Weaving the Web

The Firefox extension site [1] lists dozens of bookmark synchronization tools. Some sync bookmarks with a commercial service, like the Web bookmarks site Delicious; others sync with private storage, such as a WebDAV or FTP server that you maintain. Weave gives you an option – you can set up a free account at the newly launched services.mozilla.com, or you can run your own server using the open source Weave server code. Your initial choice does not handcuff you, either – migrating between services.mozilla.com and a private server is as simple as entering your new account credentials and performing a sync.

Furthermore, your privacy is protected no matter where you store your remote data. The Weave extension encrypts everything on the client side with public-key encryption before it is transmitted, and your key is never sent over the network. You can use Weave between multiple machines, including not just Firefox on desktops and laptops, but the mobile browser Fennec as well.

Weave is an ongoing project from Mozilla's Mozilla Labs [2] test bed site, and although the current release focuses on synchronization, in the future, Weave will be able to do much more. The underlying engine supports machine-readable microformats, which makes real data mash-ups possible, and developers can write add-ons with the help of the Weave API.

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