beltzner

On Monday I’ll be starting my new job at DownUnder GeoSolutions working on some really fascinating software products which will help geophysicists interpret massive amounts of seismic data to understand what’s underneath their feet. As I’ve said before it’s an entirely new challenge working in a space I know very little about, and I’m really looking forward to learning a ton and broadening my skill set as a product designer, strategist and manager.

While this means that I won’t have as much time for Mozilla projects or Firefox as I used to, I do very much hope to be an active and positive contributor in the Mozilla Community. I’ve got my eyes on a few bugs and expect to comment there, as well as in the planning newsgroups. I’m pretty eager to see what this experience is like without the mozilla.com email address, and already have plans to work with Asa and Mary to do what I can to make it even easier.

Leaving Mozilla is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, career-wise. Over the past six years I’ve had the distinct pleasure and privilege to work with the most amazing people, all of whom were more than just colleagues … they were trusted friends. The more I thought about saying “goodbye,” though, the less appropriate it seemed. Really what I’m saying is “see you less often.”

So, team: let’s get to work on Firefox 5, 6 and 7, eh wot?

Isla likes when Daddy sings songs at bathtime, so:

You can find me in the tub
waitin’ for the bubs,
look mami, I got the time if you’re into givin’ scrubs,
I’m into bein’ clean, so go on and grab the Dove,
and come gimme a rub if you’re into washin’ mugs!

With thanks to my inspiration!

Often, as T.S. Eliot wrote, words are inadequate. I’ve recently decided that Firefox 4 will be my last release working for Mozilla. Like Eliot’s lover, let me struggle to find the words explaining why.

Almost six years ago, when I left IBM Canada for Mozilla, my manager assured me I’d be back at Big Blue in a couple of years. “It’s just a web browser,” he said, “how much work can there be?”

A lot, it turns out. I knew very little about the technology used to drive the Web, about open source communities, about how to ship software, or how to not cause the trees to go orange by revving an entity name when changing a string.

I have had the great privilege to work with this community of employees, contributors, volunteers and enthusiasts in order to ship six “upgrades to the Web” from Firefox 1.5 through to the soon to be released Firefox 4. I am indebted to so many people at Mozilla for what they have had the generousity to teach me, for giving me the trust and opportunity to learn, and for some incredible memories, friendships and experiences.

There comes a time, however, when one needs to “just keep movin’ on.” I’ve been getting antsy for the past few months, as some people may have noticed, and have decided that it’s time to challenge myself by jumping into an industry about which I know next to nothing. Some things will be familiar, of course (I’ll be managing product strategy for a small team of incredibly smart people, developing advanced, disruptive technology in a stagnant market with a dominant market leader) but almost everything else will be different, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to learn and grow. I expect that you’ll see me trying to see how I can apply some of the tools I’ve developed here to that industry, too.

It’s not a choice I made lightly, I can assure you. I’m incredibly eager to see how Mozilla continues to evolve, shifting its strategy to the new world in which the Web is not just alive and thriving, but evolving and transforming daily. Changing to delivering those Web upgrades by shipping smaller pieces more quickly, providing a new stable of Firefox-ish services – it’s clear that Mozilla’s future is filled with exciting new challenges and opportunities. Add to that the dear friendships I have with so many people in this community, and the simply incredible global work environment we’ve created together … you may assume that the decision took time, consideration, and involved more than a few tears.

It would be the most absurd hubris for me to believe for one second that Mozilla couldn’t face those challenges and opportunities without me. My role here has mostly been that of a lens, focusing the efforts of others in order to burn away obstacles. I am constantly in awe of the energy, passion and quality of skill held by everyone involved in this project.

