Back in 2013, the US-based Mozilla introduced its own operating system with the name Firefox OS after building up its reputation in the Browser game. However, going by the latest reports, the company has killed the OS due to lack of relevant audience. Firefox OS, if you are not aware, was an open-source operating system which was made out from HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The OS was extremely light and could also be put onto a device boasting only 128MB of RAM. That didn’t help it convince smartphone manufacturers, however.
The OS, which, for some people could at best be equated with the Chromebook in terms of functionality, was too limiting for smartphone vendors to see a mass market for them, despite some initial uptake. A great reputation also helped no doubt, but not enough.
Mozilla had already dropped the support for the OS back in December 2015 and it is now officially dead.
Dropping its support from the mobile segment, Mozilla, later on, had its try on other platforms, hence, we soon saw 4K Televisions running on Firefox OS. Still, people never got into the whole new ecosystem.
“We have shifted our internal approach to the internet-of-things opportunity to step back from a focus on launching and scaling commercial products to one focused on research and advanced development, dissolving our connected devices initiative and incorporating our internet-of-things explorations into an increased focus on emerging technologies.” – read the official statement from the company. Besides the gobblygook that statement reads like, it also points to the uncertain visibility ahead for the company, as they take stock of their next plans.
Where on one hand, platforms like Android and OS are locked in a battle for influence, new emerging Operating System’s are having a hard time making their own name in the market despite the fact that they come with a lot of potential. Here’s hoping India’s own Indus OS will have a strong run, with languages coming into play increasingly.