Mozilla chair defends Firefox release schedule
Mitchell Baker, Chair of the Mozilla foundation has acknowledged that companies may experience issues with the rapid release schedule of the Firefox web browser, but considers those problems secondary to the alternative of supporting new features for a year or more.
In a blog post, Baker said that, “A browser is the delivery vehicle for the Internet. And the Internet moves very, very quickly. Philosophically, I do not believe a product that moves at the speed of traditional desktop software can be effective at enabling an Internet where things happen in real time. If we want the browser to be the interface for the Internet, we need to make it more like the Internet. That means delivering capabilities when they are ready. That means a rapid release process. If we don’t do something like this the browser becomes a limiting factor in what the Internet can do.”
Baker pointed out that the two main problems businesses experience with the rapid release schedule is add-on compatibility issues with newer versions of the browser, and the possibility that businesses don’t have the time to upgrade their systems on such a regular basis.
Mozilla has already implemented more active enterprise level support for customers, though Baker admits this strategy isn’t perfect yet. “I know that’s not a perfect answer, and it’s not a promise that we can meet everyone’s needs perfectly,” Baker said. “Despite this, I believe the rapid release process is the right direction,” she concluded.
Read the full story over at: Cnet.
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