. [...]

Prism is already the name of a software deployment tool created by New Boundary Technologies (www.newboundary.com).

[...] Mozilla lanza Prism, una aplicación basada en WenRunner, que viene a añadirse a los varios experimentos para combinar web y escritorio: lo mejor de lo online con lo mejor de lo offline. [...]

[...] Mozilla Prism اين کار رو براي شما انجام ميده!!! بنياد موزيلا اخيرا بر روي سرويسي کار ميکنه که هدف اون دسترسي به امکانات اينترنت بدون استفاده از مرورگرهاست.اين پروژه Prism نام داره.Prism برنامه‌ايست که به کاربران اجازه ميده که سرويسهاي تحت وب رو به طور مستقيم از روي دسکتاپشون اجرا کنند! [...]

I certainly applaud Mozilla Labs for coming up with this Prism application! It certainly complements well with the latest news release. Unfortunately, I won’t go further to test it until it is stable, but I am very interested to see how far it goes.

This is (from what I can tell) already available with MS Explorer. The SDK allows you to build (provide) a web browser with no conrol bars; in effect a window. You could easily build an application that would allow you to enter an address (as you have done here) and bind it to this (control free) window instance.

This has been available for a long time and no bug testing required at this point.

Not sure how this offering is unique?

This is pointless you might aswell just create shortcuts to web pages and put them in the start menu or whatever then just goto view>toolbars and hide the address bar or whatever.

[...] Le ReLucBlog à traduis le début de l’annonce officiel: L’informatique personnelle est actuellement dans une phase de transition. Alors que, traditionnellement, la plupart des utilisateurs exploitent des applications de bureaux (desktop applications), de plus en plus d’entre eux utilisent des applications Web. Mais ces derniers sont souvent rendus maladroitement dans l’interface du navigateur qui est centrée sur le document. De plus ils sont entourées de contrôle - comme les boutons avancer et reculer et une barre de localisation - qui n’ont rien à voir avec l’interaction avec l’application elle-même. [...]

I fail to see the usefulness of this. All I would get is a browser window without ANY menu bar, which on its own looks odd. This might start to get useful when websites start implementing proper menu bars, like Microsoft Dynamics does. Till then its just an odd looking web browser window for me. And I would prefer all the subsequent windows that I open from a web page to group together in the app, instead of cluttering my taskbar.

I feel that this takes a shot at the tabbed browsing feature of the browsers. And for people like me who would be working on multiple apps simultaneously, a cluttered taskbar is a major headache.

‘Unlike Adobe AIR and Microsoft Silverlight’

Yes, Prism is completely unlike either, it is a web browser without the navigation and restricted to one URL.

On one hand I can certainly see a use for this for some web apps, but on the other I can’t help feeling that taking account of ‘back/forward’ is PART of developing for the web as much as working with the request/response model and if your app breaks when they are used, there’s likely much bigger problems in the code.

I think the idea is fine, but why separate it from Firefox? I’d rather just have an option in Firefoxe to open a link into a “prism” just like I can open to a new tab. You could set things up such that desktop shortcuts launch directly into such a window as well, so it would just be another type of window for firefox.

With the way things are in prism, it’s almost 100% overlap with firefox, but it’s another app to maintain, keep track of version setting, security settings, etc, etc.

[...] Now that WebRunner is Prism and is an actual Mozilla Labs project, I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next.  I’m also looking forward to it running on an operating system I actually use, since currently it’s only running on Windows.  Mark Finkle says it’ll be on the Mac next week.  Sweet! [...]

Funny to see, just a few years back we invented tabbed browsing, and now we’re overthrowing this UI paradigm.

[...] 這幾天看到很多文章在介紹 Prism，雖然沒有下載試用，應該還滿適合對電腦不熟的人。 [...]

Bug report:

1. Desktop short cuts cannot contain spaces, otherwise when the application launch next time, it will stop showing the previous saved website.

2. The cursor does not show when I’m writing a gmail, it does work when writing most blog articles as well.

[...] View: Full Story @ Mozilla Labs [...]

[...] Prism is a very interesting little development that the Mozilla folks are working on. Don’t recall where I read about it - probably slashdot. The nub: Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop. [...]

