Re: Removing Firefox Version Number

On 8/20/2011 10:06 PM, Stuart Cook wrote:
> On 21/08/11 10:21 AM, Ron Hunter wrote:
>> I am running both FF7 beta channel, and have FF8 Aurora channel
>> installed. There seems to be a bit of inconsistency in how the About
>> dialog, and Troubleshooting dialog present the version. FF8 has the
>> version as 8.0a2, with a date, and in the Troubleshooting dialog, 8.0a2,
>> and the build date is in the third section.
>> Meanwhile, the FF7 beta only have 7.0, both places, with the third
>> section of the Troubleshooting dialog showing the build ID, and date.
>> For beta and alpha versions, don't we need to know the release number,
>> ie. 8.0a2 or 7.0b3?
>
> That's not how the version suffixes work in the current system.
>
> Right now an "a1" suffix means you are running a Nightly build, an "a2"
> suffix means you are running an Aurora build, and no suffix means you
> are running a Beta or Release build. These suffixes only change when you
> move between channels; they don't change when a particular channel
> receives a new build.
>
> In other words, the reason you aren't seeing a suffix in your beta
> version is because it genuinely isn't there.
>
> I don't know if there's a way to specifically identify which build
> you're running, but about:buildconfig will at least list the source
> revision that your build was compiled from.

Thanks for the explanation, but it still doesn't resolve the 
inconsistency between the beta and Aurora channels, and how they display 
the version, at this time.  I am still trying to figure out how anyone 
could consider removing the version number from the About dialog a good 
idea.  How many other software items are on your system with no version 
display?  Even Google, the kings of the silent update, still tell you 
the version and build ID.  Users, for whatever reason, seem to be 
comforted by it, which seems more than enough reason to keep it.