Firefox Developers Conference 2008
~ Next Generation Web and Platform ~

On Sunday 16 November 2008, Mozilla Japan will host the “Firefox Developers Conference 2008 ~ Next Generation Web and Platform ~”.

Various keynote speakers will be coming to Japan to attend this conference, including Mozilla’s vice president of mobile, Jay Sullivan, and Mozilla’s director of mobile engineering, Christian Sejersen, as well as Aza Raskin and Daniel Mills from Mozilla Labs. Presentations will be made regarding the future of the Web from the points of view of user experience and Web platforms including mobiles and various other embedded devices.

Also, notable guests from various segments will be participating in open discussion format sessions in order to directly convey the ideas and opinions of Japanese users, developers, and researchers. These will not be formal conferences, but rather casual forums of exchange. Please join us for these sessions.

ABOUT

Date　 : Sunday, November 16; 10:30 - 19:00
Location: Belle Salle Jimbocho, Tokyo http://www.bellesalle.co.jp/bs_jimbocho/images/shikihai.html
Theme : “The next generation web platform”
Capacity: 150
Fee : no cost for either conference or after-party
Organizer: Mozilla Japan

Registration

If you want to join the conference, please access to an url
called "Firefox my page (Japanese only)" https://secure.mozilla-japan.org/mypage/user/members/login.

Or please send an e-mail to events@mozilla-japan.org (English Only).

PROGRAM

10:30-10:40 Kick off

• Satoko Chibi Takita (Mozilla Japan)

10:40-11:30 Keynote (1): “Firefox Mobile – The One Web – “

• Jay Sullivan (Vice president of mobile, Mozilla Corporation)
  In this world where the Web is undergoing huge changes, the most up to date and detailed information about the mobile and embedded worlds will be provided, including for the Mobile Firefox (codename Fennec), which debuted in Alpha 1 in October.

　

11:40-12:30 Keynote(2): “Ubiquity: Connecting the web with language “

• Aza Raskin (Mozilla Labs)
  Ubiquity is a Mozilla Labs experiment into connecting the Web with language in an attempt to find new user interfaces that could make it possible for everyone to do common Web tasks more quickly and easily. It's also a look at moving the browser itself from the desktop-centric pull model, to the web-centric push model.

12:30-13:30 Lunch

13:30-14:30　A1: Panel Discussion: “Embedded Web Browsing Possibilities"

(Panelists)

• Mr. Shozo Takeoka (President and Representative Director, AXE, Inc.)
• Mr. Hiroki Ooyama (President and Representative Director, Kochikuya, Inc.)
• Christian Sejersen （Mobile Engineering Director, Mozilla Corporation）

(Moderator)

• Mr. Kenji Mizukoshi (CTO, MV Systems Co., Ltd.)

The environment for accessing the Internet is rapidly growing with the proliferation of mobile phones and wireless networks and with the smaller and cheaper IT devices of today. It can be said that Web browsers for embedded devices allow users to browse comfortably and safely even though Internet access from devices other than PCs and mobile phones is growing. In this session, a discussion will be held on the Web browsing possibilities of these devices which are becoming more common.

13:30-14:30 B1：　“New HTML5 features you can use in browsers now”

• Mr. Michael Smith （W3C）

More than 10 years have passed since the HTML4 recommendation was published. The HTML5 specification, which represents a new era in HTML, is still just a working draft -- but all major browser vendors are cooperating to develop is, and many of its features have already been implemented in various browsers. In this session, the co-chair of the W3C HTML Working Group, Michael(tm) Smith, will talk about aspects of HTML5 which have already been implemented in major browsers and are ready for immediate use.

14:30-14:40 Break

14:40-15:40 A2: 　Panel Discussion: “60 Minutes to Think About Near Future Browser Forms"

(Panelists)

• Prof. Adrian David Cheok (Professor, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design)
• Prof. Hirokazu Kato (Professor, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Information Science)
• Aza Raskin (Mozilla Labs)

(Moderator)

• Prof. Hideki Sunahara (Professor, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design)

There are many different browsers available these days, and each brand has its own ideas about the future shape of the browser. If the browser is the window that connects to the Internet, the user interface defines how that window is used. How can the user experience on browsers, mobile devices, and other devices change lifestyles? We will have a discussion about the future shape of the browser from Aza Raskin who is the head of User Experience for Mozilla Labs, Professor Adrian Cheok who is an interactive media and user interface researcher at Keio University Graduate School, and Professor Hirokazu Kato of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology Graduate School.

14:40-15:40 B2：　“The Newest Technologies in Firefox 3.1”

• Tomoya　Asai　a.k.a "dynamis" （Mozilla Japan）

This is a detailed talk about the newest features and technologies which will be implemented on Firefox 3.1. Numerous specification standards will be supported in Firefox 3.1, and the JavaScript engine has been renewed and considerably accelerated. Explanations about what can be realized with this version and how the Web will change will be talked about in detail as time permits.

