Sunday 25 May 2014

What is #IRC???

Hello Mozillians, how is communication with other Mozillians is going on??? Yeah that's great. So now get excited to communicate with many Mozillians at a single time, sounds crazy right?? Yes that's were the IRC come to play. IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It's a protocol for real-time chat sessions. (Read more about IRC on Wikipedia.) It was invented before the World Wide Web, so it was adopted by early open source contributors and Web developers, and it has been used by those communities ever since. Like email, no single company controls IRC. IRC servers are offered by many individuals and organizations. Users log in to a particular server to chat with other users on that server, using a client program designed for IRC; just as there are many programs for reading email, there are many different IRC client programs. Chat discussions take place in "channels," which have names starting with a '#' symbol.

Mozilla runs an IRC server to host channels for discussion of topics related to the Mozilla project. If you are a newcomer or veteran, tech-savvy or not, this page is intended to show how to get connected with others in the Mozilla project for online chat.  

The list of IRC's Mozilla use for discussion and do pick an IRC client:

There are several ways to participate in IRC and here are a some options that are ideal for newcomers.
  • Mibbit: is a great online chat client that doesn't require any installation and setting up an account is free.
  • Chatzilla is an add-on for Firefox; it comes built-in with SeaMonkey. You can also install it standalone.
  • Colloquy, a standalone Mac client with a nice looking interface. It also has a mobile client for iPad/iPhone/iTouch.
  • Limechat is a cross-platform IRC client by Satoshi Nakagawa. Warning: main site is in Japanese, this is not just for Mac, there are Windows and iOS versions as well. A number of people have happily switched from Colloquy to Limechat.
  • Thunderbird is a communication client made by Mozilla. As of version 15, it has IRC support.
  • Instantbird is a cross-platform multi-protocol instant messaging client based on Mozilla technologies (and libpurple from Pidgin) with an emphasis on simplicity and extensibility.
  • Yaaic is a free (as in freedom), multiserver, Android IRC client, now fully conformant with the UI style of the Iced Cream Sandwich (and later).
  • AndChat is a free (as in beer), multiserver, IRC app for the Android platform.
  • XChat is a great chat program for both Linux and Windows. 
Play around with these and become a pro in accessing these, it comes to play  to communicate with Mozillians about Mozilla projects, general talk, post your queries etc. ***Cheers!!!*** 
 


Where to start my contribution to Firefox??


Hey Ambassadors, how is your work for Firefox going on?? Yeah awesome got to know your contributions but few who are getting panic where to start there contributions, don't get panic. I will try to make you relax and start in 5min after you complete reading this article.
      Even this question was raised in FSA Meet Hyderabad, people are asking me how to start contribution to Firefox?? Where to start?? I felt it is a very good question and this is the point of documenting this article. Not sure where to start? On addition to figure out how your skills align with opportunities available.

Get Started

Just joined the program? Good news, here's a list of the first five activities you can do to get started as a Firefox Student Ambassador! Now that you have signed-up for the Student Ambassadors program, thinking what to do next? We have designed some fun and easy to do activities for both individual Student Ambassadors and Firefox Clubs which will get you started in the program. It's also a great opportunity to make friends from around the world, gain experience working with one of the world's most awesome community. Get started now! 

>>>First 5 Student Ambassador Steps 

Marketing

Promote Firefox and Mozilla on campus by creating a Campus Affiliate Button and Persona (and compete against other schools to see who can garner the most downloads) or participating in our student-themed app or open badge contest  
  • Be a Firefox OS Mobilizer : Do you want to be the first to know about Firefox OS on your campus? Want to have fun with people like you and help make history? You can become part of a global community committed to protecting the open Web and change the future of mobile by becoming a part of the Mobilizer movement! Find out more about how to join the Mobilizer program here    
  • Promote Firefox OS on Campus : In addition to participating in the Mobilizer program or hosting a Hack Day, there are several easy ways in which you can promote Firefox OS on your campus. For ideas and next steps please see here.
  •  Spread Firefox OS Online : Let others at your university know about the opportunity to get involved by getting the word out over your website, blog, or social media. Please be sure and use the hash-tags used by your country's Mobilizer Group and include relevant hash-tags as they relate to your university!
  •  Firefox OS Events : There are several Firefox OS events that you can host on your campus! The event templates and guides for the following events are listed here

Firefox Desktop 

  • Create a Campus Affiliate Button : Want to create a personalized affiliate button just for your campus so that you can promote Firefox to those at your university? If so, please follow these directions and you'll be on your way to leading the movement at your school! (More information about the Affiliates program is available here .

    How many clicks has my club achieved?
     For a look at how your Firefox Club's is doing in comparison to other Clubs in your area, please see the current number of clicks by button here.

    Why should my Firefox Club get an Affiliates Button?
    Each month, three Clubs will receive prizes. The Club with the largest number of downloads (in any country) will receive t-shirts for their Firefox Club and be featured in our monthly newsletter. In addition, the Firefox Clubs in Bangladesh and India specifically with the largest number of downloads will receive an extra prize (that changes each month!).
    For more information about how to participate, the contest rules, as well as tips on how to promote your affiliate button, please see here.

