Interview With Firefox Developer Blake Ross

Tom's Hardware guide has got an excellent interview with Firefox developer Blake Ross.  Ross is currently on leave from his studies at Stanford University to work on another startup (where I went to grad school in the distant past) and had lots to say about where he is taking the browser and his thoughts about competing with Microsoft.

Here is a short piece of the interview;

What are the biggest differences between Firefox and IE in your mind, and where do you see any advantages that IE has these days?

There are plenty of feature comparisons on the Web, so I'll spare readers the marketing charts. The most important difference lies in the intent of each product.

Microsoft is here to win. That's great if you're a shareholder, but how many users appreciated that attitude when spyware and pop-ups filled their screens four years ago, and Microsoft, having crushed Netscape, abandoned the market? The company is back now that competition has arisen, but where will it be in four more years?

The Mozilla Foundation isn't fighting a war on competition; it's fighting a war on complexity. Our users are our shareholders, and as long as the Internet is frustrating, we'll be here.