Questions about the multiple Firefox Update Channels

[petersaints]

I've been using Firefox since the beginning (Firefox 1.0 PR), even though I have switched to Chrome as my main browser from time to time. I'm well aware of the Rapid Release cycle and the multiple channels that came with it (Release, Beta, Aurora and Nightly). I'm also aware that to commemorate the Firefox 1.0 10th anniversary they decided to rename Aurora to Developer Edition. I actually like the Developer Edition theme more than the default theme (Australis) and I've been using it on my Firefox Beta install for awhile now. However, I decided to try out Firefox Developer Edition to check how is it going, and I was pleased to see that everything was working, including my extensions. In the past Aurora has been a little rough to me with a lot of broken extensions and few issues here there. But this Developer Edition (currently 38) has been solid so far.

So what I'm wondering is... what is the real target market for each channel. I mean Release is obviously the "mass market" version for the average user, Nightly is the "bleeding edge" version for Firefox developers (including add-on developers), Developer Edition is supposed to be for Web Developers (like me), but what about the Beta edition (which is what I'm using)? What is the target audience? I mean, before the Developer Edition, I thought it was perfect for Developers, because it was almost as stable as the release version, but you had access to stuff a little bit earlier than the average user, thus giving you time to test everything for the next Firefox Release. But then came the Developer Edition and it confused me. I mean, the Developer Edition also serves the same purpose but it is way more risky than Beta without offering much more than access to features a little bit earlier than Beta. The Developer Tools are available across ALL channels without exception (and I'm glad that they are). Other than having access to a few tweaks in the Developer Tools a bit earlier, a developer could do his job equally well on Release, Beta or Developer Edition.

The Developer Edition Theme can even be applied to any version just by using the correct key under "about:config". So what is the compelling reason to use the Developer Edition over Beta, other than having access to stuff a little bit earlier with the cost of having a much higher chance of getting crippling bugs than on Beta (I always felt that Beta is more of a Release Candidate than a proper Beta)?

Wasn't this whole Developer Edition thing just a way to get more people to use the Aurora channel? I remember that people used to say that they had enough testers on Nightly and Beta, but they were lacking Aurora users. So was that the main motivation? I mean, even the official website hide the Beta version way these days but has some ways of getting to Developer Edition page, while you can only get to Beta by "Googling". Are they trying to push way users (mainly developers) away from Beta into the Developer Edition so that they have more people testing that version, because Beta already has enough users?

So guys... what do you think? I want to hear your opinions and if you have any more accurate and (semi?)official information about the issues that I mentioned, please post them below.

[Omega X]

I think that Developer Edition just exposes and ships with extra developer addons like FirefoxOS emulation and debugging that they don't ship with the stable release.

[petersaints]

From what I can tell, all of the Developer Tools are available on the other channels. They are just disabled by default, but if you go to the Menu Toolbar and click on them on "Tools > Web Developer" they are there and become "enabled" as soon as you click them.

[James]

I've been using Firefox since the beginning (Firefox 1.0 PR),

Just a note that the browser we know as FIrefox did not start at Firefox 1.0 or 1.0 PR (0.10) but started as Phoenix 0.1 release (Sept 2002) (0.1 to 0.5) and Firebird from 0.6 to 0.7). Thanks to the 10th anniversary of Firefox 1.0 last year (and the fanfare of Fx 1.0 release way back then) that Mozila did many people still think this browser was first released back in Nov 2004. The 1.0 was nothing special over 0.9.3.

I think one reason for the Aurora channel having the alternate name of Developer Edition was they wanted to get more users on Aurora including those who were on Nightly.

Now that Firefox 38.0 Release may be the earliest to have Win64 the people who were using Nightly and Aurora build simply for Win64 builds may then shift to Release.

[patrickjdempsey]

- Nightly is for landing new features and testing slow development features and is the most unstable.

- Developer is superposed to be for addons and website developers to give them plenty of time to test/fix compatibility without using the imminently unstable and constantly-changing Nightly.

- Beta is for final Firefox product stability testing before the release.

The old Aurora channel didn't really serve a purpose other than being a place somewhere in between initial landing and final testing to make sure things are properly cooked. I'm guessing that not many users were on Aurora, which made it's relevance for testing very low, but Mozilla still liked the idea of the extra 6 weeks between final Nightly and initial Beta for cooking.

Ages ago, before all of the Rapid Releases rebranding, addons/website developers often used the old Beta channel which was similar in functionality to the current Aurora channel:

Trunk=Minefield -> Beta -> Release Candidates -> Release (then)

Trunk=Nightly -> Aurora=Developer -> Beta -> Release (now)

[petersaints]

I've been using Firefox since the beginning (Firefox 1.0 PR),

Just a note that the browser we know as FIrefox did not start at Firefox 1.0 or 1.0 PR (0.10) but started as Phoenix 0.1 release (Sept 2002) (0.1 to 0.5) and Firebird from 0.6 to 0.7). Thanks to the 10th anniversary of Firefox 1.0 last year (and the fanfare of Fx 1.0 release way back then) that Mozila did many people still think this browser was first released back in Nov 2004. The 1.0 was nothing special over 0.9.3.

