Home / Software & Gaming / Firefox to ditch version numbers: debate rages

Firefox to ditch version numbers: debate rages

Firefox, the geeks favourite browser is set to remove version numbers from upcoming versions. Asa Dotzler, a director in the company has explained the reasons why they are moving to a ‘non version' related browser.

He said in a thread on the mozilla.dev.usability discussion group

“We're moving to a more Web-like convention where it's simply not important what version you're using as long as it's the latest version. We have a goal to make version numbers irrelevant to our consumer audience.”

Suprisingly, this has caused a debate which has been raging since the start of the week. Many people are unhappy about the change of plans. Seems that many people like to see a version number in the ‘about' box.

One user was really annoyed at the move, fuming “Removing the version number from the About window is one of the most asinine proposals for Firefox in a year filled with asinine Firefox decisions. Are you intentionally trying to kill off Firefox? With the decisions being made lately, this certainly seems to be the case.”

Asa Dotzler defended the decision saying “We're intentionally breaking with convention here because we've moved to
an unconventional release model where conventional versioning and version branding are no longer applicable.”

The debate continues – so feel free to head over and share your views.

Kitguru says: A good or bad move. Does it really matter?

Become a Patron!

Check Also

Former WB Games staffer reveals how Skyrim overshadowed LOTR: War in the North

If you were only vaguely aware of Lord of the Rings: War in the North prior to this week's re-release, it turns out there is probably a good reason for that. A former WB Games employee has recently shed light on why the game didn't get any time in the spotlight when it first came out - it launched right next to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

2 comments

  1. People whining about the removal from a Number under the “About” Menu need to find more important things to worry about.

    Or simply spend less time drooling over a small digital window.

    No votes yet.
  2. Im still using Fox 3… have upgraded on my laptop to the latest and i hate it.

    But yeah go on and kill the version number… you update the bloody thing so fast there’s no point.

    No votes yet.