Apropos of nothing, my mother forwarded me an email today that I sent her back in 1999. Setting aside the fact that this was eleven years ago and that my mother apparently decided to spend her day reading my decades-old missives, it turns out that there’s a lesson in the story that I was relating to her which still applies in these futuristic times:

…so I’m running an errand at a local QwikCopy (I hate that name) which has me run off 82 SS copies … I get to the cash, and look at their price chart:

8.5 x 11 Self-Serve

26-99 $0.08/copy
100-299 $0.06/copy

I do some quick arithmetic, and mosey on up to the counter:

Me: Hi, I made 82 copies, but I’d like to pay for 100.
CSR: Ummm … but you made 82.
Me: Yes. Charge me for 100, please.
CSR: But you only made 82.
Me: <sigh> Yes, but 82 at 8c/copy is $6.56 … 100 at 6c is $6.
CSR: Oh, you can’t do that.
Me: Would you like me to go make another 18 copies?
CSR: Uhhh …
Me: I can do that, and then throw them away.  Seems like a waste.
CSR: We have our prices arranged so you get a discount if you make more copies, though. You’re cheating.
Me: Yes, but to your advantage.  How do you make more money by forcing me to make 18 more copies and then charging me LESS than if I’d saved you costs in paper and ink.
CSR: <visibly shaken> But …
Me: Look, I’m not responsible if you’ve set your prices all wonky. If I’d only made 75 (or less) copies, I’d happily pay the 8c per, but as is, making 82 copies is MORE EXPENSIVE than making 100. Where’s my incentive not to copy 18 extra sheets of paper and throw them away?
CSR: I’ve got to ask my boss.
Me: <shaking head> go ahead …
CSR: He’s on the phone.  I’ll let you get away with it.
Me: Thanks.  Good day!

The lesson isn’t only that it’s important to know your multiplication tables. Pretty sure there’s something else in there about how inflexibility in the face of logic something something.

A few months ago Virgin America opened up a SFO-YYZ route, and I was immediately asked by American colleagues why on earth I’d choose to fly any airline other than Virgin, and why I kept booking on Air Canada. Even setting aside the benefits I reap flying Air Canada as a Star Alliance Gold member, I couldn’t imagine what it was that Virgin was doing which made the air travel experience so much better that everyone talked about it as if the airline was reinventing the airline passenger experience. So when an opportunity presented itself (ie: I had to fly on short notice, and Air Canada seats were priced very dear) I decided to take it, and this morning found myself on VX203 from Toronto to San Francisco.

Buying a ticket

I kind of spoiled this in the preface, but when booking just a little more than a week in advance, Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners couldn’t get me a round trip Toronto-San Francisco direct for less than $1600. Virgin America’s initial fare was quoted at $530, and got lower and lower during the online purchase process, eventually ending at $495.

Winner: Virgin America

Checking in online

I went to the website and checked in online. I’m more used to the Air Canada site, but I also find their process a little more straightforward than Virgin, which makes a big show of telling you about all the features of the seat classes that you aren’t sitting in. The Virgin America site is way more modern though, and feels slick. Still, basically the same.

Winner: tie

Boarding the aircraft

The staff call people who need extra assistance, then first class, then row and seating numbers. I can only presume that the Virgin America frequent flyers with status are automatically put into “Seating Group A,” just like Star Alliance Gold members.

Then you walk down a runway and hope that there’s overhead space. The Virgin America boarding cards and row indicators actually make it a little more difficult to find your seat, but only barely, so …

Winner: tie

Interior Decor and Seat Comfort

Air Canada recently refitted all its planes with a bright new interior featuring light blues and greens, and bright LED lighting that can be adjusted throughout the flight. Virgin America goes the other way, with dark purples and black accents, highlighting the white Lucite that encases the back of each seat. The result is that stepping onto a Virgin America plane feels like stepping into a nightclub, and stepping onto an Air Canada flight feels like stepping onto a tram in some European city.

The seats on the two aircraft are essentially identical. The leather Virgin America seats look fluffier than they feel, and the Air Canada seats are more comfortable than they look. The biggest difference is that Air Canada offers an extra inch of seat pitch (32″ vs 30″-31″) and has narrower armrests, making the seats feel wider as well. Every so often the Virgin America rows have a bit of the footspace taken away to make room for their digital entertainment system; this only happens in one row on Air Canada.

Both airlines offer seat back pouches, thank god.

