Comments on: Labs ideas to investigate survey results http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/ Exploring the Future of the Web Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:31:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: arielb http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1643 arielb Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:50:01 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1643 inline pdf? does that mean I don't have to wait 5 years to load up acrobat just to see a pdf? Yes, that would be good inline pdf? does that mean I don’t have to wait 5 years to load up acrobat just to see a pdf? Yes, that would be good

]]> By: arielb http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1601 arielb Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:36:56 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1601 The fact is that features do sell the browser but it takes the right features. If there is one feature that "did" it for the Firefox switch, it is tabs. This is something that simplifies the vast amount of information that's out there in a clear, easy to use way. I think the next big feature could be clippings-the ability to bookmark part of a webpage. Clipboards in general are minimal in Windows...the Office clipboard is very good but you don't find it in the browser and it's certainly not integrated with bookmarks. I think we're running into a major problem with extensions. Yes, a firefox without any extensions has less bloat but it's superficial. Everyone seems to want quite a few not so esoteric features and we have a mess! UI bloat with options menus everywhere, lack of QA and major memory bloat. There are the support issues and of course you have to really look for these things. It makes for a wonderful chaotic pool of ideas but at a major cost of usability. The fact is that features do sell the browser but it takes the right features. If there is one feature that “did” it for the Firefox switch, it is tabs. This is something that simplifies the vast amount of information that’s out there in a clear, easy to use way.

I think the next big feature could be clippings-the ability to bookmark part of a webpage. Clipboards in general are minimal in Windows…the Office clipboard is very good but you don’t find it in the browser and it’s certainly not integrated with bookmarks.

I think we’re running into a major problem with extensions. Yes, a firefox without any extensions has less bloat but it’s superficial. Everyone seems to want quite a few not so esoteric features and we have a mess! UI bloat with options menus everywhere, lack of QA and major memory bloat. There are the support issues and of course you have to really look for these things. It makes for a wonderful chaotic pool of ideas but at a major cost of usability.

]]> By: Anonymous http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1046 Anonymous Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:56:00 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-1046 Some of the things listed do not belong as features in the browser. Take for example IRC client. We already have Chatzilla. It works fine as a Firefox plug-in. In the long-term future it may be a separate application running on XUL-runner featuring Cross-app integration with other xulrunner apps including Firefox. (Indeed both of those apps have been mentioned in the context of xulrunner hosted apps. For the shorter term, it would make more sense to be an included plug-in in a "Batteries Included" download of firefox. (I.E. comes with common plug-ins and plug-ins that provide commonly requested features). The plug-ins included with that would all be well tested, and known to work properly. Some of the things listed do not belong as features in the browser. Take for example IRC client. We already have Chatzilla. It works fine as a Firefox plug-in. In the long-term future it may be a separate application running on XUL-runner featuring Cross-app integration with other xulrunner apps including Firefox. (Indeed both of those apps have been mentioned in the context of xulrunner hosted apps.

For the shorter term, it would make more sense to be an included plug-in in a “Batteries Included” download of firefox. (I.E. comes with common plug-ins and plug-ins that provide commonly requested features). The plug-ins included with that would all be well tested, and known to work properly.

]]> By: Sohil http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-94 Sohil Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:52:47 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-94 Bloat is adding unnecessary new features not enhancing current ones. Native PDF Support, Safari Like RSS Reader (or better yet, like Flock) and Drag & Drop Functionality are something I would love to see. Bittorrent meh. I have Azureus. Site Specific Options. Yes Please. Web Snippets. Yes, Blogs No. Online Sync. Sure. Leave a browser as a browser About the Drag and Drop, You can drag something from the Menu Bar to the Status Bar. You can't do that in Firefox. And you can put individual bookmarks anywhere you want in Opera, not in Firefox. I filed a bug about this but it was repeatably WONTFIXED Bloat is adding unnecessary new features not enhancing current ones. Native PDF Support, Safari Like RSS Reader (or better yet, like Flock) and Drag & Drop Functionality are something I would love to see.

Bittorrent meh. I have Azureus.

Site Specific Options. Yes Please.

Web Snippets. Yes, Blogs No.

Online Sync. Sure.

Leave a browser as a browser

About the Drag and Drop, You can drag something from the Menu Bar to the Status Bar. You can’t do that in Firefox. And you can put individual bookmarks anywhere you want in Opera, not in Firefox.

I filed a bug about this but it was repeatably WONTFIXED

]]> By: Sam Hasler http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-74 Sam Hasler Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:40:24 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-74 I assume the vast majority of the people responding were Firefox users, although there may have been some users of other browsers who keep and eye on Fx development. It would have been interesting if you had also asked what people's primary browser was, so that you could separate the results by browser and see what features are possibly keeping people on other browsers, which features Fx users were envious of and which features were desired regardless of browser. Assuming there were differences you could then make decisions based on whether you wanted to add features your current userbase wants or features that users of other browsers desire and which might increase your market share. The former might make sense if you think that people are sticking to other browsers for reasons other than the lack of a specific feature in Fx and therefore pursuing the latter would not lead to growth. OTOH you might think that current users have learnt to deal with some of the inadequacies of Fx and aren't the best indicators of where change is needed and would benefit just as much from the changes that users of other browsers prefer. I assume the vast majority of the people responding were Firefox users, although there may have been some users of other browsers who keep and eye on Fx development. It would have been interesting if you had also asked what people’s primary browser was, so that you could separate the results by browser and see what features are possibly keeping people on other browsers, which features Fx users were envious of and which features were desired regardless of browser.

Assuming there were differences you could then make decisions based on whether you wanted to add features your current userbase wants or features that users of other browsers desire and which might increase your market share. The former might make sense if you think that people are sticking to other browsers for reasons other than the lack of a specific feature in Fx and therefore pursuing the latter would not lead to growth. OTOH you might think that current users have learnt to deal with some of the inadequacies of Fx and aren’t the best indicators of where change is needed and would benefit just as much from the changes that users of other browsers prefer.

]]> By: theo http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-72 theo Wed, 06 Sep 2006 02:14:53 +0000 http://labs.mozilla.com/2006/08/labs-ideas-to-investigate-survey-results/#comment-72 Even though I personally hate Acrobat (especially its INSANE, multi-reboot requiring auto-update feature), I'm surprised by how much dissatisfaction there is with Adobe's bloatware: over 70% of respondents. If I were Mozilla, I would start discussing the bundling of alternative PDF viewers. Even if Mozilla decides not to go that route, the threat of migrating 15% of web users away from Acrobat Reader should be enough to force Adobe to focus on improving performance. Even though I personally hate Acrobat (especially its INSANE, multi-reboot requiring auto-update feature), I’m surprised by how much dissatisfaction there is with Adobe’s bloatware: over 70% of respondents.

If I were Mozilla, I would start discussing the bundling of alternative PDF viewers. Even if Mozilla decides not to go that route, the threat of migrating 15% of web users away from Acrobat Reader should be enough to force Adobe to focus on improving performance.

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