15:40-16:00　Break

16:00-17:00　A3：　“Mozilla Labs etc. – New User Experiences –“

Part (1): “Browsers Connected to the Real World – After Tomoshibi –“

• Dr. Yasuaki Kakehi (Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University)

Part (2): “Weave+Fennec: Continuity of Experience”

• Daniel Mills (Mozilla Labs)

First, with the “Tomoshibi no Ne Project”, Yasuaki Kakehi expresses the download situation of Firefox 3 using lights and sounds, and he will talk about his next project that connects browsers to the real world. After which Daniel Mills of Mozilla Labs will talk about cooperation between Firefox and Weave which enriches user experience through integrating browsers and online services and through melding desktops and mobile devices with the Web. The latest information about other ongoing projects at Mozilla Labs will also be described.

16:00-17:00　B3：　The Big Lightning Talk

The Big Lightning Talk that was popular at last year’s Firefox Developers Conference is back! Participants are wanted from the community!

(Moderator)

• Mr. Fumihiko Koyama (Representative Director, GOGA, Inc.)

(Speakers)

• goovypod :”Mockingbird”
• Mr. Horikawa：”FireMobileSimulator”
• Mr. Moriwaki:(TBD)
• Mr. Matsuoka：”Flock Localization”
• Mr. Manganji：”OpenTrace/Ghostlogue”
• Hadakadenkyu：”Icon indication technique for CuteMenus Classic”
• Mr. Morita:(TBD)
• Norah：(TBD)
• Mr. Akatsuka：(TBD)

17:00-19:00　Post-Conference Event:

Talk sessions with speakers and draws for Firefox goods and Foxkeh stuffed dolls will be held!
Let's grab foods and beverages and join the party !

SPEAKER INTRODUCTIONS

Jay Sullivan

Jay Sullivan is Vice President, Mobile at Mozilla Corporation. Jay has more than twenty years of experience in the software industry, most recently as co-founder and VP of Products at PocketThis, a mobile software applications and tools provider. He has also held management and software engineering positions at Oracle, Information Resources and Firefly Network. Jay has been granted three U.S. patents for his work on mobile software and personalization. Jay is a graduate of Yale University.

Aza Raskin

Aza gave his first talk on user interface at age 10 and got hooked. At 17, he was talking and consulting internationally; at 19, he coauthored a physics textbook because he was too young to buy alcohol; at 21, he started drinking alcohol and co-founded Humanized. Two years later, Aza founded Songza.com, a minimalist music search engine that had over a million song plays during it's first week of operation. After Humanized was sucked into Mozilla, Aza became Head of User Experience for Mozilla Labs, helping to foster projects like Ubiquity and the Concept Series.

Shozo Takeoka

President and Representative Director, AXE, Inc. Mr. Takeoka was engaged in various design and production projects in the 1980s such as for the Japanese input method Wnn for UNIX and for a domestically produced X Window System. He designed the OS for X terminals, and was also in charge of the TCP/IP development. In the early 1990s, he was engaged in the LSI hardware and software design and development for the 1024 PE massively parallel machines. Founded AXE, Inc. in 1992, and designed and developed the microkernel XTAL for embedded devices. XTAL is being used in various devices such as Sharp’s Zaurus, Olympus digital cameras, and 6Mbps satellite IP telecommunications systems. He is currently engaged in the development of embedded BSD & Linux technologies as well as in real-time compatible technologies while also running his business. AXE provides such products as mobile phone middleware, embedded BSD, and embedded Linux to companies such as electronics manufacturers and digital camera manufacturers.
Principal works: “Java1.1 Programming” (May 1997, Softbank), “Java1.2 Programming” (Dec 1997, Softbank), “Samba de Rumba” (Jun 1998, Shuwa System), and “Mac OS X Server Complete Guide” (Aug 1999, Shuwa System).
http://www.axe-inc.co.jp/english/

Hiroki Ooyama

President and Representative Director, Kochikuya, Inc.
Mr. Ooyama has been involved from the very beginning of network based systems by developing large-scale distributed systems utilizing early UNIX at a major electronics manufacturer. Loves “connections”, he has been involved in anything that gets connected to networks from enterprise to consumer to embedded devices. Of course, he is not only interested in machines, as he likes making connections with people more than anything else. Due to that, he currently loves to build system architectures using agile development. Founded Kochikuya in 2003 to enjoy working together with people.
http://home.kochikuya.com

Christian Sejersen

Mobile Engineering Director, Mozilla Corporation
Christian Sejersen joined Mozilla in 2007 as Director of Mobile Engineering focused on developing Mobile Firefox. Previous to that he was Director of Engineering at Openwave, responsible for development of next-generation embedded products with prior work including the EZ-web browser for KDDI and the J-Phone (now Softbank Mobile) browser. Earlier, Christian Sejersen was working for CSC and KMD (large Danish ISV). Prior to that, he co-founded a software security company. A native of Denmark, Christian Sejersen holds a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Copenhagen.

