ActiveState, a provider of Internet programming software, and Netscape Communications Wednesday announced a collaboration on the Mozilla project, the open-source initiative founded by Netscape.

ActiveState will use Mozilla as a cross-platform development framework for Komodo, its Perl- and Python-integrated development environment. Komodo is a full-featured cross-platform and open-sourced professional development environment with characteristics not traditionally available with current scripting languages.

This purpose of the alliance is to allow Web developers to edit, run and debug their JavaScript programs in a professional-class development tool fully oriented to the Web, while maintaining a close integration with the browser.

The goal of joining Perl and Python with JavaScript as programming languages in Mozilla is to make it easier for source programmers to use the Mozilla framework and give Mozilla developers access to additional scripting technologies.

By uniting their development efforts, both firms will have access to richer technology sooner than if they worked independently, according to Dick Hardt, chief executive officer of ActiveState.

"Through this alliance, the Mozilla project and its users will be the real winners," he said.