6 ms·

Moving Forward with Firefox

104 points by ehPReth 12y ago

state 12y ago
I wish there was a page on mozilla.org with the title, 'This is how Mozilla makes money'.
- LawoftheHarvest 12y ago
  I was thinking the same thing today. I agree.
  - state 12y ago
    It's tough to read that post and not think 'how do these people make money?' Not as though there's some reason why they shouldn't — it's just not clear how it works.
- meritt 12y ago
  https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/faq/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/f... > How does Mozilla generate revenue? > The majority of Mozilla’s revenue is generated from search and commerce functionality included in our Firefox product through all major search partners including Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Amazon, eBay and others. Mozilla’s reported revenues also include very important individual and corporate donations and grants, as well as other forms of income from our investable assets.
- phaemon 12y ago
  Try: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/documents/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/documents/ It has their financial statements.
- eamsen 12y ago
  The Mozilla Foundation publishes an annual report[1] on that, which includes statements on its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. [1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/
  - k__ 12y ago
    Seems like Mozilla is more of an investment company than a software corp.
- Thiz 12y ago
  I believe Mozilla should start an advertising network and offer cloud services like webmail, docs, blogs, photos, etc so people create an everlasting bond with their properties while maintaining the open web motto they are already known and praised for. An extra couple billion dollars a year wouldn't hurt either.
  - techonup 12y ago
    And, you know, buy a video service and make some glasses too. All in the name of not doing evil, right?
    - ironsides 12y ago
      Dont forget maps, reviews, and a social network.
      - alexqgb 12y ago
        Also, cars.
        aragot 12y ago
        And drop the services we like a lot.
  - esfandia 12y ago
    Just a nice customizable home page would be great, something like My Yahoo or the defunct iGoogle but better. Provide nice calendar and weather widgets and a good API to develop more and you're good to go. Insert ads in the widgets at will. There's not much in the way of competition either.
- ironsides 12y ago
  Valid. Its nice to know where the money flows from. At the same time, I could care less how they make the money and more about 'this is how Mozilla disrupts'. That, if we get down to it, is what they were originally set out to do.
walterbell 12y ago
> today we combined our group focused on cloud services with the group focused on our Firefox desktop What are some examples of Mozilla products created by the "cloud services" group that will now be taking ownership of the browser? E.g. Persona, Sync, ..? Is the cloud services team separated from the advertising (tiles) team?
- eamsen 12y ago
  These are separated teams. Cloud services: https://wiki.mozilla.org/CloudServices https://wiki.mozilla.org/CloudServices Content services (tiles): https://wiki.mozilla.org/Content_services https://wiki.mozilla.org/Content_services
- gcb0 12y ago
  it is all the annoying services. Like sync. and you can bet anyone coming from one group will, even without noticing, push that group forward in his decisions. So expect some Gplus like moves from firefox in the near future.
userbinator 12y ago
"Moving Forward" "achieved positive growth again and dramatically reset our global search strategy" Did anyone else find those phrases to be a bit too much corporatese for Mozilla?
- ironsides 12y ago
  Agreed. Longtime user -- I was on the Netscape 4.3, then 7.1, Kmeleon project, then Phoenix, then Firdbird, then Firefox? I cant keep up. With that being said, Mozilla has been (in my mind) the pro consumer, pro internet org to challenge the establishment. So far, its worked wonders -- we have a diverse ecosystem, new burning edge interfaces and plugin market places to boot. The partnership with the Tor project gave me hope. However..reading that PR blurb/intro made me want to pluck out my eyeballs. Where is the heart? The direction? The challenge? Mozilla -- Its time you returned to your roots. Find the spark that set you free and fan the flames.
  - scrollaway 12y ago
    > Longtime user -- I was on the Netscape 4.3, then 7.1, Kmeleon project, then Phoenix, then Firdbird, then Firefox? I cant keep up. You named 5 things that happened in the span of 3 years over 12 years ago, and one that has been around for a decade. I'm pretty sure you can in fact keep up. > Where is the heart? The direction? The challenge? Please.
    - jd3 12y ago
      Exactly. Sounds like someone sorely needs to migrate to Mozilla Sui- cough seamonkey.
    - ironsides 12y ago
      /hate -- That was more or less intended to qualify that I wasn't some hit and run commentator talking out of my ass, but a passionate mozillian that has done my fair share of bugzilla triage. What else you got? Something about the cloud? Add in a few more buzzwords and throw it under the /corporate blog then apologize for it. I'd love to see some clarity, direction, and a genuine plan for impact in the future. Not a knee jerk deal with a failed search engine paired with some bumbling about consolidation, mergers and yes, the cloud. There is plenty of that type of 'news' on Forbes.
zobzu 12y ago
"A bit about Mark: he is well known as an elite technical leader not only within Mozilla, but in our industry." Anyone knows him outside of Mozilla?
- dblohm7 12y ago
  He is a former CTO of Joyent.
  - chris_wot 12y ago
    Oh, that's a GREAT choice for an open source project.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
guelo 12y ago
For the first time ever I had my sleaze senses tingling after a recent Firefox install. There is now advertising on the new tab page. And why was I forced onto yahoo search instead of giving me the option?
- msvan 12y ago
  1. I believe you can turn the ads off. Firefox needs revenue, like any other organization with employees to feed. 2. I believe you can change your search provider. Yahoo search was made the default because Yahoo pays Mozilla a lot of money for it. Mozilla needs money, see #1. If we can diversify the search market while supporting free software, that's fine by me.
  - Osmose 12y ago
    Also important to note that sponsored tiles disappear once you have enough history for the new tab page to fill with your favorite sites. I mean it's still ads (And I don't like them personally) but it's ads in a space that would otherwise be useless to users.
    - scrollaway 12y ago
      > but it's ads in a space that would otherwise be useless to users. Um, I don't have a problem with the new tab ads at all but this is a false justification. All those banner/block ads you see on the webs can be justified that way too.
- themodelplumber 12y ago
  That's funny. I felt almost the opposite, coming from Chrome. I completely blanked out the new tab page in about 5 seconds, and I was able to switch away from Yahoo in about 10. I'm not a big Firefox guy but was swayed by a recent writeup lauding the "Firefox is great for heavy tab users" aspect.
- coned88 12y ago
  You were forced into google search for the last 15 years but did you complain? It's simple enough to just switch it.
Blujay 12y ago
I sure hope they've vetted Mark Mayo to ensure that he doesn't hold any problematic political opinions.
- themodelplumber 12y ago
  That was sure a crazy situation in light of the fact that they have now partnered with (i.e. receiving money from) Yahoo. And it'll be interesting to see what happens in the future with the Yahoo / MS relationship.
hackuser 12y ago
> recently we have been exploring how we can integrate client software on desktops and mobile with cloud service approaches to evolve what Firefox can do for people. It will be interesting to see how the deliver those services while providing end-user control and confidentiality, and even monetizing the services at the same time. Even if they don't gain a lot of market share, the solutions to those problems could be very valuable socially, and Mozilla of course will liberate their tech and ideas so that everyone can benefit.
chris_wot 12y ago
What is this, a press release or a blog article? "...a much stronger foundation from which to build, grow and pursue our mission" "Moving Forward with Firefox" "Firefox turned a corner" "Mark’s entrepreneurial drive coupled with his holistic thinking, market orientation, and exciting vision for the future of Firefox make him the ideal person to lead this new team." I'll probably be downvoted for this, but whenever I see something like this I wonder why the other individual got pushed. There are far too many things unsaid.

