future of messaging with mozilla values
TRANSCRIPT
Taking messaging forward, with Mozilla values
David AscherMozilla Messaginghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/circulating/2238715683/
Messaging was the killer app of the internet
UUCP
SMTP
POP
NNTP
IMAP
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hi-phi/36854889/
Those were awesome & hopeful times
can talk to “anyone”
“free”
standards-based
a refuge from commercialism
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3123696152/
flawedeconomics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthwatcher/634220499/
all that was inventedbefore the web
flawed protocolsfrozen in time
lousy monetization
naive about hard problems not consumer-ready
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmediamuseum/2780164539/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonpan/232127422/
Web kept evolving, email didn’t
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-sel-/279510322/
current trends in messaging
global & centralized
ambient ads
consumer psychology
internet scale problems
tackled in-house
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-sel-/279510322/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63056612@N00/155554663/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkbrilliance/215007986/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teimoury/2755900081/
What’s wrong withcommercial centralized systems?
Non-universalityhttp://www.flickr.com/photosravescuritiba/789517948/
Central control without regulation
Centralized control over innovation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dittaeva/2894367031/
Company’s incentives are not always the same as the user’s
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
sharing is privacy
What should we do about it?
David’s opinions ahead!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uhop/104505376
My goal: to maximize our impact in shaping the future of messaging on the net.
What values drive me?
The Internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible.
Individuals must have the ability to shape their own experiences
on the Internet.
The effectiveness of the Internet as a public resource depends upon
interoperability (protocols, data formats, content), innovation and decentralized participation worldwide.
Free and open source software promotes the development of the
Internet as a public resource.
Commercial involvement in the development of the Internet brings many benefits;
a balance between commercial goals and public benefit is critical.
What shouldn’t we do about it?
tell people they shouldn’t do what they love
believe that technology drives behavior
What should we do about it?
pick winnable fights worth winning
understand what users value, and how they behave
design for tomorrow’s users & problemshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/3074859774/
be where most reachable users are:desktop, web, mobile
bake mozilla values in everything we do
What does that look like?
1. In the desktop email space
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilestreetlife/4179063482/
Experiences controlled by users, not brands
Why bother with a desktop based communications client (e.g. Thunderbird?)
OS integration
High-CPU specialized tasks
Experimentation
Life at the edge of the net
Many accounts,one life.
Focus on strategic markets:
where our values matter, our culture works, and where the future is shaped
Understand the users you want to reach
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2715583000/
Market researchCompetitive analysisMetrics & analyticsSurveys
65%of Thunderbird downloaders expect a free email account.
30%use webmail or facebook
Leverage Firefox (duh)
Leverage the web
Prototype
Practical steps to tackleclutter & noise
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrinberg/3911943929/
Prototype
Prot
otyp
e
“It’s my network”http://www.flickr.com/photos/psyberartist/3457170462/
Experiment with new interfaces for new users
Prototype
2. In the webmail & mobile space
Web & mobile experiences with built-in Mozilla values:
open source decentralized open for experimentation appealing to mainstream
Raindrop UI # 21
Prototype
Raindrop UI # 43
Prototype
Messaging Web APIs
Prot
otyp
e
to maximize our impact in shaping the future of messaging on the net,
promoting and embedding Mozilla values
reaching millions.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/circulating/2238715683/
Mission & values bind us.
Where do we want to go?
& how can we get there?
let’s talk!
Let’s talk!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktylerconk/3045268759/