14 DAY TRIAL // Any change to a product with a dedicated following is going to spark discussions. Even the slightest tweak on Facebook is met with a barrage of complaints. So Mozilla's move to release a new Firefox version every six weeks, a major departure from the previous release schedule, has had its fair share of critics.
The most recent wave came as Mozilla debated whether to get rid of version numbers in the About box. The discussion soon degenerated into a broader debate of whether rapid release cycles are a good move.
But Mozilla is adamant about its position, rapid release cycles are better. A browser needs to move at the speed of the web, anything else means that the web is being held back by the tool we use to consume it, Mozilla Chair Mitchell Baker believes.
"Before Mozilla instituted the rapid release process, we would sometimes have new capabilities ready for nearly a year before we could deliver them to people," Baker wrote.
"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," she explained.
She acknowledges that there have been problems, some harder than others to solve. But she believes that Mozilla can eventually fix them, though probably not all.
Of course, no one expects Firefox to be everything to everyone. But moving faster means that any issue can be fixed faster and that there's greater flexibility in adapting to where the web is heading rather than hindering its development.
"We need to be creative and try to find practical ways of alleviating these difficulties if we can. This is true for the enterprise use case, and it’s true for the add-on experience," she said.
These are the two biggest problems that have risen after the move. Enterprise users can't upgrade every six months and felt betrayed by Mozilla's move.
Likewise, add-on developers can update their creations every six months. Mozilla is addressing this by automating the process, but some add-on still get left behind.
"I know that’s not a perfect answer, and it’s not a promise that we can meet everyone’s needs perfectly. Despite this, I believe the rapid release process is the right direction," Baker concluded.