---
title: "On \"Firefox Only\".... Will XUL's Emerging Apps be Killer?"
date: 2005-03-04T22:30:26Z
modified: 2005-03-04T22:30:26Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/on-firefox-only-will-xuls-emerging-apps-be-killer/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 158
categories:
  - Uncategorized
timestamp: 2005-03-04T22:30:26Z
tags:
  - Uncategorized
---

Something new? We’re all used to being told [IE only](http://www.allinthehead.com/retro/239/developing-web-apps-for-ie-only). Its a mantra at banks, [B2C](http://www.researchbuzz.org/yahoo_previewing_travel_search_tool_ie_only_.shtml) sites and all over the damn place.

So it struck me when i was looking at [Moshe’s XUL examples,](http://geekswithblogs.net/meshel/archive/2005/03/03/24882.aspx) and those put foward by [GeorgeNava](http://www.georgenava.com/applauncher.php) how the balance of power is subtly shifting. Firefox Only…

**Don’t bother checking out the links if you’re an IE user** – they won’t work properly. where is the clock? How come the buttons don’t work? This is like looking at MSN Spaces with Firefox…

Just as Intel now has to [track AMD for 64-bitness](http://www.devx.com/amd/Article/20555/1763), so MS may end up tracking Firefox and not the other way around. This is happening in terms of function already (tabbed browsing is a good example of a function MS needs for IE7) but MS would be far more concerned if it had to track APIs defined by someone else.

Its nice to see the boot on the other foot from a user perspective. Pesky IE users… 😉 Could this movement turn into a rout? That is, [XML User Interface Language](http://www.xulplanet.com/) is a means to build rich enough, cross platform Web based UIs. It seems like many developers of cool stuff are using Firefox, and what if they start to take advantage of underlying functions and hooks (just like happened with IE)? Then what?

Google will likely be a kingmaker here. Does anyone know of any flickr XUL stuff? What this guy [said](http://talios.blog-city.com/read/1023584.htm). Its very early days and there are very few of these apps out there at the moment. I don’t mean to get carried away. IE is massively dominant, and many developers target that platform only. But its part of my job to identify trends and inflexion points.

Firefox Only is a meme worth noting.