    Firefox OS App Development

    Student App of the Month :
    Each month, the Student Working Group will determine the theme for an app that would help improve or simplify the lives of students! These theme will be announced two months in advance in our newsletter and Ambassadors will be asked to submit their HTML5 apps that align with this theme (and have been submitted to the Firefox Marketplace) to be considered for the contest.
    Every Ambassador can enter the contest - entries are NOT limited to one ambassador per club.

    Theme: It changes according to the month.
    • May: Summer Vacation.

    Localization

    Help Localize ans share our Social Media Post:
    As our program expands(!) we will be doing Facebook advertisements to help us recruit more members from countries around the world (especially where we will be launching Firefox OS)!  
    If you  are interested in helping out, please email firefoxstudents[at]mozilla[dot]com.  You can also help share out our localized social media posts by re-posting the following program updates

    Coding

    Contribute Code - Improve Mozilla Products:
    Do you know C++, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Java, Python, etc and would like to put your skills to good use in helping to improve Mozilla products? (We'd love your help!)Here is an introduction to contributing to the Mozilla codebase. Not sure where to start? Check out What Can I do for Mozilla? to figure out how your skills align with opportunities available. In addition, you can watch videos that detail learning how to code for Firefox. 

    If you are interested in solving bug >>> Bugs Ahoy is the place for you.

    Get Involved in Student Projects:
    Interested in working on self-contained, larger projects? Here are some opportunities specifically identified for students to get started! 

     Webmaker

    Get started with Ambassador Video Tutorials
    Create a video about your experience as a Firefox Student Ambassador! Using Popcorn (Webmaker), create a 3 minute recording about one of the topics listed on our wiki page (or one that you come up with!).

    Build Mozilla Community

    Host an Event:
    Let us know what you're up to! If you (or your Firefox Club) is hosting an event, please let your fellow Ambassadors know by following the directions posted here.Want to participate in a Firefox Student Ambassador event in your region? Take a look at this list and see if there's anything happening near you! 
    Attend Office Hours:
    Whether you're new to the community (or you've been here since the beginning), we're here to support and empower you to gain the most out of your time as a member of the Mozilla community!
    If you are new to the Mozilla Community (or Student Ambassador Program) and want to find out more information about how to get involved or what contribution areas are best suited for your abilities and interests please join us on IRC (#firefoxstudents) and we will be there to help answer your questions about how to get involved!
    Please join us for Office Hours 2 times a month!
    • IRC: #firefoxstudents (Help getting started with IRC can be found here and here.)
    • Day: Every other Wednesday - the next Office Hours for April 15th and 29th
    • Time: 7:30am Pacific/ 5:30pm CEST/ 9:00pm IST/ 3:30pm UTC
    For more information about the program that may answer some of your initial questions, please see our FAQ here

     Get Connected with your Local Community

    To see if there is already a Mozilla community in your region, or to find out more information on how to get connected with them, please see here.  

     Academia

    Students around the world are passionate about integrating the Mozilla open-source mission and products into their classroom. A core grouping of these individuals are working now to develop a curriculum guide for teachers who would like to accomplish just this. If you are interested in being a part of this discussion, please email firefoxstudents[at]mozilla[dot]com.  

    So FSA's, there are many more opportunities in Mozilla but I strongly recommend you to complete these and move on to next level in your contributions. **Cheers**.


     


     

     



     

Saturday 24 May 2014

Design basic applications to Firefox OS and publish it on Market Place


Hey Mozillians, I heard you have done a fantastic job in learning the basics and advance of HTML5, CSS and Java Script. Now you are all ready to feel the power and to start helping your people in your local as well as global community by publishing it in Market Place. So why wasting time?? Lets get started!!!!.

     OHHH....hold on for a second, what is Market Place??? Yeah I guessed you will ask me this, it is a place where we deploy our application once done and don't get panic ill write an article on it.

      So guys shall I start teaching you the develop the basic Firefox OS applications?? Ohh.... I heard only few yes, thank you but as majority were saying no and getting panic and as we support the majority I am not going to teach you but the experts are going to take care of you from here also. So get.... set..... gooo!!!!!

Video Tutorials -    Mozilla Hack (Follow all the video with name App Basic for Firefox OS first), Abraskus

Documentation Tutorials - App Center

Okay guys!!!! I am done with the basics for Firefox OS app development and even you have deployed your first application on Market Place. Market Place???

Beginner- HTML5, CSS and Java Script


 
Hey Mozillians, are you excited to develop Firefox OS applications which may help your mom in cooking, dad in business, elder  brother/sister to impress his/her girl/boy friend, younger brother/sister to improve educational skills or it may be anything.... So to do anything, first step is to learn the powerful HTML5 which is like a hero in a movie, CSS which makes your things colorful like a heroine and Java Script wrong guess there are no villains in our class, it is like a family which always support you and make life more easier.

      Hmm.....are you now excited to learn??? I guess almost yes and I am excited too. So lets get started, and don't get panic I am not going to explain them. I will help you out providing loads of resources where you can be guided and taught in a professional manner.

HTML and CSS - Codecademy (Beginner), W3Schools (Advance)

Java Script - Codecademy (Beginner) W3Schools (Advance)

Learn while traveling -
                                            Documentation (HTML5 and CSS3)
                                            Documentation (CSS and CSS3
                                            Documentation (Java Script)

So guys, take your time learning these skills and come back later to learn how to develop Firefox OS applications, see you there. **Cheers**.