I waddled onto the beach and stole found a computer to use.

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Note: I’m moderating a handful of communities in more of a caretaker role. If you want to take one on, send me a message and I’ll share more info :)

  • 12 Posts
  • 19 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 5th, 2023

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  • So you got this survey in an email. Was the link intended to be shared like this? Can I find the survey link somewhere on Mozilla’s own websites?

    The email was through their newsletter and I would have offered to forward it, if it didn’t have personal information in it. Maybe someone else who is subscribed to the newsletter can back up the claim instead?

    I actually searched for the website link to put in the post body before sharing, and went through a similar thought process as yours when I didn’t find it. My reasons for sharing it anyway were:

    • Sometimes these emails say to not share it further, but this one didn’t
    • I see it shared already in a few places unofficially (Mastodon, Reddit, Twitter)
    • It mentioned ‘Mozilla Community’ and not a more specific group, so this audience seemed appropriate
    • People here might have better feedback than I could write up, so it should be a net positive for Mozilla

    It would be nice if they did post about it on an official account to resolve any concerns. If it helps, it looks like “mozillafoundation.tfaforms.net” has been used for other surveys in the past and so you might find a link to that domain from an official source


    edit:

    their website has links to that domain based on a search of the GitHub repo

    For example, the ‘Submit a product here’ link on this page: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/

    It’s also possible to submit without filling in the demographic questions if people are concerned but still want to submit























  • There is nothing inherent in knockoff that says it doesn’t work. That would be a fake.

    While I can find definitions that call it “an inferior copy” (link), that’s not the point. Common usage has made it so that people will assume things about the quality or efficacy of the medication when certain words are used. Even if a word is technically correct, perceptions about the word can make it a bad choice.

    Often when patents expire and other options emerge, they are called “generics” or “store brand” versions. Those terms don’t carry the negative associations.





  • The “politics” isn’t separate from the products though. The fact is that their competitors, Google/Amazon/Facebook etc, all have significant political arms as well. They fund initiatives, lobby governments, and try to squeeze out more power and influence in the tech landscape.

    You can’t fight all that with a “better product” only. Especially if most casual users don’t care about those “better” features (usually privacy and security related ones) as much as we might. Market share won’t shift with a couple more extra features in Firefox.

    If their political arm is pushing for better privacy laws and fighting against corporate control of the tech world, then that is in line with what I’d want my donation money going towards. You can’t get a free and open web with a better browser alone, you need to advocate for better laws and fight against companies that want the exact opposite.

    I do agree that their finances could use some more openness and explanation. I’m leaning towards this being incompetence (or lack of focus) rather than malice.