14 DAY TRIAL // It took a little longer than the previous one to bake but the new version of Mozilla's Jetpack add-on framework for Firefox is now live and brimming with new features. Maybe not exactly brimming but the ones that are included make the wait worth while for developers and users alike. Jetpack 0.5's biggest new feature makes it a lot easier for users to install an extension created for Jetpack if they don't have the API yet by bundling the two into just one install process. And there's also an interesting contest detailed below.
“Before this release, if as a developer you wanted people to use your jetpack, you’d first have to get them to install the Jetpack add-on and then come back to install your functionality. This meant that most jetpacks were meant used only by early adopters. With Jetpack 0.5, we’ve greatly simplified the process. You can now provide a one-line install link which will, if the user doesn’t already have Jetpack, both install Jetpack as well as your feature,” Mozilla's Aza Raskin explained the latest feature.
The new release includes a more robust multimedia API. Jetpack 0.4 introduced the ability to record and playback audio files on the local disk and now developers will also have the possibility to modify the audio stream on the fly. The data is still recorded in the raw PCM format and the 32-bit float stereo samples make for some hefty bitrates and file sizes so the Mozilla team is looking into adding the ability to re-encode the stream into the open-source OGG/Vorbis format for future releases.
But, along with the new audio features, Jetpack 0.5 also brings some interesting possibilities for music by allowing the browser to search and playback audio files from the local drive opening a multitude of options for media-centric add-ons.
In order to raise interest in the development community, Mozilla is also holding a competition ending September 15. The best or most interesting extension for Jetpack submitted by that date will win its creator an ASUS Eee PC 1000HE notebook and the runner up will get a bag full of Mozilla goodies. More details on the contest can be found here.