On Tuesday, March 18, 2014 3:51:10 PM UTC-7, Ben Francis wrote: > Hi Adrian, > > > > Others may be able to answer some of your questions more specifically, but > > here are a few answers which may help. > > > > If it seems like there isn't much fanfare around the "functional complete" > > and "code freeze" dates for new versions of Firefox OS then that's because > > these aren't "releases" as such. > > > > Firstly, Firefox OS runs on a rapid release "train model" like Firefox > > where updates come more regularly than the longer term releases of Android > > and iOS and therefore aren't such a big event when they happen. There > > hasn't really been a big announcement around a Firefox release since > > Firefox 4, after which Firefox started on a rapid release model. > > Improvements to Firefox come incrementally and often, Firefox OS is much > > the same. > > > > Secondly, Mozilla never "releases" Firefox OS. We just declare a milestone > > like "functional complete" or "code freeze" and then we hand over the code > > base to partners like device manufacturers and mobile networks who then > > carry out their own testing and customisation before turning that code into > > a product or an over-the-air update. > > > > That's why you're more likely to see a press release around a new device or > > a launch of devices in a new market than you are new versions of Firefox OS. > > > > Something else to understand is that Mozilla does not control the > > over-the-air updates which update your device to a newer version of Firefox > > OS. These are the responsibility of device manufacturers and/or mobile > > networks. Mozilla works hard to try to get new updates pushed out to as > > many devices as possible by working with partners, but ultimately this is > > not under Mozilla's control. > > > > The answers to your specific questions about whether goals were met around > > the 1.3 and 1.4 versions are a little more complex. Firefox OS is developed > > by multiple fairly autonomous functional teams > > https://wiki.mozilla.org/FirefoxOS#FirefoxOS_Functional_Team_Informationwho > > each have their own backlog of work. Broadly the "functional complete" > > milestone is a fixed date when new features stop being developed for a > > given version and "code freeze" is when Mozilla freezes the code base to > > hand it over to partners, hopefully with no remaining "blocker" bugs which > > would block that version from being released by them. > > > > In the train model very few features are committed for a particular release > > and the idea is that any feature which is not finished by the functional > > complete date is disabled or backed out and "rides the next train" instead. > > We try not to fix functional scope but rather fix our timelines and our bar > > for quality. Sometimes schedules do change though, as we iterate on our own > > processes and make changes due to market requirements. > > > > At MWC Mozilla announced an upcoming reference device called the Flame > > which will be aimed at developers and which Mozilla will have a little more > > control over. This device should see more regular updates of less stable > > builds of Firefox OS from the "master" branch so that developers can "eat > > their own dogfood" and use pre-release versions of Firefox OS themselves to > > help find bugs faster. But other than this reference device updates to > > other devices are largely under the control of device manufacturers and > > mobile networks who may be able to provide more specific information about > > the update plans for those particular devices. > > > > I'm sorry if you're disappointed by the lack of announcements about Firefox > > OS development milestones but hopefully this goes some way to explaining > > why. Please do let us know if there are ways you think we could communicate > > better. Our version schedule is publicly available on the wiki as you > > discovered and you can attend our public weekly Gaia > > https://wiki.mozilla.org/Gaia/Meeting_Notes and B2G > > https://wiki.mozilla.org/B2G/Meeting meetings if you'd like more regular > > updates on progress. Minutes for these meetings are available on the wiki > > if the times aren't good for you. > > > > I hope that helps. > > > > Ben > > > > > > On Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 4:25 PM, Adrian Custer <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Hello all, > > > > > > Yesterday was an important milestone for Firefox OS, according to: > > > > > > https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/B2G_Landing#Versions_and_ > > > Scheduling > > > including: > > > * my handset's operating system reaching 'End-of-life' > > > * v1.3.0 reaching 'code freeze' > > > * v1.4.0 reaching 'functional complete' > > > although it might be that this wiki page is irrelevant. > > > > > > Over the last two decades, my experience in the world of free software has > > > been that projects reaching important milestones put out announcements to > > > the affected communities about the status of things, the plans, and other > > > relevant information through which developers, users, document writers, the > > > press, and the interested public can remain informed about the project. > > > Similar milestones have come and gone since November without such > > > announcements. > > > > > > Could someone in the know please explain what is going on? > > > > > > Thank you. > > > > > > ~adrian > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > P.S. Answers to some of the following questions would be useful: > > > > > > Does Firefox OS ever actually declare a 'release'? Did any version hit > > > 'release' yesterday? What is meant by the next section > > > > > > https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/B2G_Landing#Rough_Update_Graph > > > when it talks about '1.2 release'? > > > > > > Did FfOS 1.1 reach 'end-of-life' yesterday and what does that actually > > > mean? Are people buying telephones in Uruguay today vulnerable from here on > > > out to all security flaws discovered in the OS and in the browser? Is the > > > rumor that there will never be any over-the-air updates to handsets here > > > true? > > > > > > Did Firefox 1.3 reach 'code-freeze' yesterday? What is the status of the > > > code base at code freeze? Did the schedule slip successfully address the > > > issues which caused the slip? > > > > > > Did Firefox OS 1.4 reach 'functional complete' yesterday? Was the planned > > > functionality completely written? > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > dev-b2g mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-b2g > > >
Looking forward to the Flame! (Sounds like a 40's comic book hero!) A reference device more like the Google G1 was! Or the Nexus. Can't wait! _______________________________________________ dev-b2g mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-b2g
