Re: My usability experience - Asa Dotzler should be fired

On Aug 17, 9:46 am, Asa Dotzler <[email protected]> wrote:
> Petter Andersson wrote:
> > I'm talking about shuffling things around for the sake of shuffling
> > things around "because we can" or "we believe it will be more trendy
> > this way".
>
> If you're saying that's what Firefox designers spend their time on,
> that's rather insulting. Can you re-read that and actually consider if
> you think that's what the professionals working on this product are doing?
>

I think the "professionals" working on the product should:
   (a) act like professionals that work with a COMMUNITY and not
dictate to it
   (b) hold positions that benefit all in the community without
resorting to
        bigotry (against enterprise), arrogance (against any who
disagree),
        and narcissism (as evidenced by that last paragraph)

> > even with Firefox, to a degree. I guess what I'm saying, if a browser
> > still resembles Netscape Navigator 4.71 + Tab Bar, then all is well
> > and everyone feels right at home :)
>
> OK. That's an interesting point of view. Not one I share, but certainly
> not unreasonable. Most people do not like change, even when that change
> can be really helpful to them. I have a suggestion for you. If you like
> how Netscape Navigator 4.71  would look with a Tab bar (and a modern
> rendering engine) Mozilla supports such a product and it's called
> SeaMonkey. Maybe give that a try.http://www.seamonkey-project.org/
>
In other words if we have been loyal, supporting, and have input then
jump
ship, but if we don't give a hoot about how the product is going to
look and
behave then we stay on it.  Seriously.

> I'm also curious, since we do have pretty much exactly what you propose
> in Seamonkey, how do you think users would react in a side-by-side
> comparison between Seamonkey and Firefox? Would they all flock to
> Seamonkey because "everyone would feel right at home there"? (A quick
> reminder though -- about 90% of the people on the web today came onto
> the web after Netscape Navigator had already faded from view)
>

Are you really curious, or is this just more troll-bait?!?!   I have
been watching
this discussion intensely for days... I have not seen one inkling that
you have
any real idea what the community is concerned about.  NOT ONE.

Every valid and real concern is dismissed with retreat into an
entrenched
position.  Moreover, the most vocal and invested in existing
installations are
dismissed off-hand as either "irrelevant" or "adverse-to-change".

At this point, it appears to be the "pot calling the kettle black".
You CLEARLY
do not understand your community - your assessment of your user base
is
all about "metrics" and "hypothesis".  If you want to understand your
community - read between the lines.   Your outspoken adherence to the
principle that Blue-Collar Joe is more important to Mozilla than CEO
Sally
is, well, ridiculous.  Your constant sarcasm and dismissive attitude
is
damaging to your company's reputation in ALL circles.  And the abject
failure to GROK what we are saying, or worse grok it and dismiss it as
if
YOU KNOW US BETTER THAN WE KNOW OURSELVES is downright
INSULTING to use your words.  Seriously, man... take a break.
Rethink.

While you still can.

Because all this press will shake things up... just not in the way you
intend.

And besides, the whole "web-like" attitude is immature foolishness.
You provide
a WEB BROWSER that I install on MY MACHINE - not a WEBAPP that is
installed on a WEB SERVER.  I assure you that developers' concerns are
real and not to be dismissed.  I assure that the business community is
far more relevant than you imagine.  Most of all I assure you that you
do
NOT understand your most vocal and adherent supporters - we are at
least
as "right" as you are on this... probably more considering the outcry.

It is easier to marginalize those in the know who threaten your
perspectives
(like enterprise PROFESSIONALS [at least as "professional" as those at
Mozilla]) and exercise power over the ignorant (like forced updates
and lack
of discretion between security and feature) than it is to do the real
work of
investing time and energy into understanding your place in the
community
and how we have valued and used Firefox in the past.

This is not about resistance to change, it is about resistance to
supporting a
product which essentially is becoming irrelevant to a huge segment of
the
community.  A product which we grew to value and depend upon because
it
WAS a great product, managed in a respectable way.

Three "rapid release" cycles in, it has become apparent both intent
and
direction.  We object to the intent, and decline the offer to go in
the same
direction.

And I am sorry if I "insulted" you.