Introduction to Firefox OS and firefoxos
Firefox OS architecture
Some Firefox-related terms:
B2G
Short for Boot to Gecko.
Boot to Gecko
The project code of the Firefox OS Operating System. Because B2G has been used for a long time before the project has an official name, it is often used to refer to Firefox OS.
Firefox OS
FIrefox OS basically refers to the brand and service support applied by Mozilla and its partners on B2G, and a released product will be created.
Gaia
The user interface layer of the Firefox OS platform. Everything rendered to the screen at screen startup is a product of the Gaia layer. Gaia implements lock screen, home screen, and all the standard applications you will see on your smartphone. Gaia is fully implemented using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Web APIs is the only entry from the Gaia layer to the underlying system. Web APIs is implemented by the Gecko layer. Third-party applications can be installed on the Gaia layer.
Gecko
The running environment of the Firefox OS application. This layer provides support for three standards: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It ensures that APIs works well on the systems supported by gecko. That is to say, it includes the network stack, graphic stack, Layout Engine, js Virtual Machine and port layer.
Gonk
Gonk is a lower-level system of the Firefox OS platform, including Linux kernel (based on AOSP) and user space hardware abstraction layer (HAL ). The kernel and some user space libraries are public open-source projects: linux, libusb, and bluez. Some other hardware abstraction layers are shared with android projects, such as GPS and camera. You can think of Gonk as a very simple Linux version. Gonk is the port target of the Gecko layer. That is to say, the Gecko layer has a port to the Gonk layer, just like Gecko to Mac OS X, Windows, and Android. Because Firefox OS has full control over Gonk, we can release more interfaces to Gecko than other operating systems. For example, Gecko has direct access to the Gonk telephone stack and frame buffer, but it does not exist in other operating systems.
Jank
This term is often used in the discussion of mobile app space. It mainly refers to the slow/inefficient code operations in the app, which may lead to block UI updates or even unresponsive States.
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