Mike Shaver from the Mozilla foundation is here at ETech talking about the Mozilla Manifesto. Traditionally, a manifesto on an organization’s web site says what they stands for. These declarations are not necessary or typical, but are often made to emphasize the values that an organization believes in. It is also a strong message to their users and competitors, in that they pledge to play by certain rules.
So why does Mozilla need a manifesto? As Mozilla increases its share of the browser market and gains more visibility in the public eye, it wants to to show its principles and build public trust.
Mozilla’s Principles
Here are the principles in Mozilla’s manifesto:
- The Internet is an integral part of modern life – a key component in education, communication, collaboration, business, entertainment and society as a whole.
- The Internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible.
- The Internet should enrich the lives of individual human beings.
- Individuals’ security on the Internet is fundamental and cannot be treated as optional.
- 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.
- Transparent community-based processes promote participation, accountability, and trust.
- Commercial involvement in the development of the Internet brings many benefits; a balance between commercial goals and public benefit is critical.
- Magnifying the public benefit aspects of the Internet is an important goal, worthy of time, attention and commitment.
Major Themes in Mozilla Principles
Looking at these 10 principles, we notice 5 major themes: Openness, Security, Personalization, Interoperability and Commerce.
- Openness: Mozilla calls the Internet an open, public resource that belongs to humanity. Mozilla believes that their way to openness is a code of honor, open source community and a focus on international aspect of the web.
- Security: Even though the internet is open, it does not mean that it should be insecure. Security always has been – and will remain – a major concern for individuals and companies. Mozilla’s commitment to security is commendable.
- Personalization: Mozilla acknowledges diversity and emphasizes the power of this. Tailoring online experiences to each individual’s goals is an important and ongoing part of Mozilla’s mission.
- Interoperability: The Mozilla Manifesto also acknowledges the power and importance of interoperability and standards. Through the evolution of computer industry, we know that standards are critical – as they have direct consumer benefits. Without standards, the user experience of the Web quickly degrades.
- Commerce: Mozilla explains that commercial involvement is critical in order for the web to grow. The Internet is an open public information exchange, but it is supported via commerce. By declaring this, Mozilla invites businesses who play by the rules to monetize via web sites, web services and browser extensions.
What is the impact on major Web Players?
The natural question is: is this manifesto aimed at Internet Explorer? Yes and no. Yes, because Internet Explorer is not open and is not quite as compliant as Firefox. No, because the overarching theme of the manifesto is to present what Mozilla stands for, to the public. In a way, this is a brand message that Mozilla is trying to send to the public.
The impact on Google and Yahoo! is minimal. We could view this as a call to those companies to support Mozilla’s principles, but a manifesto can only be supported in the context of an organization’s own goals. While it is likely that Mozilla would benefit from having an open round table on these issues with both Google and Yahoo!, it is unlikely that this is intended by the current manifesto, or that it might result as a consequence.
Conclusion
Mozilla’s Manifesto is a genuine attempt to reach out and communicate their ideas to the world. It is also another call to raise awareness of how the Internet and its tools should be developed. And of course, it is also another way to raise awareness of a certain alternative web browser called Firefox.