Winner: Air Canada, by a 1″ nose

Preparing for takeoff

Virgin America’s in flight announcements reminded me of WestJet or Southwest, with a bit of tongue in cheek playfulness about how it’s implausible that someone’s unaware of how to operate a seatbelt. Another benefit over Air Canada is that the announcements were in English only, and when they came they were prefaced with “Pardon the Interruption.” There was a real sense that they understood that passengers didn’t pay money to listen for a lecture.

Air Canada, on the other hand, seems to understand what eBook readers are, and doesn’t insist that they be turned off during takeoff. I was a little astonished that the otherwise more-modern Virgin America cabin attendants were so adamant that I had to turn off my Kobo eBook Reader.

On both airlines, the audio-visual system was available during preparation for and throughout takeoff. On both airlines we were subjected to captive advertising after a safety video. On both airlines we were assured that safety was their number one priority.

Winner: people who don’t know how to operate a seatbelt

In flight service

The Virgin America “RED” seatback systems are really impressive. Feature-rich (who the hell needs seat-to-seat chat?) and responsive, they smartly give you the ability to order up entertainment, food, and drinks. I really liked how the cabin attendants did one pass with the drinks trolley, and then after that you had to order up refreshments through your seatback system and it would just appear in a few moments. Very, very slick.

Air Canada has a more conventional “two trips of the trolley, otherwise hit the call button” system along with frequent passes through the airplane with water. This means that the aisles are always full of cabin attendants, which is definitely a disadvantage compared to the Virgin America system.

Both airlines offer buy on board for food and drink (Virgin has an easier fulfillment system with the credit card readers at your seat) but I found Air Canada’s selection to be a little broader and more robust. The audio and video offerings were basically the same, but Air Canada’s entertainment is all included in your airfare where Virgin America asks you to pony up $8 to watch a movie on a low dpi LCD with a bad refresh rate. As my friends said: “that’s what iPads are for, dude.”

Finally, Virgin America has WiFi, where Air Canada has the promise of WiFi.

Winner: tie; both offer good in-flight service, and while Virgin America is slicker in execution, it felt like everything came with a slightly-too-high pricetag

Overall

Air travel isn’t really a fantastically fun thing to do, so what I look for is an airline that makes me feel comfortable, cared for, and tries to work through the hardest parts. Both Air Canada and Virgin America are definitely striving for that, although in very different ways. Air Canada’s model doesn’t scale across passengers as well as Virgin America’s, but the latter always feels like I’m as valuable as the amount I’m willing to spend in-flight. On Air Canada I feel like a guest, on Virgin America I felt like a customer in a lounge with great service.

Winner: tie again, no clear advantage

Conclusion

Don’t fly United.

Seriously, I think the reason all my American colleagues were so excited about Virgin America was that they’d been forced to fly United all this time. Air Canada has quietly become a very comfortable, service-oriented airline in the past three to four years, and I didn’t see huge differences in the flying experience between the two carriers, just small ones. Air Canada continues to be more “full service” and Virgin America more “a la carte.” It’s not the second coming, but it’s a great alternative when Air Canada gets too costly.

Update: for an example of an airline that is trying to really change the flying experience, you should try Porter Airlines. They use small planes on short routes only, and that allows a far more personal touch in the service, and a focus on humane and comfortable environments.

For the past few months Mozilla has been alpha testing “Texai” telepresence robots built by the fine folks at Willow Garage. The Mountain View offices play host to two of these robots, which are essentially dedicated Skype machines (webcam, cpu, monitor, speakers) on wheels. Add in some (web based!) software to control the login / connection / navigation parts of the experience, and you get a pretty complete package.

If I want to “walk” through the corridors in Mountain View, I load my web browser, log in to a webpage, connect to a robot, tell it to call me and as soon as Skype is running, I’m good to go. When I’m done, I “walk” back to a charging station, plug in, and sign off.

