Firefox Steps into 3D
New initiative will bring futuristic virtual reality effects to the web surfing experience.
Vladimir Vukićević, Mozilla's director of engineering, has announced an effort to integrate virtual reality (VR) technologies into the Firefox browser. According to Vukićević, Firefox developers will begin adding support for virtual reality devices, such as Oculus Rift, to experimental Firefox builds "so that Web developers can start experimenting with adding VR interactivity to their websites and content."
Other changes will follow as the developers continue to prepare Firefox for a 3D future. Vukićević's blog post outlines the following goals for Firefox's VR initiative:
- Rendering Canvas (WebGL or 2D) to VR output devices.
- Rendering 3D video to VR output devices (as directly as possible).
- Rendering HTML (DOM+CSS) content to VR output devices – taking advantage of existing CSS features such as 3D transforms.
- Mixing WebGL-rendered 3D content with DOM-rendered 3D-transformed content in a single 3D space.
- Receiving input from orientation and position sensors, with a focus on reducing latency from input/render to final presentation.
Vukićević points out that the experimental VR version of Firefox is not currently in the main Firefox source tree. The immediate goal is to get feedback from developers and VR device vendors that will help set the direction and priorities for the work ahead. Ultimately, the team hopes to integrate VR functionality fully with mainstream Firefox versions.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.
-
AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta Released
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the availability of AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta ("Purple Lion") for all supported devices with significant changes.