Tags: browserwars, Cloud, Fiorefox 5, Firefox 4, Firefox 6, Firefox 7
Mozilla posted a huge update to its 2011 browser roadmap that reflects the company’s intentions to ship at least twice as many browser version per year as it has in the past. There is a strong focus on a narrow set of operating systems and a first taste of Mozilla’s interpretation of cloud computing. If Mozilla can stick to its plan, we should be seeing Firefox 7 by the end of the year.
It has been no secret that Mozilla would be adjusting its release schedule to react to changing trends in user behavior. However, those changes are much more dramatic than we anticipated. According to a new roadmap, Mozilla plans on releasing Firefox 4, 5, 6 and 7 this year. It is a much more evolutionary approach than what we have seen in the past – up until version 3.5, Mozilla planned two major new browser releases every year, but fell quickly behind when Google accelerated the
innovation pace with Chrome.
So far, we only know that Firefox 4 is still on target for a late February release and that Firefox 5 is aimed for a late H1 2011 release. Firefox 4 is a massive upgrade, which goes deep to the browser’s core. Future versions will have less substantial upgrades, but are likely to at least improve the perception of a much fresher browser. The currently suggested changes for the next browsers include:
Firefox 5:
- Account Manager
- Simple Sharing UI
- UI Animation
- 64 Bit on Windows
Firefox 6:
- Web Applications
- FasterCache
- OSX 10.7
- JS Optimizations
Firefox 7:
To support all those faster changes, Mozilla considers a through revamp of its shipping startegy. “Changing the way we ship products will require the re-evaluation of many assumptions and a large shift in the way we think about the size of a “major” release. The criteria for inclusion should be no regressions, well understood effects for users, and completion in time for a planned release vehicle.” Future releases are proposed to have add-on binary compatibility, continued support of older browser releases and a large beta testing base.
The company identified seven key tasks for 2011, which include a much more responsive browser, a way to embrace cloud computing in an app environment, more UI enhancements as well as a narrow focus on operating systems.
It is interesting to see that Firefox will focus on “modern” operating systems and platforms, including Windows 64, Mac OS X 10.7, Android 3 and ARM CPUs. This list is unlikely to be complete, but it may reveal a focus. Of course, Windows 32-bit will still be there, but there is suddenly a question mark behind evolving platforms such as MeeGo. and the Maemo of the past. I do not think that Mozilla has ironed out its platform support strategy yet, but it is clear that the company is thinking about what matters and what not.
Possibly most important are the notes on cloud computing, which will be critical to Mozilla’s survival, given Apple and
Google’s approaches to build somewhat closed platforms with iOS and Chrome OS. Microsoft will certainly also aim to pitch IE as a the key browser for its future Windows 8 and it will be tougher for Mozilla to make the case for an alternative browser.
Future Firefox browsers are said to have
- Design and implement open systems for Identity and social interactions
- Design and implement Web Application Framework
- Implement missing pieces of CSS/HTML required for compelling Web Applications
Also, Mozilla wants users to “never” lose their data again and use “cloud-based” storage to take their data wherever they go. “Our mission implies a vision where the currently closed App ecosystem and walled social ecosystems are replaced with Open Web Platform based alternatives,” Mozilla wrote. “While this may not be realizable within the next calendar year, a co-ordinated vision of what we’re building towards will help keep our product plans on track and inform our technology choices.” These choices are traditional computers, tablets and smartphones that display web pages and run apps in a “web engine” such as Firefox, Safari, IE and Chrome. That vision may already be endangered as the role of the browser on smartphones, which almost entirely run apps today, has become an app in itself. It is not the engine anymore that drives apps.
Firefox’ advantage may be its ability to tie different platforms together through one unique and very capable browser.
The roadmap update
