Fennec coming for Symbian-based S60 mobile platform
Posted by Percy Cabello on December 15th, 2008 • Tags:
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Nokia N95As Firefox Mobile, code named Fennec, approaches its second alpha (due this week), Mozilla’s Christian Sejersen announced today that Mozilla will port Fennec to S60, Nokia’s Symbian-based mobile platform, and the most popular overall, currently commanding about half the total installed base, effectively quadrupling the number of  potential users for Mozilla’s mobile web browser.

Together with the other supported platforms, Windows Mobile and Maemo (Linux for Nokia Internet Tablets), Mozilla will reach about 65% of the mobile market.

Development for S60 is already under way with some of the building blocks like Gecko, the JavaScript engine, and HTML parser already completed and ready for the next steps that include Necko (Mozilla’s networking engine) to get a functional versions by the end of March next year.

While there are at least two major Symbian-based platforms (UIQ being the other), the port will focus on S60 Third Edition (based on Symbian 9.1) and later, which includes the N95, and other Nokia, LG, and Samsung smartphones.

Most interestingly, according to Christian’s post, Symbian is helping Mozilla with engineers to properly size and scope the project, while “Symbian houses”  are interested in contributing.

On other platforms, Christian commented: “There are a few other platforms: iPhone, RIM and Android that have or are gaining market share, where we for technical or licensing reasons can’t be deployed.”

Comments
Nils said on December 16, 2008, 9:23 am:

Fennec will look great on my sone-to-be-bought 5800! :D

Randa said on January 18, 2009, 7:59 am:

yeah, i also can’t wait to install it to my nokia e51.
I hope fennec are free to download, and free to use.. no trial version or etc.. :P

Samsung said on March 3, 2009, 7:01 am:

Perhaps, you will find a lot of related information at the official Samsung site.

Don Marco said on March 27, 2009, 6:18 am:

Any hint where I can download Fennec for Nokia n95? I can’t seem to find any page other then for Windows Mobile (Alpha1 Version). Frustrated.
Happy to get some help. Thx.
BG from Munich, Germany.
Marco

Rashad Anabtawi said on April 14, 2009, 2:48 pm:

I really think this will be a great hit and i would really like to know where to find the N95 version of fennec so if any one can post ill be really happy THANKS IN ADVANCE

Fild said on May 1, 2009, 7:56 am:

I have been waiting for fennec for a long time now. Some fora clearly stated that fennec will be out in april 2009 which ended yesterday. Or is it 3009? Please I will require an update on this issue. Can someone give me a link to mozilla contact?

randa said on May 1, 2009, 8:50 am:

april has ended but there’s still no clue to download fennec for s60 devices though they’ve planned to release fennec for symbian at the end of april. is there anything wrong on the progress?

Fild said on May 2, 2009, 11:23 am:

I think there is a problem, but whatever it is Mozilla has to get back to the public and give us an update.

Fild said on May 3, 2009, 3:19 am:

I have just been reading from one forum where it is stated that fennec for s60 will only be available in 2010. So I forget about it for now.

Rashad Anabtawi said on May 8, 2009, 11:58 am:

That would suck if it came out 2010 i mean it shouldn take an entire year to fix the problem, should it?

Fennec for Windows Mobile Alpha 1 available now - Mozilla Links said on May 16, 2009, 1:51 am:

[...] version of Fennec for Symbian is also under [...]

sudhir govilkar said on July 8, 2009, 11:01 am:

please release it as early as possible can’t wait to install on E-series nokia

Robert Kukenberg said on November 1, 2009, 11:04 am:

It’s November already and still nothing. I’m waiting for it unil nokia 5800 has been released, and still nothing. Im thinkig to go for an Opera on my laptop too. This development is taking to long.

jacob said on November 18, 2009, 11:58 pm:

keep up the good work guys looking fwd to this.

w.lipu said on December 5, 2009, 7:16 am:

i have no choice. opera still the best for all symbian. will fennec come a.s.a.p? I hope so.

Shempz said on December 23, 2009, 5:40 am:

Fennec is days from release according to the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8425906.stm

Fild said on January 3, 2010, 3:24 pm:

This 2010. We now need more info on the progress of fennec for symbian.

strakis said on April 7, 2010, 9:12 am:

Is there a possibility for a fennec version for UIQ?

Jake said on June 13, 2010, 6:06 am:

So, is there any progress regarding Fennec for S60?

w.lipu said on June 17, 2010, 5:39 am:

hellooouuw, knock knock, fennec 3rd s60 ? Are u sleep ? what r u waiting ? come on hero, we need you…

Scauer said on August 22, 2010, 2:55 am:

Hiiiiiii
what are you waiting?
Where fennec on s60?
We need it))

Edemilson Lima said on October 10, 2010, 1:18 pm:

Fennec for Symbian? Forget about it! Sorry to say that, but it will NEVER happen…

BTW we have Opera Mobile (no, not that damn slow Opera Mini made in Java – I mean the true Symbian application). Opera Mobile is nice, but a bit hard to operate on touch devices with your fingers. It works better with a stylus. Maybe in the new Nokia N8 it works better if we use multi-touch to zoom links before tap on them.

Bluegrassman said on February 4, 2011, 6:36 pm:

Everyone has given up on Fennec for Symbian. Just get Opera. It’s fast and stable. Hell, there are even lots of pc users now moving away from FF in favor of Chrome due to FF being so bloated and crash prone anymore.