Amid abandonment and failures, is Firefox the walking dead?

[steven36]

Firefox OS is dead. Mozilla is giving up (again) on its Thunderbird e-mail client. And, the Firefox web browser's market share continues downhill.

 

Once upon a time I was a big Firefox fan.

Firefox 1.0 was a world better than the decrepit Internet Explorer 6 in 2005. A decade years later it's a different story. Mozilla and Firefox are the zombies, and IE -- alongside its Windows 10 browser cousin Edge, are alive and well.

 

How did Firefox go from being a popular, open-source web browser to the unpopular program it is today? It happened a little something like this.

Firefox just isn't that good anymore. I run all the major browsers and Firefox can't compete. It's been getting slower and klutzier release after release. I like Google Chrome the best web browser today, but I think it could stand some improvement and competition.

 

Unfortunately, Firefox is no longer a competitor.

 

This isn't just my opinion. The federal government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP), shows that Firefox has dropped in popularity from 11 percent in March to 9.7 percent in December. That's far behind, Chrome, with shy of 42 percent, and all varieties of IE with 22.2 percent.

In short, fewer and fewer people like Firefox.

 

It's not simply that Firefox is slow and prone to bugs. Mozilla's Firefox's parent organization, seems to be falling apart at the seams.

 

I date Mozilla's collapse to Brendan Eich, Mozilla co-founder and creator of JavaScript, being forced out as CEO in June 2014. Nine days after being named CEO. Eich went from Mozilla's savior to a pariah Eich's donation of $1,000 donation to the campaign supporting California's anti-gay-marriage Proposition 8 in 2008 led to a bloody internal fight. Eich eventually backpedaled from his position, but it was too little, too late.

 

Since then Mozilla has drifted both with its goals and its technology. Firefox, the web browser, became an after-thought. Mozilla's leadership put its focus on Firefox OS, it's smartphone operating system rival to Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

 

It failed -- badly.

 

By early December, the word was out. Mozilla was giving up on Firefox OS. Ari Jaaksi, Mozilla's senior vice president of connected devices, explained (perhaps as he was packing his desk): "Because we were not able to deliver the best user experience possible, we decided to stop offering Firefox OS smartphones through carrier channels."

 

Oh, in theory, Firefox OS will live on as Internet of Things (IoT), but that won't save Mozilla's bacon.

 

Neither will Thunderbird, a once popular e-mail client. Mozilla is trying, for the second time, to kill off Thunderbird. While web-based e-mail is now much more popular than clients, many old-time Mozilla fans aren't happy with Mozilla booting Thunderbird to the curb.

 

Equally damaging was when Mozilla alienated its loyal developer community by deprecating XPCOM and XUL, the foundations of its once popular extension system. Mozilla also annoyed its users by quietly deploying Suggested Tiles, a built-in commercial ad system.

 

Three months later, Mozilla killed the unpopular program.

 

Mozilla also replaced its profitable Google ad deal with three different search engine deals: Yahoo, Yandex, and Baidu. How much does Mozilla make from these deals? We don't know. Mozilla isn't saying.

We do know, however, that Yahoo is in a world of hurt thanks to its most mistakes.

 

Ironically, in its latest financial report, for 2014 but just released earlier this month, the Mozilla Foundation has its best financial year ever. The foundation increased its revenue from $314 million to more than $329 million. In the bank, Mozilla has $266.5 million in assets. Of course, this was all before Mozilla turned away from Google and to Yahoo for its main revenue stream.

 

While Mozilla may be cash-rich, it's hard to see where it goes from here. It's grand plan for the future, Firefox OS, is a dead operating system walking. The Firefox web browser continues to bleed both users and developers.

 

Mozilla and Firefox will continue to stumble forward, but it's both a zombie group and product. It's only a matter of time until both expire once and for all.

 

Source

 

 

[mirassol]

Sad, is it not ?

[dMog]

well there is always chrome  and recently

i have been trying opera

[Stanners]

Going to miss firefox its been a long time since I fired it up.

[stylemessiah]

You can always find statistics to bash a program/thing

 

The fact is as long as they keep making Firefox, ill keep using it

 

Sure you could be like the foolish sheep that use Chrome, but im the

kind of person who doesnt like giving everything i type away via telemetry....

[Airstream_Bill]

I uninstalled Firefox 3 months ago.  Do not miss it at all.

[DKT27]

While the whole article seems to be Firefox bashing and most might be even true, but Firefox getting slow, that's the most incorrect statement out there. Sunspider, Mozilla's Kraken, Google's Octane, Peacekeeper, all of them show Firefox to be the current leader in benchmarks. Where as about 10 versions ago, it was not even half of the speed of others. So how can it be that Firefox is getting slow, any reason behind it.

