Firefox OS as an Internet of Things Platform

ee.telenor.io

24 points·janjongboom··3 comments

The OS architecture is described as a comparison to Tessel:

Hardware -> Linux (Android kernel) -> Gecko (Browser engine) -> HTML5 UI

However, Tessel is implemented using a JavaScript to Lua transcompiler for C++ bindings. What 'compiler' is FF OS implementing?

It is not compared to Tessel. It is only described as "sounds a bit like the Tessel microcontroller".

I don't think there's much difference for the intended audience (JavaScript developers) how the code is compiled and run.

If anything, you would be using higher-level and familiar APIs with Firefox OS. E.g.: how would you upload an image from the camera over 3G with Tessel / Firefox OS?

As long as the thing can run on a battery for 1 month everything is OK. I am not sure Gonzo project has already reached that point, but from my own experience with a Firefox OS phone I believe it could be possible.

What I like is that a FFOS phone comes with a battery included and at a lower price than Tessel components (Tessel+Camera+3G would cost you 185$ without a battery).

I don't think any of this makes Firefox OS a contender for a great IoT project over say Android. The hack is taking advantage of the subsidies and scale of a mobile phone. It happens to be running Firefox OS. Firefox OS on its own doesn't have much to do with it.

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