Will Firefox lead the Browser OS age?

Is Firefox in a position to go OS?

August 30th, 2007 at 6:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: Opinion

After reviewing a lot of Firefox extensions over the past two years with Fireday, I've noticed a lot of authors building add-ons geared towards making Firefox an Operating System (OS).

A Firefox OS? No Way!

Well, let me show you some evidence that I've seen recently. It may not be enough to justify my statement, but I think with a little time (and some encouragement), you may see this prediction come true.

Firefox "OS" Extensions

After all of the work has been done with extensions such as FireFly (review) for your Windows Explorer, FoxSaver (review) for your ScreenSaver, and Firefoxit for your OS, the ability to add other components such as a notepad and calculator would seem relatively easy.

Web Apps are becoming Desktop Apps

Even though the lines between what a Web Application is and what a Desktop Application is, the realization for Firefox becoming an OS is next in line for possible experimentation. eWeek has a great article discussing the next generation of Web Applications. Now all we need is an article talking about the next generation of online OSs.

Maybe Microsoft may have had it right?

It pains me to say this, but Microsoft integrating Internet Explorer into Windows may have been the way to go. Were they thinking waaaay ahead where the browser would become an OS?

If there are more Firefox extensions that are OS specific, let me know and I'll review them and add them to the "OS gang" list.

Do you see any indications of Firefox becoming an (online?) OS?