Firefox Summit Reflections

Late in July we got together close to 400 extremely active Mozilla contributors for a face to face gathering known as the Firefox Plus Summit. This gathering was partly acknowledgment and celebration of our work so far, and mostly preparation for the future. The Summit has caused me to reflect on the future of Mozilla. In short, that future is bright.

The overriding reason for this is the strength and vibrancy of the Mozilla community. We’re growing, we’re effective and we’re expanding the types of activities that live within Mozilla. The Summit made this very clear.

There are other reasons as well. Mozilla combines the abstract goals of Internet openness, participation and decentralized decision-making with the concrete task of building great products. This combination is working. It attracts people to Mozilla, and it gives us a way of building products that reflects the Internet itself. The values of the project bring meaning and guide the way we do things. The software allows us to make those values tangible, and put their manifestations in the hands of millions of people.

Another important element is the financial resources Mozilla enjoys. We’ve just renewed our agreement with Google for an additional three years. This agreement now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income. We’re also learning more all the time about how to use Mozilla’s financial resources to help contributors through infrastructure, new programs, and new types of support from employees.

Finally, the quality of our technology, products and innovation also holds great promise. In the few weeks since the Summit we’ve already seen a new approach to vastly improving JavaScript performance, the launch of “Snowl,” the introduction of the browser concept series, developer releases for Thunderbird, and video moving into the browser via Firefox 3.1. There’s much more coming.

We have large challenges ahead of us, there’s no question of that. There are many ways in which Internet life could become closed, manipulated and decidedly unpleasant. And Mozilla itself is not perfect. Many improvements are possible in how we work and what we accomplish. To be effective we’ll need to do our best, and then do even better.

Our challenges are real, our opportunities are real, and our strength is real.

Put those together, and the future is bright.

55 Responses to “Firefox Summit Reflections”

  1. Mozilla Extends Lucrative Deal With Google For 3 Years Says:

    [...] can see the original announcement at Mozilla Chairperson Mitchell Baker’s blog. [...]

  2. La Tejedora » Blog Archive » Tranquilidad para seguir Says:

    [...] Ganar dinero est

  3. Mozilla and Google Partnership To Extend Till 2011!: « Rajeev’s Weblog Says:

    [...] Google Mozilla Inc. that is the inventor of the widely acclaimed web browser, FireFox has announced that it has extended its search deal with the search engine giant, Google for another three years. [...]

  4. Mozilla's Google subsidy to last three more years | Blogging Says:

    [...] now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income,” Mozilla Foundation Chairman Mitchell Baker said in a blog post [...]

  5. Google Extends Mozilla Partnership to 2011 Says:

    [...] at the Firefox Plus Summit, the contract has been renewed for another three [...]

  6. » Mozilla's Google subsidy to last three more years « Music & Cinema. Says:

    [...] now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income,” Mozilla Foundation Chairman Mitchell Baker said in a blog post [...]

  7. Between the Lines mobile edition Says:

    [...] Baker, Chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation or Chief Lizard Wrangler depending on what you prefer, said in a blog post that Google has extended its financial pact with Mozilla through 2011. She wrote: We’ve just [...]

  8. Firefox Gets More Google Money | Latest Technology News - Business News And Expert Advice Says:

    [...] search deal with Google (GOOG) for three more years, through Nov. 2011, chair Mitchell Baker writes. What’s that mean? The Web browser dot-org will continue to make a lot of money — we [...]

  9. Firefox Gets More Google Money. Time For The Mozilla IPO (Again!) | Tech News And Social Networking Says:

    [...] search deal with Google (GOOG) for three more years, through Nov. 2011, chair Mitchell Baker writes. What’s that mean? The Web browser dot-org will continue to make a lot of money — we [...]

  10. Mozilla’s Google subsidy to last three more years | SAWAPB Says:

    [...] now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income,” Mozilla Foundation Chairman Mitchell Baker said in a blog post Wednesday. (Updated: there was a misleading timestamp on the post; a Mozilla [...]

  11. » Mozilla’s Google subsidy to last three more years « .: GAFNO.com - Hot World News Blog :. Says:

    [...] now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income,” Mozilla Foundation Chairman Mitchell Baker said in a blog post [...]

