The long road ahead for Firefox

With the release of Firefox 3 Beta 1, Mozilla continues to demonstrate a commitment to Web standards, Web developers, and savvy Web surfers. Full page zoom, tagging, revised bookmark management and a revised download manager are just a few of the features technology reviews are spotlighting. Although plausible deniability was acceptable in the past, Mozilla now claims to have also plugged over 300 memory leaks, improving performance considerably.

The reliability and trustworthiness of Firefox as a cross-platform browser appears to be rising steadily. This recent beta was primed for Windows, Mac and Linux, with each candidate receiving OS-specific feature updates and additions. Especially among techies, it is difficult to find detractors who loathe Firefox to the extent that some hold contempt for Internet Explorer. As the production release of Firefox 3 approaches, and given the amount of praise and adoration the browser receives, one has to question why the adoption rate has not skyrocketed.

A helping hand from Google

When Google entered into a marketing relationship with Firefox, suggesting users download the browser from their homepage, I was convinced this was all the publicity the browser needed to hit the US mainstream. According to SpreadFirefox.com, this is actually the first time Google has featured any third-party software from the homepage. There is no doubt this show of support had a lasting impact, and Google continues to tout the browser as the perfect alternative to Internet Explorer.

Yet, there is a lesson to be learned from this experiment, and any organization forming a partnership with Google in hopes of fame and fortune should heed the warning. Google is not the Internet. The entrance into pop-culture, and the adoption of the company name into our everyday vernacular (as a verb) is indeed a phenomenon. However, the moms and pops of this world are not swayed by this unwavering popularity. The simple suggestion from a search engine to download software is still questionable to the average Internet user.

This trepidation is the unfortunate result of millions of computer owners being inundated by viruses, trojans and spyware. Most users are unfamiliar with the intricacies of browser security, and any Web site recommended download (even in the name of safe, secure browsing), is seen as an attempt to overtake the system. A commendation from Google will do nothing to assuage the anxiety, and bashing Windows as the culprit will not convince people to switch to a Mac, or Firefox. The answer instead is anti-virus software. Because no browser maker would be stupid enough to guarantee a perfectly secure Internet experience.

This is not to say that Firefox could not make significant strides if several outlets began forcing, or strongly suggesting users download the browser. If Amazon, eBay, YouTube, Myspace and Blogger.com all began flaunting the download, it would not take long before the masses jumped on the bandwagon. Constant and consistent name recognition would help users to feel at ease, and more people would accept the browser as a mainstay on the desktop given the proper “evangelistic outreach”.

It really is about convenience

This got me to thinking about the real reason why the average Internet user will never download Firefox — convenience. There is a creeping suspicion that Netscape was onto something when the corporation sued Microsoft for anti-trust violations. At the time many of us could not understand what we are fully aware of now. How is it that in a free enterprise system, a dying company like Netscape could throw such a fit over something as insignificant as a browser? To those shaking their fists at Internet Explorer, it is incomprehensible that Netscape would settle the suit, and many open-source technology advocates would love to see Microsoft forced to include another browser in Windows.

If I were to sum up the thoughts of those who own a computer with Windows, and who use Internet Explorer, it would have to be, “We use it, because it’s there.” I have lost count the number of times I asked family or friends to open up a browser, and they respond with, “You mean the ‘e’ on the desktop?” The ‘e’ of course being IE. This common familiarity and convenience is why so many users would not switch to Firefox. To them, the ‘e’ is the Internet. As ridiculously childish as it may sound to many of us, this is the hard truth. Security issues? There is no connection. Update the anti-virus software, or update Windows.

The counter-argument to this, is that we need to teach younger generations to adopt Firefox. As the family technology gurus, we can slowly breed out (not literally please) Internet Explorer, hide it from view, and convince others that Firefox is the new Internet. I have my doubts about this approach as well. My time is precious, and as much as I am affected as a Web developer by what is considered a poor implementation of standards, it takes a lot longer to explain why we should no longer be clicking the ‘e’. You can tell me I am lazy, or crazy, or a little of both, but it still does not change the fact that Firefox has a long road ahead.

• Posted by Brian
• November 29th, 2007