Mozilla, the company behind the popular open source Firefox web browser recently struck a quite lucrative deal with Google for providing the big G with a default search box and google search start page. Apparently, 900 million (over three years) is not enough for the company; however, as they have started asking for user donations of at least $10.
According to their new story page, "We believe the Web is a place where anyone can come to build their dreams." The non profit states in the accompanying video that they are more than just a web browser, they are a global community fighting to keep the web a good, innovative place. And that, they argue is why they need your support; to make the web a "force for good by making a donation today."
Personally, this feels like a cross between late night PBS broadcasts as a kid and Wikipedia’s pleas for donations. Sure, if you are a big fan of Firefox it couldn’t hurt to support them; however, I don’t think they are going anywhere any time soon. What are your thoughts on this as a user?
I’ve always been a Mozilla
I’ve always been a Mozilla users. As Firefox. Before it was Firefox. Back when it was Netscape. In fact, I was an engineer at Netscape in the late 90s.
This has just driven me away. Chrome has a significant lack of the extensions I want (and their tabs/bookmarks/panorama-eye-candy-tabs stuff is all very lacking), but between this and the ridiculous rush to have the highest browser version number while focusing on making their browser Facebook-ified and Twitter-ified has just driven me away. If they were hurting for cash, I’d be fine. Value for value. But $300,000,00/yr deal with google as well as other forms of support and they’re asking me for $10+? Nope.
The only thing I don’t like
The only thing I don’t like about FF is the “ooops” page that thinks your browser closed because of an error when all u did was press the X to close the browser window but I’m sure thats some bug….
I hate how you can close all
I hate how you can close all browser windows without the process dying so that when you try to launch it again it just gives you an error message that it’s already running, maybe if they had that fixed I’d be happy enough with the browser’s usability to donate
Giving $10 as a show of
Giving $10 as a show of support? I don’t think so. Firefox seems to have lost its way. A new version every 6 weeks is ridiculous. Developers of plug-ins can’t keep up with a cycle like that. Nor can adequate testing be done. For example, version 8.01 came within 48 hours of 8.0 release and the same happened when 9.01 came out within 24 hours of 9.0.
And Firefox’s change from disabling plug-ins to allowing them whether they work or not is an invitation to disaster. Non-technical users (a huge majority, I would guess) may not have the skills to determine whether plug-ins are working properly.
Filling Firefox with developer tools is another mistake. Why should all users pay the overhead and possible security vulnerabilities for tools so that a very small minority of users (developers) are happy?
Chrome and IE actually do the
Chrome and IE actually do the latter more than Firefox does. Press F12 in either of those two.
Never been a fan of Firefox.
Never been a fan of Firefox. Not for any particular reason though, just never got into it. I like chrome ‘cuz of it’s small footprint, but that’s not the point.
What I find interesting is it’s been so long since I’ve seen the donation based freeware formula being used.
Back in the day ALOT of software was distributed this way. If you wanted pc-zip lets say, you’d log on to a bbs and clog up your phone line for a couple of hours downloading it, or you could pick up a copy at radio shack on a unlabeled 3.5″ floppy for less than $5, and it was fine %100 complete operating copy, but every time you opened the program it would ask you for a donation. Giving money never changed the software at all, there was no registration code to remove the money plea, no extra features or anything, just the warm feeling inside that you were helping some poor developer pay for his grocery bill.
It was a model that, let’s be honest, never worked. Back then if you were savvy enough to know what a bbs was you felt privileged enough to never pay for ANYTHING. “Why would I pay for dos 6.2.2 when I can just go to a WAREZ bbs and get it for free,” was the mentality of the day, so the thought of paying cash to some dude out there not even trying to protect his intellectual property was absurd.
For Mozilla to try this old failed income system seems foolish to say the least. A good number of current users will {wrongly} feel offended that they are being asked for money and switch, and most of the rest will probably completely ignore it and keep using the browser for free.
It’s true what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same
PKZIP, I meant to say PKZIP
PKZIP, I meant to say PKZIP not PC-Zip, sorry
I use FF solely for its
I use FF solely for its plugins, lots of very useful ones, if they fix that crash bug that me and martin mentioned I’d be the first to donate.
FireFox is a browser built by
FireFox is a browser built by the users for the users, not like others. It is community that needs funding, To not it dirt by the competitors. More they can make it easier for developers with tools etc The more they are going to give back.
