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I'm using Firefox 5.0.1, I just clicked "Check for updates" and it said I'm up-to-date. Shouldn't 6 come out first? Isn't it too early to talk about 7? I thin

by Maro 15y ago

I'm using Firefox 5.0.1, I just clicked "Check for updates" and it said I'm up-to-date. Shouldn't 6 come out first? Isn't it too early to talk about 7? I think this is bad marketing from Mozilla, they're totally confusing people.

wmf 15y ago
For better or worse, that's how open source works. You can't really control the message by keeping future versions secret.
fredleblanc 15y ago
Agreed. And in those charts, a view of Firefox 8 puts the memory back up a bit. A quick look makes it feel like two steps forward, one step back.
- pohl 15y ago
  http://blargon7.com/2011/07/endurance-tests-demonstrate-firefoxs-memory-usage-improvements/ http://blargon7.com/2011/07/endurance-tests-demonstrate-fire... Update: It appears that the explicit memory calculated for Firefox 7 on Mac was artificially low. This explains the slight increase in Firefox 8. If you’re interested you can read further details on Bugzilla. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=673851 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=673851
windsurfer 15y ago
Firefox 7 isn't even a real release. You'll have to wait for 8. The new versioning system uses the Fibonacci sequence, so that after 8, the next "real" release will be 13, and then 21 etc. This is why you're currently stuck on 5.
- samstokes 15y ago
  Satire much?
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
gcp 15y ago
6 = current beta, will become release in 1-2 weeks 7 = current alpha (Aurora), will become beta when beta gets released 8 = current nightly, will become Aurora when...you get the point So basically Firefox 6, 7 and 8 have already "come out" and you can use them if you're willing to run beta or alpha software. (In my experience, Aurora is already very stable, much more so than normal alpha software) The versions advance in a 6 weeks cycle. I'm guessing the above has been explained about 1000 times when Firefox 5 came out soon after 4, anyway.
Thrymr9 15y ago
You can pick the upcoming releases (beta, currently v6, or Aurora, currently v7) at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/ http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/
sp332 15y ago
I'm not sure how much you're joking, but Mozilla is releasing 3 versions at a time. Release, Beta, and Aurora. Right now, Release is on version 5, Beta is 6, Aurora is 7. You can get them from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/ http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/
andrewf 15y ago
Mozilla isn't marketing anything here. A journalist dug up information from a personal blog and the developer wiki.
- CWuestefeld 15y ago
  The problem is that those charts comparing memory usage all refer to future versions, so I have no idea how it'll compare to 5, the current version that I need to restart every 3 days to clean its memory usage.
scott_s 15y ago
I think Firefox is trying to adopt the Chrome model, which is that version numbers are for the developers only. End users shouldn't need to know which version they're running.
- mgkimsal 15y ago
  except for when things go wrong and they just say "I'm using firefox and your site is broken".
  - scott_s 15y ago
    If all browsers adopt the auto-updating model, that becomes less of a problem.
  - notatoad 15y ago
    and then you say "well, is your firefox updated?" no more of this "i'm going to stick with version 3.6 for now because i prefer that" nonsense. there is only up-to-date and outdated. yeah, it's a subtle and mostly psychological difference, but it is a difference.
    - mgkimsal 15y ago
      and then they respond with 1001 reasons why they can't update (security restrictions, corporate policies, etc). There has to be a line drawn - where do you draw it? If 5.0.1 came out yesterday, do you not support someone who is running 4.8 which came out 3 weeks ago?
      - notatoad 15y ago
        they respond with 1001 reasons why they can't update, you come back with "well that's too bad". the only way to change people's attitudes toward browser updates is to not tolerate outdated software. if we keep accommodating crappy IT departments, things will never change.

by Maro 15y ago

wmf 15y ago

For better or worse, that's how open source works. You can't really control the message by keeping future versions secret.

fredleblanc 15y ago

Agreed. And in those charts, a view of Firefox 8 puts the memory back up a bit. A quick look makes it feel like two steps forward, one step back.

pohl 15y ago
http://blargon7.com/2011/07/endurance-tests-demonstrate-firefoxs-memory-usage-improvements/ http://blargon7.com/2011/07/endurance-tests-demonstrate-fire... Update: It appears that the explicit memory calculated for Firefox 7 on Mac was artificially low. This explains the slight increase in Firefox 8. If you’re interested you can read further details on Bugzilla. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=673851 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=673851

windsurfer 15y ago

Firefox 7 isn't even a real release. You'll have to wait for 8. The new versioning system uses the Fibonacci sequence, so that after 8, the next "real" release will be 13, and then 21 etc. This is why you're currently stuck on 5.

samstokes 15y ago
Satire much?
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

gcp 15y ago

6 = current beta, will become release in 1-2 weeks 7 = current alpha (Aurora), will become beta when beta gets released 8 = current nightly, will become Aurora when...you get the point So basically Firefox 6, 7 and 8 have already "come out" and you can use them if you're willing to run beta or alpha software. (In my experience, Aurora is already very stable, much more so than normal alpha software) The versions advance in a 6 weeks cycle. I'm guessing the above has been explained about 1000 times when Firefox 5 came out soon after 4, anyway.

Thrymr9 15y ago

You can pick the upcoming releases (beta, currently v6, or Aurora, currently v7) at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/ http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/

sp332 15y ago

I'm not sure how much you're joking, but Mozilla is releasing 3 versions at a time. Release, Beta, and Aurora. Right now, Release is on version 5, Beta is 6, Aurora is 7. You can get them from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/ http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/

andrewf 15y ago

Mozilla isn't marketing anything here. A journalist dug up information from a personal blog and the developer wiki.

CWuestefeld 15y ago
The problem is that those charts comparing memory usage all refer to future versions, so I have no idea how it'll compare to 5, the current version that I need to restart every 3 days to clean its memory usage.

scott_s 15y ago

I think Firefox is trying to adopt the Chrome model, which is that version numbers are for the developers only. End users shouldn't need to know which version they're running.

mgkimsal 15y ago
except for when things go wrong and they just say "I'm using firefox and your site is broken".
- scott_s 15y ago
  If all browsers adopt the auto-updating model, that becomes less of a problem.
- notatoad 15y ago
  and then you say "well, is your firefox updated?" no more of this "i'm going to stick with version 3.6 for now because i prefer that" nonsense. there is only up-to-date and outdated. yeah, it's a subtle and mostly psychological difference, but it is a difference.
  - mgkimsal 15y ago
    and then they respond with 1001 reasons why they can't update (security restrictions, corporate policies, etc). There has to be a line drawn - where do you draw it? If 5.0.1 came out yesterday, do you not support someone who is running 4.8 which came out 3 weeks ago?
    - notatoad 15y ago
      they respond with 1001 reasons why they can't update, you come back with "well that's too bad". the only way to change people's attitudes toward browser updates is to not tolerate outdated software. if we keep accommodating crappy IT departments, things will never change.