Mozilla has become the next in line to try their hand at the digital download storefront game by launching the Mozilla Marketplace. Much like Google’s Chrome Web Store, Mozilla users will be able to download web apps and games albeit in a limited capacity for now as the service is still in an experimental stage.
The layout and navigation of Mozilla’s store is similar to the App Store or Google Play but that’s where the similarities end. As Bit-Tech points out, the functionality behind the Marketplace goes a step further than simple browser apps. Programs that are downloaded from Mozilla’s store are treated as actual desktop apps, meaning they are available independent of the browser. Windows users can access them from the Start Menu and even uninstall app traditionally through the Control Panel.
Since this is an early release, anyone wanting to try the Mozilla Marketplace will need to download and install the Nightly build of Firefox 16 as functionality for the store isn’t yet available in the public release.
It’s also worth pointing out that there are less than 200 apps currently available in the store, although the majority of them are free. This number will no doubt increase as the Marketplace eventually finds a home in public builds and more developers hop on board.
The good news is that Windows, OS X and Linux are all fully supported in the pre-alpha version. Interested parties can click here to get started.
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