  12. Google Renews Mozilla Deal Until 2011 Says:

    [...] now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income,” stated Mitchell Baker, Chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation. “We’re also learning more all the time about how to [...]

  13. Paid Content : Browser Wars: Microsoft Tries To Beat Google (Again) With IE8; Mozilla Extends Google Deal Says:

    [...] homepage and default in the search bar. Mozilla’s Mitchell Baker writes about the deal on her blog: “We’ve just renewed our agreement with Google for an additional three years. This agreement now [...]

  14. Mozilla Renewed its fat-deal with Google | Startup Meme Says:

    [...] resources and to cater the needs of Internet niche. The further extension in the three years deal has added stability in their income and it shows that they are genuinely working to maintain [...]

  15. Google und Mozilla verlängern ihre Zusammenarbeita - Online Marketing - iBlog Says:

    [...] Baker berichtet in ihrem Blog Lizard Wrangler, dass die Mozilla Foundation und Google ihre Zusammenarbeit bis 2011 verlängert [...]

  16. Mozilla Google ile olan sözleşmesinin süresini uzattı | Bilgisayar-Destek Says:

    [...] üç yıl daha Google arama motorunun reklamını yapacak. Yani, mozilla firefox penceresi açıldığında Google arama sayfası ve adres çubuğunun [...]

  17. links for 2008-08-29 « 個人的な雑記 Says:

    [...] Mitchell’s Blog » Blog Archive » Firefox Summit Reflections (tags: mozilla) [...]

  18. eileen estelle brinker Says:

    no time to read….but am concerned about connection with linux compromise and what’s his face that took over….

    highlighting your name brought up the upgrade on screen. have NOT…..also, did not receive upgrade notification until what…friday? thanks a lot for that…..

    made problems….but none that weren’t already there. i don’t care if he is “humorous” and really delightful to know….i want to know how many upgrades to 3 will have continuing compromises….

    page of charity site has graphics display asian and african motif. have concerns re that on bring it on with brinker. contrary to my statements on said blog, would prefer not to see any such actions take place. it is beautiful country

    understand need for access….but sort of like the one quote….that talks about those being too afraid and making too many allowances, not deserving of freedom….that is popular with the people….and the people count

    will nicht be uploading 3, unless hear back with pertinent

    will also not be doing update if possible on 2, and so the world waits….

    *smiles for a better future, and hope for a more relevant past*

    eebrinker

    ps: google writes clean code. ;p

  19. Will Mozilla Go Public? Says:

    [...] has re-upped its search deal with Google until 2011, which promises a massive revenue stream to continue flooding into the rapidly surging open-source [...]

  20. Google secures Firefox search box until 2011 | MostReviews.com Says:

    [...] of the new deal came in a blog posting by Mitchell Baker, chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation. She [...]

  21. Marc Limacher Blog » Blog Archive » Google prolonge jusqu’en 2011 son accord avec Mozilla Says:

    [...] Baker, présidente de la Mozilla Foundation, a indiqué sur son blog que Google a signé pour trois nouvelles années son accord commercial avec le projet Mozilla. Le [...]

  22. Google bleibt bis 2011 Standardsuche von Firefox - WinBoard - Die Windows Community Says:

    [...] f

  23. Mozilla renova acordo com a Google | Open Mania Says:

    [...] Novembro de 2011 que anteriormente estava válido até Novembro deste ano, disse Mitchell Baker num post do seu blog. A Mozilla gera um boa receita com este acordo com a Google que para o ano de 2006, cerca de 57 [...]

  24. Google bleibt bis 2011 Standardsuche von Firefox | -= ( A-Z Blog ) =- Says:

    [...] für den Firefox-Browser. Das bestätigte Mitchell Baker von der Mozilla Foundation in ihrem Blog. Neben den Suchergebnissen sehen die Firefox-Nutzer auf der Google-Webseite auch [...]