I tried Prism with netvibes.com, and there seems to be bugs.
While it should open a RSS feed in a box, it opens the link in firefox.

Like others, I don’t find it very usefull.

[...] Mentre Mozilla prepara il rilascio del Firefox 3, nome in codice “Gran Paradiso”, i Mozilla Labs annunciano la disponibilità di Prism, una piattaforma software che consente di lanciare applicazioni web come Google Mail o Facebook come se si trattasse di applicazioni desktop, ed all’interno di finestre separate del desktop medesimo. Attraverso Prism, Mozilla cerca di cancellare la linea di demarcazione che separa le applicazioni web dalle tradizionali desktop applications, creando di fatto un ponte tra le due tipologie applicative. I Mozilla Labs dichiarano di stare esplorando nuovi modelli di usabilità delle interfacce applicative, e da esperimenti condotti con WebRunner (un browser basato sul XULRunner e soprannominato “distraction free browser”) è nato Prism. Ma non si tratta di una nuova piattaforma proprietaria che vuole sostituire il web, sottolinea Mozilla, bensì di uno strumento che intende unificare due mondi non poi così nettamente separati: il desktop ed il web. [...]

[...] Mozilla har jobbat på en applikation som heter Prism och som ska ta webbapplikationer till din vanliga skrivbordsmiljö. Du startar dem med en vanlig ikon och de körs i ett eget fönster. Än så länge för Windows, men kommer för Mac och Linuxoperativ också. Här kan du se hur du kommer igång. En nedladdning krävs, men man jobbar på att det skall bli en del av en vanlig webbläsare. Det här stämmer säkert också fint med de planerade möjligheterna att jobba off-line med webbaplikationer som aviserats för Firefox 3. [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications. But the latter often fit awkwardly into the document-centric interface of web browsers. (tags: mozilla prism Firefox desktop browser applications) [...]

[...] Mozilla heeft vandaag Prism gelanceerd, een programmaatje dat favoriete webdiensten een plek geeft op de desktop. Mozilla was al een tijd met de ontwikkeling van de software bezig onder de naam Webrunner, maar heeft deze nu vrijgegeven als Prism. [...]

Suggestions,
Need a username password entry/storage feature. Also the window prevents roboform from functioning so I have no use for it in it’s current state, but I’m cheering you on. I like the concept, lots of possibilitys.

[...] 点击进入 [下载Mozilla Prism] [...]

[...] October 27th, 2007 [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism (tags: air ajax applications apps blog browser browsers software web desktop prism firefox mozilla application) [...]

[...] Web apps run on the desktop!read more | digg story [...]

Isn’t this almost the same as what you’ve been able to do with HTA (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536496.aspx) files for ages? I run two “web apps” at work both web sites but inside their own window with their own icon and shortcut on the desktop and no browser interface.

[...] 在一个网页不起眼的角落看到一则新闻（还顺带发现了Mozilla Labs）： Mozilla Labs 发布了一款叫做Prism的软件，能够将Gmail, Twitter, Facebook之类的互联网应用“从Firefox中脱离出来，直接在桌面上运行”。目前仅有Windows平台版本。 [...]

[...] Na stronie projektu obejżeć można kilka przykładowych rzutów ekranu. [...]

Prism - Webapplikationen auf dem Desktop…

Mit Prism von Mozilla Labs kann man Web-Applikationen wie Gmail oder Google Reader als Anwendung auf dem Desktop, ohne Zuhilfenahme eines Browser, lau…

[...] Aşa s-a născut acum 1-2 săptămâni WebRunner realizat de Mozilla. Un fel de Firefox dar fără meniuri, fără bări de instrumente… Pentru a-l folosi trebuia să scrii un fişier text pe care îl salvai cu extensia webapp şi care putea fi apoi lansat. Laboratoarele de la Mozilla au mai şlefuit ideea şi săptămâna aceasta a apărut Prism. Ideea ne-o explică chiar Mozilla prin imaginea următoare. Pentru a folosi anumite webaplicaţii (anumite situri la modul generic), putem folosi Prism în loc de Firefox (sau alt navigator). De ce am opta pentru aşa ceva când în Firefox avem atâtea instrumente (majoritatea prin suplimente)? Răspunsul este destul de simplu şi de aceea încă nu foarte atractiv: Prism ocupă mai puţină memorie fiind un navigator super-super-super-simplu (dar bine securizat, ca Firefox). Aşa că problema se pune invers: de ce să lansezi Firefox când tot ce vrei să faci este să îţi consulţi calendarul de la Google? [...]

