Firefox

The Firefox web browser has the capability to be a platform of choice for switch users.

It's support of standards and excellent accessibility features including AccessibilityAPIs overseen by the Accessibility Project provide a firm foundation on which to build solutions, allowing switch users to access existing websites and on-line services. The rapid increase in Web 2.0 style features such as web apps combined with the WAI ARIA and IAcccesible2 support in Firefox will make even more functionality accessible.

Firefox also has the advantage of being a free and readily available Open Source product that conforms to the important Open Standards that make the web so usable. As open source, Firefox is low cost for users and service providers. It is also attractive to third party developers who can freely use it as a strong foundation for their offerings. Switch users should be enabled to benefit from all this functionality and have much to gain from transparent access to the web.

Making Firefox as transparent as possible for switch users will meet the the needs of adults and children. It also provides a way to introduce FOSS to those locked into Windows and thus offers them choice. Even more choice will be offered by the many websites and services made accessible. It will significantly empower a group of users who are currently poorly served by IT.

Firefox's extensibility via add-ons offers another dimension for creating powerful accessible services. The greasemonkey Addon provides even more flexible scripting, allow websites to be customised.

Firefox is created with the Mozilla Platform or Gecko which is a leading-edge, cross-platform, extensible framework for creating modern applications. The Mozilla platform is attractive fro implementing this project and supporting all the needs of OSK moving forward into the foreseeable future. This is quite separate from using Firefox as the target application.