104 points by ehPReth 12y ago

state 12y ago

I wish there was a page on mozilla.org with the title, 'This is how Mozilla makes money'.

LawoftheHarvest 12y ago
I was thinking the same thing today. I agree.
- state 12y ago
  It's tough to read that post and not think 'how do these people make money?' Not as though there's some reason why they shouldn't — it's just not clear how it works.
meritt 12y ago
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/faq/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/f... > How does Mozilla generate revenue? > The majority of Mozilla’s revenue is generated from search and commerce functionality included in our Firefox product through all major search partners including Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Amazon, eBay and others. Mozilla’s reported revenues also include very important individual and corporate donations and grants, as well as other forms of income from our investable assets.
phaemon 12y ago
Try: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/documents/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/documents/ It has their financial statements.
eamsen 12y ago
The Mozilla Foundation publishes an annual report[1] on that, which includes statements on its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. [1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/annualreport/2013/
- k__ 12y ago
  Seems like Mozilla is more of an investment company than a software corp.
Thiz 12y ago
I believe Mozilla should start an advertising network and offer cloud services like webmail, docs, blogs, photos, etc so people create an everlasting bond with their properties while maintaining the open web motto they are already known and praised for. An extra couple billion dollars a year wouldn't hurt either.
- techonup 12y ago
  And, you know, buy a video service and make some glasses too. All in the name of not doing evil, right?
  - ironsides 12y ago
    Dont forget maps, reviews, and a social network.
    - alexqgb 12y ago
      Also, cars.
      - aragot 12y ago
        And drop the services we like a lot.
- esfandia 12y ago
  Just a nice customizable home page would be great, something like My Yahoo or the defunct iGoogle but better. Provide nice calendar and weather widgets and a good API to develop more and you're good to go. Insert ads in the widgets at will. There's not much in the way of competition either.
ironsides 12y ago
Valid. Its nice to know where the money flows from. At the same time, I could care less how they make the money and more about 'this is how Mozilla disrupts'. That, if we get down to it, is what they were originally set out to do.

walterbell 12y ago

> today we combined our group focused on cloud services with the group focused on our Firefox desktop What are some examples of Mozilla products created by the "cloud services" group that will now be taking ownership of the browser? E.g. Persona, Sync, ..? Is the cloud services team separated from the advertising (tiles) team?