I think there is something wrong with the server hosting the file or the installer itself is corrupt. I keep getting a corrupt file error after downloading it and trying to run the installer. I believe other people have said the same in the comments.

I applaud the efforts of Prism, but it seems that you are confused about what AIR is and what Silverlight is.

Some other posters have already pointed out the AIR issues. Silverlight is merely Microsoft version of Flash: a technology to spice up existing web applications.

And to make things more interesting, Silverlight has two implementations: one created by Microsoft which is proprietary and one created by the Mono team which is open source.

Am not sure that the debate over a “proprietary platform” has much value in this context either.

If the guidelines is having an open source stack, then Silverlight has an open source implementation and as such its open.

If the guideline is that it must have a stamp-of-approval of some standards orgranization for its specification, then XUL is as proprietary as Silverlight is (no standard organization has declared it a standard).

It seems that the only possible scenario where Silverlight might be more closed is because the upcoming version will allow binary blobs for compiled code (not the one available today). But the binary blobs for compiled code happen to be an ISO and ECMA standards.

So I guess “View Source” is the only thing that you could complain Silverlight lacks. I think this can be solved by adding a contextual menu to Moonlight that can show you the XAML file (this is plain text) or invoke Reflector on the downloaded assembly to see its source code.

No magic there.

Miguel.

I don’t see why you guys don’t give credit to those who had all this out and working way before Mozilla: http://www.3d3r.com/bubbles/

Thanks :-)

[...] Mozilla Prism vs Adobe AIR ? Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop [...]

[...] Mozilla geliştiricileri yeni oyuncakları olan Prism’i duyurdu. Mozilla Prism, Web alt tabanlı uygulamaları İşletim sistemlerinde çalışabilir duruma getiren bir yazılım. Kullanımı ve Çalışma tekniği ise oldukça basit. İşletim sisteminizde kullanmak istediğiniz Web uygulamasının adresini ve ismini yazıp, nereye kaydedileceğini belirliyorsunuz. Örneğin Gmail veya YouTube. Bu siteleri tek bir Pencerede görüntüleyebiliyorsunuz. Prism, İşlemi bir tarayıcıya göre oldukça hızlı gerçekleştiriyor. [...]

[...] Yesterday, Mozilla - the creators of the Firefox browser - released a  “Firefox lite” application call Prism, built specifically to run web applications. And it so rocks!!! Its fast, its browser compatible and it has some nice desktop integration features. I know that folks have been waiting for the Winter 08 release for sf.com to be compatible with the Windows version of Safari to increase speed and performance.  Wait no longer…this is a great alternative (although I still want to see how sf.com performs in Safari once its compatible). [...]

[...] Descarga Prism para Windows Prism en Mozilla Labs [...]

[...]  » original news [...]

[...] A Mozilla Labs blog post yesterday announced Prism, an application that takes web apps to the desktop. Prism isn’t a proprietary platform, but rather gives any web application that runs in a standards-compliant browser its own window and icons on the desktop. Right now, that’s all Prism does. It doesn’t add any offline functionality or give apps things like file system access, but Mozilla seems to hint about developments in that direction in the Labs announcement. [...]

[...] На этой неделе Mozzila Labs объявили о начале серии экспериментов в пользу протагонистов сетевого образа компьютерной жизни. Одна новая разработка (в рамках исследования) носит название Prism и позволяет рядовому пользователю установить у себя приложения веб как обычные. Иными словами, парой щелчков можно вытянуть любой веб-сервис за пределы браузерного окна, после чего работать с ним как с обычной программой. Все Alt-Tab’ы, минимайзы и группирование в панели задач в силе. [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog - Prism http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/ [...]

[...]  » original news [...]

