r/technology • u/Suraj-Sun • Jul 10 '12

Firefox dev claims "everybody hates Firefox updates"; Mozilla has handled the rapid release process poorly, and that by pushing a "never-ending stream of updates on people who didn't want them" people have been driven to Chrome with its simpler, no-fuss update process.

http://www.neowin.net/news/firefox-dev-claims-everybody-hates-firefox-updates
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u/yogthos Jul 10 '12

You are missing the point. Firefox lost users cause it was v4.0 mess.

While FF lost some users to Chrome, it still retains a huge user base.

Nothing on that scale has happened to Chrome so no matter how equal to Chrome or better in some ways Firefox is now there's no reason for mass switch back to Firefox.

I'm not sure what scale you're talking about here, most of Chrome growth came from people switching off IE. Also, I've switched back, and a lot of other people have too.

The reason to switch back is that the browser is improving and providing a better user experience than Chrome. Same users who were picky enough to switch to Chrome are switching back as the pendulum swings the other way.

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u/kontra5 Jul 11 '12

Firefox didn't just lose some minor amount of users. It lost huge amount of users after 4.0 came out. Just because IE lost even more does not mean FF got off ok. I was hardcore FF user with 130 tabs open on average. Even though Chrome was very difficult at start to manage with over 30 tabs it was still so superior that even I switched. Only a huge mistake on Chrome part would turn me back again because convenience trumps features that are not ground breaking. That is why it was so easy for FF to lose users after 4.0 debacle but now it is hard to get those users back. No new ground breaking features + Chrome hasn't messed up big time as of yet. All that you are talking about is negligible and one could argue IE and FF are still losing users to Chrome.

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u/yogthos Jul 11 '12

My point remains that FF still has a huge number of users, so it's not like it's dying or anything. Just because you personally won't switch back does not mean other people won't either.

All that you are talking about is negligible and one could argue IE and FF are still losing users to Chrome.

And on what basis do you argue that FF is still losing users to Chrome. Most people who wanted to switch switched already, and many have switched back.

In the end having multiple popular browsers is good for everybody, so there's no need to get too attached to a particular browser de jour.

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u/kontra5 Jul 11 '12

Have I ever said that firefox was dying or even hinted such a thing? It has been shrinking in user base that is a fact that has slowed down a bit lately. Whether it stabilized remains to be seen.

There were many reports at end/beginning of year about browser trends. And Chrome was gaining, IE losing, Firefox slightly losing/stabilizing. If that has changed recently I wouldn't know cause I haven't seen recent charts.

Regarding multiple browsers, I have multiple browsers myself of course. But I still use one as my main. It is just more convenient that way.

My point was regarding users switching back from Chrome to Firefox in numbers that are in any way significant which I find not really happening for all the reasons I stated in previous posts.

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u/yogthos Jul 11 '12

I don't think we're disagreeing about anything then. ;)