Kenji Mizukoshi

CTO, MV Systems Co., Ltd.
After a period of being a UNIX technical support at a minicomputer manufacturer, Mr. Mizukoshi became an independent consultant with the commercialization of the Internet. As an independent, he became a systems architecture and technical consultant for telecommunications carriers and corporations. Recently, he has also been engaged in the development of embedded devices that utilize Linux. In 2002, he co-founded Jugame Inc. and became involved in information security consulting. He is also a Mozilla Japan systems adviser.
http://www.mvs.co.jp/

Michael Smith

Mr. Smith worked for over 6 years in Tokyo at Openwave Systems and Opera Software as software designer, developer, tester, and operator for Japanese mobile phone carriers. Joined W3C as technical staff in January 2007, and then has been posted to W3C Keio. He was part of the W3C Mobile Web Initiative until November 2007, and then, as of February 2008, he is involved with the W3C HTML task force which aims to draft HTML5. Lecturer, Keio University, Graduate School of Media and Governance.

Prof. Adrian David Cheok

Adrian David Cheok is a Professor in Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design. He is Director of the Mixed Reality Lab, National University of Singapore, Director of Keio-NUS CUTE (connective ubiquitous technology for embodiments) center, and Deputy Director of Interactive and Digital Media Institute, NUS.

He has previously worked in real-time systems, soft computing, and embedded computing in Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs (Osaka, Japan). He has been working on research covering mixed reality, human-computer interaction, wearable computers and smart spaces, fuzzy systems, embedded systems, power electronics, and multi-modal recognition. He was awarded Young Global Leader 2008 by the World Economic Forum. This honour is bestowed each year by the World Ecomonic Forum to recognize and acknowledge the top young leaders from around the world for the professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
He was born and raised in Adelaide Australia, graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) with First Class Honors in 1992 and an Engineering PhD in 1998.
http://www.kmd.keio.ac.jp/en/people/cheok.html
http://www.kmd.keio.ac.jp/jp/pdf/20081017_award_press.pdf

Prof. Hirokazu Kato

Professor, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Information Science
Doctor (Engineering)
Prof. Kato has conducted pattern recognition and image measurement research while also having a keen interest in their human interface applications. From the late 90’s, he has done research in virtual reality, especially in the field of augmented reality technology and their system architecture technology and interface technology. ARToolKit, which is an augmented reality system architecture library he released as a research tool 9 years ago, is greatly aiding in broadening the base for this type of research. Recently, he has become interested in research beyond augmented reality to various human-computer interactions that utilize a variety of input and output interfaces.
http://isw3.naist.jp/home-en.html

Prof. Hideki Sunahara

Professor, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design
Professor, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Information Science
Director, Mozilla Japan
Prof. Sunahara was born in Hyogo prefecture in 1960, and earned a doctorate from the Keio University‘s Faculty of Science and Technology. Following his stint as a Nara Institute of Science and Technology Assistant Professor from 1994, he has been a Professor since 2001, becoming the Professor of the Graduate School of Information Science in 2005. He has been dedicated to the building and researching of Internet architecture in Japan with Jun Murai (Professor, Keio University, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies) and others with JUNET from 1984, and with the WIDE project from 1988. He is currently working on a project that connects various automobile sensors to the Internet, building a new information telecommunications architecture.
http://www.kmd.keio.ac.jp/en/index.html
http://isw3.naist.jp/home-en.html

Tomoya Asai a.k.a "dynamis"

Technical Marketing, Mozilla Japan
Asai has been involved in various projects including the Japanese localization of Firefox and Thunderbird, supporting communities such as MozillaZine.jp, and has been leading SUMO (Firefox support Website), ever since joining the Mozilla-gumi Japanese localization project in 2001. From 2008, he has been responsible for technical marketing in Mozilla Japan to promote the ideals, technology, and products of Mozilla while protecting the Open Web and revolutionizing the Web and to enrich people’s lives.
Authored: Firefox 3 Hacks, 2008, O'Reilly Japan
Translated: Firefox Hacks, 2005, O'Reilly Japan

Dr. Yasuaki Kakehi

Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University
http://www.xlab.sfc.keio.ac.jp/
http://www.hc.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~kakehi/

Daniel Mills

Dan is currently the engineering lead for the Weave project at Mozilla Labs, an effort to explore and integrate online services into Firefox and the Mozilla platform. He joined Mozilla in 2006 to work on Firefox 3, and before that worked for Novell after their acquisition of the open source startup Ximian. Dan grew up in sunny Venezuela, but has lived in the US since he went to Duke University to study computer science and economics.
http://blog.sandmill.org/

Fumihiko Koyama

Representative Director, GOGA, Inc.
Mr. Koyama is a planner and administrator of Firefox Add-on popularity measuring website “Minna no Kakucho-kino” (Everyone’s Add-ons). He is currently localizing the Firefox spinoff Flock social web browser into Japanese.
http://www.goga.co.jp/