The Jetpack project over at Mozilla Labs has been rethinking what it is to extend the browser (as has Chrome Extensions). They both move us to using Web technologies and skills rather than having to digg into XUL or C++. The project has gone through a reboot, and shed the original experiment as Jetpack Prototype.

We now have Jetpack SDK with a brand new architecture.

Two videos really show off the thinking.

Firstly, Atul Varma, tech lead for the project, talks through the update and how you go about using Jetpack SDK. There are some cool new tools revolving around developer ergonomics. These tools help with the packaging of code, developing of code, documenting code, and the management of code. The screencast below shows you how to create a module, using CommonJS at the heart of it.

The next video is from Aza and is typical Aza. It is creative. He walks through the architecture…. why the reboot happened, and what has changed, but instead of a talking head, we get Aza’s hands and pencil drawings. Oh, and he has some glasses on the top right, showing us that he has thought hard about this. :)

Exciting to seeing Jetpack come up for air again, and I can’t wait to see it quickly iterate from here. For more information check out the release notes, the FAQ, and download the SDK and write an extension.