On 10/31/2012 3:17 PM, Rubén Martín wrote:
> Well, after all the discussion, I think that most of us agree that we
> should and will work on Firefox brand. Specially because we are in a
> particular moment where this is important since others are going to
> invest time and money on it (Firefox OS, Firefox phones...).
>
> The problem here is that the marketplace is not intended to be just for
> one purpose, it will be a tool for Firefox but in the long term should
> bring the difference to the apps ecosystem, and that's why we have to
> reflect our non-profit roots (.org domain) and that's not intended to be
> another silo (just for our browser).
I don't think this is necessarily true. In my view, the long term should
include many marketplaces that can inter-operate. I see no reason that
Mozilla must be the exclusive marketplace for Web apps. Just the
opposite, actually. I think it would be fine for our Marketplace to
target our users and for some other vendor's marketplace to target what
users they see fit and for an independent developer to have her own
marketplace to target users of her particular app or curated collection
of app offerings.
While it's not an ideal analog, I like that there's a Google Play store
and and Amazon store both targeting Android users. Developers can look
for the store that best supports their needs and users can look for the
store that best supports their needs. A Mozilla Marketplace that is the
exclusive store for Web apps is far worse, in my mind, than a Firefox
Marketplace that targets Firefox users and a dozen other stores that
target what ever populations those stores want to target. I'd even be
happy if someone else did such an awesome job with a Web app store or
stores that they made our store obsolete. I'd consider that a success
beyond my wildest dreams today.
> Why marketplace name will help Firefox or Firefox OS to be more
> successful? As I commented, I don't get it. People will use the product
> and the marketplace that comes with the product (not the other way
> around), the same way they will use the music player even it's not
> called "Firefox music".
This isn't just about consumer discovery. It's about the brand that
attracts developers and partners and other constituencies. Sure, Firefox
OS could label it's marketplace "App Warehouse" and if it occupied the
right place on the home screen, that's where people will get their
Firefox OS apps. But "App Warehouse" isn't likely to be an attractive
brand for app developers or operator/carrier partners or OEMs that might
want to bundle Firefox on their Android devices. Firefox is a highly
attractive brand to those stakeholders.
> So, changing the name will have some benefits I don't really understand
> (see previous sentence) and it will have some problems about the message
> of being an open cross-platform, cross-browser (even if it's in the
> future) platform.
The Marketplace doesn't even support Firefox on Windows (where 93+% of
Mozilla's user base is today) so trying to get a perfect scheme for a
future where maybe some other browser vendors join the party seems
getting way ahead of ourselves. In the intervening years, I suggest we
go with the brand that's going to get the Marketplace the farthest with
the audiences that we're targeting in the nearer term (Firefox OS and
Firefox for Android.) When we've got that all nailed in a couple of
years and we've got other browser vendors ready to join the party
(assuming we can line that up) then we should revisit the branding. Even
still, I see no reason why those other vendors would want to send their
browser users to our store rather than competing with a store of their
own (hopefully using the same formats.)
> Not changing the name will have some clear benefits in terms of being
> consistent with our message and being open to everyone, and it will have
> some not-so-clear problems
I think it has clear problems and that it's not actually open to
everyone and won't be any time soon.
> The balance for me it's clear, name change will lead us to more problems
> than benefits.
>
> Regards.
>
> PD: Despite only a few mozillians are discussing this issue here, I want
> to note that I've been contacted by many supporting this, so it's a
> wider opinion than it might appear.
And other Mozillians have also been discussing this issue with other
stakeholders including existing and potential partners and developers
many seem to support a different view.
- A