Mozilla, the maker of Firefox web browser, has just launched a pre-release test version of its Firefox OS allowing developers to experience the platform before the platform is launched for mobile phones.

The test version of the OS is now available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. The instructions are available on the Gaia/Hacking site. The developers need a Gaia profile to launch a build and might face a black screen.

Mozilla's Tony Chung wrote in a blog post said, “We've been culturally challenged to build up a interested community of testers, but limited to our distribution of builds due to legal contracts. However, the release engineering team was able to get Daily desktop builds created and published online for anyone to play with.”

Chung also said that web developers can use these builds to create as well as test their own webApp. The desktop builds offers an opportunity to explore the platform and will help the company develop test plans and check file bugs.

Mozilla announced that its standalone, mobile operating system, which is known as codenamed Boot to Gecko, will be called Firefox OS. The company said that TCL Communication Technology and ZTE will be the company’s first manufacturing partners.