
Make Firefox support moz://a - LeoPanthera
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1331968
======
toxican
While I don't like the branding move at all, I think the concern that people
will start calling them moz-colon-forward-slash-forwadslash-a is a little
ridiculous. Is Sony's line of laptops Analog Wave One Zero? Is Verizon
Verizoncheckmark? Is Johnson & Johnson Johnson ampersand Johnson? Is Comcast
CComcast? No, because people aren't complete idiots. Those that are going to
know/care about Mozilla will be able to tell it's a little web reference
nestled inside the logo and that it still reads "Mozilla".

~~~
wott
> _No, because people aren 't complete idiots. _

Sweet summer child.

[http://www.gentside.com/le-bon-coin/le-bon-coin-un-
ordinateu...](http://www.gentside.com/le-bon-coin/le-bon-coin-un-ordinateur-
susv-marque-concurrente-de-asus-vous-dirait_pic124466.html)

[http://i.imgur.com/4nMqG8C.png](http://i.imgur.com/4nMqG8C.png)

[http://www.jofogas.hu/veszprem/Sony_mio_laptop_elado_6040346...](http://www.jofogas.hu/veszprem/Sony_mio_laptop_elado_60403468.htm)

[http://archiwum.allegro.pl/oferta/sony-mio-
pcg-6e1m-laptop-o...](http://archiwum.allegro.pl/oferta/sony-mio-
pcg-6e1m-laptop-okazja-i6494889749.html)

[https://www.olx.in/item/sony-wio-laptop-
ID19koWZ.html](https://www.olx.in/item/sony-wio-laptop-ID19koWZ.html)

~~~
dustinmr
Change languages and you're in a whole other world.

Have an Argentine (for example) pronounce Yosemite National Park for you.

Or for that matter, ask an English speaker to pronounce Habanero (there's no
ñ) or someone from the East Coast to say Oregon or Puyallup.

While those are words and names, examples abound in marketing.

But to continue my example, Argentines already pronounce Mozilla differently
than an English speaker, or other Spanish speakers for that matter! So this
should be nothing new.

~~~
analogmemory
I always got a kick how google/apple maps used to pronounce Sepulveda Blvd in
Los Angeles. (Or almost any street name with a Spanish name)

~~~
hobarrera
Using stuff like Here Maps, Apple Maps (and probably Google Maps too) when
driving around Argentina is a real laugh.

------
cschmidt
If you're not a logo geek, this is the major website that reviews logo
redesigns, on the new Mozilla logo:

[http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo...](http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_for_mozilla_by_johnson_banks.php#.WIDIXJJXU84)

~~~
matt4077
Quote, to maybe nib the ritual hatred in the bud before mozilla becomes the
new Apple:

"A logo that not only DOESN’T suck but one that has a strong idea, a fresh
execution, a promising flexibility, and, that all of it together, sometimes
subtly and sometimes overtly, manages to communicate what Mozilla is about."

Now if only someone would write an article explaining why considerations such
as branding are useful even for non-profits...

edit: the last sentence was apparently interpreted as an actual question, when
it was meant as a plea for someone to do an eloquent write-up of the non-
profits-also-need-marketing case that I could link to.

~~~
amooiman
The general idea is that 90% of people I tell "I work for Mozilla" respond
with "Oh, you work on Firefox?" but we're about so much more than that. My
understanding of the motives behind this change is that having better branding
that explains we're focused on the internet in general will hopefully expand
our reach and recognition outside the tech bubble.

~~~
StevePerkins
I'm not sure how a logo change begins to address that. I'm INSIDE the tech
bubble, and apart from Firefox and Rust I can't name a single Mozilla project
that isn't canceled (Persona, phones) or on its way there (Thunderbird).

If not Firefox, then what DO you work on at Mozilla then? I'm genuinely
curious.

~~~
vollmond
I didn't know Rust was Mozilla. I thought it was FF, TB, and "generic OSS
projects like Apache but less well-known".

~~~
qwertyuiop924
Yeah, Rust is a Mozilla project. Graydon worked at Mozilla, and them
interested in taking it as an official project.

Why do you think Mozilla is using Rust so much? (See servo, pushing rust
components into FF, etc) They're not exactly known for jumping onto new
things...