It’s a pretty painless transaction, and the benefits are huge. I’ve used it for large scale team meetings, one-on-one conversations, and just ambient presence looking to chat with some colleagues. In all cases, the initial awkwardness of being a non-corporeal head on wheels has vanished in the free flow of information. I don’t know if it would work as well if my colleagues didn’t already know who I was, and I’m certain that it wouldn’t work if all I was doing was monitoring a team at work or cracking a whip. But as a way of being “present” without having to board a plane, it’s startlingly effective.

The New York Times wrote a great little piece about it, and shot a video that demonstrates how the technology works. The Toronto Star also got interested, and wrote a piece focusing on me. This has made me “robo-famous”, but I won’t let it go to my disembodied head on a metal stalk, I promise you!

I am now a big fan of soapy ham hocks.

Brian King recently wrote about a very significant change to the Firefox user interface which will be seen by all Windows Vista and Windows 7 users when they upgrade to Firefox 4. Designed by Alex Faaborg and the UX team based on community feedback from Test Pilot data, this new “Firefox Menu” will replace the Menu Bar. The goal is to put the most frequently used controls in a single menu, and return vertical space to the web content area by removing the pixels otherwise taken up by the Menu Bar:

(Image courtesy Brian King)

Alex filed a bug with the design, which included several new UI concepts that had not been previously implemented using XUL, such as a two-tiered Windows Vista-esque menu, and a menu that had buttons in it. At the time the bug was filed, we weren’t sure who would have time to experiment and implement the changes, and considered some of the design items to be at risk for Firefox 4.

This is where the soapy ham hocks come into the story.

Joshua M (who also goes by SoapyHamHocks on IRC) created a Bugzilla account on August 12th, and put up his first attempt at an implementation the next day. Working with the Firefox team in IRC and through Bugzilla, several iterations of his patch went by, and on August 20th, the patch landed in Mozilla’s codebase. There are some bugs and issues to work out, but thanks to Joshua’s contribution, our Windows Vista/7 users will all be able to look forward to a much more native, and better user experience – and of course, if Windows XP users want to try it out, they can customize their UI to do so! It should appear in a future beta revision, and of course users will be able to give us feedback about it at that time.

I’m always thrilled to see new contributors who want to make a difference for millions of users finding their way into our community, and similarly thrilled when our community can guide and help these new contributors towards successful implementations. Welcome to our motley crew, SoapyHamHocks – we all appreciate your work and effort.

Today we’re going to release the third beta revision of Firefox 4. We’ve been keeping close to our scheduled cadence of a beta release every two weeks, and putting our changes in front of users early and often has yielded – as we’d hoped – fantastic feedback.

We’ve actually gotten so much great feedback from users that we’ve had to create new tools to help us interpret it all. These tools allow us to navigate the 3-4 thousand feedback submissions we’re getting every day, calling out clusters of similar comments and allowing us to gather lists of websites that are reported to have compatibility problems. It’s also nice to see what changes are resonating positively with users on a week-by-week basis!

Over the next two planned beta releases we expect to add more web-developer and user-facing features to Firefox 4, at which point we’ll hit what we call “feature freeze.” After that point, we will spend all of our time fixing bugs and polishing the release for our hundreds of millions of users. It’s during this time that many of the bugs created from feedback reports will be addressed. So keep on letting us know what you like about the new betas, and what isn’t working well for you, and we’ll keep on working with you to make sure that Firefox 4 is moar awesome.

When I plugged my Mac into an external monitor yesterday, my nightly build of Firefox “beachballed” and became non-responsive. I was experiencing a browser hang.

I wanted to do what I could to help our engineers understand what caused the problem, and my colleague Jeff Muizelaar showed me what to do. I figured that I’d share that knowledge with you, gentle reader, in case you were also interested in doing what you could to help the Mozilla project with the development of the Firefox browser.