[licurg]

51 minutes ago, DKT27 said:

While the whole article seems to be Firefox bashing and most might be even true, but Firefox getting slow, that's the most incorrect statement out there. Sunspider, Mozilla's Kraken, Google's Octane, Peacekeeper, all of them show Firefox to be the current leader in benchmarks. Where as about 10 versions ago, it was not even half of the speed of others. So how can it be that Firefox is getting slow, any reason behind it.

 

 

Same reason as before, and it's been discussed over and over again: it's not Firefox per se, it's all those poorly written add-ons. 
Alas, users are mostly unscrupulous and continue to overburden the browser with a gazillion of various extensions, not even thinking about how stable or reliable their code may be. 
The result of this negligence is overall sluggishness, instability, and systematic crashes. The devs have been trying to streamline the whole process, but you can't get control over hundreds and hundreds of third-party add-ons or the user's common sense.

Hence the constant weeping and gnashing of teeth...
 

[Holmes]

Firefox is not dead and the article and its author is obvviously against firefox firefox os is dead I dont doubt firefox browser no.  I use it and am going to continue to use it I have tried google chrome and opera they are both using chromium I liked opera presto after that opera died inho.  Firefox has gotten better after each release with me its not slow at all this article is full of sh*t.

[steven36]

6 hours ago, DKT27 said:

While the whole article seems to be Firefox bashing and most might be even true, but Firefox getting slow, that's the most incorrect statement out there. Sunspider, Mozilla's Kraken, Google's Octane, Peacekeeper, all of them show Firefox to be the current leader in benchmarks. Where as about 10 versions ago, it was not even half of the speed of others. So how can it be that Firefox is getting slow, any reason behind it.

That part I dont agree with with myself  really  . But the rest  of it is true  ..I fell that a Google Chrome fanboy  wrote the article though .  For a very long time I dreaded to see updates of it because of more changes for the bad  than good.  I  got so fed up before with there changes before that I used Cyberfox for awhile . Now there removing there  code and slowly replacing it with Google's ideas . Its even going cripple Cyberfox  it already started with version 43.  I put in ESR version  now to get away from all of there changes and slowly am migrating to other browsers before they change ESR to 40 x code base  .

 

5 hours ago, licurg said:

 

 

Same reason as before, and it's been discussed over and over again: it's not Firefox per se, it's all those poorly written add-ons. 
Alas, users are mostly unscrupulous and continue to overburden the browser with a gazillion of various extensions, not even thinking about how stable or reliable their code may be. 
The result of this negligence is overall sluggishness, instability, and systematic crashes. The devs have been trying to streamline the whole process, but you can't get control over hundreds and hundreds of third-party add-ons or the user's common sense.

Hence the constant weeping and gnashing of teeth...
 

That's were you're wrong only one or 2 add on that were ever made that used that much memory and they were adblockers  and they have  improving there memory  use even .

Its more of the fact is if we cant use ADD-ONs  we like and  want ..then that just makes Firefox  like any other  browser out there we may as well use chrome  or something else once they break add-ons  there fixing to lose like half there users  soon as they change  the api and there dropping off like flies already and switching to other browsers .  

 

Don't forget Firefox done failed once under poor management once when it was  Netscape .  Look at what happen to Opera when it became too much like Chrome . We don't need a another Chrome with a  fox on it  there are already many Chrome browsers to chose from and only one has any bearing  at all on the marketshare  and that's Google.

 

 

http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201411-201511

 

Firefox  dropped from a not very high market share according to statcounter of 16.74%  from NOV 2014 to 14.72 %  in NOV 2015 . That's a whole lot for a browser who has no marketshare  value much no ways . But still don't head the warnings and continue to remove things that's not broke its like there committing slow Suicide . I gave up any hope they will recover .

 

 

[licurg]

42 minutes ago, steven36 said:

That part I dont agree with with myself  really  . But the rest  of it is true  ..I fell that a Google Chrome fanboy  wrote the article though .  For a very long time I dreaded to see updates of it because of more changes for the bad  than good.  I  got so fed up before with there changes before that I used Cyberfox for awhile . Now there removing there  code and slowly replacing it with Google's ideas . Its even going cripple Cyberfox  it already started with version 43.  I put in ESR version  now to get away from all of there changes and slowly am migrating to other browsers before they change ESR to 40 x code base  .

 

That's were you're wrong only one or 2 add on that were ever made that used that much memory and they were adblockers  and they have  improving there memory  use even .