~~~
vanderZwan
> They're not exactly known for jumping onto new things...

Trying out new web technologies that are experimental doesn't count?

------
DangerousPie
One of the comments there makes a good point - they should really register
`moz://` as a protocol, otherwise someone will grab that at some point and
cause endless confusion.

On the other hand, "we used this for branding" is really not a great
justification for registering a new protocol, is it...

~~~
xg15
It may not be the best reason, but aren't there already dozens of highly
product-specific schemes in use? (such as steam:, unreal:, chrome: in Firefox,
chrome: in Chrome - with completely different semantics -, view-source: etc
etc)

~~~
Someone1234
Are any of _those_ registered with the IANA?

~~~
XaspR8d
Yep, though most of them are "provisional", which means it isn't a formal or
permanent definition. Here's the full list:

[https://www.iana.org/assignments/uri-schemes/uri-
schemes.xht...](https://www.iana.org/assignments/uri-schemes/uri-
schemes.xhtml)

~~~
xg15
Thank you for the link. I wouldn't have believes there are _that_ many URI
schemes in existence though...

------
datenwolf
Until now I didn't realize Mozilla changed their logo. Now I've seen it the
typographer in me cries… The whole purpose of text is to _unambigously_ convey
information. So either Mozilla now rebrands themself as

moz-colon-slash-slash

or they now live with a significant portion of typography-anal nerds who
dislike that logo.

~~~
laumars
Logos fall more in the realm of graphic design rather than typography. They're
an avatar thus logos don't necessarily need to be readable - albeit there is a
modern trend to use the company name in an interesting typeface as their logo.
However there are plenty of examples where a company logo contains no text
what-so-ever - including Mozilla's previous logo[1]. So I wouldn't get too
hung up on its typographic design. At least not unless Mozilla start using
'Moz://a' in normal correspondence. ;)

Personally I quite like it. It's memorable and well suited to the business
they're best known for. Which is essentially the crux of a logo.

[1]
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Mozilla_...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Mozilla_dinosaur_head_logo.png))

~~~
bisby
You dont remember when people got confused and always called Mozilla 'red
dinosaur head' because the logo was confusing?

~~~
pbhjpbhj
This isn't a logo, it's a stylised name, they serve different purposes.
Consider Indesit, they style their name but have a useful logo that can stand
alone.

Mozilla could do with an actual logo, something that fits with the Thunderbird
& Firefox logos.

Edit: Having looked at the other designs I think they chose correctly, but
perhaps needed a "none of the above" option. This
[https://blog.mozilla.org/opendesign/now-for-the-fun-
part/#co...](https://blog.mozilla.org/opendesign/now-for-the-fun-
part/#comment-1989) gets closer.

Perhaps they wanted something that worked just using text, I guess. Maybe 2017
will be the year of leet-speak on the desktop!?!

~~~
toyg
_> This isn't a logo, it's a stylised name_

Pretty much all the material about the redesign says this is, in fact, a logo.

I agree that the whole process was a complete clusterfuck. They picked the
less atrocious suggestion. It's still terrible.

------
agjmills
Does this mean that [http://](http://) is httpill? httpsill ftpill ircill
sshill

~~~
etatoby
One protocol to rule them all.

kimjong://

~~~
NoGravitas
This is the only network protocol used in Best Korea.

------
Yen
One tiny detail I noticed -

I hadn't been aware of the new logo until today, so I didn't have any context
for what "moz://a" might mean.

After googling about it, and seeing the new logo, I realize that, in the logo,
the bottom of the colon, and the bottom of the slashes, lines up with the
bottom of the rest of the text.

Conversely, in my system's default font, the colon rises a bit above the
bottom of the line, and the slashes descend below it.

When I saw the new logo, I at least was able to read 'mozilla' without
squinting, and without confusion, while also seeing the double-meaning of
'moz://a'.

------
ricardobeat
Such a terrible idea... this will generate endless confusion for no gain at
all.

~~~
calcifer
How will it create confusion? Nobody types moz:// in regular usage, so this
only effects you if you are specifically looking for an easter egg or
something.

~~~
a012
I didn't think to type moz:// but I'm starting to read "moz" instead of
"mozilla" now.

~~~
puredlx
The guys from moz.com will be happy about that.

------
matt4077
Note that the logo's rendering does not change the name's spelling. It's still
"Mozilla", in the same way that it's Apple (not [apple emoticon]), and Google,
not <blue>G</blue><red>o</red><yellow>o</yellow>...

