Partnering:Projects:BYOB
Build Your Own Browser is a web-based application that simplifies light customizations of Mozilla Firefox. You can give it a whirl at byob.mozilla.com.
Weekly Project Update
- Each Wednesday at 12:00 Pacific / 14:00 Central / 15:00 Eastern
- +1.650.903.0800 x92 Conf# 283 (US/INTL)
- irc.mozilla.org #byob for backchannel
Contents
Meeting Minutes
2010
- 2010Q3
- 2010Q2
- 2010Q1
2009
Production Notes
Milestones / Schedule
Q4 2010
Build
- setup triggered, automated build creation via buildbot on the pool of BYOB slaves [CARRYOVER]
- will use a shared NFS mount to store config information
- setup signalling between the web app and the buildbot automation system [CARRYOVER]
Q3 2010
Infrastructure
- Move web application to cluster
- Transition repack process to buildbot cluster
- Transition hosting to independant/clustered file store
Previous
Week-by-week milestones, which need to be copied to meeting notes each week as discussion points and updated as required.
- First cut at timelines based on work progression, discussions. Needs review in meeting for 15 Jul 2009. (the Gantt Project source file can be found here)
Design / UX
Webapp Implementation
Repack Build Process
QA
- Tomcat is QA lead
- BYOB Testplan
Hosting
- Production acceptance doc
- Probably need a new/separate one for BYOB itself
- Staging / preview server:
- http://dm-partdist-stage01.mozilla.org/
- Staging server is operational at dm-partdist-stage01.mozilla.org (VPN access required). Note that PHP 5.3 is installed.
- Production server is dm-partnerdist01.mozilla.org
- Final domain name is http://buildyourownbrowser.com, which redirects to https://byob.mozilla.com
Marketing
Target
- Primary: Affinity groups, charities, non-profits, small to mid-size organizations that previously were not considered for distribution partnerships and custom builds.
- Secondary: Larger organizations that are willing to create a distribution within the customization guidelines of the BYOB program.
Messaging
Web Site
- New BYOB site pages:
- First pass at what homepage could look like (copy+layout) File:Homepage.pdf - feedback requested!
- Features Page
- FAQ Page
- Standard First Run Page
- Suggestions for BYOB UI tweaks: new version: File:Byob-ui-comments v2.pdf
- Suggestions for BYOB messaging (input from Slater): File:Byob-ui-comments v2 JS-dr.pdf
Emails
- Needed emails (can find updated suggested copy here: File:Byob-ui-comments v2 JS-dr.pdf )
- Signup/account verification email
- Lost password email
- submit build email
- build is ready for download email
- Need to include CAN-SPAM requirements on all emails (unsubscribe? (may not have to if considered services emails only), Mozilla address
Outreach
- Latest-draft of pitch deck (updated 4/5/10): File:BYOB pitch-deck v7.pdf
- Older version of pitch deck: File:BYOB pitch-deck v5.pdf
- Goal of pitch deck: have material that can be presented to potential "beta" partners
- To-do: create a one-sheet (use the pitch deck as a model)
Metrics/Tracking Requirements
- Add in Webtrends tracking to capture the following:
- Pageview/visitor data
- Conversion funnel data
- Download data (record download with user click on the create BYOB button
- Affiliate tracking data integrated into BYOB (e.g., Boy Scout troup creates an affiliate button and has group members post it on their personal website/blog, etc. --> be able to capture this BYOB capture data within WebTrends)
- Other Metrics/ADU/Download Stats to be entered here
Proposed Enhancements
Bug Fixes
Pilot to Beta/Release
- [DONE] Automated version updates (e.g. on release of a new version of Firefox, automatically generate new versions of all BYOB distributions) bug 526691
- [DONE] Add ability for distribution creators to hide their distributions from the public search and "recently added" pages (and equivs) bug 526700
- Add additional locales to supported installers list bug 526701
- Add per-locale support for bookmarks (and other customizations as required), similar to the localization support in AMO. bug 538883
- [DONE] Add ability to upload and add a limited number of search engines to the default set of search plugins bug 538607
- [DONE] Support bookmark folders in the bookmark toolbar and menu (e.g. define a folder of bookmarks which can then be placed on the bookmark toolbar and/or menu) bug 538888
- Add ability for admins to add ad-hoc entries to each of the Global, Preferences, Localizable Preferences sections in the distribution.ini file bug 538615
- Include a selection of recommended add-ons that can be included in the browser
- Simplify the default persona selection process (e.g. Personas browser, etc.) bug 538889
- Simplify the default collections selection process, and add preview image to personas customization
- Add additional Labs projects (i.e. jetpack and ubiquity) to supported customizations (needs input from labs)
- Support the inclusion of Personas in Firefox 3.6 (may not be a requirement; preference seems to be to continue to include the extension. for discussion)
- Simplify/shorten the registration process (requires discussion and req defintiion)
Proposed Q1 2010 Work
Administration (non-user facing)
- [DONE] bug 538603 Modify functions that call split(), which is deprecated in PHP 5.3+
- [DONE] bug 526691 Add "Update all repacks" for administrators - required for when we launch a product update to re-generate all repacks while maintaining release status.
