ArmLightweightBrowser

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Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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 * '''Contributors''':
 * '''Packages affected''':		  * '''Contributors''': Paul Larson, David Sugar
 * '''Packages affected''': ubuntu-netbook-remix
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Mozilla is a fairly heavy web browser and suffers from less than optimal performance on ARM due to issues such as cache size. Lighter-weight web browsers should be investigated, and a more appropriate one should be picked as a default for ARM based releases. Mozilla Firefox is a fairly heavy web browser and suffers from less than optimal performance on ARM due to issues such as cache size. Lighter-weight web browsers should be investigated, and a more appropriate one should be picked as a default for ARM based releases.  Standard-compliance is essential, along with support for modern browser user experiences such as tabbed browsing, form fill-in, extensions, media playback, Java support, etc. For these reasons, a consensus emerged at UDS in favor of Chromium.
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This section should include a paragraph describing the end-user impact of this change. It is meant to be included in the release notes of the first release in which it is implemented. (Not all of these will actually be included in the release notes, at the release manager's discretion; but writing them is a useful exercise.)

It is mandatory.		 To improve the user experience, the Ubuntu Netbook Edition for ARM now offers Google Chromium as the default desktop browser.
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This should cover the _why_: why is this change being proposed, what justifies it, where we see this justified. There are performance issues using Firefox on arm hardware. This blueprint was originally a question as well as a goal to try and find a lighter wight browser, perhaps based on webkit.
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Browsing is an essential user experience. This blueprint addresses issues which detract from that experience on small cache arm processors when using Firefox.
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That we can find an alternative that will still satisfy user needs including access to media (plugins), Java, flash (as it becomes available for Arm), as well as being sufficiently standards-compliant and meeting user expectations of a modern web browser.
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You can have subsections that better describe specific parts of the issue.
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This section should describe a plan of action (the "how") to implement the changes discussed. Could include subsections like: We need to package Chromium in main and built it successfully for armv7 for Lucid. The UNE seed needs to be modified to insert Chromium in place of Firefox, and the default account skeleton needs to be changed to select chromium as the user's "default" browser in GNOME.
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Should cover changes required to the UI, or specific UI that is required to implement this Not applicable.
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Code changes should include an overview of what needs to change, and in some cases even the specific details. There may be a patch needed for armv7.

=== Effort ===

This may require up to several weeks to build, test, then commit changes to make this happen.
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Include:
 * data migration, if any
 * redirects from old URLs to new ones, if any
 * how users will be pointed to the new way of doing things, if necessary.		 The user can export bookmarks from Firefox to migrate to Chromium. Stored account passwords and other aspects cannot be migrated easy, however.
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It's important that we are able to test new features, and demonstrate them to users. Use this section to describe a short plan that anybody can follow that demonstrates the feature is working. This can then be used during testing, and to show off after release. Please add an entry to http://testcases.qa.ubuntu.com/Coverage/NewFeatures for tracking test coverage.

This need not be added or completed until the specification is nearing beta.		 We need to test Chromium on Arm side by side with Firefox to see how well this solves the performance issues we are addressing before committing to change the seed.
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This should highlight any issues that should be addressed in further specifications, and not problems with the specification itself; since any specification with problems cannot be approved. There is no UbuntuOne bookmark integration for Chromium at this time.

Summary

Mozilla Firefox is a fairly heavy web browser and suffers from less than optimal performance on ARM due to issues such as cache size. Lighter-weight web browsers should be investigated, and a more appropriate one should be picked as a default for ARM based releases. Standard-compliance is essential, along with support for modern browser user experiences such as tabbed browsing, form fill-in, extensions, media playback, Java support, etc. For these reasons, a consensus emerged at UDS in favor of Chromium.

Release Note

To improve the user experience, the Ubuntu Netbook Edition for ARM now offers Google Chromium as the default desktop browser.

Rationale

There are performance issues using Firefox on arm hardware. This blueprint was originally a question as well as a goal to try and find a lighter wight browser, perhaps based on webkit.

User stories

Browsing is an essential user experience. This blueprint addresses issues which detract from that experience on small cache arm processors when using Firefox.

Assumptions

That we can find an alternative that will still satisfy user needs including access to media (plugins), Java, flash (as it becomes available for Arm), as well as being sufficiently standards-compliant and meeting user expectations of a modern web browser.

Design

Implementation

We need to package Chromium in main and built it successfully for armv7 for Lucid. The UNE seed needs to be modified to insert Chromium in place of Firefox, and the default account skeleton needs to be changed to select chromium as the user's "default" browser in GNOME.

UI Changes

Not applicable.

Code Changes

There may be a patch needed for armv7.

Effort

This may require up to several weeks to build, test, then commit changes to make this happen.

Migration

The user can export bookmarks from Firefox to migrate to Chromium. Stored account passwords and other aspects cannot be migrated easy, however.

Test/Demo Plan

We need to test Chromium on Arm side by side with Firefox to see how well this solves the performance issues we are addressing before committing to change the seed.

Unresolved issues

There is no UbuntuOne bookmark integration for Chromium at this time.

BoF agenda and discussion

Use this section to take notes during the BoF; if you keep it in the approved spec, use it for summarising what was discussed and note any options that were rejected.

CategorySpec

Specs/ArmLightweightBrowser (last edited 2010-01-29 10:23:45 by g224090217)