Comments: The near-future of Inspector

This is great stuff! The DOM Inspector is the reason I went back to Moz after a brief (but enjoyable) fling with Phoenix. :-)

Posted by Sean F at April 11, 2003 5:01 AM

I also find the DOM inspector great, and it is virtually the only reason why I (sometimes) use Mozilla anymore.
But you talk of integrating the DOM inspector into Phoenix? It is certainly useful for web developers, but not for the normal surfer.
Would it not be better if it was a plug-in?

Posted by Martijn at April 11, 2003 7:02 AM

Actually, integrating Inspector into Phoenix isn't something I'm working on at all. There's a bug filed for it (bug 193486). Also, it's in the new roadmap (http://www.mozilla.org/roadmap), so sooner or later it's going to happen.

Regarding Inspector in Phoenix, just cc yourself on the bug. I can't help with that one.

Posted by WeirdAl at April 11, 2003 5:40 PM

Whew. You should shorten that bugzilla query down to http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?component=DOM+Inspector

I would love for DOM Inspector to work with Phoenix. Trying to configure that Go button was such a pain in the butt.

Posted by alanjstr at April 13, 2003 9:18 AM

integration is NOT what's needed. to the contrary. we need MODULARIZATION of components. what is needed is:

1. XUL runtime libraries installable seperately.

2. browser (i.e. phoenix) built on the XUL lib

3. email (minotaur) built on the XUL lib

4. composer built on ...

5. irc built on ...

6. DOM inspector built on ...

7. good API for interconnectivity and namespace resolution definitions.

8. the possibility to install/upgrade every component independantly of the others EASILY!!, as long as the dependant API doesn't change (and also to replace components. i.e. phoenix supports the http protocol. others might also. give it enough perliminary thought such that the others might replace phoenix if the user wishes so)

9. i'm sure MANY more XUL based apps will follow, as long as we don't have to compile mozilla to make an XUL simple alarm clock. and we can distribute the app independant of the runtime libs.

integration of DOM inspector with phoenix is a tactical move. we need strategic ones. and now's THE time to make them, since mozilla is stopped, and we're going for independant modules.

cheers
avih

Posted by avih at April 13, 2003 6:15 PM

i would wish though that we could still have mozilla as an integrated suit as a reference platform (with navigator/irc/composer/email/address/calendar/etc). although in the future, such suite could well be all those independant packages installed in a sequence.

cheers
avih

Posted by avih at April 13, 2003 6:28 PM

For the last time, I'm not the one hacking to make Inspector work on Phoenix, and I don't know jack about Phoenix. For all I know, what I'm calling integration is really modularization. Phoenix and Inspector and modularization and installation and all that is really not relevant to me (by that, I mean it's being worked on by others, and the code I'm hacking has nothing to do with that). Except possibly for bug 109682, and we're not that advanced in the planning for it yet.

Please understand me when I say I just cannot provide any support or intelligent debate on mod/integ/deriv/limit/whatever of Inspector with other applications. You're preaching to the wrong audience.

Posted by WeirdAl at April 14, 2003 7:23 PM

Another oldish bug for me to work on is bug 152122; the Inspector sidebar. That code hasn't been touched since Nov 2001...

Posted by WeirdAl at April 17, 2003 6:10 PM

I'm thrilled that someone was able to make a DOMI XPI so that I could finally use it with Firebird.

Posted by alanjstr at June 10, 2003 6:32 PM