Mozilla is planning to provide a new
feature that will allow free audio and video calls between its Firefox web
browser, thereby ending the need of any third-party client service or plugin.
Mozilla will soon release a new
experimental version of Firefox
Nightly, which will include an open source and Peer-to-peer
communication protocol called WebRTC that
enables Real-Time Communications (RTC) capabilities between two web browsers
via simple Javascript APIs.
NO PLUGINS
REQUIRED
WebRTC is not a web browser plugin,
and its components run in the browser sandbox. Its components do not require
separate installation or any separate process to run and it will receive its
updates along with the web browser updates.
“No plugins, no downloads. If you
have a browser, a camera and a mic, you'll be able to make audio
and video calls to anyone else with an enabled browser.” reads
the blog post and when the camera or microphone are running, this is
clearly shown by the Firefox user interface.
There are many services including
Skype, Viber and iMessage providing VoIP communications but “What if Mozilla
could help tear down these walls? What if the browser, with near universal
adoption, could become keystone of an open, interoperable communications
system?,” the blog post asked.
SECURITY AND
ENCRYPTION
In a post-Snowden
world, encryption is mandatory to create a major hurdle in the spying
activities that the US spy agencies have undertaken across the world. WebRTC
implementations use two secure protocols:
·
Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), which is designed
to prevent communication from eavesdropping, tampering, or message forgery.
·
Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP), which provides the
encryption, message authentication and integrity.
Mozilla also warned its users that
they shouldn't expect a complete and polished service quite yet, as Firefox
said it is too early to expect anything yet, but it will bring an eventual
result to all its users, regardless of operating system or device.
“We're excited
to start testing this feature in our Nightly channel and look forward to
providing frequent updates as we develop this service,” Weiner ended.
This new experimental feature in Firefox
is in collaboration with the TokBox, whose open source OpenTok video and voice
software powers this new service, which does not require any add-on or plug-in.
TokBox is a PaaS (Platform as a
Service) company that provides hosted infrastructure, APIs and tools
required to deliver enterprise-grade WebRTC capabilities. It does so primarily
through its proprietary OpenTok video platform for commercial application.
“Their
early support and contributions to WebRTC are helping this emerging standard
establish a foothold and earn developer attention,” said Chad Weiner,
Director of Product Management, Firefox.
VoIP offers a substantial cost savings
over traditional long distance telephone calls and if an open source, trusted
service like Mozilla Firefox is providing this additional feature to its users,
then this is a great news for all of us. Stay Tuned to The Hacker News! We
will update you when Mozilla will release its new Firefox Nightly version.
Refrence- http://thehackernews.com/
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