What's Next For Mozilla? 528
ezberry writes "After releasing version 1.0 of Firefox, what's ahead for the Mozilla Foundation and the venerable Firefox browser? With 6% of the market, and a notable exclusion from Google's desktop search software, PC World states that Mozilla may be thinking about adding desktop searching to the browser. Using plugins from third party vendors (and more), desktop searching may become a regular part of firefox. The article also talks about Mozilla improving firefox's popup blocker and getting OEMs to include firefox on their machines."
On demand porn (Score:5, Funny)
Re:On demand porn (Score:2, Funny)
Firecrotch!
Re:On demand porn (Score:2)
Re:On demand porn (Score:5, Funny)
Speaking of percentages... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Speaking of percentages... (Score:2, Funny)
I guess Firefox has 100% of the Firefox market.
Re:Speaking of percentages... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:On demand porn (Score:5, Informative)
Now the fox is ready to take over the world.
Re:On demand porn (Score:3, Funny)
Oh.. Maybe that explains IE's 92% market share!
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:5, Insightful)
About desktop search, I don't really view it as that important of a feature and not worth too much time. How often do most people search for files on their hard drive - my guess is not that often. I think of it like this - whenever my internet connection goes down either at home or at work, I don't sit there and start browsing my hard drive - that's boring. I turn off my monitor and go do something else. All of my information is tied to the internet - not to my hard drive, so a desktop search feature, for me, is very low on my priority scale.
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:2)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:5, Funny)
Whew, I just can't figure out why people need desktop searching; clean up your icons if you've got so many of the things you need a search engine! Sheesh!
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Funny)
I think I need to check this out, then. I have huge piles of paper on my desk, and it takes ages for me to find anything I need. It's usually scribbled on the back of something totally unimportant...
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Funny)
glgr34 waecav 3ugae35;
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Re: (Score:2)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:5, Informative)
How often do most people search for files on their hard drive - my guess is not that often.
At home, no. At work, all the time. I have folders with code, folders with documents, archive Outlook folders, and current Outlook folders. All of which Google Desktop indexes, and searches very quickly.
Google Desktop search is far faster than Outlook's search, and will search all the archives at the same time. If I want to find a mail conversation about something, I use the desktop search. If I know I had a peice of SQL that updated a certain table, but can't remember exactly what it is called, I can use the desktop search. Find a presentation, announcement or memo that isn't very recent, search.
Just like on the internet, where these days I don't keep huge numbers of bookmarks, I just search. Now while I try to keep files on my machine reasonably orgnaised, if it is something more than a month or to old it is much quicker to search than to browse.
I know I keep my stuff way more organised than most people at work. I think it is the work environment where the deskptop search is most valuable. People have loads of important information scattered across their hard drives, and search lets them get there easily.
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:2)
I was under the impression that these had been deemed illegal - but Microsoft still do it.
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Interesting)
But Balmer's speeches and reality some times diverge greatly.
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:5, Insightful)
Because a browser is where most people now go to perform full-text searches on large sets of documents (via Google).
If you think of it as treating 127.0.0.1 as just another part of the internet, it does make a certain amount of sense.
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Insightful)
The way I see it, I go to google to do searches, not a browser. Should the browser implement e-commerce just because people go to amazon.com to shop?
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Interesting)
I guess that some of the criteria above might be trig
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Rank them by importance (Score:3, Funny)
I just wish I could think of a way to add gay marriage to the list. But hell, that dosen't hurt ANYONE.
Thats all they need (Score:5, Insightful)
is all thats needed for world dominance (tm)
Re:Thats all they need (Score:3, Informative)
First: Mozilla and Firefox are released under the Mozilla Public License. Second: the code is copyright Mozilla Foundation. The FSF has absolutly no standing concerning Mozilla.
It is quite acceptable to distribute a customized browser based on the Mozilla code. It is acceptable to include, as distinct components on the source level, proprietary components, and keep those proprietary components closed. The canonical example being the Netscape browser, which comes with the AOL IM component, and other proprie
Plug-in or regular part? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Plug-in or regular part? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Plug-in or regular part? (Score:3, Interesting)
LDAP based profiles please (Score:5, Insightful)
I second this (Score:4, Interesting)
Also, a single place where they can auto force settings in a corp, like proxies, and other settings.
