Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mozilla Labs Wants To Monitor (Volunteers') Firefox Use

Posted by timothy on from the voluntary-counts-a-lot-for-me dept.

Howardd21 writes "PC World reports that Mozilla Labs wants 1% of its Firefox users to voluntarily provide information about how they use the browser, and their web browsing habits. This would be done through an add-on named "Test Pilot" that collects the information and associates it with some demographic information that the user has provided. Unlike other data collection utilities that software developers may include to provide usage information, the add-on will follow the same open source concept that Firefox adheres to, allowing the market to better understand what is being collected. Mozilla Labs stresses privacy when discussing how they will collect, store and use the data, including publishing it for other researchers to to analyze."

13 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. At least they are asking for volunteers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    instead of just adding it to the base code.

  2. Self-selection will skew results by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "This is very odd... all of users primarily visit technology sites, and, uh, porn."

  3. How about add needed features instead? by duffbeer703 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How about making it possible to update Firefox in a business environment without administrative rights? Maybe allow admins to push the browser and patches?

    --
    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
  4. Who would volunteer? by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously for a sec -- what kind of person would volunteer for something like this? And would that person really represent the average user?

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  5. Bias by michaelhood · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Apologies to MrEricSir, as he posted on this sort of but I wanted to write my own opinion.

    This is textbook sampling bias. It's just now getting to the point that the "average user" might be someone who is even using FireFox. There is no way the people that install this addon and submit their usage to Mozilla will be representative of anything useful at all.

    Unfortunately, to get the "average user", Mozilla probably need run some "punch the monkey" banners on MySpace - offering people a free iPod and a trip to a tropical destination, in exchange for installing this addon. Maybe they can use some of their Googlefortune.

    1. Re:Bias by Artraze · · Score: 2, Insightful

      On the other hand, why would they even want "average user" over "average Firefox user"? I can understand that the former may have value in as far a switching users to Firefox, but on the other hand most people don't switch because IE is good enough and already installed. No matter how much touts improvements in whatever, they aren't going to convince these people. Mozilla is best off improving their experience for existing uses so that they: a) don't switch away, and b) install FF on their friends computers. Thus, "average Firefox user" really has more value to them anyway.

  6. Re:I hope they aren't planing to follow M$ office by Btarlinian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I hope this information about most used features isn't going to be used to develop a Mozilla ribbon.

    Sure, discounting the fact that the ribbon was probably the best UI design MS has ever created. (The only people who might dislike it are those who have learned the intricacies of the Office menu structure and they still have the option to switch back.) If Mozilla can come up with something as good as the Ribbon from this, I'd say it's a good thing

  7. Re:I hope they aren't planing to follow M$ office by ljw1004 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is there any consensus or are there usability-studies that support your claim that the ribbon is great?

    (I have no opinion on it. I'm just curious. I haven't seen either yet.)

  8. Sure by alexborges · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The large reptile can have my data. No problem with that at all.

    --
    NO SIG
  9. Stupid statistics by turkeyfeathers · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Conclusion: 100% of our users aren't at all concerned about their privacy (based on our 1% voluntary sample size). -Mozilla Labs

    1. Re:Stupid statistics by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You won't get far in the field of statistics if you don't know how to choose your sample to get the desired results...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  10. Re:Mandatory by cp.tar · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No. In Soviet Russia, memes kill you.

    --
    Ignore this signature. By order.
  11. Re:I hope they aren't planing to follow M$ office by Repossessed · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The only people who might dislike it are those who have learned the intricacies of the Office menu structure

    Sorry, but no, I don't know the intricacies of either, I hate the ribbon because without fucking *words* I don't know what a button does.

    --
    Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (TM)