Maria Lourdes C. Capilitan

SysAnal(O0A)

August 7, 2008

Case Study

Blake Ross

(Creator, Firefox)

Blake Ross and David Hyatt started Firefox while doing the Mozilla foundation. They release the initial version which is Phoenix in 2001 and in 2004 they released Firefox 1.0. Firefox is an open source project. What I learned in this case study are; first, learned that Mozilla just started as a hobby. Second, learned that after Mozilla splits off to Netscape the Mozilla try to distribute directly to the users. Third, I learned that Firefox was known through word of mouth. Lastly, I learned that for them time is their most valuable resource.

            Firefox grew out of Mozilla, being an open source project Netscape team bases their product on Mozilla. Blake Ross helps them to fix bugs. He was only 14 yrs. old by that time. Netscape kept sliding in the market. They try to include pop-up blocking in Netscape7. They called their project Phoenix which is an allusion to mythical bird. The people involve in this project are David Hyatt and Joe Hewitt. Phoenix was a partner of Mozilla code. There are a lot of changes in their names like Firebird, lately, become Firefox a Chinese name for red panda.

            One of their turning point is when they put out first milestone which is not even. They put it on an FTP site. It was getting many downloads as a Mozilla milestone. They don’t have problems on getting their users but their site as a communist that’s why for people their site is not appealing to them. As a solution to this problem, Netscape split off to Mozilla as independent entity.

            They didn’t worry about their competitors because they were worried to their users. Their users are their sign of success. They were bothered about Microsoft. As being winner of browser in 2001, Microsoft stops developing. The new version of IE which is IE 7 is a good browser but then Ross wanted it to release earlier. Google is also their

            As companies there are parts that people misunderstood them like, First, their goal, the audience they are going were being misunderstood. Second, their features. Third, convincing people that their feature on site was not appropriate. Firefox, reached mainstream because of word-of-mouth. Also, a site called Spread Firefox, through ad in newspaper and giving matching up people.

            For Blake Ross the surprising happening to their company is first, how the Firefox succeeded easily. Second, how the people appreciate the simplicity of the site just like other starter, Ross wanted to quit because he was going back to school.

            They don’t have mentors but they have lawyers. They are people wanting to have something from them as being popular.

            Ross learned that someone to make sure that they will always have communication to the future users of your product. Building up a product in an honest way.  They are nervous about finding people to handle the operation while Joe and Blake are on the meeting.

            Blake Ross was surprised how people are tightly connected to one another and the biggest challenge is the normal term sheets because they don’t know about it and haven’t seen it. Second, they have less time for relatives and others because of dealing with a big project.