Mozilla Labs Launches Open Web Tools Directory

Mozilla Labs is announcing a new site aimed at web developers showcasing some of the best and most popular open web tools available. The Open Web Tools Directory already hosts a number of tools but, so far, it has provided just some basic information and a link to the homepage for every project.

“As we’ve explored different tools we could create here as part of the Developer Tools Lab, we’ve come to the opinion that in addition to creating new tools, one of the best things we could do is help developers understand the broad universe of tools that already exist and expose some of the fantastic and amazing work that’s being done,” Ben Galbraith, speaking for the Developer Tools team, said. “We’re looking forward to evolving the directory and working with the web community to make it a vibrant resource for discovering and tracking the web’s amazing tools universe.”

The site itself is a little different from what you may be used to, as it is built using the proposed HTML 5 standard technology “Canvas” to render most of its content (which also means you need a modern browser to view it, like Firefox 3.5, Safari 4, Chrome 2, or Opera 9). Several applications are scattered around with a “space-inspired” background, and clicking on one of the icons will bring up a short description of the apps. The site may just be getting started, so more features may be added in the future, but, for now, there isn't a lot of information and, subsequently, not much practical use for it.

There are, however, a couple of features that point to a greater functionality in the future, like the search bar at the bottom and some filters to show only the tools from a certain category, like Design, Code, Debug, Test, Deploy, and Docs. There aren't that many applications yet, but Mozilla has asked developers to submit tools to be added to the website.