Mozilla Geode exposes the local web

Mozilla plans to support the new W3C Geolocation Specification, which will allow websites to serve up location-specific content and services, after requesting the users current location from the browser.

This functionality will be included in future beta releases of Firefox 3.1, but for developers keen to get a head start, they've released Geocde, an experimental add-on to Firefox 3, providing an early implementation of the functionality.

Users will be able to choose how they wish to reveal their location and how specific it should be - the geographic information being provided by a collection of service providers and methods, such as GPS and WiFi. The initial add-on release uses only one such provider; Skyhook's Loki technology which maps Wifi signals in your area to your location.

The specification exposes the users location via javascript and the document object model - so will enable developers to query the location while rendering a google map, or pre-populating a form with the users location - though it may prove more difficult for non-AJAX based apps.

Find out more information at Mozilla.

You might also like...

Comments

Contribute

Why not write for us? Or you could submit an event or a user group in your area. Alternatively just tell us what you think!

Our tools

We've got automatic conversion tools to convert C# to VB.NET, VB.NET to C#. Also you can compress javascript and compress css and generate sql connection strings.

“It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC. As potential programmers, they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.” - E. W. Dijkstra