{"id":592,"date":"2012-01-21T21:47:02","date_gmt":"2012-01-21T20:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fabianpiau.com\/?p=592"},"modified":"2022-01-01T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-01T16:00:00","slug":"firefox-nightly-aurora-beta-desktop-mobile-esr-co","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fabianpiau.com\/en\/2012\/01\/21\/firefox-nightly-aurora-beta-desktop-mobile-esr-co\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefox Nightly, Aurora, Beta, Desktop, Mobile, ESR & Co."},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/span>Version fran\u00e7aise disponible<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Now, there are so many versions of internet browsers that it tends to be a bit messy. This is especially true for Firefox.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Different release life cycles<\/h4>\n

Here’s a brief history of the three main browsers. Sorry Opera and Safari fans…<\/p>\n

Up to version 3, Mozilla team used to release a major version of Firefox once a year or every two years :<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
    \n
  • Version 1 in 2004<\/li>\n
  • Version 1.5 in 2005<\/li>\n
  • Version 2 in 2006<\/li>\n
  • Version 3 in 2008<\/li>\n
  • Version 3.5 in 2009<\/li>\n
  • Version 3.6 in 2010<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n<\/td>\n\n\"Ic\u00f4ne\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

The differences between each version are significant as on functionality and the look & feel as on the layout and javascript engine.<\/p>\n

Internet Explorer, a web dinosaur, follows a similar life cycle. There is a correlation between Windows releases and IE version increment.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
    \n
  • Version 1 mid-1995 (Windows 95)<\/li>\n
  • Version 2 end 1995<\/li>\n
  • Version 3 in 1996<\/li>\n
  • Version 4 in 1998 (Windows 98)<\/li>\n
  • Version 5 in 1999<\/li>\n
  • Version 6 in 2001 (Windows XP)<\/li>\n
  • Version 7 in 2006<\/li>\n
  • Version 8 in 2009 (Windows Vista)<\/li>\n
  • Version 9 in 2011 (Windows 7)<\/li>\n
  • Version 10 coming in 2012 (Windows 8)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n<\/td>\n\n\"IE\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

I don’t forget the youngest browser on the market : Chrome. In only two years of existence, Chrome has become one the most popular browser and has overtaken Firefox. Version increment is faster with several releases a year (or even two releases a month). Updates have become so routine that Google barely even mentions them anymore…<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
    \n
  • Version 1 end 2008<\/li>\n
  • Version 2 mid-2009<\/li>\n
  • Version 3 end 2009<\/li>\n
  • …<\/li>\n
  • Version 8 end 2010<\/li>\n
  • …<\/li>\n
  • Version 16 end 2011<\/li>\n
  • Version 17 coming early 2012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n<\/td>\n\n\"Chrome\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n


<\/p>\n

Firefox in trouble<\/h4>\n

The conclusion is obvious. Chrome, which has been released 4 years after Firefox, is displaying a version number much more higher : Firefox 3.6.13 and Chrome 8 in early 2011. The longevity of IE is such that Microsoft does not need to speed up its release cycle (IE 9 in 2011).<\/p>\n

Let’s take a user who has the choice between an application X in version 2 and an application Y in version 12 and knowing that both applications have similar features. Unless strong constraints, it is likely that he will use the application Y. A higher number version means a better, up-to-date, stable and reliable application with the latest features. Of course, this is not necessarily true, but it’s a perfectly legitimate and natural choice.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Mozilla reactions<\/h4>\n

To prevent losing market share and to keep up with its competitors, Mozilla introduced a fast release schedule after Firefox 3.6 (every six weeks<\/a>) :<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/td>\n\n\"Mozilla\n<\/td>\n\n<\/td>\n\n