I think one reason for the Aurora channel having the alternate name of Developer Edition was they wanted to get more users on Aurora including those who were on Nightly.

Now that Firefox 38.0 Release may be the earliest to have Win64 the people who were using Nightly and Aurora build simply for Win64 builds may then shift to Release.

Yes! I know about Firefox's history. But version 1.0 was the first true version for the masses. But you're right, Firefox already existed before 1.0, and if you consider the previous names it had, it goes even further back.

Regarding Win64, that's something that I'm also interested in, as I dual boot Windows and Linux. Even though Firefox 38 Developer Edition introduced official Win64 builds, I'd like to note that Firefox 37 Beta is also being built for Win64 since Beta 2. However, those Firefox 37 Beta Win64 builds are still somewhat unofficial, unlike the Developer Edition Win64 builds, which are listed on the Firefox Developer Edition download page.

- Nightly is for landing new features and testing slow development features and is the most unstable.

- Developer is superposed to be for addons and website developers to give them plenty of time to test/fix compatibility without using the imminently unstable and constantly-changing Nightly.

- Beta is for final Firefox product stability testing before the release.

The old Aurora channel didn't really serve a purpose other than being a place somewhere in between initial landing and final testing to make sure things are properly cooked. I'm guessing that not many users were on Aurora, which made it's relevance for testing very low, but Mozilla still liked the idea of the extra 6 weeks between final Nightly and initial Beta for cooking.

Ages ago, before all of the Rapid Releases rebranding, addons/website developers often used the old Beta channel which was similar in functionality to the current Aurora channel:

Trunk=Minefield -> Beta -> Release Candidates -> Release (then)

Trunk=Nightly -> Aurora=Developer -> Beta -> Release (now)

That's what I feel. Beta used to be way more unstable (specially the early betas) up until Firefox 4.0. Once they moved to the Rapid Release model, the Beta channel feels almost as it should be renamed Release Candidate channel. However, initially Aurora was a bit problematic, specially in terms of add-on support. It now seems that most addons work well, but during the first Aurora releases it was very common to have add-ons break when they moved a new version from Nightly to Aurora.

I guess that add-on developers got better at keeping up with the Rapid Release cycles, while Mozilla also fixed many of the issues regarding add-on API changes from version to version. So, I'll give the Developer Edition a new shot, if I start to be bothered by issues with it, or with some of my ESSENTIAL add-ons, I'll probably revert back to Beta, which has been 99.99% as solid as Release for me

[patrickjdempsey]

Around Firefox 10, Mozilla moved to a system where Firefox basically ignores the version compatibility numbers inside of extensions, because extension developers don't have time to reup their extensions every 5 minutes.

[James]

Yes! I know about Firefox's history. But version 1.0 was the first true version for the masses. But you're right, Firefox already existed before 1.0, and if you consider the previous names it had, it goes even further back.

Regarding Win64, that's something that I'm also interested in, as I dual boot Windows and Linux. Even though Firefox 38 Developer Edition introduced official Win64 builds, I'd like to note that Firefox 37 Beta is also being built for Win64 since Beta 2. However, those Firefox 37 Beta Win64 builds are still somewhat unofficial, unlike the Developer Edition Win64 builds, which are listed on the Firefox Developer Edition download page.

I know as I did mention the Phoenix, Firebrd names and versions. The Firefox 1.0 was not the first version for the masses but rather the first version that Mozilla sent out fireworks for in fanfare even though 0.9.3 and earlier Releases were just as easily available to public to download.

I know about the 37.0b2 on having Wn64 builds as I mentioned that they were not official (automated) in the 37.0b2 thread. Mozilla is not going to be be posting about them on the Beta download pages until 38.0b#. Hence why Fx 38.0 may be the earliest for Win64 release.

[petersaints]

Yes. Firefox 38 will possibly be the first Win64 Release. But it could be postponed to a later version if issues arise.
All in all, I like to be on Firefox 38 (Developer Edition)... I get a better score on HTML5test.com than on Release or Beta. 469 (Fx 38) vs 449 (Fx 36 & 37)

[petersaints]

Just one more thing... Given that Firefox Developer Edition uses a separate profile by default, is it supposed to be used as a developer's main browser? Or is it supposed to be used ONLY as a separate testing browser on which a developer works, just like if it was another text editor or IDE? If so, wouldn't Mozilla be losing a lot of testing potential, since the Aurora/Developer Edition is not being tested in the "real world"?

[KWierso]

It uses a separate profile by default so you can install extensions like Firebug that slow down the normal operation of Firefox without slowing down your main profile.