Requirements:

• a Mac running OS X (I’ll write another post later on how to do this on Windows, too)
  
• a nightly Mac build of Firefox (don’t worry – they’re stable; I use it as my day-to-day browser)
• XCode installed on your computer (this is also included on your OS X DVD)

When Firefox “beachballs”:

When you see a colourful spinning disc (also known as a “beachball”) instead of a mouse cursor while hovering over a Firefox window, you’re experiencing a hang. If this lasts a long time, you’ll want to file a bug so that our engineers can investigate the source of the problem. To help them do this, you can collect two sources of information:

• a profile
• a stack trace

Profiling Firefox with Shark:

In the “Developer” folder installed by XCode there’s a folder called “Applications”, and inside that there’s a folder called “Performance Tools” and inside that there’s a program called “Shark.app”. You should also be able to find it with Spotlight.

• Launch Shark.app
• Select “Time Profile”, “Process”, “firefox-bin” and set the time limit to 30s
  
• Press Start
• Stop it anytime after 10 seconds if you’re not patient enough to wait the full 30s

Once it’s done collecting samples, Shark will analyse them and produce a chart indicating where Firefox was spending it’s time. Congratulations! That’s the first piece of information which will help the engineering team.

Getting a stack trace with gdb:

The next thing you can collect is a stack trace. Here’s how:

• Open a terminal window and type “ps aux | grep firefox-bin | grep -v grep” – this returns a list of running processes that match the name “firefox-bin”
• Make a note of the process number – it’s the first number in the line of text, usually three or four digits – let’s pretend it was 6115 like in the screenshot below.
• Type “gdb” to launch the debugger that was installed with XCode
• Type “attach 6115″ where “6115″ is the process number you got from step 1
  
• Wait a few seconds for the debugger to attach to your Firefox process
• Type “bt”
• Type “detach” to detach from the Firefox process
• Type “quit” to quit the debugger

Congratulations! Now you have a window with a stack trace! You can now force-quit Firefox and restart it, since you’ll need it to file the bug.

Now you’re ready to file a bug:

Bugzilla isn’t a very friendly tool at times, but it’s powerful and what we use. Don’t worry if your bug is a duplicate, people check for those and duplicate bugs end up being very helpful, so please don’t hesitate to file them. When dealing with a hang, it’s probably best to file the bug in the Firefox::General component and start the summary with the word “hang”. Try to write a summary that represents what you were doing when Firefox hung, like “hang when I plug in an external monitor” or “hang when I click on a link from Tweetie”.

1. Go to bugzilla.mozilla.org and log in (you may need to create an account)
2. Click on File a Bug
3. Select Firefox as the product and General as the component unless you suspect it’s associated with something in particular based on the Shark analysis or stack trace
4. Write a summary that starts with the word “hang” and expresses what you were doing when Firefox hung
5. Type a few sentences at the top of the report that describes what you were doing, and what version of Firefox you’re using (you can copy the “build identifier” from the page that appears when you type “about:” into the location bar and hit enter)
6. Expand all the twisties in the Shark analysis window, select all the rows, then copy them and paste them into the bug report
7. Scroll back the Terminal window and copy the stack trace into the bug report
8. Submit the bug report

I filed a bug on the hang I was experiencing using these steps, and that information may save our users from experiencing the same hang in the future. This is an important part of the open source process, and using these steps, hopefully you’ll also be able to take part in the development of Firefox.

As sent to our Mozilla colleagues, and for the benefit of the wider community, from Madhava and me:

Hello everyone,

A friendly reminder that your Canadian colleagues (aka: “Team Elizabeth”) will not be at work on Thursday, July 1st in order to bring our annual tribute of maple-cured beaver pelts to Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II (not the boat). In fact, Her Majesty Our Queen has graced us with her presence in the nation’s capital in honour of our 143rd year as a Nation-Of-Sorts; the symbolism of this particular anniversary of our embarrassing exit from the British Empire is, we hope, obvious.

National Contrition Day is much like the American July 4th, only smaller and too soon. Most of us will be spending the day, as is tradition, apologizing profusely for our national pseudo-independence as well as enjoying a smaller, humbler display of national pride. Instead of fireworks, we hold candles aloft and softly say “bang” – so as not to frighten any people or woodland animals – while repressing a smile.

We’re sorry for any imposition this might cause.

cheers and apologies,
Your Canadians

Many of us are taking the Friday, as well. See you all at the Summit!