Mozilla mulls removing version numbers from Firefox's About box

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Mozilla will remove version numbers altogether from the About box in its Firefox web browser.

Mozilla has put its flagship Firefox browser on a rapid release schedule that has seen it jump from version 4 to version 6 in less than six months. Mozilla plans to release Firefox 8 by the end of the year, however in order to keep potentially confusing version numbers away from users, Mozilla has said it might remove version numbers altogether from the application's "About" dialogue.

Traditionally, applications cite developer credits and version numbers in the About dialogue box. However, Firefox developers have suggested removing the version number entirely from the About text and sticking full version information in the About:support dialogue box.

Mozilla's proposed change has generated heated debate on Bugzilla, with many saying the move goes against conventional user interface design and adds nothing. Jordan Osete couldn't have said it better, writing, "This is oversimplification. Users understand version numbers, so why remove them ? If there is a problem with version numbers, then the format can be changed (either to a date "2011.08.15.aurora" for example, or whatever), but removing the information adds nothing."

Ever since Mozilla went down the road of rapid releases there has been growing opposition to throwaway version numbers. Although Mozilla has worked on creating a plug-in framework that should mean add-ons work regardless of versions, users might still need to know what version of Firefox they are running in order to troubleshoot problems with web-based applications.

The comments generated by Mozilla's decision to first put Firefox on a rapid release schedule and now to hide the version number are partly down to widespread use of the popular web browser. Google's Chrome gets away with similar tactics partly because it is relatively immature, and while it has taken significant market share, it is clear that Chrome is work in progress for Google.

Mozilla's Firefox on the other hand has steadily built up a massive user base over the best part of a decade and many are concerned that changes, even seemingly trivial ones such as hiding the version number, might harm its competitiveness with not only Internet Explorer but Chrome as well. µ