graeme_p - 7:52 am on Aug 1, 2011 (gmt 0)

@J_Rad, performance does not always matter. I use lots of applications which are largely written in a scripting language, using C libraries for the performance critical bits:

Firefox (UI in XUL/javascript, rendering engine etc. in C)
Deluge bittorent client (python)
Quod Libet (Python)
Komodo Edit (Same components as Firefox, plus the Scintilla library)
Ruby Ripper

and a lot more.

I never feel any of the above is sluggish compared to equivalents written in C - except, sometimes, Firefox.

For most of what people will do on a Smartphone or tablet, a few standard libraries would give them what they need.

Of course I would far prefer something more flexible, and I hope that Boot to Gecko will allow that. You CAN install ARM Linux binaries on Android, but its not something people often do - lack of X Windows means you are limited to command line apps. Maybe Mozilla can provide a bit more flexibility?