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WilksNet
Musings on Mozilla, Linux, Apple, and open source software
Mozilla Should Ship Firefox 4 Now
I noticed an interesting suggestion on the Firefox Meeting Notes from yesterday.
Have you used Beta 8? It’s awesome. We need to ship this. May require re-scoping features such as:
- WebGL
- Hardware Acceleration
- Panorama
After I thought about it for a few minutes, I came to the same conclusion. Mozilla should ship Firefox 4 now, and quickly add features that aren’t quite done, like WebGL or Panorama with version updates like 4.1, 4.2, etc. This aligns perfectly with what I’ve said before about Mozilla keeping pace with Google on how fast they update Chrome.
Firefox 4 is awesome and Mozilla has put a ton of work and resources into it. It’d be nice to see it in the wild and then start improving it immediately with small, fast updates. In today’s fast changing web climate, I think it makes more sense to keep a quick dev cycle that integrates a smaller number of new features into the browser. This will mean that users will have more to learn about more often, but I think it has to be that way.
The only way for Firefox to keep pace with Chrome on speed and features will be if they start releasing new versions every 4-6 weeks while simultaneously maintaining Firefox’s rock solid foundation.
A New Tab page for Firefox 4
I’d like to start working on a concept for a New Tab page in Firefox 4. I’ve been thinking for a long time that Firefox could use an awesome, lightweight, functional new tab page instead of just the blank page people see now. I have a lot of ideas. If you’re interested in working with me on an open source Firefox 4 extension, let me know.
A stable, high quality Android ROM
If you’re the proud owner of the original Motorola Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, or HTC Evo and you’d like to explore the wonderful world of Android ROMs, check out CCRoms.net. The project leader at CCRoms, cvpcs, just released version 2.0.0 of his popular Android ROM for these five phones.
The “GEM” series of Android ROMs (link | changelog):
- Emerald – HTC Evo 4G
- Obsidian – Droid X
- Ruby – HTC Droid Incredible
- Sapphire – Original Droid
- Tanzanite – Moto Droid 2
The most stable versions of this ROM are for Sapphire and Ruby. Obsidian and Tanzanite are in Beta, and Emerald is in Alpha.
If you’re interested in installing a custom ROM for your phone, I highly recommend CCRoms. They have a great online community at both Droid Forums and on IRC on Freenode (channel #cvpcs).
Installing a custom ROM for your Android phone is not for the faint of heart. It requires a strong desire to customize your phone, get the latest software from Google, and it’s slightly risky. If you’re on board, check it out. I’ve really enjoyed the software so far.
Also, cvpcs is working on Gingerbread (Android v2.3) and will likely release that in his next GEM release. Stay tuned… 
Firefox 4.0 Beta 8
Mozilla has released the last beta of Firefox 4 for 2010. Beta 9 is in the dev phase and will likely be released sometime in January. What’s new in Beta 8? Let’s see:
- Firefox Sync setup has been simplified and streamlined
- Speed, functionality, and compatibility improvements to WebGL
- Fit and finish for the new add-ons manager
- A ton of bugfixes
My understanding is that Firefox 4 is now feature complete and the add-on API is stable. This means that the team will be working feverishly to triage bugs, fix bugs, and stabilize the code for release candidate phase.
Issues
I do have two issues with the latest beta release. Number one, I’m not a big fan of the location change for the Home button. I have no idea why they moved it to the right side of the navigation toolbar, but nevertheless they have. It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to arbitrarily move the button. Number two, lack of UI for Firefox Sync. Sure it’s seamless and the setup has been improved, but power users like myself have no insight into how it’s working, what it’s doing, or if it’s even doing its job.
Other than that, I love the latest beta releases and things are looking up for Firefox. The team is making huge strides in speed, performance, and features. I think end users are really going to like it when it’s finished.
After version 4
I think one thing Mozilla absolutely must do after they release Firefox 4 is get on par with Google when it comes to iterating releases. Firefox needs to gain improvements and new features much faster and without iterating the major browser version number. Version 4.1 should have a healthy dose of improvements and should probably see the light of day two months after version 4.0 is released. If Mozilla can pull that off, they’ll be in excellent shape to compete with Chrome.
Mozilla Foundation Chair Mitchell Baker Defines the Mozilla Decision Making Process
“Sometimes people think we’re naive — or even lying — when we say these values are what drive us as we build consumer products. However unusual it may sound, these values are the foundation of our work.”
Mozilla Decision-Making Process
Ars Technica Reviews Four Books on Net Neutrality
“In Internet time, things change fast. Google is moving into televisions. WikiLeaks is changing the paradigm of international relations. Newspapers, movies, radio and TV are all available on handheld devices. And the FCC is poised to act on far-reaching rules of the road for the Internet. Four new books offer different maps of this territory from different angles, none capturing completely the thin line we tread between information utopia and a preprogrammed cultural dystopia.”
Give this some time and some thought.
*Adds to his Kindle wishlist*
Trouble on the Net Neutrality Front
An excerpt of Al Fraken’s op-ed on the Huffington Post:
“But grassroots supporters of net neutrality are beginning to wonder if we’ve been had. Instead of proposing regulations that would truly protect net neutrality, reports indicate that Chairman Genachowski has been calling the CEOs of major Internet corporations seeking their public endorsement of this draft proposal, which would destroy it.” (Source Link)
Good point. I am starting to think that net neutrality supporters who initially praised Chairman Genachowski are having second thoughts. There’s also a lot of turmoil in the net neutrality arena because while we want a free and open Internet we don’t want it controlled by either corporations or the government (in a perfect world…).
Based on how Chairman Genachowski and Obama have behaved, I don’t know that I can trust any President or government agency to truly protect the Internet. It seems, due to a lack of understand as well as political forces, we aren’t getting the kind of support we need for net neutrality.
I’m reading Jonathan Zittrain’s excellent book “The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop It” right now. I’ll start reading similar books in the near future in order to get my facts straight. But the fact of the matter is that I know enough to understand the issue of net neutrality and I understand enough to know it’s vitally important if we want the Internet to remain a level paying field.
I don’t like Comcast’s On Demand service. It sucks. However, I very much enjoy Netflix and I prefer watching Netflix to watching Comcast On Demand. Senator Franken points out that if Comcast gets its way, it would have the power to squish Netflix bandwidth and give preference to On Demand bandwidth. That’s wrong and it goes against every basic principle of net neutrality. In a free and open Internet, Comcast would have to deal with the fact that people prefer and enjoy watching Netflix over their On Demand service, and Comcast would have no choice but to leave Level 3 alone.
Preview: What’s new in Firefox 4
• Complete User Interface overhaul
• Tabs on Top
• App Tabs
• Switch to Tab
• Firefox Button
• New Stop/Reload button
• Bookmarks button
• Plugin crash protection
• Native video support via WebM
• New Add-on manager
• Firefox Sync
• Panorama Tab Organizer
• Faster page rendering
• Faster start-up
• Better security
• Auto-updater built into About Firefox
• JagerMonkey JavaScript Engine
• WebGL Hardware Acceleration
• OpenType Fonts
• Increased support for various web standards, like HTML5
Google’s Vint Cerf Speaks Out Against the UN
Governments shouldn’t have a monopoly on Internet governance
If people stand up and speak out against every attempt to control the Internet and stifle its growth, we’ll be in good shape.
