Firefox 6, Bet 1 Available

[Allan]

Release News: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/6.0beta/releasenotes/
  Download Firefox Beta in your language:
  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html                                        

[Salmon Trout]

Version 6 due for release 16 August...

[soybean]

Wow, they're pumping the new versions out fast and furious.

[Geek-9pm]

Wow, they're pumping the new versions out fast and furious.

Yeah. Why? I just got version 5.
Was I asleep for a month?

[BC_Programmer]

Yeah. Why? I just got version 5.
Was I asleep for a month?

it's their (ridiculous IMO) new "fast-release" schedule. I think this was spurned by two things:

-Chrome versions adding up fast (version 12 currently, I believe).

-One of the firefox devs read a book on agile programming and is now an expert.

As far as I'm concerned, the differences between Firefox 4 and Firefox 5 come nowhere near what ought to be required for a major version change. I mean, sure, there is no real rule saying what does and does not constitute such a change, but to me, changing the major version for a few tweaks and speedups, and fixes, seems a bit dishonest, if not just confusing.

TO make things worse there is already discussion about how a nightly build of Firefox 8 is faster than Chrome 14. Chrome is on version 12. what the heck is going on

Next we'll have MS release a press release saying that while IE 9 is slower than Chrome 12 and Firefox 5, IE 13 will be faster than Chrome 19 and Firefox 11. And announcing how their version numbers will no longer be sequential but be numbered using the fibonacci sequence.

[Geek-9pm]

but be numbered using the fibonacci sequence.

Great Revelation! So, what would be the next number after 9 or 12 ?

[patio]

If the browser works...and does what you need why complain about they choose to go to market ? ?

[Geek-9pm]

If the browser works...and does what you need why complain about they choose to go to market ? ?

Patio .. Great logic. From now on we should call you Plato instead of Patio.

Here is my theory. Want it see it? 
That is what I thought you would say.

The mew programmers coming  from  the junior colleges were told the use of long integers instead of floating point would speed up most system level programs. One of them noticed that the version numbers were floating point and ....   

[BC_Programmer]

If the browser works...and does what you need why complain about they choose to go to market ? ?

Because it fails epically at many of Demings 14 points.

• Create constancy of purpose.
• Adopt the new philosophy.
• Cease dependence on mass inspection to achieve quality.
• Minimize total cost, not initial price of supplies.
• Improve constantly the system of production and service.
• Institute training on the job.
• Institute leadership.
• Drive out fear.
• Break down barriers between departments.
• Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and numerical targets.
• Eliminate work standards (quotas) and management by objective.
• Remove barriers that rob workers, engineers, and managers of their right to pride of workmanship.
• Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
• Put everyone in the company to work to accomplish the transformation.

I guess my real problem is more or less with the whole idea of "agile" programming, which from the sounds of things they are embracing very badly. To go faster, slow down. Everybody who knows about orbital mechanics understands that.

[Transfusion]

... isn't Mozilla Firefox open source to begin with?
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. -wikipedia.
In this case, Minimize total cost, not initial price of supplies, institute training on the job, and drive out fear are inapplicable.


Fine print on Mozilla.org:
Portions of this content are ©1998–2011 by individual mozilla.org contributors. Content available under a Creative Commons license.


Creative commons license, and the work is done both by teams of devs and individual devs.

[BC_Programmer]

... isn't Mozilla Firefox open source to begin with?

Yes... What is your point?

[Transfusion]

wouldn't the individual profits gained by marketing an open-source project be miniscule?

[BC_Programmer]

wouldn't the individual profits gained by marketing an open-source project be miniscule?

Mozilla is nearly 85% financed by Google. other companies, like AOL, and of course individual users, will occasionally make donations as well. But Mozilla still has a actual contract with Google, What  those contracts entail aren't disclosed, though. I imagine the "always default to google search" is part of it.

Honestly that is what sort of get's me. Google can pay off Mozilla to set their search as the default, but Microsoft "isn't allowed" to set bing as the default in their own browser? Or set any defaults in the OS to their software, for that matter. What makes the two so intrinsically different that one is evil and the other is good.

Oh I know- Google's motto is "Do no evil" so clearly they have our best interests at heart.  . Obviously they are getting something out of the contract, since they have their own browser, Chrome, which is a direct competitor with FF.

[patio]

And all that is about to change soon...

Full Story...

[patio]

wouldn't the individual profits gained by marketing an open-source project be miniscule?

You're confusing open source with non-profit...
Many Linux distro developers do very well indeed...