Hayward’s Corner

We are getting ready to start inviting people to come-on-over and help test the next version of the Spread Firefox web site, its going to be a great next-step for Firefox community marketing with lots of great new tools to empower users to organize projects/campaigns and general grass roots promotions so if your interested in helping test the alpha site features post in the comments on this spreadfirefox.com post or alternatively ping me directly.

All the best, Ian

Today, I will for the first time talk about Mozilla and how I believe passionately in its cause, what it means to me and why I have spent so much time over the past two years doing my bit to contribute.

The reason? Because Mitchell Baker is publicising the Mozilla Manifesto today and I want to publically show both my support and endorsement of it whilst also offering a small insight into what the Mozilla cause means to an everyday contributor like me.

For those of you that know me, you will be aware of my work with Mozilla over the past couple of years, particularly on www.spreadfirefox.com again if you know me, your probably also familiar with the work that Glaxstar (the company I founded) has done to produce some pretty special Firefox Add-ons for clients too.

First up, I genuinely think the modern Internet world owes a debt of gratitude to Mitchel Baker for creating the Mozilla Foundation when AOL shut down Netscape browser operations in July 2003.

Under Mitchells stewardship as president of the Mozilla Foundation and more recently her transition to CEO of the Mozilla Corporation, she has successfully headed up the management of growth of the Mozilla contributor community to what it is today, pure awesomeness!

For the benefit of those of you who have been offline or the past couple of years, the Mozilla community delivered (in the Autum of 2004) the version 1 of the Firefox web browser that in my opinion, single handedly re-ignited browser software innovation on the Internet.

At the recent Firefox 2006 summit, we raised our glasses to Mitchels toast from the fireplace at the summit evening party in San Francisco, so once again I would would like to take this opportunity to salute you, for a job well done :)

Its almost impossible to convey the pure awesomeness of the Mozilla community of staffers and volunteers. These people are amongst the kindest most genuine and it has to be said geekly weird bunch of folks walking this hunk of rock circling a burning sphere ;)

Mozilla people give so much of their energy to Mozilla projects in a way that for the commercial world must be unfathomable, these people don’t punch in and out of work, they live their work. Mozilla people spend huge amounts of hours helping others on IRC, forums in addition to the more recognisable aspects of software code making and documentation. In short the Mozilla community rocks when in theory it shouldn’t even work out by the modern western way of doing things.

In fact, to offer an analogy by way of a comparison, if you can imagine a scenario where Doctors and Nurses work without any pay for a year or so then the best and most dedicated ones were hired on salaries, then you would be close to imagining what the Mozilla ecosystem is like.

I believed in the Mozilla cause so much, that I founded a business over one year ago with the purpose of ensuring that everything it does benefits the growth and adoption of Mozilla Technology. The company has successfully spent its time so far specializing building pro-extensions for Firefox to blue-chip companies. How cool is that, a commercial company with the sole purpose of benefiting the Mozilla cause! (remember I haven’t even been blogging about it, thats another Mozilla contributor trait, just getting on with it instead of doing self promotion)

I still continue as a lead admin of www.spreadfirefox.com each and every day of the year as I have done over the past couple of years, I still believe in the cause, I still believe that the Internet needs choice and innovation in Internet software because I beleive its important to prevent any one corporation controlling the software we use to access and read the information on the Internet.

Firefox has been and continues to be a phenomenon, its what trained marketing people talk about being a demonstration of “infectious action” – No my friends, close your marketing text books, its not a buzz word :) For what Firefox really is really is; Is theMozilla Manifesto in action.

The Mozilla Manifesto is about good people willing to step up, work hard, and stick around.

I for one, very much recomend you try it out and come join the Mozilla community.

PS. If you don’t already use Firefox as your Internet Software, then do something smarter for yourself today, go download Firefox! Its free, faster and safer for browsing the web.

Mitchell Baker has posted a draft of the Mozilla Manifesto in the mozilla.governance group

I’d recommend anyone interested in participating in feedback take a look at the soon-to-be-announced Manifesto before the ink dries.

I’ve been participating in reviewing the copy with a core group of 30+ or so people prior to public consultation, I think its an important and dare I say potentially historic piece, so please, if your into the cause of providing choice, freedom an innovation on the web, then get involved and shape it future.