interesting.. I love what they are doing, firefox is great, however perhaps their use of 'organic' is a cousin of the "greenwashing movement"- diluting the value of words such as organic, green, etc.
oh... and a minor point- although "no man is an island" is indeed one, "food is love" and "green is the new black" are not truisms.
[right, I changed it mjo]
jesspeltier
· 1 year ago
Paul Kim's definition of Mozilla's use of "organic" is clear. I don't feel it's a dilution of the term but rather an expansion. Having an open mind for open sourced 'anything' is the key- be it open sourced software like Mozilla and Keepass, or that of open sourced food. The key is that the consumers know where a product comes from which makes the use of "organic" for software (and other products) revolutionary.
Go Mozilla!
john m
· 1 year ago
The word he was looking for is "freeware."
Somebody needs to fire this guy before his synergistic paradigm gets outside its box and destroys us all.
JL
· 1 year ago
Our rapidly growing multi-platform environment has organically evolved to host pop culture semaniticular extollations in order to elevate geekdom toward the non-Cobolic state.
weee
· 1 year ago
On the basis that Open Source allows computers to operate successfully long after M$ bloatware would have consigned them to landfill; I'm very happy to Paul Kim describe Firefox as organic, and a greener alternative to a vastly inferior M$ offering.
john m
· 1 year ago
My previous comment was probably a little too harsh, but I'd hate to see the word "organic" be used for computers ultil they're made of o.g. bioplastic. Let's keep it literal eh?
barbara
· 1 year ago
This makes sense to me - in software development, we use the word 'organic' fairly often to describe things that develop naturally - processes, code, applications, whatever - as opposed to projects that follow a very detailed plan from the top down. :) The term does have other legit meanings outside of the grocery market.
tea
· 1 year ago
Yeah, Barbara, like being carbon-based. Organic chemistry, anyone? I think you'd have to be pretty confused to think software and agriculture are related in this sense.
Stephen Smoliar
· 1 year ago
Firefox is definitely my browser of choice, but I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied! However, when I need to print, I have discovered that the best way to avoid wasting paper is to go over to IE! Make of this data point what you will!
FB
· 1 year ago
Let's get all etymological up on it.
Organic as a term has evolved:
1517, "serving as an organ or instrument," from L. organicus, from Gk. organikos "of or pertaining to an organ," from organon "instrument" (see organ).
Sense of "from organized living beings" is first recorded 1778 (earlier this sense was in organical, c.1450).
Meaning "free from pesticides and fertilizers" first attested 1942.
So, really Mozilla is the purist. Although, to be really purist, they would want to call Firefox "organical software."
I think the expression he's looking for is "Fair Trade". The natural reaction of any rational person (e.g. myself) to calling software organic is "that's stupid!".
Amanda Senior
· 1 year ago
I think that in the overall scheme of things, Mozilla's use of the term "organic" is not only respectful, but I think it can add to the overall principals the "organic" ideal is founded upon.
Sure, organic, at it's core, means untainted in the food industry. But expanding that ideal to other facets of our life can only make the word, and the ideals behind it, more powerful.
And John M - You apparently missed half the article, because one of the key points in using the "Organic" label was the point that the term "free" is not as all encompassing, or explanatory as it once was.
Freeware =/= open source in the slightest. There is a total difference, and even open source does not quite capture the kind of movement that Mozilla has made with their efforts.
Liz S
· 1 year ago
I think he is using the term organic software in much the same way one would use the term "organic process" which can and is used in different fields to mean a naturalized process.
Specifically I have worked with people who perform "organic play based assessments" on young children to determine their needs. This means instead of trying to sit a 4 year old down for a test of their problem solving, speech, fine and gross motor they have the child go into a room with their mom, and play with a bunch of toys while the experts watch and see where the child's skills are at. It has nothing to do with pesticide free, but it has to do with how one responds as a social organism, as opposed to a test subject.
One of the most common definitions of organic means of or pertaining to a living organism.
And if you look up organism, is can constitute a system which is analogous to the functions of a living body
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/organisms<br /> While the internet is not alive in the biological sense, the process is analogous to the processes in a living body with different people providing different functions to allow this process to occur.