I wrote up a different spin on this story over at my blog, from a more “anti Browser” perspective…

http://www.kyle-brady.com/2007/10/26/the-continued-mozilla-syndrome/

–Kyle

[...] La web 2.0 est� ya dando sus �ltimas bocanadas ante el avance 2.1. Un avance que sin duda rematar� Prism, una tecnolog�a de los creadores de firefox que no es novedosa en lo esencial, pero que se lanzar� justo en el momento en el que buena parte de los usuarios estar�n m�s acostumbrados a usar herramientas online propias del 2.1 que residentes. [...]

[...] Mozilla Prism：整合桌面软件和web app Adobe有Air，Microsoft有Silverlight，而Mozilla推出了Prism。尽管表述有所不同，但三种平台其实做的是一件事情，也就是打破桌面软件（desktop app）和web app的界限，而现在的重点在于，把web app变成像桌面软件一样，让web app变得更强大。 现在的prism还很弱小，但是把gmail、twitter、meebo变成一个桌面软件还是能做到的。现在的prism还需要下载，未来应该也是可以基于web的。 下面的图就是prism的操作界面，输入web app的网址，取个名字，选择快捷方式（shortcut）的位置，就完成了。 [...]

you can only use 1 word names

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism “Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur (tags: mozilla prism desktop web applications) [...]

Maybe a lazy question: This can solve the lock alert when a cdrom autostart an html page using flash?

Thanks in advance.

[...]  Mozilla wants to unify your WEB 2.0 Desktop with a project called Prism. The goal is to unify web applications such as Facebook,email, Twitter, and others. Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop.  [...]

[...] Enter “Prism“, a new Mozilla Labs project: Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop. [...]

Why is everyone trying to mimic Java Web Start and no one is adopting it?

[...] PrismFor more information about the user experience we hope to achieve in Prism, see Alex Faaborg sblogpost. For some of the technical details and new features found in Prism, see Mark Finkle sblogpost. Getting Started with Prism… [...]

[...] Prism - under the guise of “not wanting to replace the web with a proprietary standard like Adobe FIR or Microsoft’ Silverlight” (nevermind the fact that we actually have an honest to Einstein Open Source implementation of Silverlight), no it’s much worse. Instead of replacing the web with a proprietary solution, they are replacing my applications one by one and handing all my data to the care of Google (and friends as the project becomes more widespread). Yes oh that sounds like an appealing solution, it’s all free and upgrades are transparent on these web apps, so transparent they keep the actual workings entirely secret. [...]

[...] desconocido wrote an interesting post today!.Here’s a quick excerptPersonal computing is currently in a state of transition. While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications. But the latter often fit awkwardly into the … [...]

Same as fish. there is some issues with the cursor not showing up…. that can be really annoying in particular for gmail.

Otherwise prism is a really interesting app as it allow to lighten firefox by sparing it from running common webpages like gmail or calendar. It seems that this way the OS (windows) can better deal with the memory sharing.

[...] On the technology front new tools are in development that support web applications in ways that we can only dream of today.  Prism offers the world of applications within your browser, unencumbered by back buttons, and URL bars.  A scaled down browser with a clear line of sight to the application people want … email, RSS, Calendar, FaceBook even - see here for current applications for Prism.   Prism is relevant  because as a web application presentation it actually supports either FaceBook of Google.  By the same token, those two will never achieve real success unless a Prism or like, vehicle exists.  Its not co-incidence, that Google might be considering taking on development of the Firefox/Mozilla browser.  [...]

[...] “Prism n’est pas une nouvelle plate-forme, c’est tout simplement la plate-forme Web intégrée dans le bureau. Les développeurs Web n’ont pas a la cibler séparément, car toute application qui peut être exécutée dans un navigateur Web moderne conforme aux standards peut fonctionner dans Prism. Prism est crée sur Firefox, donc il supporte les technologies riche de l’Internet comme HTML, JavaScript, CSS, et la balise <canvas> et fonctionne sous Windows, Mac OS X et Linux.” a expliqué Alex Faaborg dans un post sur Mozilla Labs. [...]

[...] Así que, Mozilla ha decido renovar el proyecto Webrunner, ahora, bajo un nuevo nombre, Prism. Como es posible que no muchos sepan siquiera lo que es Webrunner o cuál era la idea tras este proyecto, decidí comentarlo además de los cambios que serán incluídos bajo el nombre Prism. [...]

