14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has released the latest version of its new add-on/extension platform, Jetpack SDK 0.8. The extension platform for Firefox has been in the works for over a year now and is getting ready to become a full-blown project for Mozilla and eventually to be integrated into Firefox.
The latest update comes with a few new APIs which should please extension developers, but it also marks a symbolic yet important move.
Announcements about the project will now be posted in the Mozilla Add-ons blog rather than the Mozilla Labs Jetpack project page.
This is meant to show that the project is now mature enough and that it is reaching the point where Jetpack is close to becoming a viable alternative to the existing add-ons platform.
"As part of the process of converting the Jetpack project from a small Mozilla Labs effort building experimental prototypes to a full-scale Mozilla project making real products, project participants have begun to blog about releases, conferences, etc. in the Mozilla Add-ons Blog," Mozilla's Myk Melez announced.
The Jetpack platform offers an alternative based on standard web-technologies to the existing Mozilla add-on APIs. This approach means that more people will be able to create Firefox extensions and it also has a couple of technical advantages.
Installing extensions built with Jetpack doesn't require a restart and the platform is easier to build and maintain since it involves less custom code for add-on support.
Jetpack SDK 0.8 brings several new APIs along with bug fixes and improvements. The Jetpack SDK 1.0 Beta is on the horizon.
- The new Windows API allows you to access and manipulate browser windows and their tabs. - The new Page Mods API lets you inject JavaScript code into selected web pages. - The Panel and Page Worker APIs have been changed to work more like Web Workers.
Mozilla Jetpack SDK 0.8 is available for download here.