[Linux-aus] Firefox vs IceWeasel

[Glen Turner]

gareth wrote:

> I was just wondering if there was consensus withing Linux.Aus that the 
> Firefox/Iceweasle(omg) situation is in fact a debacle that jeopardises 
> FOSS from taking its rightful place as a global standard.

No, I don't think any such consensus exists.

> Here's hoping common sense prevails.

That's up to the Mozilla Foundation, and they seem to think
their requirements for use of the trademark are satisfactory.
And who are we to argue with that, since the obvious consequences
have been made expressed to, and understood by, the Foundation.

I don't see it's a problem in the short run -- all distributors
will use a different name in order to apply security patches
to the version of Firefox they choose to support.

It would be nice if all distributors used the same name, but
that's mainly a convenience for CLI oldies like me -- all
the GUI users see is the "web browser" menu entry anyway.

It might be an issue in the longer term, since the Mozilla
Foundation will get less recognition as the source of the
most popular browser in Linux.  If that occurs, it's a problem
in the Foundation's power to solve.