Firefox/Windows 8 Integration

Microsoft Windows 8 will be the next version of the Windows operating system which is aimed at desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablets, servers, and media center PCs. A major part of Windows 8 is the introduction of Metro-style applications which are based on the new WinRT APIs. This page will cover both Windows Metro integration and changes for existing Desktop integration.

Metro support in Windows 8

• Unlike Desktop, Metro apps will ONLY be available through the Windows store.
• Based on WinRT APIs, applications can be built in Javascript, C++, C#, or VB.NET. C++ compiles to native code but has some extra syntax flare.
• Not possible to simply and easily port Firefox as a Metro application. A significant amount of Win32 APIs will not be available in Metro.
• There is a new concept called contracts for interconnection/sharing with different metro apps.
• The 5 main contracts are: Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings.

Desktop changes in Windows 8

• The start menu is removed. Clicking it now takes you to the Metro interface.
• It is unclear whether or not there will be Desktop support for ARM. If there is support, there will NOT be an emulation layer like WOW64 for x86 apps.