The Firefox smartphone operating system is now officially being shut down, three years after a launch aimed at challenging the dominant platforms powered by Apple and Google, spokespersons from Mozilla said today. The operating system created by the Mozilla developer community as an open-source system failed to gain traction in mobile devices, according to a statement from Mozilla developer George Roter.
Through the work of hundreds of contributors we made an awesome push and created an impressive platform in Firefox OS, he said in a blog post. However, as we announced in December, the circumstances of multiple established operating systems and app ecosystems meant that we were playing catch-up, and the conditions were not there for Mozilla to win on commercial smartphones, he added.
Roter said Mozilla has set their plan to end support for smart phones after the Firefox OS 2.6 release, which means that Firefox OS for the smart phones will no longer have any staff working on it after May 2016. In 2013, Mozilla had announced a tie-up with Spanish-based GeeksPhone to introduce two low-cost devices powered by Firefox. These devices made by China’s ZTE and TCL were announced in 2014 at a price, as low as US $ 25.
Roter also said that Mozilla made the decision as part of a push to pivot from ‘Firefox OS’ to ‘connected devices and would be focusing on developing open-source software for the Internet of Things — a category which includes everything from connected cars to lightbulbs. As of today, we have three projects that have passed the first gate including (a) smart TV and about a dozen more projects are prepping for review, he said. Not having gained a fan following, the withdrawing of the OS will not be missed by many. Let us know your opinion on this decision through the comments section below.