Re:LDAP based profiles please (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:LDAP based profiles please (Score:2, Insightful)
Pre-installed (Score:3, Insightful)
Especially if it was with a major manufacturer (Dell, Compaq/HP, or Gateway). I bet IE's marketshare would plummet.
--Ender
and dell's incentive would be what, exactly? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:and dell's incentive would be what, exactly? (Score:5, Interesting)
No, more like cutting down their service calls when people's browsers stop downloading and running viral/spyware shit without their knowledge.
And Microsoft's incentive would be what, exactly? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's a two-way street. I don't know exactly how much Dell pays MS for their OEM OS's, but something tells me it wouldn't be a major hurt to buck the system. Besides, I imagine Dell and Microsoft have a contract in place for prices-- I doubt Microsoft can just arbitrarily hike the prices up because Dell grows a spine.
Re:And Microsoft's incentive would be what, exactl (Score:2)
But they could if a clause in the contract specifically does not allow for the installation of alternative browsers.
Isn't that one of the issues that Microsoft got in trouble for during the antitrust suit - disallowing OEMs from selling alternative software with the machines?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:And Microsoft's incentive would be what, exactl (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:And Microsoft's incentive would be what, exactl (Score:4, Insightful)
Decrease in support costs.
Re:Pre-installed (Score:5, Insightful)
Besides, come Windows update time, the user would be presented with the following:
WARNING: Windows Update could not detect a secure browser on your system. Using an insecure browser may make you more vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Would you like to install a secure browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer 6) now? Cancel [OK]
Re:Pre-installed (Score:2)
Exclusion from Google Desktop search? (Score:4, Informative)
Jolyon
Re:Exclusion from Google Desktop search? (Score:2)
Re:Exclusion from Google Desktop search? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Exclusion from Google Desktop search? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Exclusion from Google Desktop search? (Score:2, Insightful)
What's next ? - more market penetration ! (Score:3, Interesting)
If Firefox can reach the 10% threshold, it should snowball from there.
I'm personally converting everyone I know - usually against thier will - to switch to Firefox.
With a 10% + market share, it'll be a major boost for Open Source !
I've been saying it for months.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I've been saying it for months.. (Score:5, Funny)
improve the popup blocker? (Score:2)
Imperial overstretch (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Imperial overstretch (Score:2, Interesting)
The platform's already there. They just used it to make a browser (and Thunderbird, each Suite component, Venkman, etc.)
XUL enabled Firefox to happen. Not the other way around.
Firefox wouldn't be the only thing that's deathly slow on a 3 year old machine
Re:Imperial overstretch (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Imperial overstretch (Score:4, Informative)
I strongly disagree. I'm using Firefox 1.0 (that I just downloaded this morning) to do my work on my P2/300, running Windows NT 4 (it's my 'Windows test machine' - my Linux box is better)
Overall, I must say I'm very impressed. It's quite snappy even on this crappy machine, which I believe is DOUBLE your estimate - it's about 5 or 6 years old.
Venerable? (Score:2, Insightful)
What's next? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What's next? (Score:3, Informative)
An IE icon (Score:3, Insightful)
Marketing problem (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Marketing problem (Score:2)
Re:Marketing problem (Score:3, Insightful)
First, cool your jets. Firefox only went 1.0 yesterday, and before then there hasn't been a free, production-level browser that appealed to IE users. Windows techies have been trying various versions of Mozilla/Netscape for the last 3-4 years, and up to recently they haven't liked them.
Second, w
Will IE copy Firefox? (Score:5, Interesting)
However, what is to stop MSIE from copying all the features that made Firefox so good? Are simple features like "tabbed browsing" patented/patentable?
Re:Will IE copy Firefox? (Score:5, Insightful)
Most people don't care (Score:3, Insightful)
Mistake? (Score:3, Insightful)
How long will it take Google to back pedal after Mozilla provides its own solution (or has an extension.)
--Sunbird, the real reason we will all stop running MS somday.
Cornfused (Score:5, Interesting)
A day out off the presses, and it's "venerable"?