Its more of the fact is if we cant use ADD-ONs  we like and  want ..then that just makes Firefox  like any other  browser out there we may as well use chrome  or something else once they break add-ons  there fixing to lose like half there users  soon as they change  the api and there dropping off like flies already and switching to other browsers .

 

Don't forget Firefox done failed once under poor management once when it was  Netscape .  Look at what happen to Opera when it became too much like Chrome . We don't need a another Chrome with a  fox on it  there are already many Chrome browsers to chose from and only one has any bearing  at all on the marketshare  and that's Google.

 

 

http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201411-201511

 

Firefox  dropped from a not very high market share according to statcounter of 16.74%  from NOV 2014 to 14.72 %  in NOV 2015 . That's a whole lot for a browser who has no marketshare  value much no ways . But still don't head the warnings and continue to remove things that's not broke its like there committing slow Suicide . I gave up any hope they will recover .

 

 

 

Hmm, a load of rubbish I have just read, as Yoda would have put it.

Obviously, you haven't got the slightest idea what I was talking about, but the fact that you bothered to reply (albeit with too extensive complaining) is heartwarming still, as it suggests that even despite all your errs, you're among the people who would be sad to see FF go... Otherwise why would you start this thread?

Thats' what matters here.
 

[steven36]

1 hour ago, licurg said:

 

Hmm, a load of rubbish I have just read, as Yoda would have put it.

Obviously, you haven't got the slightest idea what I was talking about, but the fact that you bothered to reply (albeit with too extensive complaining) is heartwarming still, as it suggests that even despite all your errs, you're among the people who would be sad to see FF go... Otherwise why would you start this thread?

Thats' what matters here.
 

I don't use browsers  based on like or dislikes  of a certain of a certain company or marketshare even . I used them based on do they make things  more easy and better for me . When  they start making changes to make it to simplified  that it cant do what I want it's time to move on .  By the time they get  done with  it most will be glad its gone . Maybe they will become like opera and become bottom feeders who knows? Its like when they made Windows 10 they said Evolve or Die. I Evolved alright I switched to Linux , But  the difference  is for the billions of people left  on windows  they will have to Evolve or Die.  But  in the case of Firefox its already dead   just about everyone uses  Chrome  already . So Firefox don't have the luxury that Microsoft has. The fact is  Mozilla  is not even run by the same person  anymore . They got rid of the person who made Firefox the browser I use to love  and now beginning  to hate . Poor management  is the downfall  of most every business  that keeps collapsing Like Mozilla is today . You can say people are crying or complaining   all you want but people are  who has to use it  and without people  Firefox would never  exist  and will not exist   .

 

You're  blaming it on  that some people use too many  add-ons   will if that were the case it was in the past  and it was not because they used too many it was because  the adblocker  they used  was slowing them down .  That's the only slow down I ever had I changed ad blockers  and most of the footprint went away.  Now they have improved memory usage after it was too late that will never get back all the users they lost . Now most developers don't want  make addons at all for them anymore because Firefox will simply break  there add-ons soon . And ADD-ons are only reason some of us still use it.  The only thing they have going for them.

 

Now they seem to improved  browser speeds somewhat but that still wont  get back the users they lost . I used Firefox back when it was really  slow in v2 still it was much better than IE  was at the time .

[CODYQX4]

7 hours ago, licurg said:

 

 

Same reason as before, and it's been discussed over and over again: it's not Firefox per se, it's all those poorly written add-ons. 
Alas, users are mostly unscrupulous and continue to overburden the browser with a gazillion of various extensions, not even thinking about how stable or reliable their code may be. 
The result of this negligence is overall sluggishness, instability, and systematic crashes. The devs have been trying to streamline the whole process, but you can't get control over hundreds and hundreds of third-party add-ons or the user's common sense.

Hence the constant weeping and gnashing of teeth...
 

Except I can load 40-50 addons in Chrome and it runs fine.

 

Admittedly I have 32 GB of RAM to burn, but no crashes, jankiness, or other ill effects.

 

Firefox becomes an alien inconsistent mess with the same thing, all the addons can't even bother to use the same size buttons, or play well together.

[steven36]

59 minutes ago, CODYQX4 said:

Except I can load 40-50 addons in Chrome and it runs fine.

 

Admittedly I have 32 GB of RAM to burn, but no crashes, jankiness, or other ill effects.

 

Firefox becomes an alien inconsistent mess with the same thing, all the addons can't even bother to use the same size buttons, or play well together.

What good is using 40  or 50 addons  in chrome  when most are broke? I cant even use my download manger  with it because they  broke the addon  for it over a year ago . Things like Canvas  block and stuff don't  work for it anymore and they will never have good video download support  . they ban video downloaders and stuff because they own YouTube . This is the very reason most of us don't want them to change to Google's api!!!

