The Day Firefox Became Firedog
Today is the 5th birthday of Firefox, the browser which helped revolutionize the way people interact with the Web. Amid reports of still more bugs, a remake of the browser, and as always – more ad-on utility, it may be this time tested tool is at the end of its developmental cycle. That is unless there really is a “next generation” version waiting in the wings.
Like most of you, this writer has traversed the gambit of browsers over the years, for one reason or another. Switching browsers, of course, being one of the most aggravating and least user friendly tasks any surfer can imagine. From Netscape Navigator, to Internet Explorer, to Safari, over to Flock, and up to Chrome, browser experience at its best reveals itself in stability. Claims of speed, bells and whistles, or any other criteria being what they are today, in the end people just need stuff to work. For Firefox (and the others) dependability is not always their forte. In the last 8 weeks (or more) I have threatened to dump FF like a bad egg (but have not as of yet). Why? Because the sucker crashes 3 times a day when I least need it to.
The Damnable Bug
According to news from ComputerWorld today, FF has accounted for fully 44 percent of all reported browser bugs, at least for the first six months of this year. Hm! Maybe this is why mine has crashed like the Hindenburg in 2009? Firefox is no stranger to “bug wars”, if we can call its proclivity for goofing up when you need it that. This latest report via CW cited research done by an independent firm, Cenzic, which measures browser security metrics among other things. One criteria measured is of course the number of reported bugs, for which FF tops the list (big surprise). A statement from Johnathan Nightingale, manager of the Firefox front-end development team, was issued in response to this news:
“The Cenzic report seems to measure security by overall bug count, and we’ve been pretty vocal about why that’s a flawed metric.”
Obviously, FF wants the focus to be on “security” as a buzz selling point, rather than if their stuff works well or not. I know, browser security is important, but the locks on a door to a car which does not run seem a little redundant to me. Beyond the rhetoric and BS about one browser’s superiority over another, usability simply has the be the defining characteristic of any tool. In the dependability department over the last year perhaps, FF has failed on nearly all counts in many people’s opinion. Now as to the “why” of the situation.
Apples and Oranges
We need not get too far into the “why’s” of user preferences for browsers so much, but it is necessary to look at one in order to more appropriately evaluate (in a short article) Mozilla’s offering. Sure they fix the bugs in record time, yes the flexibility and security is there, but an inherent flaw in their vision is apparent. FF is essentially a patchwork of utility. Okay, what does that mean? About 6 months ago I was talking with the CEO and founder of the social Web browser Flock, Shawn Hardin, wherein he explained a little about this “inherent flaw” out of course.
Just for background, Flock is built upon FF, taking advantage of the inherent speed and architecture of the browser. I asked Shawn about Flock’s speed as many people logically assumed FF is faster because Flock is not built atop it. Essentially, Shawn explained that while FF is “integrated” with Flock (meaning uses), the utilities and features intermix perfectly and without conflicts. As for FF as a stand alone entity, depending on the ad-on utilities an individual chooses, the browser will be less and less stable and quick. There is also a thing called “perceived speed”, as well as measurable speed for Firefox with a variety of add-on junk too. In point of fact, on of the biggest calling cards for Firefox may simply be a fallacy, depending greatly on a user’s configuration.
I never actually understood why Flock did not become more popular (save they never listened to me about suggested utility). As for FF now, I think it needs a major overhaul as has been suggested. Real or perceived speed, security, and even coolness are meaningless to individuals and professionals when it comes to these tools. Over engineering is the blight of just about every development out there, particularly those that “tack on” function like FF has. Getting it done faster and more securely loses its appeal when stuff breaks down like this. We are looking at a “tortuous and hare” story now, with users needing the former badly. The fox has become a fat junk yard dog.
About the Author
Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. Phil wrote in the past for ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, Profy, SitePoint, Search Engine Journal, AltSearchEngines. Follow Phil on Twitter or send him an email at phil [at] pamil-visions [dot] com.
Debbie, if you do not know why he should retire, I am the least of persons to tell you. While ...
Really? Tiger should retire? That's the dumbest thing I've read by far. What does his personal life have to do ...
Hey Phil,
Its been a while.
Just wanted to know what Veer has achieved so far.
Box office India is saying its below ...
I read this article and i must say you ____. 
I agree wholeheartedly - but what can we do? I only wrote the story to announce the puzzling news - ...
Thanks for helping spread the word about HAPPO Kristen! As you point out "The Internet has made it even easier ...
Comment by Matt Keegan on 10 November 2009:
My, have the mighty fallen! I was thrilled when Firefox was launched, but most of the sheen has faded, particularly over the past year.
I now find myself using Google Chrome more often, not supplanting Firefox completely, but enough times to demonstrate that my unwavering loyalty with FF isn’t the same as it once was.
FF crashes seem to have diminished lately, but I’m all the more careful to save my work or do most of it through a document file and posting that to the internet once I’m finished with my work.