Mozilla Will Stop Developing and Selling Firefox OS Smartphones
Firefox appeared at a time when there was huge potential being stifled by a stagnant monopoly in the space, and people were desperate for something good. It filled a real need, and people loved it.<p>FirefoxOS appeared at a time when there was huge potential being actively being pushed forward and innovated on by the two largest tech companies in the space, and people already had two great options to choose from. It filled no real need, and nobody wanted it.<p>For Mozilla to stay alive, they need to pick a space that is currently desperately needed but being ignored by large corporations and the government: privacy and identity. Mozilla could be the champion of the Snowden era, yet instead they're distracting themselves with IoT, VR and other shiny new toys.<p>(And yes, I realize that users don't care about privacy. But nobody cared about web standards, either: it's all about packaging. That's Mozilla's strength.)<p>Mozilla is a non-profit with a mission (<a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/" rel="nofollow">https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/</a>). It's time they start acting like one again.