I think they need it easier to report bugs and help out the developers so they can make a difference. The more then know what to fix the more they can.
Also I think rewards and incentives to help FireFox and teach kids to program for their platform would be good.
All non profit organizations need help.
We vote with are money who wins or deserves to be around
So, I’m curious. Does this
So, I’m curious. Does this mean that you will actually donate money to this cause? Will you, truthfully, vote with your money, or is this just talk?
A “non-profit” organization.
A “non-profit” organization. A fiction. 900 millions of $ is far from profit, indeed… And yet they call for 10$ donations, how typical socialistic efficiency.
This is communism at its best gentlemen, the only thing that communism is good at are revolutions, something that FF already did (it has overthrown stagnated IE6), after revolution every communism begins to die due to self-corruption and socialistic inefficiency. Just let it die and switch already to some proper capital-driven browser like Opera, Chrome, Safari, or even IE which reacted to competition in a good capitalistic way.
Why don’t Mozilla buy a bunch
Why don’t Mozilla buy a bunch of Asian ball caps sans logo and put Mozilla on them at least offer something for the $10″donation” that is tangible and not leave you with a empty feeling like political donating does.
Happy to donate. Just did 25$
Happy to donate. Just did 25$ per month. Firefox has been my browser since the early 2000s, more than happy to give back to those who are working behind it. I don’t care if they have money from G or if that deals is reaching the end.
I’m supporting them cause they have done a great job for most than 10 years and have developed the browser business to a new level, if there wasn’t for Mozilla and FF we would still be using IE3. Also FF has always been part of the open source movement, in fact FF is the only major browser that is 100% open source. Chrome is good but FF is not owned by a giant like Google that have done a Sony and entered the browser business just because they can and ruining all the small companies (FF one of them), I don’t like monopolies like MS was back in the early 00s, we will back to that if we don’t support FF or Opera, not sure why all the “hipsters and nerds” switched to Chrome with their “Google hype”.
I’m one of that vast majority
I’m one of that vast majority who don’t even know what a “plugin” is, never mind that firefox has many of them!
. maybe they should not drink so many $6.00 Starbucks coffees, and Cinn -o-buns, and just stick to the 5 cent a cup of coffee made at work , and 25 cent each day old donuts brought in by a co-worker, and then there 300 Million would go a little further.
Or maybe get rid of half of there overpaid staff, and quit fixing things that are not broke as well.
“problem Sol-Ved.” (Inspector Clouseau)
So is the appeal for
So is the appeal for donations that shows now when I open Firefox legitimate? How would I distinguish some scam?
Donated and got a thank you
Donated and got a thank you e-mail but can not get rid of the “Please Donate” pop-up.
Same here – I thought that
Same here – I thought that after a donation was made on a particular computer, the request for ‘donations’ would not appear on that computer any more. However, it’s not a good way, really, of certainty as to who donated. A visitor could use your computer to make a donation, and if pop-up went, you’d not be exposed to the request for a donation any more, even if you didn’t mind making one. Cheers from Australia Oct 2016
You are major Mug (that’s
You are major Mug (that’s british for Jerk/Wanker/Fool… delete as applicable).
Would you like to buy some magic beans?
Stop donation ask. I
Stop donation ask. I donated, got a thank you , if you do NOT know it was me that gave than what kind of a special – good site are you. Now its turned to begging, next you will show a donation can. Stop. So VERY irritating. Bad Mozilla.
I was actually about to
I was actually about to donate to Firefox, nearly drawn in by the sob story. I happened to look at the “privacy” agreement in the process of donating; they share your information openly with government, including presumably your financial information collected for the donation! It would appear that Firefox has become just another government stooge. Personally I am looking for another browser.
It would not be so bad if
It would not be so bad if after you donate the advertisement went away. but, it doesn’t, and it is ANNOYING!!!!
the bright yellow, it messes with my epilepsy.
i can not use firefox anymore!
and it is sad because i have always loved this browser.
I have already donated many times but, I am still getting spammed with this huge ugly yellow screen…
I am done. when a browser affects your health, it is no longer a viable choice.
Tried to make a $20 donation
Tried to make a $20 donation yesterday 10/15/16, but bank declined the transaction. Three fraudulent charges were made against my credit card within a few hours. Now going through change to new number. Thanks for the good security!