[Pequi]

I still use Firefox 17 ESR with a startup bat, a massive host file and dozens of about:config hacks. Plus noscript and a handfull of other extensions.

When I start up Firefox Wireshark shows no activity at all.

 

My son uses Android/Chrome. If he even "breaks wind" Wireshark goes crazy and logs megabytes of data(mining). He'll probably get an ad for simeticone the next day.

 

The downside is I've had to authenticate my gmail account 5 times in the last fortnight. Google complains it does not know who I am, and warns me I might have been hacked.. Or is that an upside ?

[CODYQX4]

24 minutes ago, Pequi said:

I still use Firefox 17 ESR with a startup bat, a massive host file and dozens of about:config hacks. Plus noscript and a handfull of other extensions.

When I start up Firefox Wireshark shows no activity at all.

 

My son uses Android/Chrome. If he even "breaks wind" Wireshark goes crazy and logs megabytes of data(mining). He'll probably get an ad for simeticone the next day.

 

The downside is I've had to authenticate my gmail account 5 times in the last fortnight. Google complains it does not know who I am, and warns me I might have been hacked.. Or is that an upside ?

When I block stuff, all captchas think I'm a bot.

 

You're some alien robot if you care about your privacy in this Facebook world I guess... Certainly feels like I'm from Pluto and stuck on the wrong planet sometimes.

[Holmes]

I use firefox with the about:config hacks I have and addons I use and dont have any complaints its not slow or any of what is mentioned in this thread.

[steven36]

4 hours ago, Holmes said:

I use firefox with the about:config hacks I have and addons I use and dont have any complaints its not slow or any of what is mentioned in this thread.

If you use Firefox 43 one thing you don't have is the  hack  to get you're old search back they removed it and in Firefox 44 you will no longer to able to use not singed addons and some  time in the future   the only add-ons  that going work will be chrome ones. There sure is a lot to look forward too.

 

6 hours ago, Pequi said:

I still use Firefox 17 ESR with a startup bat, a massive host file and dozens of about:config hacks. Plus noscript and a handfull of other extensions.

When I start up Firefox Wireshark shows no activity at all.

 

My son uses Android/Chrome. If he even "breaks wind" Wireshark goes crazy and logs megabytes of data(mining). He'll probably get an ad for simeticone the next day.

 

The downside is I've had to authenticate my gmail account 5 times in the last fortnight. Google complains it does not know who I am, and warns me I might have been hacked.. Or is that an upside ?

For me this is not a problem I stopped using Google services  in 2011 when they changed there privacy policy . I have a different email now . Im using ESR for now that will work tell it gets bumped  up and stuff stops working see in Linux were far ahead  of windows as far as  Firefox  even our ESR has x64  . Linux  has had Firefox x64  for along time.

[Pequi]

7 hours ago, CODYQX4 said:

When I block stuff, all captchas think I'm a bot.

 

You're some alien robot if you care about your privacy in this Facebook world I guess... Certainly feels like I'm from Pluto and stuck on the wrong planet sometimes.

I choose "sound" or "audio" and download the mp3s with wget, and play them on Winamp. I never could solve captchas. The sound files are easy.

[CODYQX4]

Just now, Pequi said:

I choose "sound" or "audio" and download the mp3s with wget, and play them on Winamp. I never could solve captchas. The sound files are easy.

I find them 100% impossible. Too fast and too distorted.

 

It'd be easier for me to shoot myself in the head and then solve a Rubik's Cube un 30 seconds than it would be to solve the last sound captcha that Google gave me.

[Holmes]

I havent updated to firefox fortythree yet I have firefox forty.  Capchas are not cool its takes me some tries to get them to work sometimes I go wtf that was right you dumb c*nt..

[smallhagrid]

FF no longer renders this site properly for me - so I'm using Palemoon right now.

 

Actively switching to K-Meleon as it is light, fast & does all I need.

 

A shame about FF though, it has been my most used app for many years.

[steven36]

2 hours ago, smallhagrid said:

FF no longer renders this site properly for me - so I'm using Palemoon right now.

 

Actively switching to K-Meleon as it is light, fast & does all I need.

 

A shame about FF though, it has been my most used app for many years.

K-Meleon don't  have  the addons like palmoon does  do it?  Right now i have Palemoon beta , Firefox ESR  and Slimjet  in Linux . Once ESR  goes  to Firefox 45.2  2016-05-31. Im going leave Firefox for good . On windows i been lazy i just have Firefox esr  lol

[wavymavy]

Behind the times I guess i'am.  I thought firefox was still the cats meow!  Tried maxthon and seems to be interesting.