[...] Ich halte es nicht hinterm Berg: Ich bin ein Widgetmessy der  viele Webanwendungen verwendet, selbige gern vom Desktop . Somit sind sie fuer mich recht schnell in Gebrauch und wieder auffindbar . Mozilla, die Muttergesellschaft von Firefox arbeitet an einem Projekt, dass es ermoeglicht, Verknuepfungen von Webanwendungen auf dem Desktop meinen Arbeitsplatzes zu verknuepfen. Nennt sich Prism. [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism (tags: desktop web applications browser) [...]

[...] check the full story here Author Comments (0) [...]

[...] Aktualizováno 28. 10. 2007:Hezký příklad probíhající integrace web aplikací s desktopem přináší Prism od Mozilla Labs. Via Marek Prokop [...]

[...] Dai Mozialla Labs questo interessante tool, Prism, che trasforma tutte le vostre web application preferite in applicazioni desktop. [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism Personal computing is currently in a state of transition. While traditionally users have interacted mostly with desktop applications, more and more of them are using web applications. But the latter often fit awkwardly into the document-centric interface (tags: applications web_2.0 windows linux) [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur. (tags: application blogging browser computer software) [...]

[...] Prism, basato sul codice di Firefox, è un software che permette di far funzionare applicazioni web come applicazioni indipendenti, normalmente installate sul computer, ma che si aggiornano senza intervento dell’utente, che hanno accesso alla rete internet per gestire dati e informazioni: il futuro di questo progetto prevederà la possibilità di salvare dati in locale e utilizzare le potenzialità 3D delle schede grafiche. [...]

[...] I don’t know anything about software marketing, but if I had to give an impromptu lecture on the subject right now, I’d use the following two posts (with comments) as virtual handouts: Mozilla Labs on Prism and Mike Chambers (of Adobe) on Mozilla Prism and the disingenuous web. [...]

[...] Will that change?  Perhaps.  Just last week, Mozilla announced a new initiative (Prism) intended to present existing Web applications (Gmail, Zimbra, Facebook, Webmail etc) as what appears to all intents and purposes to be a desktop application.  While details are still a bit sniffy, one comment caught my attention: …… we’re also working to increase the capabilities of those apps by adding functionality to the Web itself, such as providing support for offline data storage and access to 3D graphics hardware. [...]

[...] Mozilla Labs has launched what it says is a series of experiments designed to “bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps.” The first release is Prism the new name for WebRunner. Prism allows you to create desktop-like apps out of individual websites. [...]

那几个三菱镜很好看哦,喜欢~!
不懂英语,看不明,就只留个言.

[...] Hier gibts auch einen RSS Feed fuer deinen RSS Feed Reader. So hast du alle neuen Beitraege dauerhaft im Blick =)Momentan wird eine neue Sau durch das Mozilla’sche Dorf getrieben. Prism. Vormals unter dem Namen Webrunner bekannt. Web Applikationen wie Googlemail & Co (oder jede andere Webseite) werde in einem “Prismfenster” dargestellt (technisch natürlich auf dem Stand von Firefox). Die Installation von Prism erfolgt wie jede andere Anwendung aus dem Hause Mozilla - inklusive Profilordner unter%appdata% (nur Windows). [...]

I think this is a good idea for more and more people need both dekstop and web apps that is seamlessy work in the same time. Awesome!

A few comments, for Prism, in general, and re:AIR.

I think that if Prism can address the following it would be useful:
1) FF JS memory issues. (REALLY IMPORTANT)
2) startup time (also REALLY IMPORTANT)
3) before it becomes a problem, PLEASE let’s standardize the offline web technology (AIR, Gears, FF3, Silverlight1.1, what else?)
4) Make this part of FF3.

It feels like in round 1 (Web 1.0), IE killed NS. In round 2 (Web 2.0), FF pushed IE into a draw. And the offline/desktop web will probably be round 3 / Web 3.0, altho no media journalist seems to see it coming (they talk about the semantic web, which is probably round 5/6).

