As Mozilla launches Firefox for the masses, the group’s president, Mitchell Baker, outlines goals for gaining more Web browser converts and focusing on a development platform play.
Firefox and Beyond: Mozilla President Browses the Future
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
I would like Mozilla Foundation to develop Thunderbird as well as it has developed Firefox.
Along side they should get come up with some thing really as cool !!! as iCal Just love ical it’s cooL!!!!!!!! and also once for all put IM Client conficts to rest by giving really cool one like they gave us Firefox and may be last one is Destkop search ? that can compete with Longhorn’s integrated search feature ? Google is developing one but it is far from impressive less features than I could have imagined and more overhead I guess(Though still in Beta) but does not looks more promising!!!
>>Destkop search ? that can compete with Longhorn’s integrated search feature ?
Why reinvent the wheel?
http://www.gnome.org/projects/beagle/
beagle is a project aimed towards gnome and is based on mono.
a project from mozilla would be platform independant and based on xul which is NOT reinventing the wheel…
Er…Dashboard *WILL* be able to run on Windows 2K or newer.
Whoops I meant Beagle. I’m not really sure if you’d be able to use the gtk# win32 installer and run Dashboard…maybe.
Just checked, Dashboard won’t work in Windows, unless someone wants to work on win32 filters, etc.
Sorry.
Well, for a calendar there is already the Sunbird project (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird.html). As for an Instant Messenger client, that would be a bit hard. Would you want it to work with AOL Instant Messenger? I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking. Probably MSN and Yahoo too. The problem is that those are all closed protocalls. Sure, there are some IM clients that work with those, but that’s through reverse engineering. With the Web or Email or Calendar, it’s open standards. IM probably wouldn’t be that hard if it were only for Jabber – an open IM protocall. I think Mozilla might consider supporting that if Google decided to come out with the IM client that are rumoured to be working on using Jabber.
There is work being done on a jabber client written in XUL, just not being done by the Mozilla developers. See http://jabberzilla.jabberstudio.org/. Certainly not ready for real use, but work is progressing.
It seems like Mozilla’s popularity is really tied to the popularity of other OSs. Most OSs come with a web browser, and regular users are going to use whatever browser is installed by default.
Increasing the share of alternative OSs is the way to increase the share of alternative browsers.
That’s not the only way. OEM’s could install Firefox as the default browser on Windows. I’m sure I’ve heard of one that will be doing it, but I can’t give a link as I can’t remember where I read it.
It’ll never happen, much as we’d like to see it. Moz with XUL will probably evolve into a robust, reliable, secure technology that will wind-up integrating into the “corporate” and “enterprise” woodwork, much the way OS/2 did in Europe. The minute Novell and other “alternative” tech developers start saying “corporate” and “enterprise”, you’ll know it amounts to a declaration of non-competition with MS. The reason Firefox works alot like IE is because ultimately, no one’s ever going to be able to get away from IE. Any web developer not up-to-date with what MS is doing (IE, Longhorn) could end-up like Wordperfect Corp. when they committed to OS/2 and got burned, back in the day.
I would love for the Mozilla Foundation to create a cross platform IM client that supports video conferencing and what not. It’d be nice if it worked with existing IM protocols as well
Just my two cents.
One of the most interesting quotes is:
“The code base is open for companies to do as they wish to do, but we’re not working with Google on a special browser. … We are not working on a Google browser.”
There have been bug reports submitted by Google. Based on Mitchell Baker answer, I believe:
1) Google is working on a browser
2) They are filing bug reports but trying to keep it confidential.
3) Using Moz/Firefox as a base.
I dont believe that their are other ties to the project. However, Google will be releasing a browser. Well, at least that is my prediction.
I am long time Mozilla suite user (from 0.94 as the only browser), and I have to say I miss robustness with FF:
1) I want both – mailer and browser
2) I want more functionality by default
OK, let’s say those two above point could be fulfilled by FF + TB combo, but FF was imo too early made 1.0. It is not that quality imo:
1) It starts slower than Mozilla here, though second start is noticably faster. OK, might be somethign with my system
2) Incompatible skin can break the system. Not even reinstall can solve possible bug, you have to remove profile
3) It creates multiple entries in Control panel instal/uninstall section. Those entries refer to the same install dir thoug, so removal of one of them will not allow you to remove the second (tested with RC1 and RC2)
4) tried RC2, went to options section and tried to find FF updates. I was told there is none. I want to be automatically notified of available update, not to check manually!
5) FF seems to do something to files associations! Now my .jpg open in MM or FF, instead of XnView. Also instead of launch of Acrobat Reader I am offered save dialog box. That happened to my friend too.
I just hope, that 1.0 adresses some of my above RC1, RC2 findings, because if not, how someone can call that 1.0 version? Those above issues turned into pretty annoyning experience, and that was not necessary imo …
-pekr-
I like the stuff the Mozilla Foundation has done, but I beLIEve it should be doing more marketing — the impression I get from this article is that the foundation will depend mostly on word of mouth (yes, I know of the NY Times ad). Marketing costs lots of money, and this brings me to my question. As things progress, how will the foundation run day to day — Financially? Does the Mozilla Foundation have any plans for bringing in a regular stream of revenue — other than the Mozilla store?
ps: I bought a T-Shirt. Did you?
To be successful Mozilla needs a _major_ backer — look @ Linux. Almost every major tech player (with the exception of Microsoft) backs it or contributes to it in some way or form (ie: IBM, HP, Sun, Oracle, etc….). Will we see a major player back Mozilla? Will IBM or HP start removing the ‘E’ from the desktop, and replace it with ‘The Fox?’
A decent DC application in linux is very welcomed.
Valknut is not yet there. plus is made with qt.
sorry, i posted on wrong topic
Sounds like you’re looking for Opera.
Are you able to sign up at http://www.spreadfirefox.com/ with FF 0.9.3 ?
I get a blank page, nothing else.
Firefox is excellent product and it is time to port it to many platforms.