  25. Programas Livres | PROGRAMAS LIVRES Says:

    [...] Novembro de 2011 que anteriormente estava válido até Novembro deste ano, disse Mitchell Baker num post do seu blog. A Mozilla gera um boa receita com este acordo com a Google que para o ano de 2006, cerca de 57 [...]

  26. On Google Chrome, V8 engine, and Webkit vs. Gecko Says:

    [...] reasons. It would become a direct competitor to Mozilla’s Firefox, which whom they just renewed their deal for 3 more years instead of the previous 2 year deals. Chris put it in a way I agree with 100%, that Google would [...]

  27. Google to Enter the Browser Wars With “Chrome” | Tech Voice Says:

    [...] just recently extended their license agreement with Mozilla (makers of Firefox) through 2011.  Google is a major source of funding for Firefox, a browser [...]

  28. yonkeltron » Google releases new Chrome web browser Says:

    [...] after Google agreed to continue funding the overwhelming majority of Mozilla’s operating budget for another three years, they decided [...]

  29. Google Chrome (web browser) - BuckeyePlanet Ohio State Forums Says:

    [...] simple." Google recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla Foundation. Tuesday’s beta release will be available for [...]

  30. Google to Release Open-Source ‘Chrome’ Browser « Malaysia Online’s Weblog Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  31. Free Google Chrome Browser » Blog Archive » Google to Release free Internet Browser Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  32. Google Browser Chrome « Atishrajub’s Weblog Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  33. Google Chrome Browser – DrTweeker’s Pre-Thoughts | DrTweeker.com Says:

    [...] The way it was ‘leaked’ (does anyone really believe that anything is “accidently” leaked from Google – I think not!) was really cool too, with a comic book about the browser and it’s features (full Google link here). So, why another browser? What about Firefox/Mozilla? My first thought was finally!, but then I thought about it for a while – and the question remains – do I need another browser? On my personal notebook I already have Mozilla’s FireFox as my primary browser for most everything, and the Mozilla PRISM project for my dedicated webapps such as gMail/gCal and a couple of server control panels (also called SSB – single site browsers). Other than the crazy problem of FireFox using 500MB of RAM every couple of days, I’m quite happy with my setup, and only occasionally switch to one of the other browsers I have installed for compatibility testing (Opera, beta IE8, FF2 portable on a USB stick, etc…). There’s also the relevant note that Google & Mozilla has a contract that doesn’t expire for a few years yet – so it looks like they may not even be going for a huge market share (thought they’re likely to get it) as far as wanting to be the dominant choice for users across the world. In fact, the agreement between Google & Mozilla was just extended for another 3 years (until 2011) a few days ago – and Google doesn’t do anything by accident or chance, so you better believed that played into their decision of when to launch the beta/preview of their Chrome Browser. One FireFoxer blogged about the Firefox Summit retreat/gathering that took place last week: We’ve just renewed our agreement with Google for an additional three years. This agreement now ends in November of 2011 rather than November of 2008, so we have stability in income. http://blog.lizardwrangler.com/2008/08/26/firefox-summit-reflections/ [...]

  34. Google Browser (Chrome) - the Internet Explorer Killer « Tech & other news, mixed with a lil fun Says:

    [...] the end of August 2008, Winifred Mitchell Baker, chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation and chairperson and former chief executive officer of the [...]

  35. Google und Mozilla verlängern Zusammenarbeit | OSNote Says:

    [...] die nächsten drei Jahre gesichert, schreibt Mitchell Baker, die Vorsitzende der Stiftung, in ihrem Blog. Für die Vorinstallation seiner Suchmaschine im Suchfeld des Firefox-Browsers und als Startseite [...]

  36. Chien Tranh giua Cac Browser: Fire Fox, IE & Chrome « Dien Toan Bac Ai Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  37. » Google Chrome - Alle gegen Microsoft - SearchLab-Blog Says:

    [...] ein Open-Source Projekt ist, wirkt wie ein Magnet auf Technikfreunde im Internet. Zudem kann die Verlängerung der Kooperation mit dem beliebten und erfolgreichen Open-Source-Projekt Firefox dafür sorgen, dass Google sich [...]