Imo, AIR does seem to be the same thing except that it’s proprietary, further along in development than Prism, and relies on a Opera/Webkit browser rather than a FF/Gecko browser, and requires slightly more effort than a Prism app (yeah, it’s ‘just one XML file’, but that’s been said about so many other technologies). The documentation is more obscure for a non-Adobe-tool-user than it really ought to be. (Where’s your “app in 5 minutes” Youtube link on the main site?, instead of being 3-4 links away?)

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism (tags: Mozilla) [...]

[...] Prism è un’applicazione che permette di utilizzare tutte queste applicazioni, e molte altre, dal nostro Desktop. Il programma è ancora in via di sviluppo ma è già disponibile una versione beta del programma. [...]

You’re missing the point, most of you. (But Kyle Brady got it: http://www.kyle-brady.com/2007/10/26/the-continued-mozilla-syndrome/ ).

It’s not about removing the toolbars or creating an icon. It’s about running it in a separate process. The toolbar and icon are window dressing (no pun intended). If you tried it and didn’t find it any faster than a browser tab, then either (1) you didn’t try it long enough, or (2) you don’t use the browser heavily enough. Try to use GMail, Google Docs and Google Reader in three browser tabs vs. three Prism windows and you’ll see what we mean.

[...] WebRunner正式命名为Prism越来越明朗化，WebApp在未来将逐步的取代目前的软件。Mozilla也将Prism正式纳入Mozilla实验室的发展蓝图中。 [...]

[...] http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/ [...]

[...] سمعنا كثيرا خلال الفترة الماضية عن تقنيات Adobe AIR و Microsoft Silverlight و هي التقنيات التي تهدف الى خلق بيئة وسيطة بين الويب و بيئة الحاسب العادية الغير متصلة بالانترنت. و منذ 3 أيام أعلنت Mozilla عن دخولها الساحة مع غيرها في هذا المجال, فقد كشفت الشركة النقاب عن تقنيتها الجديدة المسماة بMozilla Prism و التي تعمل على اعطاء برمجيات الويب القدرة على العمل على بيئة الحاسب العادية مع استمرار دمج بعض الوظائف التي قد تحتاج الويب أثناء العمل. [...]

[...] 26.10.07 | Инженерия ПО, Веб 2.0 Только я порадовался, что Adobe выпустил интересный продукт AIR, который позволяет разрабатывать и переносить веб-приложения под стандартные ОС (Win/Mac), как Mozilla Labs выпустила крайне интересный продукт Prism. [...]

[...] Mozilla vient de lancer un nouveau projet, Prism : le chaînon manquant entre les applications en ligne et les RDA. [...]

[...] Un projet Mozilla vient de montrer le bout de son nez cette semaine, il s’agit de Prism. [...]

[...] Es en este marco en el que se anuncia Prism, una tecnolog�a de los creadores de firefox que no es novedosa en lo esencial, pero que se lanzar� justo en el momento en el que buena parte de los usuarios estar�n m�s acostumbrados a usar herramientas online propias del 2.1 que residentes en sus propios ordenadores. [...]

[...] Désolé si je ne vous fais pas un article détaillé sur XULrunner, nombreux sont ceux qui ont une expertise sur le sujet, mais pas moi ! Pour caricaturer et vulgariser, XUL est le coeur de Firefox et Thunderbird, et permet de construire des applications complètes à l’aide des technologies Web. C’est, en quelque sorte, l’ancètre des R.I.A. (vous savez, notre futur informatique !), comme Adobe AIR (pour ceux qui connaissent) : il s’agit de faire d’un site web une application à part entière, comme si, et c’est l’exemple utilisé par Adobe, Ebay n’était pas un site web que vous consultez dans votre navigateur, mais un programme installé dans votre ordinateur. Mozilla s’est lancé dans l’aventure, en permettant à n’importe quel site web de devenir une application : il s’agit de Mozilla Prism, que j’ai essayé pour vous. J’ai essayé de transformer quelques uns des outils Google que je pratique au quotidien, comme GMail, Google Agenda ou Google Docs. Hélas, il n’y a eu que GMail à fonctionner une fois sauvegardé… Pour les autres, il m’a fallu à chaque fois rentrer à nouveau les URLs des outils : un échec partiel donc. Je trouve par opposition très réussi le logiciel TomTom Home (logiciel pour les GPS TomTom), qui lors de sa mise à jour est devenu une application fonctionnant à l’aide de XULrunner ! Très réactif, le logiciel bénéficie aussi d’un interface graphique fort agréable,  qui gomme les frontières entre le web et l’application, une vraie réussite ! [...]