Honestly when i first saw this I wondered what this had to do with the green movement, because I initially took the "organic softare" to mean a multifacted changing software, as I was pretty sure treehugger would have informed me in advance if someone was developing technology to transmit software through products naturally grown in the earth.
To those who think it's greenwashing I think you are missing what has become a fairly common language usage, which has little to do with the green movement. Organic in that context will likely mean better because it's more natural, but other than that they are both positive, they are very different definitions. The green one relates to products, the other one relates to processes, and things derived from that. I can understand why software being a product might confuse people a little, but I think Mr. Kim explains himself fairly well.
quikboy
· 1 year ago
I like Mozilla's Songbird, but I still think Firefox sucks. Is being green taking up a lot of RAM and energy just to start up, and slow down your computer? As Stephen Smoliar said, is wasting printing paper through Firefox configurations being green?
I don't think so.
Firefox is cool, but definitely not green. IE7 isn't half bad as some people think, and with add-ons makes it super stable and better.
chris
· 1 year ago
I use Firefox, have raved about it for years and love it. I was referred to this article from the Huffington Post. Unfortunately, Firefox does not work with the Huffington Post website. Messages pop up about scripts and the page freezes as do all other open Firefox pages, no matter what site they are on. That's Irony! (I'm on I.E. right now.)
eyon
· 1 year ago
Someone mentioned "Freeware" but that word means that software is free in price (gratis) but not free as in speech (libre). Open Source software is free as in speech (or freedom or libre) and usually free as in price, but it doesn't have to be. The freedom part is the important part. You are free to use it however you like, because it is Open Source (you can look at the code, and change it however you like).
I think organic is a cute term because it is so clear that you cant actually eat software. If you could, the world would never go hungry because you can copy software infinitely at no cost. That would be a good thing...
Tree Box Filters
· 1 year ago
Firefox is the best browser option. That it's perceived as "green" is a bonus, but I'd likely use IE or Safari if they were better from a usability POV.
rowdy
· 1 year ago
i got my first computer 5 years ago. i am computer illiterate. i don't know how to do anything much except surf the web. my first server was aol dial up. i sometimes used internet explorer. some where along the way 4 or so years ago i heard of firefox. i downloaded it and when i started it i was presented with a virtually blank screen. i stared for a few minutes, trying to understand how to use it. it was marvelous. the page had no popups, no stupid news, none of the tedious crap that fills the screen on aol or IE. i fell in love. firefox was what i felt an isp should be, a glorious blank white screen, inviting me to use it as i wished. i may not use firefox to it's full advantage, but i cannot imagine using anything else. at first, my lover didn't like it as well as he liked aol, but he has seen the light and now feels the same as me. we have both suggested firefox to all of our friends and acquaintenances, but these people mostly like aol and will not even try firefox. some people cannot recognize a good thing when it stares them in the face. change is scary to most people, they like the rut they are stuck in.
rachel
· 1 year ago
Ok, again, as FB and Liz S have pointed out previously. as well as Mr. Kim in the actual article, the use of the word organic here falls into a wholly different usage than that pertaining to food. Organic had a different meaning all together long before the food industry usage, NOT the other way around. (please again refer to FB's comment)
Organic in this sense is a different (and completely correct) use of the word. Processes not products!
This keeps being pointed out and it keeps being missed, and frankly that is a frustrating thing to keep reading in these comments.
Mike
· 1 year ago
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
rachel
· 1 year ago
Ok, again, as FB and Liz S have pointed out previously. as well as Mr. Kim in the actual article, the use of the word organic here falls into a wholly different usage than that pertaining to food. Organic had a different meaning all together long before the food industry usage, NOT the other way around. (please again refer to FB's comment)
Organic in this sense is a different (and completely correct) use of the word. Processes not products!
This keeps being pointed out and it keeps being missed, and frankly that is a frustrating thing to keep reading in these comments.
Mike
· 1 year ago
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
Mike
· 1 year ago
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
AE Santi
· 1 year ago
note to the author... don't bury your lead.
MY
· 1 year ago
The green bandwagon is leaving now....all aboard!
Their use of 'Organic' is about as relevant to this site as governments talking about 'Sustainable' double digit growth.
Everyone who needs to know, already knows what Open-Source means - leave it at that.
This is just green spin by association. But it got them an article on Treehugger!