eamsen 12y ago
These are separated teams. Cloud services: https://wiki.mozilla.org/CloudServices https://wiki.mozilla.org/CloudServices Content services (tiles): https://wiki.mozilla.org/Content_services https://wiki.mozilla.org/Content_services
gcb0 12y ago
it is all the annoying services. Like sync. and you can bet anyone coming from one group will, even without noticing, push that group forward in his decisions. So expect some Gplus like moves from firefox in the near future.

userbinator 12y ago

"Moving Forward" "achieved positive growth again and dramatically reset our global search strategy" Did anyone else find those phrases to be a bit too much corporatese for Mozilla?

ironsides 12y ago
Agreed. Longtime user -- I was on the Netscape 4.3, then 7.1, Kmeleon project, then Phoenix, then Firdbird, then Firefox? I cant keep up. With that being said, Mozilla has been (in my mind) the pro consumer, pro internet org to challenge the establishment. So far, its worked wonders -- we have a diverse ecosystem, new burning edge interfaces and plugin market places to boot. The partnership with the Tor project gave me hope. However..reading that PR blurb/intro made me want to pluck out my eyeballs. Where is the heart? The direction? The challenge? Mozilla -- Its time you returned to your roots. Find the spark that set you free and fan the flames.
- scrollaway 12y ago
  > Longtime user -- I was on the Netscape 4.3, then 7.1, Kmeleon project, then Phoenix, then Firdbird, then Firefox? I cant keep up. You named 5 things that happened in the span of 3 years over 12 years ago, and one that has been around for a decade. I'm pretty sure you can in fact keep up. > Where is the heart? The direction? The challenge? Please.
  - jd3 12y ago
    Exactly. Sounds like someone sorely needs to migrate to Mozilla Sui- cough seamonkey.
  - ironsides 12y ago
    /hate -- That was more or less intended to qualify that I wasn't some hit and run commentator talking out of my ass, but a passionate mozillian that has done my fair share of bugzilla triage. What else you got? Something about the cloud? Add in a few more buzzwords and throw it under the /corporate blog then apologize for it. I'd love to see some clarity, direction, and a genuine plan for impact in the future. Not a knee jerk deal with a failed search engine paired with some bumbling about consolidation, mergers and yes, the cloud. There is plenty of that type of 'news' on Forbes.

zobzu 12y ago

"A bit about Mark: he is well known as an elite technical leader not only within Mozilla, but in our industry." Anyone knows him outside of Mozilla?

dblohm7 12y ago
He is a former CTO of Joyent.
- chris_wot 12y ago
  Oh, that's a GREAT choice for an open source project.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

guelo 12y ago

For the first time ever I had my sleaze senses tingling after a recent Firefox install. There is now advertising on the new tab page. And why was I forced onto yahoo search instead of giving me the option?

msvan 12y ago
1. I believe you can turn the ads off. Firefox needs revenue, like any other organization with employees to feed. 2. I believe you can change your search provider. Yahoo search was made the default because Yahoo pays Mozilla a lot of money for it. Mozilla needs money, see #1. If we can diversify the search market while supporting free software, that's fine by me.
- Osmose 12y ago
  Also important to note that sponsored tiles disappear once you have enough history for the new tab page to fill with your favorite sites. I mean it's still ads (And I don't like them personally) but it's ads in a space that would otherwise be useless to users.
  - scrollaway 12y ago
    > but it's ads in a space that would otherwise be useless to users. Um, I don't have a problem with the new tab ads at all but this is a false justification. All those banner/block ads you see on the webs can be justified that way too.
themodelplumber 12y ago
That's funny. I felt almost the opposite, coming from Chrome. I completely blanked out the new tab page in about 5 seconds, and I was able to switch away from Yahoo in about 10. I'm not a big Firefox guy but was swayed by a recent writeup lauding the "Firefox is great for heavy tab users" aspect.
coned88 12y ago
You were forced into google search for the last 15 years but did you complain? It's simple enough to just switch it.

Blujay 12y ago

I sure hope they've vetted Mark Mayo to ensure that he doesn't hold any problematic political opinions.

themodelplumber 12y ago
That was sure a crazy situation in light of the fact that they have now partnered with (i.e. receiving money from) Yahoo. And it'll be interesting to see what happens in the future with the Yahoo / MS relationship.

hackuser 12y ago

> recently we have been exploring how we can integrate client software on desktops and mobile with cloud service approaches to evolve what Firefox can do for people. It will be interesting to see how the deliver those services while providing end-user control and confidentiality, and even monetizing the services at the same time. Even if they don't gain a lot of market share, the solutions to those problems could be very valuable socially, and Mozilla of course will liberate their tech and ideas so that everyone can benefit.

chris_wot 12y ago

What is this, a press release or a blog article? "...a much stronger foundation from which to build, grow and pursue our mission" "Moving Forward with Firefox" "Firefox turned a corner" "Mark’s entrepreneurial drive coupled with his holistic thinking, market orientation, and exciting vision for the future of Firefox make him the ideal person to lead this new team." I'll probably be downvoted for this, but whenever I see something like this I wonder why the other individual got pushed. There are far too many things unsaid.