| Q&A |
 Firefox
/ WebGL,
Mozilla, Arun,
April 2010, |
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“
We
definitely don't feel that WebGL will go the way of
VRML. Firstly, WebGL is a low-level procedural technology,
not a declarative markup technology, and lends itself
to the most general use case for 3D programming. Secondly,
even though so far only beta versions of Chromium, Safari,
and Firefox support WebGL, the number of demo sites
showcasing the technology is indicative of the enthusiasm
for a low-level 3D API in the market. The market is
ready and enthusiastic for WebGL.” |
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| Q1 |
What
prompted the Mozilla Foundation to support WebGL? |
| A1 |
One
of Mozilla's Principal Engineers, Vladimir Vukicevic (http://blog.vlad1.com/)
originally wrote the Canvas3D extension, which was a precursor
to the WebGL work. Fairly wide support for the HTML5 Canvas
element by modern browsers, along with increasing support for
OpenGL ES by various hardware drivers, lead us to conclude that
the time was right for a 3D drawing context within the HTML5
Canvas element.
JavaScript performance has gotten better and better over the
years, bolstering confidence that it will be a great environment
for 3D applications. Our approach has been to create a low-level
binding to OpenGL ES 2.0, so that developers familiar with OpenGL
ES 2.0 will recognize many of the interfaces we are exposing
in JavaScript. |
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| Q2 |
Integrating
3D within the browser : is it a risk of slowing down FireFox
in performance during startup or good display? Is there any
risk about the stability of browser? |
| A2 |
From a JavaScript performance perspective, we definitely think
that Firefox can handle 3D applications without a risk to stability.
The implementation works on drivers that support OpenGL ES,
and benefits from hardware acceleration. Web sites can use AJAX
methods to fetch resources, and should be judicious about caching,
local storage, and other factors that can affect performance.
Some good demos of WebGL can be found here:
http://www.ambiera.com/copperlicht/demos.html
You can download a nightly build from http://nightly.mozilla.org/
and follow the instructions on how to enable WebGL here:
http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/12/webgl-draft-released-today/ |
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| Q3 |
In
terms of performance, how does FireFox's WebGL compete with
its competitors? |
| A3 |
We
expect Firefox to perform competitively with respect to WebGL,
just as it does on JavaScript benchmarks and other performance
tests. |
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| Q4 |
Today,
the speed of execution of JavaScript code is a concern for developers
of browsers. With WebGL who will program in JavaScript, the
language is he fast enough to graft a physics engine, 3D parse
large files, display particles? |
| A4 |
JavaScript
has already shown itself to be an excellent environment for
3D programs, as can be seen by the various demos of WebGL that
are in circulation. Here's another really compelling demo, demonstrating
some of the things you mention above:
http://blog.nihilogic.dk/2010/03/worlds-of-webgl.html
We take JavaScript performance pretty seriously at Mozilla,
and continue to make improvements. |
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| Q5 |
Do
you think the browser will thus become a vehicle for online
play? |
| A5 |
Yes. |
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| Q6 |
FireFox
is also declined embedded devices. What about WebGL on FireFox
Mobile? |
| A6 |
We've
got WebGL working on the Nokia N900 which does support the underlying
OpenGL ES 2.0 API. One reason we chose OpenGL ES 2.0 as the
basis for our API is that we expect devices in the future to
support it, thus paving the way for Firefox Mobile support for
WebGL. |
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| Q7 |
Have
not you afraid that in the 3D browser is little used and that
the current craze easing to the image of what happened in the
late 90s with VRML? |
| A7 |
We
definitely don't feel that WebGL will go the way of VRML. Firstly,
WebGL is a low-level procedural technology, not a declarative
markup technology, and lends itself to the most general use
case for 3D programming. Secondly, even though so far only beta
versions of Chromium, Safari, and Firefox support WebGL, the
number of demo sites showcasing the technology is indicative
of the enthusiasm for a low-level 3D API in the market. The
market is ready and enthusiastic for WebGL. |
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| Q8 |
Today,
there is great excitement around mobile applications found on
iTunes, Android market ... Do not you think that the browser
must remain the standard execution of mobile applications? |
| A8 |
We
certainly think that with the proliferation of Device APIs (http://blog.mozilla.com/standards/2009/12/30/web-standards-in-the-device-era/),
the web is the mobile platform, and mobile browsers are a great
platform to target for compelling mobile applications. |
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| Q9 |
With
HTML5 tags multimedia (audio, video and 3D) happens gradually:
when is it actually that 3D webGL be activated by default in
Firefox? |
| A9 |
We
anticipate the release of WebGL 1.0 later this year. This will
allow browsers in beta a stable specification to build against. |
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| Q10 |
Do
you think HTML5 reduce the interest plugins such as Flash, Slverlight,
WindowsMediaPlayer, Quicktime? |
| A10 |
We
absolutely think that HTML5 obviates many plugins, but till
widespread implementation in all browsers, there's still use
for plugins on the web. Plugins have served a useful role on
the web, eventually paving the way for features such as HTML5
video, audio and WebGL. |
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| Q11 |
While
all the browser makers have their eyes fixed on the 3D, 2D Acceleration
Microsoft speaks. What do you think? |
| A11 |
Hardware
acceleration for 2D is important for SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics),
Canvas, and general page rendering time. Mozilla has invested
time in this as well: http://www.basschouten.com/blog1.php/2009/11/22/direct2d-hardware-rendering-a-browser.
We welcome Microsoft participation in the WebGL standardization
effort. |
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