The adjective "venerable" has 2 senses in WordNet [princeton.edu].
venerable -- (impressive by reason of age; "a venerable sage with white hair and beard")
Are you talking about Netscape 7, Mozilla 1.x, Firefox 1.0, or what?
Popup Blocking improvements (Score:2, Interesting)
We're already seeing sites like CNN telling us to turn off our popup blocker to use it. Rather than flooding us with popups because we have to turn it off for all of cnn, users would be able to just release the popups that were needed to proceed.
Re:Popup Blocking improvements (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Popup Blocking improvements (Score:3, Informative)
You can. Just click on the blue "popup blocked" icon in the status bar on the right, and voila! You get an option to show the popup it just blocked.
Re:Popup Blocking improvements (Score:3, Interesting)
desktop-feedback@google.com (Score:5, Informative)
Pre-installed isn't good enough (Score:5, Insightful)
In the UK, if I bought a new PC with FF installed and then wanted to connect to the internet, I'd have to pick an ISP. They'd then send me a CD (or I'd pick it up from a shop) and that would auto install their customised version of Internet Explorer and tell FireFox to push off.
Back to square one again.
What is needed is to encourage ISPs such as AOL and BTInternet to provide FireFox as their browser.
Don't touch my browser (Score:5, Insightful)
The next big step is to continue to market it. Companies will realize how many problems using Firefox can alleviate, and as it gains more users and attention, it will gain more bug reports (you'd hope).
As mentioned in another thread, a vendor might want to include Firefox as the default browser (please include plugins) because they deal with SO many service calls regarding adware/spyware/viruses. I forget the statistic but it's mind-boggling and IE is costing vendors more money than it's worth.
Re:Don't touch my browser (Score:3, Insightful)
I wanyt them to do a complete feature freeze and spend the next year cleaning up code, tweaking and making it more efficient.
too many apps are written the "new way" of "Ohhh! add that feature and ship it!"
I want features removed, and time spent making the thing as good as it can get.
Companies and Programmers just have no pride in their code anymore. It's how fast can we ship it, not how good can we make it.
I bet they can still squeeze a 10-20% speed improvement out of it.
Re:Don't touch my browser (Score:4, Insightful)
Companies take that approach becuase it works. Loose a bit of stability and security (and maybe speed), but get the shiney feature in there. If one app does this, while another freezes ti make everything cleaned up and efficient, the 2nd will get slaughtered commercially (assuming they are roughly equal in other things).
FireFox is open source, so the developers don't have to do this. However, developers often prefer adding new stuff, so on an open source product that is what will get done. Plus a lot of people involved seem keen for it to grab some market share, so it has to compete with other browsers. Back to new features.
As a programmer for a company, I'd like to add it's often not about pride, there is a deadline to meet. The company has to make money, or I won't have a job. I like when I can take the time to do it properly, and be proud of it, but sometimes you just have to hack it to get it to work. You can be proud of the hacks though :) they are often quite ingenious little fixes, even if they aren't elegent or the most efficient.
Firefox on Fox News (Score:3, Informative)
Why should I need desktop search? (Score:3, Interesting)
So let's keep it a plugin for people that choose to have it, and not force people to it.
btw I am a XUL developer myself, SiteBar Sidebar is what i make.
What's next? = I'm worried (Score:5, Insightful)
2) Feature creep
3) Increase market share
This is the point where much software starts to go down hill. It happens with open-source stuff as well as commercial applications. Things that one check box become a whole screen of options. The product goes from 10MB to 100MB. More "non-features" are added that average users don't want.
A better idea at this point is to go back and refactor portions of code that aren't clean. Or to eliminate options by making the browser smarter. Fix security holes.
If they want to add features beyond this point, I believe they should fork the product into some sort of "advanced" version. I don't want desktop searching. I don't want a better popup blocker (AFAIK - It is absolutely perfect as is!). I don't want even one checkbox in the preferences. Mozilla and Firefox do very well with mom & pops, which is very important for gaining market share. For every new feature or option, you alienate them a little more.
Even in a fast-moving field such as software, there is a time to slow down the pace or even stop.
