Someone At Mozilla Is Getting Too Cute

Wow! This takes me back! Please check the date this post was authored, as it may no longer be relevant in a modern context.

Ok, so I load up Firefox 3 and go to change some settings, you know, try reverting all the tweaks I’ve made to Firefox 2. I enter the incantation “about:config” into the URL bar and get this:

What Warranty?

What? Void my warranty? I get a warranty with this open source software? That’s a new one to me.

No Warranty

Oh wait, yeah, I don’t. Please Mozilla, stick with the warnings about understanding the settings and don’t use inappropriate legalese. The whole “void your warranty” phrase is the fear-mongering motto of anti reverse engineering corporates everywhere. Firefox is open source, it should embrace everything the opposite, encourage me to explore and experiement.

To top it off, making me click on I’ll be careful, I promise! is just a little too cute and condescending. I’m feeling a lack of UI polish so far in Firefox 3. I’ll cover a few other things after I organize my thoughts, but this was just too good to wait on.