QA/Fennec/NativeUI
Contents
Native Fennec for Android
Mozilla is embarking on the ambitious target to re-architect Firefox using a native Android front-end user interface. This evolved product will deliver improvements to start-up time, memory usage, user interface responsiveness and battery usage.
In a short period of time, Mozilla has made progress and have experimental builds already; but the mobile development team really needs more bugs filed so testing Nightlies in the meantime is ever more crucial to the product's development. Nightly builds are generally used by developers and contributes who build and test Firefox to verify and test bugs. Nightly users should expect exciting changes with every update, as well as instability, possible regressions, and many bugs. Nightly users now can already feel the drastic differences from XUL-based Firefox, and identifying more bugs is crucial to continue improving the product.
Get involved!
We urge all Mozillians to download a Nightly build to help file bugs and provide feedback.
Download 
Need a supported Android phone? Tell us here. We may not be able to give a device to everyone, but will keep your name on file for when devices are available.
Download the latest Nightly .apk file from the Birch tree. Users will need to allow the installation of non-Market applications (depending on device: Preferences > Applications). Devices will also need around ~13MB of application space, check if your device is supported here. You should only need to download from the Birch tree once, updates will show in your Android notification status automatically.
Find Bugs
Try to use the Nightly build as your default browser as much as you can. Help us test these features and make sure they work properly and well. If not, file a bug!
File Bugs
Go to Bugzilla and include the device name/Firefox version/OS version, steps to reproduce, and the expected and actual outcomes (Bugzilla 101 video). It would also be helpful if you could attach a screenshot of your issue (take screenshots without rooting your phone or enabling x11). Also see known issues for reference, but please do file the bug anyway if you are not sure.
Fix Bugs
See our Get Involved wiki to learn how, and join the Android Nightly Testers mailing alias for questions, discussions and news.
Contact Us
- Fill in the participation interest form
- Find us on our own IRC channel
- Join the Android Nightly Testers mailing list and send your questions to android-mobile-nightly-testers@mozilla.org
- Visit the newsgroups
- Visit and join our Browser Technologies team on QMO
What Mobile QA Does
Testing Strategy
The Mobile QA team focuses on testing current and upcoming releases of Firefox on Android. Some of our responsibilities include qualifying builds prior to a milestone release. Some of the responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Verifying bugs
- Running basic functional tests and smoke tests - manually (in the interim)
- Running website and device compatibility checks
- Running specialized focused areas of testing, such as:
| Project | Description |
| Device Compatibility Test Plan | Tracks tests and full device list of compatibility with Firefox on Android |
| Website Compatibility Test Plan | Tracks top website compatibility with Firefox on Android |
| Performance Benchmarking Test Plan | Tracking performance benchmarking numbers for startup times and page load timings |
| Mobile Addon for Unit Testing Automation | Project to run unit tests via a test-harness addon and disperse via crowdsourcing techniques |
In addition to qualifying builds prior to a release, we perform ongoing tasks on the development and pre-release branches to ensure no major problems get uplifted as we merge changes to the next branch in our rapid release schedule. For example, on a daily basis we:
- Confirm new unconfirmed bugs
- Verify bugs on development branches like Aurora and Beta
- Engage community and new volunteers in helping improve Firefox for Android through test day events
- Perform exploratory testing of new features while on the Nightly and Aurora branches
- Write test cases in Litmus for new features
- Monitor crash-stats to assess stability
- Monitor perf-o-matic to assess startup performance
- File and track new crash related bugs as they appear in crash-stats
- Manage web compatibility testing through community involvement or crowd sourcing companies that help in testing top-site testing
All of which assess the quality of individual new features as well as the Firefox for Android version as a whole.
What Mobile QA Uses
Tools
| Tool | Description |
| Litmus | Our integrated test case management system that let's one run a suite of related manual basic functionality and smoke test tests against Firefox on Android |
| Device Anywhere | DeviceAnywhere provides a service for testing and monitoring the functionality, usability, performance and availability of mobile apps and websites. Through use of the their test centre, they provide instant online access to in-network mobile devices for manual testing of ones mobile application or website on a variety of devices and networks. |
| uTest | A company that manages crowd-source based testing that allows us to manage web compatibility top-site testing |
| Performance Graphs | Monitor perf-o-matic tp assess startup performance |
Tracking Channel Releases
Moves to BETA week of December 21st, 2011
| Project Test Plan | Description | Scope | Timeframe |
Moves to BETA week of February 1st, 2012
| Project Test Plan | Description | Scope | Timeframe |
Moves to RELEASE week of March 14, 2012
| Project Test Plan | Description | Scope | Timeframe |