Re:What's next? = I'm worried (Score:3, Insightful)
Article does not say... (Score:3, Informative)
What's next for *Mozilla*? (Score:5, Funny)
"Profit" is probably in there somewhere, too.
Or... (Score:4, Insightful)
~D
Forget search; focus on centralized administration (Score:5, Insightful)
There needs to be an easy (pref with GUI) way to define and distribute a policy that, for example, sets and locks proxy settings, sets and locks the default web page, "brands" various portions of the browser and that restricts the ability to load extensions at will. This should work cross-platform in order to make it easier to adopt other desktop operating systems.
It would also make it easer for Windows-based IT shops if patches/updates had an MSI file with just the updated files/settings. If you want widespread adoption, you have to at least make it as easy to deal with as what they have now. Microsoft may issue tons of patches, but they aren't that difficult to get on the boxes.
There may be ways to do some of this via a prefs.js distribution, but that's not going to fly in the hostile corporate IT environments where the sole admin left (due to outsourcing) is forced to find a way to distribute a prefs.js manually across thousands of diverse desktops.
IE settings can be managed by the IEAK and various GPO settings under Windows and that is a big sell. Mozilla/Firefox needs an equivalent.
I'd gladly help but I can barely find the time to work on my own, pathetic, foray in to the open source world [rudis.net], let alone contribute coding time to the best open source browser on the Net today. I'd be glad to share extensive requirements with any folks who have time time/energy to take up this noble effort.
Re:Forget search; focus on centralized administrat (Score:3, Informative)
This may not be as far away as you think:
MSI packages for Firefox [frontmotion.com]
You can share your requirements for better network deployability in Bug ID # 231062 in Bugzilla [https] (I'm not gonna link directly to the bug since Bugzilla just blocks traffic from Slashdot anyway). That would help the devs improve the packages and get you the sort of thing you're talking about.
SVG, please (Score:5, Interesting)
Firefox can already be built with the SVG option enabled. It does a good job at displaying static SVG right now. With Cairo rendering support taking shape, there will be a solid stable multiplatform rendering engine for it, readily available. And it is not a huge addition to the footprint.
Why not make SVG support a default part of the development build starting now? That way it will be properly stress-tested and debugged before the next release.
K.I.S.S. (Score:5, Insightful)
Why has Firefox rocketed in popularity when Mozilla has been around forever? Partly because they stripped out the mail/news reader and all of the other bloat that was unnecessary for a good web browser. ~4 MB download for an excellent browser. That's all I want and need.
The direction of Firefox specifically should proceed further down that road. Fix the bugs, make sure rendering is perfect according to web standards, and focus on the browsing experience. Continue to refine security and privacy features.
Plug-ins are fine; they leave the choice of including them to the user. But for Mozilla, just leave the browser lightweight and work on the way it does its job.
Boring but (Score:5, Insightful)
Generally concentrate on making a better browser. If you go for world domination, we'll end up with a half-assed mess that doesn't do everything that people would like it to do. I like Firefox because its a web-browser, nothing more.
Re:Boring but (Score:3, Informative)
This feature already exists, after a fashion. Type about:config in the location bar and you get a nice long list of preferences you can tweak.
Corporate Deployment (Score:5, Interesting)
One thing Mozilla and Firefox really lack is a quick easy way to deploy & maintain them in an orginization. A MSI based installer with security updates provided by MSP (patches to the MSI install) would allow Windows administrators to deploy and maintain Firefox via an Active Directory Group Policy...
Marketshare is meaningless for browsers (Score:3, Interesting)
1) It's a free product in a marketplace for free products. Opera is the only company that really needs to care about the marketshare, because each user is either 30$ for them, or a stream of advertising money.
2) All users are different. Do you count downloads, installations, number of users, number of people using, number of companies, number of page visits, number of hours spent using it, etc., etc.?
Because of 1) it doesn't really matter which indicator will you chose for 2), they are all pointless.
Lack of creativity (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Desktop Google? (Score:2)
Re:4 steps to success (Score:5, Funny)
You might think that
Re:FIX THE F***ING SLASHDOT BUG! (Score:5, Informative)
Workaround:
press Control + and then press Control -
Re:Yay! First post! (Score:3, Informative)