Mozilla Releases Jetpack 0.7 for Firefox

Work on Mozilla's upcoming add-on platform Jetpack is moving along at a steady pace with the release of Jetpack 0.7. It's a mostly bug-fixing release, but it's also introducing a new API designed to handle an add-on's first run. A number of improvements and tweaks to existing features were also introduced. It should spur the work on new add-ons using the Jetpack platform especially now that a dedicated online gallery has been set up.

"We are happy to announce the release of Jetpack 0.7. Jetpack is a Mozilla Labs project which makes it possible for anyone who knows standard web skills (HTML, Javascript, CSS) to make Firefox add-ons. Jetpack 0.7 is mainly a stability release with a new API thrown in: a unified first-run experience," Mozilla's Aza Raskin wrote.

Jetpack works with the Firebug debugging add-on for Firefox again and developers can test their jetpacks with the tool, one of the advantages of using web technologies as the underlying platform. Other updates include better looking status bar widgets and an improved Settings API, originally introduced in Jetpack 0.6.

The new 'first-run' API is designed to give developers an easy way to handle the way their add-ons behave just after being installed. They are now able to direct users to a guide page or the project's homepage by providing an HTML page or just a link. They are also able to use the notifications system to provide additional information the first time the add-on launches.

The latest update isn't that big in terms of new features, but it rounds up some of the existing ones. It also provides a more stable platform for the developers who are starting to warm up to the new add-on system as the number of jetpacks available in the online gallery has been growing since launch and is now at around a couple of hundreds.


Mozilla Jetpack 0.7 for Firefox is available for download here.