Firefox 1.1 delayed

Firefox 1.1 will be released three months later than originally planned, according to Ben Goodger, the lead programmer on the browser.

"In a move that I would hope should surprise exactly nobody, we're pushing back 1.1 by a little bit because of the realities of the work remaining to be done," Goodger said in a blog posting last week.

Some reports have speculated that the change in date was caused by Goodger's recent move to Google. But Goodger denied these reports in a later post.

"Also, the slippage from March is not due to my move to Google; it is due to us needing to ensure the 1.1 release is of identical quality and scope as the 1.0 release--that means a period of testing, the localization system needs to be brought back online, etc.," Goodger said. "These things are done by more people than just myself, so quit with the wacky speculation."

Firefox 1.1 was initially scheduled to be released around March 2005. But the final version has been delayed until June 2005, as shown on the updated Firefox road map on the Mozilla Web site.

David Hallowell, a Mozilla contributor, said one of the primary goals for Firefox 1.1 is to improve the browsing experience for non-Windows users.

"One of the main aims of 1.1 is to improve the user experience for users on Linux and Mac machines so that they can have a version of Firefox that fits in with their operating system as well as the Windows version fits in with the Windows OS," Hallowell said.

Firefox 1.1 is aiming to tackle the enterprise market by making the browser available in Windows Installer format for easier corporate deployment. The open-source browser has not experienced many enterprisewide deployments, according to some analysts.

Browsing will be faster in version 1.1 due to improvements in the rendering engine, according to Hallowell. "A lot has gone on behind the scenes in improving Gecko, which is the rendering engine used by Firefox, Mozilla and other browsers such as Camino," Hallowell said. "1.1 will see the result of these improvements, including faster page rendering, further improved standards support and further incremental improvements."

The current version of Firefox 1.0 has been downloaded more than 20 million times since its release in November 2004. It is approaching a 5 percent market share, which may rise to 20 percent by the end of 2005, according to research.

Ingrid Marson of ZDNet UK reported from London.

[n3td3v]

Firefox and Thunderbird used by Yahoo-Inc

Yahoo-Inc have been using Firefox and Thunderbird for some time I believe.

[David Arbogast]

Volunteers Fall Short

Crazy speculation? Who is making these ridiculous claims... that one man is slowing development of an entire open-source project? I haven't heard that... Obviously, they just aren't getting the volunteer support they need in order to stay on schedule...

Its interesting that none of the browser's fans are complaining... when Microsoft slips a schedule, the people who claim to never use Microsoft software create an uproar... Of course, if you aren't directly contributing to an open-source project, you probably have no right to complain. But then, what right do you have to complain about MS software schedules if you aren't using their software?

[dejo]

Volunteer support lacking? You know this how?

"Obviously, they just aren't getting the volunteer support they
need in order to stay on schedule..."

And you're accusing them of crazy speculation?

[System Tyrant]

Truth be told this is the first time I have heard of Firefox 1.1.

Maybe that's why you aren't hearing a lot of complaints. I wasn't expecting it so I'm not getting all bent out of shape about it being delayed. When Microsoft doesn't hype the release of there products people don't usually get irate about them either.

Of course this theory is shot full of holes, but maybe Microsoft people are just too uptight and cranky and Open Source guys are more laid back.

Another speculation. Maybe people get cranking about Microsoft products because they give you a date and delay it 50 times before it is finally released. Or because it's a support pack to fix problems that people need fixed today not a year from now.

And now that I've got you Microsoft guys mad, I'm just having fun. I don't have a clue why people get angry over Microsoft delays and not Open Source. Hey, let them delay Firefox 1.1 a few (50) times and then check back, I would imaging people will be screaming then.

[cbazza]

MS does FUD so people get upset !!!

Thing is MS is famous for FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt)
So people should attack MS is they don't deliver what
they promise because the original promise was simply
made public in an attempt to create FUD. This is their
ageless approach to slow down or kill a new product or
company that has promising technology.

So the problem is that MS has alterior motives to pre-announce
whereas the open source people don't.