- [MISSED] bug 538615 Add ability for admins to add ad-hoc entries to a BYOB repack's distribution.ini
- [MISSED] (bug needed) Add ability for an admin to add an extension to a given repack (need to discuss model/reqs for adding extensions to ensure ability to scale, and how we'd flag extensions as public)
- [DONE] bug 516439 Change details link does not show the customizations - would be great fro admins/editors to have a link to a summary page of customizations
- [DONE] bug 510527 Failed releases are kicked back to user instead of editor/admin
- [DONE] bug 521252 Only set a custom first-run page in the browser if a customized page is required
Additional Functionality
- Simplify registration form to minimize info collected, speed up process. Bug needed, dependant on UI work
- bug 526701 Add support for all locales to be repacked (but no "all" button, please! :)
- [DONE] bug 538883 Enhance bookmark support to include folders and localized bookmarks
- [DONE] bug 538607 Add support for adding custom search plugins to a BYOB repack
- [DONE] bug 526700 Add ability for repack authors to hide their repacks from public searches and "newest" lists
User Interface
- Re-design home page to incorporate education/instructional information and simplify messaging
- Re-design config wizard/process to better accomnmodate additional features/functionality
- Re-design registration to simplify and speed up registration process
- Review use of modal views with BYOB on lower resolution screens, error pages, etc. Re-design/tweak as necessary.
- Re-develop copy to incorporate messaging from marketing efforts, simplified text.
- bug 511146 Improve "Contact Us" form with per-category recipients and auto-response messages
Job Jar (not a priority, but generally smaller nit items/bugfixes)
- bug 521242 Change recpatcha links to use SSL
- bug 512665 Use local images for OS icons (causes mixed content warnings)
- bug 516425 Make the byob HTML 4.0.1 Transitional
- Various bugfixes
QA
- Run over all site functions with a fine-toothed comb and file bugs :) There's a bunch of little issues I've run across, and we should document them all and get them into bugzilla.
Medium Term goals (planning for Q2)
- Medium and long-term planning for additional product integration (fennec, unbranded builds), enterprise support, end-goals
- bug 503328 Planning localization support w/involvement of l10n team.
- Discuss addition/value/effort for adding demo account or preview functionality so people can see what the process is like without a need for registration
- Discuss with RelEng (coop) on setting a clear path/workplan on integrating BYOB with linux cluster for front end and byob buildbot and signing back-end.
- Requirements definition for adding statistics fed from metrics/log analysis
Medium/Long-Term Enhancements
- Transition BYOB from OSX to the cluster environment
- Deploy repack environment w/releng
- Deploy BYOB on Linux cluster
- Add l10n support (e.g. BYOB in multiple languages)
- Add support for the Mozilla MySQL cluster (separate read/write dbs)
- Add support for the /bundle extension installer
Objectives
Product objective
To create a simple, self-service web application that allows an interested organization or individual to create a customized version of the Firefox browser.
Timeline
Project objective
Targets
Primary
Affinity groups, charities, non-profits, small to mid-size organizations that previously were not considered for distribution partnerships and custom builds.
Secondary
Larger organizations that are willing to create a distribution within the customization guidelines of the BYOB program.