Tim H
· 1 year ago
Stupid - makes no sense to call software "organic". First reaction: in what way is it organic...do the programmers only eat organic food, bathe in organic sunlight during work hours, only power their computers by direct solar sunlight...
Just another marketing slogan to hold up against Microsoft to say, "Oh, look! We're nice and organic...Microsoft is pure evil and CORPORATE"
Bah.
Tony
· 1 year ago
Computers being a relatively new field of science have adopted a lot of terms from other fields of science. Typically the terms express a process or function, or serve as a metaphor, having that frame of reference is important in enabling discussion on what would otherwise be an extremely abstract concept.
Oh and quikboy; most of the features that make IE7 so good were copied from Firefox.
Tom Doff
· 1 year ago
By the same reasoning, Firefox could be labeled 'God Approved', since lightning has not yet struck their headquarters.
Or perhaps Paul Kim is contemplating a future in political office, and is following the first rule of politicos, 'First, you must pollute the language, so true meaning cannot be determined, and any meaning can be inferred'.
Crawford
· 1 year ago
Okay. Anytime you want to post a thought it will make you feel better if you throw in some currently sexy words. If they don't apply to what your topic is about, don't worry.
Communication isn't a real concern since we are increasing the number of cell phone calls, texts, IMs, blogs, et al. That counts for more than communicating something worthwhile, having a proficiency in English or salvaging the language itself.
It makes one feel 'with it' to find a way to wedge in the latest 'uh' or 'you know.' Isn't feeling 'with it' more important than communicating? After all, most of the people who will read your post are only marginally able to communicate themselves. But they will recognize the 'in' word that you used as such and they too will feel 'with it.'
liveinvt
· 1 year ago
I don't like the idea of branding a living application as organic, but maybe the development environment or organization - such as Mozilla, Free Software Foundation, etc... if they have open source apps and an open development community that goes beyond the corporation, that sounds like "healthy computing" to me...
But Firefox can change at Mozilla's whim, if they got their "Organic certification" and then changed the recipe a la McDonalds, who made a fuss about switching off trans fat but then hush hush switched back on, the product is a result of the community and the development organization - put the focus on that rather than what that produces.
That said, I love Firefox and Mozilla. But let's not brand products, because those are simply the results of what you are trying to do - profess a free and open culture of app dev
Paul Kim
· 1 year ago
Thanks for the direct feedback everyone. Hearing Treehugger community reactions to this direction for talking about Firefox was a big part of why I was excited to talk to Mark.
One note: this quote as it currently stands isn't correct:
"I think for people in the open source movement, the term 'organic' is a lot clearer and immediately graspable."
That should have read:
"I think for people not in the open source movement, the term 'organic' is a lot clearer and immediately graspable."
[fixed mjo]
Anonymous
· 1 year ago
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
Anonymous
· 1 year ago
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
John Taylor
· 1 year ago
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
Incidentally, what the freak is up with TypeKey?
I sign in, agree to be kept signed in for a week, then find myself not signed in AFTER posting.
Is it TypeKey identity?
Is it FireFox that is incompatible?
Is it a glitch in Treehugger?
Whatever it is, it's annoying.
John Taylor (signing just in case TypeKey makes me anonymous again).
old timey developer
· 1 year ago
Superb browser? That's stretching the word superb farther than we are stretching the word organic. Good browser - yes, but so far, superb is a bit much for any browser.
regeya
· 1 year ago
Organic is a great way to describe a lot of the great Open Source and Free Software out there. Really, the main reason I prefer Free Software in many cases is because it's built by the users, not built by a software engineer directed by the marketing department to put together a product the customer didn't ask for. Plus, as others have pointed out, whil Microsoft did do a service by uniting computer companies under one banner (seriously, they did) they also helped foster rampant waste. And let's not get into those XP default power settings...
Tom Downard
· 1 year ago
At a dinner with many friends we all agreed if a car company made a car, and just kept improving on that car, not retooling for a new body style or retooling-totally changing the car, it would be the car people would buy, because it would gradually, over the years, become the most dependable car.
I think that is a definition of Open Source. Constant improvement on the same object. I may be wrong, but wouldn't that and isn't that the point of Open Source? Not just a FREE product, but one where everyone can make it a better product, that just keeps getting better with time?
