Web: Session Sync

Project description

The ultimate goal of my project is to introduce a session sync feature to GNOME Web. Session sync is already a present feature in many other popular web browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Safari, which Epiphany lacks. As stated on the ideas page, the aim is to provide a simple and easy way for users to synchronize their bookmarks, history, saved passwords and open tabs between multiple devices.

Between Mozilla and OwnCloud, together with my mentor, Michael Catanzaro, we concluded that Mozilla is a better option because it would allow users to seamlessly sync data with Firefox with only a Firefox account, no configuration required (OwnCloud would require the users to set up their own server). Yet Mozilla imposes a rather complex protocol that FxA clients need to use in order to communicate with the FxA server. Since implementing this protocol would require a considerable amount of work that I probably won’t have enough time left to finish all forms of sync (bookmarks, history, passwords, open tabs) my mentor agreed that I should focus on getting the protocol work and only implement bookmarks sync for the moment. Having a working form of bookmarks sync as reference, adding the extras at a later time would be relatively easy.

Benefits my project will have for GNOME and its community

The benefits of my proposed work are rather plain and straightforward: Epiphany will benefit of having a working communication with the Firefox Accounts Server that will be further used to sync bookmarks across different devices with only using a Firefox account and, hopefully, history, passwords and open tabs too in the near future.

About me

I am Gabriel Ivascu, student of University Politehnica of Bucharest, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Expected graduation date is July 2017.

Contact details

Email: <ivascu.gabriel59 AT SPAMFREE gmail DOT com>

IRC: gabrielivascu

Blog: https://gabrielivascu.wordpress.com/category/gsoc-2016/