Firefox for Java

[unseenme]

Anyone heard of or know of the possibility of a Java version of Firefox browser available or in the works? I've searched and found nothing. I love it on my 'puter and would like to see a Java version for my Stormie.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[markj73]

I know there is a mobile one called fennec? I don't think is java.. but for winmo and some other devices no BB support that I know of yet...

I'm waiting for SkyFire, that will be awesome once they release it to the public.

[bigman2]

Once upon a time... Back when Netscape was still in business, there was an effort to rewrite the browser in Java, but it never really went anywhere. There were a few demo releases, and then the whole thing was canned as Netscape's fortunes soured under the oppressive weight of Microsoft's anti-competitive (read: illegal) tactics.

That is about as close as we will likely EVER get to a Java version of Firefox. Fennec will almost certainly never make it to the BB platform, unless in some future device RIM dumps Java as a platform.

Porting Firefox alone would be a monumental undertaking, and then keeping up with all the ongoing developments would be equally monumental. I tell people it would be like trying to take a 5,000 page research paper on some highly technical subject, and translating it from French to Italian, while it's still being actively edited by the author(s). The languages may be similar, since they both derive from Latin, but they have since diverged considerably and there are a number of idioms and what not that simply don't translate.

[unseenme]

I'll take that as a no...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jeffmvr]

You will never see Firefox (or Fennec) running on the Blackberry OS.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[notabun]

Don't hold your breath for any of the good browsers to make it to BB. BB is losing the mobile web browser war by far and does not get support from the good 3rd party developers for some reason. Flash 10 is coming out for mobile devices, which is huge, but guess who is going to miss out on it? Yup, BB. It's planned to come out first on the Palm Pre, and then Android, WinMo, etc. I think theres even rumors of it going to apple if they allow it (which they should) but BB is left out once again. My only problem with the phone is the browser is still way behind the best out there.

[devildrifterX]

yeah the browser is pretty terrible and lots of work needs to be done to be up to snuff to some other well known browsers

As for browsers, there is Opera Mini (its gewd) Bolt (looks nice but slow) and i believe Skyfire is in Alpha testing but not for the storm currently.

[olta777]

That's what I thought. I read it somewhere.

Originally Posted by jeffmvr

You will never see Firefox (or Fennec) running on the Blackberry OS.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[bigman2]

Originally Posted by jeffmvr

You will never see Firefox (or Fennec) running on the Blackberry OS.

I wouldn't say never, but I'd say the odds are extremely slim. If someone wanted to wrap the Fennec version of the Gecko rendering engine in a Java API, and create a BB UI for it... Maybe... It'd still be a lot of work, as the Camino developers could likely attest to, but it would probably be a bit easier if you don't mind the additional overhead.

And there's always the possibility that at some point RIM will abandon Java as a platform. Unlikely, but the possibility is there.