I'm sorry as well. I probably overreacted. Mozilla is just one of those organizations that I respect and worry over. I remember Netscape, and then Mozilla, and then a little 0.1 browser named Phoenix, and have used every version.
> I was reacting less to your comment and more to the repeated use of the word "funding" in all sorts of articles on this topic.
I do the same far too often. I reply to a specific comment, and instead of replying to that one comment, I reply to everything that comment reminds me of. It's not fair. I understand how easy it is to do.
It's all good. =)
> I'm probably feeling overly defensive after all the articles trying to create drama by claiming Mozilla was in imminent danger of Google "pulling the plug" (when actually a deal was still in place, and both parties were actively negotiating the new one but just couldn't talk about it yet). Within the Mozilla project, we know our userbase is still growing, and the market for search traffic is as strong as ever. But outside, friends are still asking me about these baseless scary stories in the press.
Didn't know you were apart of Mozilla. Should have checked your bio. Btw,
I LOVE YOU GUYS! =)
Anyways, to your point: outside, baseless scary stories or not, it's all we had to go on. Just think about it for a second from our point of view: Google has Chrome, the #1 browser by some accounts, and it's paying Mozilla for searches. And then their deal with Google ends. And nothing is really said from either party. I get emails from Mozilla asking for donations after this happens. Press reports talk about the how much Google as a customer means to Mozilla's bottom line.
So... I get nervous.
> Not at all! As I mentioned, donations are very important to Mozilla
Oh, I realize this. I only wish there was some way I could contribute more regularly. As it stands now, I have to be reminded to contribute. Might it make more sense to help automate that process for those interested? Reddit took the plunge with Gold Accounts, and that seemed to have helped. You don't even need to do anything. Just something that lets me say "Yeah, I'll contribute $X per month, because I love what you do, but fairly forgetful and will sometimes miss the 'Donation' emails."
> Mozilla could continue to exist as a smaller organization -- even a much smaller one if necessary, like it was when Firefox was first developed.
I don't want to see that though. You guys do too much awesome. Besides the EFF and FSF, there is Mozilla. And with you in the ring fighting the fights you fight, I know that someone is looking out for me.
> we're already used to competing with companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft that have literally hundreds of times more money than us
True, but I'm not. And I see these big 800lb gorillas and remember the days of IE6 dominance and the end of the browser wars. I remember vendor lock in.
> But I hope Mozilla gets support based on the great things we've done and will do -- not based on fear that someone else will come along and squash the movement.
That's a fair point. And a good one.
I'll leave it at that, before I start gushing completely as a fanboy.
I'm sorry as well. I probably overreacted. Mozilla is just one of those organizations that I respect and worry over. I remember Netscape, and then Mozilla, and then a little 0.1 browser named Phoenix, and have used every version.
> I was reacting less to your comment and more to the repeated use of the word "funding" in all sorts of articles on this topic.
I do the same far too often. I reply to a specific comment, and instead of replying to that one comment, I reply to everything that comment reminds me of. It's not fair. I understand how easy it is to do.
It's all good. =)
> I'm probably feeling overly defensive after all the articles trying to create drama by claiming Mozilla was in imminent danger of Google "pulling the plug" (when actually a deal was still in place, and both parties were actively negotiating the new one but just couldn't talk about it yet). Within the Mozilla project, we know our userbase is still growing, and the market for search traffic is as strong as ever. But outside, friends are still asking me about these baseless scary stories in the press.
Didn't know you were apart of Mozilla. Should have checked your bio. Btw,
I LOVE YOU GUYS! =)
Anyways, to your point: outside, baseless scary stories or not, it's all we had to go on. Just think about it for a second from our point of view: Google has Chrome, the #1 browser by some accounts, and it's paying Mozilla for searches. And then their deal with Google ends. And nothing is really said from either party. I get emails from Mozilla asking for donations after this happens. Press reports talk about the how much Google as a customer means to Mozilla's bottom line.
So... I get nervous.
> Not at all! As I mentioned, donations are very important to Mozilla
Oh, I realize this. I only wish there was some way I could contribute more regularly. As it stands now, I have to be reminded to contribute. Might it make more sense to help automate that process for those interested? Reddit took the plunge with Gold Accounts, and that seemed to have helped. You don't even need to do anything. Just something that lets me say "Yeah, I'll contribute $X per month, because I love what you do, but fairly forgetful and will sometimes miss the 'Donation' emails."
> Mozilla could continue to exist as a smaller organization -- even a much smaller one if necessary, like it was when Firefox was first developed.
I don't want to see that though. You guys do too much awesome. Besides the EFF and FSF, there is Mozilla. And with you in the ring fighting the fights you fight, I know that someone is looking out for me.
> we're already used to competing with companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft that have literally hundreds of times more money than us
True, but I'm not. And I see these big 800lb gorillas and remember the days of IE6 dominance and the end of the browser wars. I remember vendor lock in.
> But I hope Mozilla gets support based on the great things we've done and will do -- not based on fear that someone else will come along and squash the movement.
That's a fair point. And a good one.
I'll leave it at that, before I start gushing completely as a fanboy.