The Firefox OS Is Dead

Another mobile OS is now dead, long live Android and iOS. As the announcement of the Firefox OS being shelved caused ripples through the Internet, the Open Source and developer community expressed their regrets. Linux developers have often expressed adding to the Mobile OS community. The announcements of Ubuntu and the Firefox OS heading for mobiles came as welcome additions to the current domination of iOS and Androids, but sadly for the Firefox OS, this is the end of the line for them.

Firefox OS smartphones were actually rolled out, though the releases were aimed at the developing market. India had the Intex Cloud FX, and Spice Mobility Ltd. released two Firefox phone models. The Alcatel Orange Klif was rolled out in Africa, while ZTE released its “Open” line of Firefox OS-powered smartphones in Spain. LG also took up the Firefox OS for a few of its models, however, not even the entry-level market snapped it up. GeeksPhone, on the other hand, launched a line of dual-OS devices, but even those, too, had a dismal market turnout. Thus, it was no surprise for the mobile industry when Firefox made the announcement that it’s shelving its mobile project.

The Firefox OS was announced and began its development in 2013, on Feb. 21, to be exact. Five handsets were released that same year, including the GeeksPhone Keon, GeeksPhone Peak, Alcatel One Touch Fire, ZTE Open and LG Fireweb. More Firefox OS phones were produced in 2015. In 2015, only the ZTE Open L, Alcatel Orange Klif and the SpiceFire One Mi-FX 2 were successfully rolled out. Also in 2015, the Alcatel One Touch Fire S and the GeeksPhone Peak+ were canceled, while it hasn’t been confirmed whether the Zen 105 Fire will continue with its production and launch. In any case, the Firefox OS’ last iteration will be at 2.6, the first build of which was created on Oct. 30, 2015. The last stable release is v.2.2.0, which was released on Aug. 20, 2015, and the last developer build is v.2.5.0. Version 2.5.0 was started on Jan. 12, 2015, and its Feature Complete Date should have been on Nov. 2, 2015, with the Code Complete Date set on Jan. 4, 2016. Alas and alack, though, 2.5.0 never made it to its planned completion date, with Firefox cutting its losses this week.

Echoes of “I told you so’s” rippled throughout the Open Source side of the Internet, with Linux Redditors saying that the Firefox OS wouldn’t have stood a chance against Android or iOS, anyway. Ubuntu Phone, however, is still up and running and is being developed daily.

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See the discussions about the death of the Firefox OS on IT World: https://www.itworld.com/article/3013056/linux/the-firefox-os-smartphone-is-dead.html

More on Firefox OS phones: https://www.gsmarena.com/news.php3?iPage=1&sTag=Firefox+OS

Firefox’ catalog of Firefox OS devices: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/os/devices/

About the Ubuntu Phone project: https://www.ubuntu.com/phone