Mozilla Prism
Former free software entity
title: "Mozilla Prism" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["free-application-software", "cross-platform-free-software", "free-software-programmed-in-c++", "mozilla", "site-specific-browsing", "2007-software", "discontinued-software", "software-using-the-gnu-general-public-license"] description: "Former free software entity" topic_path: "general/free-application-software" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Prism" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Former free software entity ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mozilla Prism |
| logo | [200px |
| screenshot | |
| caption | The Wikipedia Main Page displayed as an independent web application using the Mozilla Prism Addon for Firefox 3.5 |
| developer | Mozilla Corporation, Mozilla Foundation |
| latest preview version | 1.0b4 |
| latest preview date | |
| programming language | C++, XUL, XBL, JavaScript |
| operating system | Cross-platform |
| platform | Gecko |
| discontinued | yes |
| license | MPL, GPL, LGPL |
| website | Official Site (Offline) |
| :: |
| name = Mozilla Prism | logo = 200px|center|Mozilla Prism Icon | screenshot = | caption = The Wikipedia Main Page displayed as an independent web application using the Mozilla Prism Addon for Firefox 3.5 | developer = Mozilla Corporation, Mozilla Foundation | latest preview version = 1.0b4 | latest preview date = | frequently updated = | programming language = C++, XUL, XBL, JavaScript | operating system = Cross-platform | platform = Gecko | language = | discontinued = yes | genre = | license = MPL, GPL, LGPL | website = Official Site (Offline)
Mozilla Prism (formerly WebRunner) is a discontinued project which integrated web applications with the desktop, allowing web applications to be launched from the desktop and configured independently of the default web browser. As of November 2010, Prism is listed as an inactive project at the Mozilla labs website.
Prism is based on a concept called a site-specific browser (SSB). An SSB is designed to work exclusively with one web application. It does not have the menus, toolbars and other parts of a traditional web browser.
The software is built upon XULRunner, so it is possible to get some Mozilla Firefox extensions to work in it.
The preview announcement of Prism was made in October 2007.
On February 1, 2011, Mozilla Labs announced it would no longer maintain Prism, its ideas having been subsumed into a newer project called Chromeless. However, the Mozilla Labs mailing list revealed that Chromeless is not in fact a replacement for Prism, and there is currently no Mozilla replacement for the out-of-the-box site-specific browser functionality of Prism, Chromeless instead being a platform for developers rather than users. For a while Prism continued to be maintained under the original name of WebRunner, which then also was discontinued in September 2011.
References
References
- "Mozilla Labs - Prism".
- (2010-10-05). "Mozilla Labs Projects". Mozillalabs.com.
- (2011-04-27). "Prism - MDN Docs". Developer.mozilla.org.
- Douglas Meyer. (2008-09-29). "Blog: Brain Dump: Google Gears in Prism". Douglasjmeyer.blogspot.com.
- (2007-10-24). "Mozilla Labs". Labs.mozilla.com.
- (2007-10-24). "Prism is Now Chromeless". Mozilla Labs.
- (2011-11-01). "Mozilla Labs Google Group".
- (2011-09-08). "Discontinuing WebRunner". Salsitasoft.com.
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