[...] Prism, ahora Mozilla intentando cambiar la web con su aplicacion que tratara de sacar el contenido en linea a una ventana fuera [Mozilla Labs] [...]

@mike chambers,
Push AIR for Linux and maybe so many geeks wouldn’t be so excited about an alternative. The cycle doesn’t end. We don’t have AIR because Flash was late in coming.

By the way this news hasn’t changed for months. Anything new you can tell us about AIR for Linux?

———————————–
http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Apollo:developerfaq
———————
1.11 Does Adobe AIR support Linux?

Adobe AIR 1.0 will not be available on Linux. We plan to release Linux support shortly after the 1.0. release.

While we had originally planned to support Linux in the 1.0 timeframe, we have had to wait on the core Flash Player’s support for Linux to be finalized.

[...] Interesante concepto. Imagino algunas aplicaciones web destinadas a correr como utilidades de escritorio. Un ejemplo notable es prism, que lamentablmente sólo está disponible para Windows por ahora ¿? y no he podido probar [...]

[...] Therefore the interesting question is not “how do we best integrate Firefox with GNOME?”, but “how do we best integrate GMail (etc) with GNOME?” We’ve got some ideas but there’s a lot more that could be done. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fgetfirefoxbrowsers.com%2F2007%2F10%2Flinux-matters-addendum’; addthis_title = ‘Linux+Matters%2C+Addendum’; addthis_pub = ”; Thank you for reading this post. You can now Leave A Comment (0) or Leave A Trackback. [...]

Prism (Mozilla Labs Blog)…

Old news and mixed feelings really….

[...] 28, 2007 - By Daksh Sharma - 0 Comments » - Bookmark Is Mozilla Labs trying to compete with Adobe,s AIR/ Microsoft’s Silverlight? Thatis the first question which struck my mind when I heard the news about Mozilla’sPrism. Yeah Prism! It is Mozilla’s new attempt to bring web-applications to desktop users. [...]

To all those complaining about how is this different from xxxx based on Internet Explorer - and whats the difference from just having a new tab open in FF.

1) CROSS PLATFORM - article states Mac + Linux builds available soon. I can see some huge benefits for Prism on both of these OS’s.

2) Why better than a FF tab? Because you can kill your regular browser without having to reopen your regular applications. FF has more memory leaks than a sieve - try not closing the FF browser for a week and then see how much memory it’s using.

3) Is it better than AIR? Who cares. It might be, it might not be. But it’s a very nice addition to the open source development stack!

4) Why the excitement? If you’ve ever tried to customize Mozilla with XUL you’ll already understand how Prism could be a much better option! Developing an embedded browser designed to work exclusively with a single web application….

and don’t even get me started on using Prism to deliver Kiosk based services - something traditionally in the domain of IE, there are a *LOT* of possibilities here.

I used to do a lot of cross platform thin client web based development and kiosk development, Prism would have saved me hours and hours of headaches and problems if it was around three years ago! Instead I spent two months toiling around with Mozilla XUL and eventually giving up the R+D and just licensing a competitively priced piece of Windows kiosk software.

[...] Mozilla Labs Blog » Blog Archive » Prism “Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur (tags: prism firefox windows desktop application) [...]

hmm…….a web page still looks and feels like a web page when opened in prism. besides, doesn’t the name sound like “prison”?

Prism : du Web au bureau…

Mozilla, bien connue pour Firefox se lance dans un nouveau projet nommé Prism.

Prism, à l’instar de Adobe AIR, permet de créer facilement une application autonome à partir des technologies que nous utilisons habituellement dans le domai…

[...] Windows. Follow any responses to this post with its comments RSS feed. You can post a comment or trackback from yourblog. [...]

[...] As if on queue, Mozilla released the windows version of Prism this week. Prism is intended to be a simple desktop viewer for your favorite web applications, but I believe it has the ability to become much, much more. Although browser based, Prism solves the issues I mentioned with web browsers. It does interpret code, but if your application was made to run in Firefox, then Prism will display it exactly as you intended. [...]