Firefox/Features/Installers: Difference between revisions

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→‎Reasons for channel switching and using the same install name for release, beta, and aurora

Robert Strong

Confirmed users

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 Let's say I decide to test the Beta:
 * I get the downloadable installer, branded "Firefox Beta" everywhere. No version numbers anywhere.
 * I install the thing, and end up with an entry called "Firefox Beta" in my start menu.
 * When I click the Firefox Beta entry, it starts '''in parallel with my existing, running Firefox'''. It has a blank profile that is associated only with the Beta.
-* The first page I see is "Congratulations, and thanks for helping us test Firefox Beta. Here's how to set up Sync if you want your data to exist in all of your Firefox setups."
+* The first page I see is "Congratulations, and thanks for helping us test Firefox Beta. Here's how to set up Sync if you want your data & settings to exist in all of your Firefox setups."
-* I set up Sync, have my data & settings available, and I'm able to quick switch between Firefox and the upcoming Firefox+1 (= Beta) to see if the project I'm currently working on is working the way it should in the upcoming version
+* I set up Sync, have my data & settings available, and I'm able to quickly switch between Firefox and the upcoming Firefox+1 (= Beta) to see if the project I'm currently working on is working the way it should in the upcoming version
 ** I can even run an experimental new Firebug in the Beta, and have my stable Firebug in the Release version.
-** When e.g. Firefox 4 release upgrades to Firefox 5, my Firefox Beta will automatically be what will become Firefox 6.
+* When e.g. Firefox 4 release upgrades to Firefox 5, my Firefox Beta will automatically be what will become Firefox 6.
-* I can keep these entries around, and always be able to test the latest on each channel, with a minimum of confusion, since the application name always reflects what I'm looking at.
+* I can keep these start menu entries around essentially forever, and always be able to test the latest on each channel, with a minimum of confusion, since the application name always reflects what I'm looking at.
 === Summary ===
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 # Have separate process names, like firefox-beta.exe, firefox-aurora.exe, etc.
 # All of them would run in separate profiles '''by default'''.
+I believe this is conceptually simpler for the end user, easier to work with for us, and solves the testing use cases in a better way than what replacing the binary from under you will accomplish.
+== Original proposal: Optimize for the majority of users ==
+(This section is by Robert Strong)
+=== Overview ===
+As I understand the purpose from several discussions starting well over a year ago, we want to increase the number of "regular" users running Aurora and Beta builds where regular is more representative of the majority of Firefox users. If that is the primary goal then we should optimize for that case and the only time we shouldn't optimize for that case is when it prevents power users (developers, web developers, etc.) from being able to use Firefox.
+Firefox has never supported side by side installations of release builds without the person performing the installation performing additional steps. For example, on Windows existing shortcuts for a release build will be replaced and on Mac the installation requires installing into a location where there isn't already a release build installation by dragging the Firefox icon to a location outside of the dmg's user interface. Even with the newly proposed naming this will still be the case.
+For the web developer case I believe a better solution should be created that doesn't get in the way of us implementing features like channel changing. Sayer brought this up to me recently and we came up with an outline of how this could be accomplished that addresses the naming issue under discussion as well as the pre-existing naming issue when installing multiple releases.
+=== Reasons for channel switching and using the same install name for release, beta, and aurora ===
+* Channel changing is much simpler. When channel switching there are less options to choose from, less steps to perform, and a single user interface for the user to interact with (About window vs. About window, web page, download manager, and installer) when compared to installing. Simplicity is a key point because of the audience we want to attract.
+Windows installation:
+# Open the Firefox About window
+# Click Link
+# Download installer and wait for download to complete
+# Launch installer
+# Click next
+# Click next
+# Click install and wait for install to complete.
+# Click finish
+Channel change:
+# Open the Firefox About window
+# Click change channel
+# Select channel
+# Click apply and wait for download to complete.
+# Click restart
+Note: even if the installer were simplified there is likely no way installing a side by side installation will ever be simpler than changing channels.
+* When channel changing the end result is a single installation instead of multiple installations (e.g. Firefox vs. Firefox, Firefox Beta, and Firefox Aurora). For some users I highly suspect they will end up with an unused installation of Firefox just sitting there taking up space.
+* When channel changing the end result is a single shortcut in the standard Windows' locations instead of multiple shortcuts in the standard Windows' locations. I highly suspect this will be confusing for some users.
+* Metrics has previously tried to find out why there is a drop off between users downloading and the first launch of Firefox and as of today we don't have a good understanding as to why there is this drop off. Channel changing would not be affected by this drop off where as having users download and install almost certainly will be.
 ==Decisions==