All Comments
interesting.. I love what they are doing, firefox is great, however perhaps their use of 'organic' is a cousin of the "greenwashing movement"- diluting the value of words such as organic, green, etc.
oh... and a minor point- although "no man is an island" is indeed one, "food is love" and "green is the new black" are not truisms.
[right, I changed it mjo]
Paul Kim's definition of Mozilla's use of "organic" is clear. I don't feel it's a dilution of the term but rather an expansion. Having an open mind for open sourced 'anything' is the key- be it open sourced software like Mozilla and Keepass, or that of open sourced food. The key is that the consumers know where a product comes from which makes the use of "organic" for software (and other products) revolutionary.
Go Mozilla!
The word he was looking for is "freeware."
Somebody needs to fire this guy before his synergistic paradigm gets outside its box and destroys us all.
Our rapidly growing multi-platform environment has organically evolved to host pop culture semaniticular extollations in order to elevate geekdom toward the non-Cobolic state.
On the basis that Open Source allows computers to operate successfully long after M$ bloatware would have consigned them to landfill; I'm very happy to Paul Kim describe Firefox as organic, and a greener alternative to a vastly inferior M$ offering.
My previous comment was probably a little too harsh, but I'd hate to see the word "organic" be used for computers ultil they're made of o.g. bioplastic. Let's keep it literal eh?
This makes sense to me - in software development, we use the word 'organic' fairly often to describe things that develop naturally - processes, code, applications, whatever - as opposed to projects that follow a very detailed plan from the top down. :) The term does have other legit meanings outside of the grocery market.
Yeah, Barbara, like being carbon-based. Organic chemistry, anyone? I think you'd have to be pretty confused to think software and agriculture are related in this sense.
Firefox is definitely my browser of choice, but I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied! However, when I need to print, I have discovered that the best way to avoid wasting paper is to go over to IE! Make of this data point what you will!
Let's get all etymological up on it.
Organic as a term has evolved:
1517, "serving as an organ or instrument," from L. organicus, from Gk. organikos "of or pertaining to an organ," from organon "instrument" (see organ).
Sense of "from organized living beings" is first recorded 1778 (earlier this sense was in organical, c.1450).
Meaning "free from pesticides and fertilizers" first attested 1942.
So, really Mozilla is the purist. Although, to be really purist, they would want to call Firefox "organical software."
It's those farmers you have to watch out for!
Citation:
organic. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/organic
(accessed: March 25, 2008).
[I love this thanks mjo]
I think the expression he's looking for is "Fair Trade". The natural reaction of any rational person (e.g. myself) to calling software organic is "that's stupid!".
I think that in the overall scheme of things, Mozilla's use of the term "organic" is not only respectful, but I think it can add to the overall principals the "organic" ideal is founded upon.
Sure, organic, at it's core, means untainted in the food industry. But expanding that ideal to other facets of our life can only make the word, and the ideals behind it, more powerful.
And John M - You apparently missed half the article, because one of the key points in using the "Organic" label was the point that the term "free" is not as all encompassing, or explanatory as it once was.
Freeware =/= open source in the slightest. There is a total difference, and even open source does not quite capture the kind of movement that Mozilla has made with their efforts.
I think he is using the term organic software in much the same way one would use the term "organic process" which can and is used in different fields to mean a naturalized process.
Specifically I have worked with people who perform "organic play based assessments" on young children to determine their needs. This means instead of trying to sit a 4 year old down for a test of their problem solving, speech, fine and gross motor they have the child go into a room with their mom, and play with a bunch of toys while the experts watch and see where the child's skills are at. It has nothing to do with pesticide free, but it has to do with how one responds as a social organism, as opposed to a test subject.
One of the most common definitions of organic means of or pertaining to a living organism.
And if you look up organism, is can constitute a system which is analogous to the functions of a living body
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/organisms<br />
While the internet is not alive in the biological sense, the process is analogous to the processes in a living body with different people providing different functions to allow this process to occur.
Honestly when i first saw this I wondered what this had to do with the green movement, because I initially took the "organic softare" to mean a multifacted changing software, as I was pretty sure treehugger would have informed me in advance if someone was developing technology to transmit software through products naturally grown in the earth.
