I think Mozilla is also aware of the problematic perception that this particular release generated among onlookers. They've already spun 10 betas and are going

I think Mozilla is also aware of the problematic perception that this particular release generated among onlookers. They've already spun 10 betas and are going to make at least two more betas before the release candidates. It seems like the Firefox 4 project simply got out of control, there was no clear cut-off, features were added willy-nilly throughout the beta process, and the browser (for a while) seemed stuck in perpetual development. It doesn't look good, and doesn't make Mozilla look like they can ship without the temptation to add more or tweak more. Fx1.5 and 2 both had two beta releases. Fx3, 3.5, and 3.6 had five beta releases each. Fx4 is scheduled for at least twelve betas. They need a significant change in their project management, and setting a fast-paced roadmap is probably an aspirational way to force themselves to ship.