~~~
SamBam
Nobody expects to be able to type an apple-symbol, or for colors to have any
meaning.

But if Apple changed their branding so that their logo was just "App/e"
written out, wouldn't you expect people to type that out?

Actually, wait, we don't have to imagine. What about the Apple ][, or the
Apple //e?

------
ianwalter
It wasn't my favorite concept at first, but after they refined it to what it
is now, I am honestly in awe. I thought the process was bold and refreshing to
begin with, but the fact that they arrived at such an excellent identity makes
it all the more amazing. The fact that the logo incorporates a URL scheme is
genius and perfect. The new zilla font is dope too.

------
hkjgkjy
It's a cool concept - but surely there are a lot of regexps our there that
will now trigger in vain.

Also search engines will index "moz://a" as a different thing than "mozilla".
Likely, the first will be indexed as ["moz", ":", "/", "/", "a"] and the
punctuation likely be thrown out, resulting in matches for "moz" and "a".

~~~
tokenizerrr
Because search engines are using Firefox, right? This is an easter egg within
the Firefox web browser. No search engine is going to notice a thing.

~~~
FeepingCreature
No, the issue is the new logo is "moz://a", so when people don't get that it's
supposed to mean "mozilla" they'll type it in as "moz://a".

~~~
gkya
If they're seeing Mozilla logo somewhere, they're either on the Mozilla
website or a webpage regarding Mozilla or a product thereof, so all this
discussion is in vain and is a parody of itself.

Also, WRT indexing, the logo is an image, not text, so the search engines will
either not index it or index it like they index other images, using filename
and maybe embedded metadata.

~~~
toyg
_> they're either on the Mozilla website or a webpage_

or they've seen a sticker on a laptop. Or they've seen a t-shirt, or skimmed a
magazine article. And they're now googling it, and ending up on moz.com.

It feels just like a scene from Silicon Valley.

~~~
gkya
A proper needle in a haystack situation here.

------
joelthelion
I sense the dumbest security hole ever...

------
timendum
There is already a working add-on [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/addon/moz-a-protoco...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/addon/moz-a-protocol-handler/) (Firefox only)

------
awinter-py
I Like the new phonetic spelling. A lot of people weren't voicing the glottal
stop the old way.

~~~
mrkgnao
Could you explain? Is it the mo _zi_ lla part?

------
nstr10
Apparently our friends at Mozcolonslashslasha don't realize how many more
important things they could be working on than this.

~~~
StevePerkins
People keep talking about Mozilla like it's the engineering wing of the EFF,
that it's tirelessly working on a mission of Internet freedom, etc.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. I see:

(1) a team of developers, incrementally maintaining a codebase that that was
donated by a 1990's commercial entity, and

(2) some second-tier marketing types, burning through Google/Yahoo money and
padding their resumes with random "me too" projects that don't last very long.

The flagship browser has only had one major re-think since Netscape's demise,
and that re-think was, " _We should make its UI and dev cycle look like Chrome
's_". The most significant "new" project dreamed up by the marketing types was
a me-too Android alternative, which they then almost immediately canceled.

The only noteworthy and truly innovative things I can think of coming out of
Mozilla have been Rust and Persona, and the latter was also quickly canceled
(which was a shame since it's the only example I can think of that REALLY fits
the mission statement they talk about).

I'm glad that Firefox is out there to prevent a Google monopoly, and I'm glad
that Rust has a financial patron since it's a pretty interesting language. But
if Mozilla want to be seen as some greater "force for Internet freedom",
beyond just maintaining an dated and declining web browser, then a logo change
won't be enough. Actually DO some other stuff without canceling it.

~~~
reitanqild
Keeping that thingy running all those years and making sure it is still
competitive against Chrome (that has 1000 times the resources + free access to
put ads for their browser on two of the highest value ad spots that exists) is
an engineering masterpiece as well as a marketing masterpiece if you ask me.