To those who think it's greenwashing I think you are missing what has become a fairly common language usage, which has little to do with the green movement. Organic in that context will likely mean better because it's more natural, but other than that they are both positive, they are very different definitions. The green one relates to products, the other one relates to processes, and things derived from that. I can understand why software being a product might confuse people a little, but I think Mr. Kim explains himself fairly well.
I like Mozilla's Songbird, but I still think Firefox sucks. Is being green taking up a lot of RAM and energy just to start up, and slow down your computer? As Stephen Smoliar said, is wasting printing paper through Firefox configurations being green?
I don't think so.
Firefox is cool, but definitely not green. IE7 isn't half bad as some people think, and with add-ons makes it super stable and better.
I use Firefox, have raved about it for years and love it. I was referred to this article from the Huffington Post. Unfortunately, Firefox does not work with the Huffington Post website. Messages pop up about scripts and the page freezes as do all other open Firefox pages, no matter what site they are on. That's Irony! (I'm on I.E. right now.)
Someone mentioned "Freeware" but that word means that software is free in price (gratis) but not free as in speech (libre). Open Source software is free as in speech (or freedom or libre) and usually free as in price, but it doesn't have to be. The freedom part is the important part. You are free to use it however you like, because it is Open Source (you can look at the code, and change it however you like).
I think organic is a cute term because it is so clear that you cant actually eat software. If you could, the world would never go hungry because you can copy software infinitely at no cost. That would be a good thing...
Firefox is the best browser option. That it's perceived as "green" is a bonus, but I'd likely use IE or Safari if they were better from a usability POV.
i got my first computer 5 years ago. i am computer illiterate. i don't know how to do anything much except surf the web. my first server was aol dial up. i sometimes used internet explorer. some where along the way 4 or so years ago i heard of firefox. i downloaded it and when i started it i was presented with a virtually blank screen. i stared for a few minutes, trying to understand how to use it. it was marvelous. the page had no popups, no stupid news, none of the tedious crap that fills the screen on aol or IE. i fell in love. firefox was what i felt an isp should be, a glorious blank white screen, inviting me to use it as i wished. i may not use firefox to it's full advantage, but i cannot imagine using anything else. at first, my lover didn't like it as well as he liked aol, but he has seen the light and now feels the same as me. we have both suggested firefox to all of our friends and acquaintenances, but these people mostly like aol and will not even try firefox. some people cannot recognize a good thing when it stares them in the face. change is scary to most people, they like the rut they are stuck in.
Ok, again, as FB and Liz S have pointed out previously. as well as Mr. Kim in the actual article, the use of the word organic here falls into a wholly different usage than that pertaining to food. Organic had a different meaning all together long before the food industry usage, NOT the other way around. (please again refer to FB's comment)
Organic in this sense is a different (and completely correct) use of the word. Processes not products!
This keeps being pointed out and it keeps being missed, and frankly that is a frustrating thing to keep reading in these comments.
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
Ok, again, as FB and Liz S have pointed out previously. as well as Mr. Kim in the actual article, the use of the word organic here falls into a wholly different usage than that pertaining to food. Organic had a different meaning all together long before the food industry usage, NOT the other way around. (please again refer to FB's comment)
Organic in this sense is a different (and completely correct) use of the word. Processes not products!
This keeps being pointed out and it keeps being missed, and frankly that is a frustrating thing to keep reading in these comments.
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
As someone who has worked in software development for tiny startups, multi-national corporations, and in between this is rather sad. I respect the Firefox team, it's a great application (I've used it for many years). But this is pure marketing goo. Organic has very specific connotations and denotations: whether it relates to organisms, compounds, a process, or farming practices.
An attempt to redefine what organic means is certainly greenwashing. If they have to explain why software should be considered organic, they are redefining a term. Market buzz...weakens all other concepts of organics.
note to the author... don't bury your lead.
The green bandwagon is leaving now....all aboard!
Their use of 'Organic' is about as relevant to this site as governments talking about 'Sustainable' double digit growth.
Everyone who needs to know, already knows what Open-Source means - leave it at that.
This is just green spin by association. But it got them an article on Treehugger!
Stupid - makes no sense to call software "organic". First reaction: in what way is it organic...do the programmers only eat organic food, bathe in organic sunlight during work hours, only power their computers by direct solar sunlight...
