Firefox/Planning/2012-10-31

« previous week | index | next week »

Planning Meeting Details

• Wednesdays - 11:00am PDT, 18:00 UTC
• Mountain View Offices: Warp Core Conference Room
• Toronto Offices: Finch Conference Room
• irc.mozilla.org #planning for backchannel
• (the developer meeting takes place on Tuesdays)

Video/Teleconference Details - NEW

• 650-903-0800 or 650-215-1282 x92 Conf# 99696 (US/INTL)
• 1-800-707-2533 (pin 369) Conf# 99696 (US)
• Vidyo Room: ProductCoordination
• Vidyo Guest URL

REMEMBER

These notes are read by people who weren't able to attend the meeting. Please make sure to include links and context so they can be understood.

Schedule & Progress on Upcoming Releases

Firefox Mobile

Beta (17)

• Crash fixes

Aurora (18)

• IME fixes
• Crash fixes

Nightly (19)

• Progressive tile drawing is now enabled by default bug 795259, bug 803013
  • Also turned off java screenshots with that
• Expire unused tabs bug 792143
• IME fixes
• Crash fixes

Firefox Metro

• Platform work moving ahead to get elm migrated to m-c
• Product and UX are working on finalizing user stories/requirements for the initial launch.
• First draft of MVP Feature list available and entered into Bugzilla, queries available at Metro Wiki Page
• Initial round of LOE estimation is finished

Add-on SDK

Release (1.10 -> Firefox 16, 17)

Stabilization (1.11 -> Firefox 17, 18)

Development (1.12 -> Firefox 18, 19)

User Experience (design & research)

• [Firefox Concept Week]
  • The Firefox UX/UR team had a great Concept Week last week. Lots of interesting ideas that came out of the research -- Larissa Co already wrote a great overview earlier this week: https://blog.mozilla.org/ux/2012/10/fx-concept-week/, keep an eye the Mozilla UX blog for further updates as we all plan to write about the experience.

• [User Research - Project Meta]
  • Project Meta - AKA the Firefox user segmentation project, starts next week! We will be in the field all week in Toronto, Charlotte, NC, and Los Angeles.

• [desktop]

• • [Australis] (Zhenshuo)
    • Australis customization mode and notification exploration
    • Working with SUMO team on the new Help menu in Australis, and possible firstrun/update experience.

• • [Social API] (Boriss)
    • Filing remaining polish & performance bugs now that we have a wider audience
    • Collecting feedback from beta users on user experience issues
    • Sketching v2 features

• • [newtab2/hometab] (Boriss)
    • Digitizing new mockups for next version
    • Getting plan for prototype implementation together

• [project SPF (security/privacy)] (Larissa)
  • Close out on HSTS Cert Error message (for now-- doing an entire revamp of all these messages in the future)
  • Discuss Stub Installer implications with Metrics team to try and come up with the design solution (w/ Stephen)
  • Take another crack at Mixed Content site identity messages
  • Schedule brownbag!!!

• [metro] (yuan)
  • Iterating on the Settings Charm UI for Firefox Windows 8 v2. About Firefox Page. v1: http://cl.ly/image/3a3C3A0L170b
  • Keep supporting the implementation on StartUI,and portrait mode.
  • Testing out the touch interactions using Windows 8 TouchMouse.

• [android] (ibarlow)
  • Polishing the Private Browsing UI -- more finalized look http://cl.ly/image/3y0J140E3P2C and http://cl.ly/image/3o3Y1z0x451S
    • bug 806927 PBM - Add menu controls
    • bug 806929 PBM - Add context menu controls
    • bug 806932 PBM - Add controls for tab button long press
    • bug 806933 PBM - Add tab menu controls
    • bug 806937 PBM - Change UI theme for private tabs
    • bug 806938 PBM - Tab tray changes
  • More finalized look:
• Error page / Safe browsing UI refresh mockups: http://cl.ly/image/3G42273f3b2j

Market insights from the Product Marketing Strategy Team

Desktop / Platform

Google

• Google launched the Get Your Google Back campaign. This effort targets Windows 8 users, showing how to put a link to the Google search engine on the Start screen and how to make Chrome the default browser.
• The Chrome Remote Desktop tool left beta and is now generally available as Chrome extension.
• Chrome 24 will ship with Shadow DOM and MathML, and the webkit prefix for window.performance.now() has been removed.
• Google launched Free Zone, a tool to use Google Search, Gmal, and Google+ on mobile phones without incurring any operator data charges. Optimized for feature phones, it is currently being tested in the Philippines.

Microsoft

• The European Union has ruled that Microsoft need not be forced to open its Windows RT operating system to rival browsers.
• The EU, however, also sent a formal Statement of Objections to Microsoft regarding its removal of the browser ballot screen in Europe from February 2011 to July 2012. Microsoft has 30 days to respond, at which time the EU may choose to fine the company.
• The Microsoft BUILD conference is underway, and the company is offering developers $8 developer SDK accounts, $92 off the regular price

Opera

• Opera released its Q3 2012 financial results, showing revenue growth of 40% to $56m for the quarter, with EBITDA of $17m. The number of operator-installed Opera Mini browser users increased 112% to 42m

Yahoo!

• Yahoo! announced that their web properties would not honour the DNT flag sent by IE10 browsers

Mobile

Windows Surface was released:

• general consume version, enterprise-optimized version to come later
• "personal" and "about you" positioning, common with Windows Phone
• strategy shift from "personal computer to personal computing"
• use cases: domestic entertainment (HDMI, USB ports) and personal productivity (hardware keyboard, stand)
• reviews are reserved due to steep learning curve of new UX, sluggish performance and app catalogue

Windows Phone 8:

• re-written to be based on Windows NT kernel -> app portability with Windows 8
• key features: data usage management, wallet and personal organizer tools, sharing optimizations
• personal and individual-centric messaging
• main critique points: lack of upgrade path for Windows Phone 7 users and under-competitive app catalogue
• flag-ship device: Nokia Lumia 920, to be available in North America and Europe
• other OEMs: Samsung, HTC, Huawei

Google Nexus and Android 4.2:

• announced Nexus 4, 7 and 10, to be available on the 13th of November
• Android 4.2 key features: multiple user support for tablets, wireless display sharing, swipe-based keyboard input and photo-taking enhancements

Marketing, Press & Public Reaction

Mobile

• As of today, Firefox for Android has a 4.0 star rating in the Google Play Store
• Firefox's Youtube page has been revamped w/ improved design and video-viewing flow
• Current Projects
  • Releases
    • FX17 to feature ARMv6 and A11y, FX18 to feature Phishing and Malware Protection
  • ASO (App Store Optimization, similar to SEO)
    • New Description in the Google Play Store, project underway to re-design screenshots
  • Revising Android snippet messaging on about:home to improve CTR
  • Strategy work for 2013 is underway
• Recent & Planned communications:
  • October 30th: Firefox & You focused on "Halloween & Security"
  • November 3rd: Social Posts (Twitter & FB) to promote Firefox for Android

Press

Great CEO profile on Gary on BBC.co.uk last week:

• Friday Boss: Mozilla's Gary Kovacs

Additional coverage resulting from the Social API release on Oct. 22nd:

• Mozilla Begins Firefox Social API Testing

Neutral/straight-forward coverage resulting from Friday's 16.0.2 release:

• Firefox update fixes security flaws
• Mozilla Firefox 16.0.2 Locks Down on Location Security

Let there be cake!

• Internet Explorer and Firefox teams celebrate new versions with cake-giving tradition
• Mozilla sends Microsoft a cake for shipping IE10