Mozilla developing IE10 rival for Windows 8

Mozilla is developing a new version of its Firefox browser, which will function across both desktop and tablet versions of Windows 8.

This will bring it into direct competition with Microsoft's own IE10 browser, which will ship with Windows 8.

Mozilla developer Brian Bondy explained on his blog that the browser will provide a desktop experience from a tablet-style interface.

"[You will be able to] run Firefox as a desktop application and as a Metro application.

"Unlike Metro applications, Metro-style enabled desktop browsers have the ability to run outside the Metro sandbox. So, not only can we build a browser, we can build a powerful browser that gives an experience equal to that of a classic desktop browser."

However, he added that the browser will only operate in Metro mode if it is selected as the default browser. Metro is the Windows 8 user interface.

"Unfortunately, a browser can only participate in Metro mode if it is the default browser. So if Firefox is not the default browser on a system, you can't use it in Metro mode. This is a decision made by Microsoft."

Bondy explained that Microsoft may well decide not to allow Firefox on its Windows Store, from which Windows 8 users will download apps, since the browser will be in direct competition with IE10.

The new browser is being coded in the Windows Runtime C++ Template Library language, with its GUI created with Direct X.

Since Firefox is developed as an open source project, Bondy concluded by inviting readers to help in the creation of the next version by contacting him directly.