Re: Removing Firefox Version Number

On Aug 16, 10:45 am, Asa Dotzler <[email protected]> wrote:
> Tyler Downer wrote:
> > On Aug 16, 9:51 am, Robert Kaiser<[email protected]>  wrote:
> >> Tyler Downer schrieb:
>
> >>> Example of how Firefox's updating is broken.
> >>> This morning, I open Firefox 5.0.1, I open the About window, Firefox
> >>> begins to download Firefox 6.
> >> Good.
>
> >>> After the update, the Addon Compatibility checker opens up,
> >>> runs, and informs me that the Java Console isn't compatible with
> >>> Firefox 6. I can either check for updates for it, or skip. I skip.
> >> A patch just landed on Nightly to make this better in the future (this
> >> code should get to release in 12 weeks unless something bad is
> >> discovered in it). I sincerely hope that 99.9% of the users will never
> >> enable Java Console again and this won't be a problem any more in the
> >> future.
>
> > And I was more just meaning the Java console as the first example that
> > comes to mind. But have the compatibility checker show up at all is a
> > bad idea. There was one idea I heard tossed around a while back about
> > having Firefox update on shutdown, instead of startup, which would
> > make more sense.
>
> This is in the plans. It can't complete the update on shutdown, but it
> can do a lot of it before shutdown so that on start-up the work left to
> do is so tiny we don't need a separate update dialog. Basically once
> every 6 weeks, Firefox will open a tiny fraction slower.
>
> Your instincts/idea on this were spot on. We're doing it.
>
> - A

Well then, let's do it this way. Prove that you can update 95% of All
Firefox users (I'd be happy with 90% even) within a reasonable time
frame, make the update as seamless as possible, and without
significant backlash from users and the community. Figure out a LTS
plan for Enterprise (may I suggest picking one release a year to be
LTS, and providing security and stability updates for it). THEN we can
talk about removing the version number from About (even though I think
it is a bad idea still) and moving away from "versions" as you like to
say. Right now, you are putting the cart before the hose, when you
don't even have a cart.