PART
1
Introduction
1. End user programming on the Web
We begin this book with two chapters that set the context for the field of end user programming since its inception in the 1980s, and look to the Web as the new focus of this growing research area. Both chapters point to the Firefox browser and its extensibility model as one of the differentiating factors in end user programming on the Web as compared to the desktop. Firefox’s extensible platform combined with the simplicity and openness of HTML provide a consistent interface across many different tasks and applications, thereby enabling end user customization and automation in real settings. Cypher describes specific Web scenarios and the pain points that can be improved through end user programming, whereas Chilton et al. categorize existing browser extensions and the types of customizations that are available today.