Mozilla Security Blog
Categories: Security

HITBSecConf HackWeekDay 2013

Paul Theriault

HITBSecConf HackWeekDay 2013

Mozilla is proud to be once again sponsoring HackWeekDay at the Hack-in-the-Box security conference in Malaysia in October. The event is a chance for developers – both students and professional – to come together and prototype new apps and features for Firefox OS – security-related or otherwise. We want to build on the already strong community in the region and encourage the open-source community to support the future of the mobile web.

For details of the prizes on offer and how to get involved, see the HackWeekDay page on the HITB website.

What are we hoping to achieve?

We want you to help push the Firefox OS platform forward. This competition is being sponsored by the security team at Mozilla but you can hack on any app that is interesting to you. And not just apps – we would love to see people developing new features for Firefox OS itself. A group of Mozillians will be there to help developers test their entries on Firefox OS devices and award prizes (including Firefox OS phones!)

How can people get prepared?

Interested developers who want to get started should get familiar with how to develop Apps for Firefox OS. Download the simulator, and make a basic app – this tutorial provides the basics of building apps for Firefox OS.

Got the basics down? Have a read of this page for tips on how to make fast mobile apps – this is critical for mobile and even more so on Firefox OS which targets more affordable, and therefore, lower-powered handsets.

Feeling strong with Apps, or just looking for inspiration? Dive into the Firefox OS front-end code. Everything the user sees with Firefox OS is actually written in the same web technologies used for Apps: HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Exploring the Firefox OS front-end, code-named  “Gaia“, is a great way to get a deeper understanding of the platform.

If you want to develop on Firefox OS itself, see the Hacking on Gaia page on MDN.

What are we looking for in the entries?

  • Prototypes which effectively demonstrate a new or interesting feature
  • Innovative use of new Web APIs
  • High quality execution (especially on the constraints of mobile)
  • Increase the security and privacy of Firefox OS users

What about others who can’t attend the conference?

  • Make apps for the Mozilla marketplace
  • Volunteer to help Mozilla security team on Firefox OS (or anything else) (come find us on irc://irc.mozilla.org/security or email security@mozilla.org)

Will the community be there?

Yes! Mozilla Malaysia is planning a presence at the event.