Also you write like Firefox extensions haven't been years ahead of competition
(proven by the fact that no other browsers have even come close even Mozilla
had proven what was possible) and like tabs where commonplace in browsers
before Firefox.

~~~
StevePerkins
Hey, I love Firefox and I'm glad that Mozilla keeps it running. But the parent
comment complains that people never talk about anything other than Firefox.
Well...

Also, tabs (like most browser UI innovation over the past 15 years) came from
Opera.

------
TazeTSchnitzel
The :// thing is cute, but… did Mozilla really need a new logo? Their existing
wordmark may not be especially distinctive, but it is familiar. And they have
a distinctive symbol, too.

The new logo looks more contemporary. I'm not sure if that's good. Mozilla can
be proud of its history, no?

------
INTPenis
2nd google result for moz://a is that bug report. At least in "my google". ;)

~~~
pmontra
Ironically googling for moz://a from the address bar doesn't work in Firefox
Android. It's interpreting it as a protocol and doesn't send it to Google. It
displays a blank page.

Moz://a from google returns moz.com as first result. Ironically again, it's a
SEO company. Maybe Mozilla needs their services.

~~~
karrotwaltz
Searching "moz://a", neither Google nor DuckDuck shows Mozilla's website on
the first page of results... and the SEO company is first in both indeed.

------
type0
Since Mozilla is a combination of Mosaic + Godzilla, the only good logo for
them should have been a dinosaur image laid out in mosaic, that's it. This ://
thing is more of a s://y marketing than anything else.

------
toyg
Everything around this redesign is just a clusterfuck: the process, the
winner, the hacks introduced to cope with it, the SEO fail, the loss of
identity...

~~~
Kolberht
Most people don't care.

It shows how emo some of the users are.

------
acomjean
just make it do what happen when you type

about:mozilla

in the address bar

~~~
cpeterso
btw, about:about will list all of Firefox's internal about: pages.

------
xg15
On some level, this starts to look like a really silly one-up/who-can-violate-
the-spirit-of-uris-the-most contest.

So Google got its own TLD just for marketing purposes?

Well, Mozilla got its own _scheme_ for marketing purposes only!

------
sametmax
Well, weither you like it or not, it's been such a hot topic we can't deny
it's a PR success. Now everybody is talking about mozilla, and sharing this
branding and logo.

------
desireco42
This is worrying sign when they are trying to change things through
branding...

------
mememachine
this logo is so tacky

------
jo909
I think the bikeshed should be painted orange!

~~~
Normal_gaussian
It is well understood by those of us who are more literate in these things
that a bikeshed should have a combination of transparent windshield walls and
solid green roof. I therefore propose we tear down the existing, functional,
bikeshed as its blue walls (which would _not_ look good in orange) are
constructed of a material which is not transparent.

~~~
roryisok
no need to hate on the blue walls. people who park their bikes in bikesheds
with walls made of transparent materials shouldn't throw stones.

------
themihai
So once you switch the browser , mozilla website stops working...

~~~
tokenizerrr
Just like how chrome://flags/ breaks when you switch away from Chrome. Not
very surprising, is it?

------
thresh
Yeah, that will totally solve Mozilla's now so slow fading into irrelevance.

VideoLAN.org website stats tell me that Firefox hits percentage dropped from
26.3% through Jan 2016 to 21.2% through Jan 2017.

Of course this is not a 100% reliable measure, but stats usually don't lie
about that.

~~~
reitanqild
> Yeah, that will totally solve Mozilla's now so slow fading into irrelevance.

Neither will constant picking on anything they do or don't do.

> VideoLAN.org website stats tell me that Firefox hits percentage dropped from
> 26.3% through Jan 2016 to 21.2% through Jan 2017.

I guess the reason might just be that the market is moving towards a new
equilibrium.

Unless we start making websites and web apps that only work in other browsers
then the web is big enough for both Firefox and other inferior browsers ;-)

~~~
thresh
I'm not picking, I'm just looking at the stats I have. I've actually have it
graphed on [http://thre.sh/stuff/browsers-stats-
videolan.org.png](http://thre.sh/stuff/browsers-stats-videolan.org.png) now.

~~~
reitanqild
> I'm not picking, I'm just looking at the stats

English isn't my mother tongue so I might have misread. What would you call
this, in a toplevel comment about what seems to me to be a well received
rebranding:

>> Yeah, that will totally solve Mozilla's now so slow fading into
irrelevance.

