Re: Removing Firefox Version Number

On Aug 16, 3:50 pm, Asa Dotzler <[email protected]> wrote:
> Teddy Ni wrote:
> > On Aug 16, 2:05 pm, Asa Dotzler<[email protected]>  wrote:
> >> Kai Engert wrote:
> >>> Having the version number available simplifies the diagnosis of
> >>> problems.
> >> For those diagnosing problems, how is Help->Troubleshooting, which
> >> contains the version number right at the top, not a better tool?
>
> >> - A
>
> > You are not asking the right question here. No one is arguing that
> > Troubleshooting is not a good place for diagnosing problems.
>
> > But Troubleshooting is not part of the normal workflow for most users.
>
> Neither is checking their software version number.
>
> > I don't have data to back this up but it appears more plausible than
> > the alternative, given all the comments here and my personal
> > experience. One IMHO very reasonable path for technologically informed
> > users is to look up the version number and then search on Google.
>
> And this is crazy. What if Google says that the latest release of
> Firefox is 5.0.1 but Google's actually only telling half the story
> because 5.0.1 is only for Mac users and Windows and Linux users are up
> to date at 5.0?  Now the user is stressed out because she thinks she's
> not up to date when she actually is.
>
> The entire workflow you describe here is good for traditional desktop
> software like Microsoft Office which updates once every several years.
> It's possibly even OK for software that updates every year or so. It's
> not really ideal for software that updates every 6 weeks or even more
> frequently than that.
>
> - A

I have been observing this discussion all day.  I will say (and be
summarily dismissed) that several things pertinent to THIS discussion
(as opposed to the INTENDED discussion) are very clear:

1.  The leadership of THIS discussion lacks tact, leaving one with the
perception that the leadership currently in charge of their treasured
browser is at BEST uninterested in the community's insight and at
WORST looking out for his own interests alone.

2.  The move to a Google-esque release cycle and lack of thoughtful
version management (security patches vs. feature changes) has left
some feeling uneasy.  It leaves the impression in those of us who are
more experienced that the leadership might have difficultly making
good decisions (such as how much energy to spend defending a bad idea
before letting it go vs. how much energy to spend evaluating the
difference between security fixes and major feature changes).

3.  The summary dismissal of the enterprise community is relegating a
once treasured and useful tool of the enterprise developers to the
same category as Google (making FF second fiddle to Chrome).  It has
also left some of the most influential members of the community
uninterested in continuing to champion and support the seemingly
"legacy" browser that Mozilla is fast becoming.  This calls into
question the wisdom of leadership that considers Grandma Jane running
Windows Vista 32-bit and surfing the web to take care of her cat a
more important user than CEO Joan who uses the same plug-ins, same
browser, same WWW to make decisions about tens or thousands of lives,
their well-being, and their prosperity.

4.  Most of the side issues dismissed by the "moderator" are ENTIRELY
RELEVANT because it isn't just about functionality - it is about use
cases, workflow, training, and numerous other more sophisticated
concepts.  The this leaves the impression that the leadership on
TRIVIAL issues lacks basic common sense and the leadership on CRITICAL
issues lacks the fundamental tools necessary to make rational
decisions with a positive impact on the ENTIRE COMMUNITY (which
INCLUDES enterprise users).

To make my points clear:
  - NO ONE decides how rational MY decisions are except those TO WHOM
I am accountable.

  - Firefox has a long history of being stable, considerate, and
influential.  The recent shift to combine security releases with
feature changes is at BEST lazy, and at worst detrimental to the well-
being of the entire organization.  OF COURSE most people missed the
discussion because they TRUSTED the organization - we didn't see the
impact until we started seeing the effects, that is when the
"hypothetical" became "real".  We are not about to sit idly by and
allow such failures of vision to continue when we value the platform.

  - Enterprise users are no less important than home users or
"enthusiasts".  Most of us ARE enthusiasts - the kind that report bugs
that interfere with functionality (really, most users don't know how
and wouldn't anyway - they just suck it up).  We browse the same
websites, use MORE tools, abide by MORE standards, and affect MORE
people.  Anyone who wants to take personal credit for "evangelizing"
FF needs to consider that it was product management, functional
integrity, stability and usability EXCLUSIVELY that promoted Firefox
in most circles.

  - A small "idea" (such as the seed of THIS discussion) that
generates such an enormous outcry, even from the open-minded, sucks up
such enormous amounts of time, and generates side discussions is
either a BAD IDEA and should be summarily dropped, or it exposes a
DEEPER UNDERLYING ISSUE.

Overall I think Asa's conduct around this issue is very
unprofessional, lacks true insight, smacks of politics, has generated
enormous amounts of bad publicity, and has done little to support his
"cause".

At least it has brought to light an underlying malaise in the Mozilla
vision and supporting organization.  Firefox has moved from a "useful
competitive alternative to IE" to "wanna beat Google Chrome novelty".
It has given Microsoft undeserved credibility (because of previous
public statements by Asa and the late, and lame, appeasement of
Mozilla toward the enterprise community.  It has put those who do not
want to use IE in business in the unsettling position of deciding
between Google Chrome (built by a massive multi-billion dollar company
than intends to continue growing and supporting the platform an
organization with questionable insight and leadership that appears
dismissive of community concerns and ignorant of those upon whom they
have built their reputation.

I don't know who the "powers that be" at Mozilla are, but I think it
is time we all took the energy to find out and let them know who
really holds the cards.

Be seeing you.