  38. Google Releases Open-Source ‘Chrome’ Browser | NickMattern.com :: Nothing but Hosting Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  39. Google sigue confiando en Mozilla y seguirá siendo su principal fuente de ingresos | ELMUNDO55 Says:

    [...] Baker, presidenta de Mozilla Foundation, comenta en su blog que Mozilla acaba de renovar por segunda vez (la primera fue en 2006) el acuerdo económico que [...]

  40. Why Did Google Abandon Firefox? - GigaOM Says:

    [...] for Google there’s some money behind those words; in a nice bit of timing, Google last week renewed its Firefox search deal through November 2008. And Pichai made a point of emphasizing that Google [...]

  41. Mozilla prelungeste intelegerea financiara cu Google | Blitz - Stiri zilnice din IT, IT&C: tehnologie, internet, telecom, gadgets, jocuri Says:

    [...] care urma sa expire in luna noiembrie, a fost prelungita pana in 2011, conform unui post publicat pe blogul sau de catre Mitchell Baker, presedintele [...]

  42. Google to Release Open-Source ‘Chrome’ Browser | PlayStation 3 News Says:

    [...] recently extended its financial deal with Mozilla until 2011, according to a blog post from Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla [...]

  43. 451 CAOS Theory » The implications of Google’s chrome covered clone* Says:

    [...] implications for Firefox are interesting, particularly given Google’s recent commitment to extend its financial support for Firefox until at least [...]

  44. Sudereien & Co Says:

    Google verschenkt eigenen Webbrowser…

    Google hat in den letzten beiden Jahren einen Webbrowser namens Chrome programmiert, der jetzt in Form einer Windows-Betaversion der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht wird.

    Chrome scheint technisch ja sehr interessante Ansätze zu haben. Ich hab…

  45. Internet: Google seguirá financiando al mayor rival de Chrome - Bitelia Says:

    [...] y responsable de las aplicaciones en línea de la compañía (entre ellas Firefox) , anunciaba que acababan de renovar su acuerdo con Google por un periodo de tres años [...]

  46. Chrome: What the World is Saying | The SIMS Agency Says:

    [...] great open source browser available, and it claims around 20% of the market share. Mozilla has also just renewed its deal with Google - so why would Google want another competitor in the mix?  Joe Wilcox has a [...]

  47. Google Chrome | 6Patlar Says:

    [...] Google Mozilla’dan önemli bir ismi kendi tarafına çekip rakip ürün geliştirmesine geliştirmiş ama öte yandan arama anlaşmasından milyonlarca dolar ödemeye devam etmek için de arama anlaşmasını 2011 kasım ayına kadar uzattı.  [...]

  48. Luckymonkey / Google Chrome Says:

    [...] into the Firefox share of the market, especially considering that the ink must be barely dry on the Firefox / Google revenue sharing deal, recently extended until 2011.. perhaps it’s cheaper to develop your own web browser than continue to shell out the money [...]

  49. jim Says:

    Before this, google support firefox, but now support chrome. em… her own child

  50. Mitchell’s Blog » Blog Archive » To-Do List Says:

    [...] summer. First the Firefox 3 release, then the Firefox (Plus) Summit, then working on renewing our Google agreement, then  a week of vacation at the end of August, and then responding to the release of [...]

  51. » Google prolonge jusqu’en 2011 son accord avec Mozilla Lash.fr: Internet, web 2.0 et réseaux sociaux dans l’Est Says:

    [...] Posted by marc in Browsers Mitchell Baker, présidente de la Mozilla Foundation, a indiqué sur son blog que Google a signé pour trois nouvelles années son accord commercial avec le projet Mozilla. Le [...]

  52. sepercar Says:

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  53. Información y revisión de Google Chrome | Says:

    [...] tres años más de soporte por Google (¿será una casualidad de que justo salte todo esto luego de dicho anuncio?), mientras que quienes si deberían empezar a preocuparse, son los de Microsoft, ya que su [...]

  54. Contentinople - Ryan Lawler - Google Takes On the Browser Market Says:

    [...] recently extended its relationship with Mozilla to 2011, but as Technologizer points out, there’s now a question of how aggressive Google will be in [...]

  55. muhabbet Says:

    thanks

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