Just another marketing slogan to hold up against Microsoft to say, "Oh, look! We're nice and organic...Microsoft is pure evil and CORPORATE"
Bah.
Computers being a relatively new field of science have adopted a lot of terms from other fields of science. Typically the terms express a process or function, or serve as a metaphor, having that frame of reference is important in enabling discussion on what would otherwise be an extremely abstract concept.
Oh and quikboy; most of the features that make IE7 so good were copied from Firefox.
By the same reasoning, Firefox could be labeled 'God Approved', since lightning has not yet struck their headquarters.
Or perhaps Paul Kim is contemplating a future in political office, and is following the first rule of politicos, 'First, you must pollute the language, so true meaning cannot be determined, and any meaning can be inferred'.
Okay. Anytime you want to post a thought it will make you feel better if you throw in some currently sexy words. If they don't apply to what your topic is about, don't worry.
Communication isn't a real concern since we are increasing the number of cell phone calls, texts, IMs, blogs, et al. That counts for more than communicating something worthwhile, having a proficiency in English or salvaging the language itself.
It makes one feel 'with it' to find a way to wedge in the latest 'uh' or 'you know.' Isn't feeling 'with it' more important than communicating? After all, most of the people who will read your post are only marginally able to communicate themselves. But they will recognize the 'in' word that you used as such and they too will feel 'with it.'
I don't like the idea of branding a living application as organic, but maybe the development environment or organization - such as Mozilla, Free Software Foundation, etc... if they have open source apps and an open development community that goes beyond the corporation, that sounds like "healthy computing" to me...
But Firefox can change at Mozilla's whim, if they got their "Organic certification" and then changed the recipe a la McDonalds, who made a fuss about switching off trans fat but then hush hush switched back on, the product is a result of the community and the development organization - put the focus on that rather than what that produces.
That said, I love Firefox and Mozilla. But let's not brand products, because those are simply the results of what you are trying to do - profess a free and open culture of app dev
Thanks for the direct feedback everyone. Hearing Treehugger community reactions to this direction for talking about Firefox was a big part of why I was excited to talk to Mark.
One note: this quote as it currently stands isn't correct:
"I think for people in the open source movement, the term 'organic' is a lot clearer and immediately graspable."
That should have read:
"I think for people not in the open source movement, the term 'organic' is a lot clearer and immediately graspable."
[fixed mjo]
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
Firefox 'Organic'
Of course it's green-washing.
Thing is, this is another example of how well "green" sells now, and how much acceptance there is on "going-green" for everyone.
One nice "green" feature of firefox is that if you switch off the computer, it remembers where it was, and can take you back later.
@ Stephen ... "I am extremely frustrated with how it does printing. In the spirit of the name of this blog, if "green" means doing everything possible to discourage you from wasting paper, then the adjective is being properly applied!"
LOL.
Firefox isn't perfect, but it is good.
Incidentally, what the freak is up with TypeKey?
I sign in, agree to be kept signed in for a week, then find myself not signed in AFTER posting.
Is it TypeKey identity?
Is it FireFox that is incompatible?
Is it a glitch in Treehugger?
Whatever it is, it's annoying.
John Taylor (signing just in case TypeKey makes me anonymous again).
Superb browser? That's stretching the word superb farther than we are stretching the word organic. Good browser - yes, but so far, superb is a bit much for any browser.
Organic is a great way to describe a lot of the great Open Source and Free Software out there. Really, the main reason I prefer Free Software in many cases is because it's built by the users, not built by a software engineer directed by the marketing department to put together a product the customer didn't ask for. Plus, as others have pointed out, whil Microsoft did do a service by uniting computer companies under one banner (seriously, they did) they also helped foster rampant waste. And let's not get into those XP default power settings...
At a dinner with many friends we all agreed if a car company made a car, and just kept improving on that car, not retooling for a new body style or retooling-totally changing the car, it would be the car people would buy, because it would gradually, over the years, become the most dependable car.
I think that is a definition of Open Source. Constant improvement on the same object. I may be wrong, but wouldn't that and isn't that the point of Open Source? Not just a FREE product, but one where everyone can make it a better product, that just keeps getting better with time?