Comments on: Stick a Fork in Flock: Why it Failed http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/ Open Source, Open Standards Sat, 05 Oct 2013 13:48:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Josh http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-385615 Josh Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:24:28 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-385615 Ahhh, Flock. I really loved this browser, but it wasn't open-source, was slow, and generally kept failing to work with sites. I eventually gave it up for Opera. Few years later, I though "Hmm, wonder how Flock is getting along,". Opened up their website, only to find the project had been canceled. It was an interesting idea, but the execution was poor. Ahhh, Flock. I really loved this browser, but it wasn’t open-source, was slow, and generally kept failing to work with sites. I eventually gave it up for Opera. Few years later, I though “Hmm, wonder how Flock is getting along,”. Opened up their website, only to find the project had been canceled.
It was an interesting idea, but the execution was poor.

]]> By: Bufo Alvarius http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-385579 Bufo Alvarius Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:06:07 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-385579 Flcok failed because of it's leadership. They were disengage long before the announcement, not being forthcoming in short the ugly part of the silicon valley exit mentality, it is never about the user or product and all about the $$$. The CEO was a nobody who came from nowhere and went back to anonymity - on its own a red flag. It was a good browser, good and solid core Gen-I team that went downhill from there. Flcok failed because of it’s leadership. They were disengage long before the announcement, not being forthcoming in short the ugly part of the silicon valley exit mentality, it is never about the user or product and all about the $$$.

The CEO was a nobody who came from nowhere and went back to anonymity – on its own a red flag.

It was a good browser, good and solid core Gen-I team that went downhill from there.

]]> By: blobby http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-218081 blobby Sun, 13 May 2012 15:24:53 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-218081 Cheat Engine thrived with flock... Cheat Engine thrived with flock…

]]> By: Unixisc http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-99643 Unixisc Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:23:11 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-99643 I was a user of Flock, and used it for things like YouTube, Tinypic, Photobucket and a forum site that I frequent. Flock was useful for easily accessing those accounts. I don't think that Flock failed b'cos it wasn't Open Source. My problems w/ it was that it did not keep pace w/ the latest advances in Firefox. For instance, Add Ons were a joke, and they never had any support for themes - even Personas, which even Thunderbird and Seamonkey support. Also, Flock didn't keep track of the changes in the services that it promoted - for instance, it promoted only Tinypic & Photobucket, even after the latter acquired the former, and kept promoting Delicious even after it had been devoured by Yahoo! Had Flock done a better job of supporting add-ons, and had a model by which it would have avoided Firefox's pitfalls of dropping add-on compatibility, it would probably have been a lot more successful. Also, Flock could have promoted itself more actively on non Windows environments, where its only competitor was for the large part Firefox. I was a user of Flock, and used it for things like YouTube, Tinypic, Photobucket and a forum site that I frequent. Flock was useful for easily accessing those accounts.

I don’t think that Flock failed b’cos it wasn’t Open Source. My problems w/ it was that it did not keep pace w/ the latest advances in Firefox. For instance, Add Ons were a joke, and they never had any support for themes – even Personas, which even Thunderbird and Seamonkey support. Also, Flock didn’t keep track of the changes in the services that it promoted – for instance, it promoted only Tinypic & Photobucket, even after the latter acquired the former, and kept promoting Delicious even after it had been devoured by Yahoo!

Had Flock done a better job of supporting add-ons, and had a model by which it would have avoided Firefox’s pitfalls of dropping add-on compatibility, it would probably have been a lot more successful.

Also, Flock could have promoted itself more actively on non Windows environments, where its only competitor was for the large part Firefox.

]]> By: rambotribble http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-9555 rambotribble Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:26:51 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-9555 Hmmm... You don't suppose that social media has become so flocked up that it just couldn't take anymore flocking? Hmmm… You don’t suppose that social media has become so flocked up that it just couldn’t take anymore flocking?

]]> By: astabi http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-9485 astabi Tue, 03 May 2011 13:53:26 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-9485 I would have thought that in the beginning, until you are fully up and running (like Firefox), being open would give you a much larger talent pool that would contribute to the project. Being closed would severely limit you in this regard, so I could see how this would lead to the project failing. Once you are well along, and established I could then possibly see the openness of a project being not as valuable. I'm not an expert, just my observations. I would have thought that in the beginning, until you are fully up and running (like Firefox), being open would give you a much larger talent pool that would contribute to the project. Being closed would severely limit you in this regard, so I could see how this would lead to the project failing.

Once you are well along, and established I could then possibly see the openness of a project being not as valuable.

I’m not an expert, just my observations.

]]> By: wweng_linux http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-9448 wweng_linux Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:39:01 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-9448 This is ridiculous. Why would the success of a product have anything to do with its openness??? And to be honest, the reason flock can not keep up with firefox has NOTHING to do with it being close source. To project like firefox, chrome or Android, contribution from outside is no longer significant. These projects are doing what others haven't done before. To them, having correct vision is far more important than being open. This is ridiculous. Why would the success of a product have anything to do with its openness???

And to be honest, the reason flock can not keep up with firefox has NOTHING to do with it being close source. To project like firefox, chrome or Android, contribution from outside is no longer significant. These projects are doing what others haven’t done before. To them, having correct vision is far more important than being open.

]]> By: json Yelduts http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-9447 json Yelduts Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:14:02 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-9447 It failed because it perfected what social networking is all about. The developers were able to update their status on so many networking sites, connect with so many people and tell the masses every thought that popped in their head that they no longer had time to actually be productive. That's the social web in it's purest form. Zynga is an absolute perfect spot for them to end up. Now they'll get to develop games for the people that have a few minutes to kill in between updating their status and going out to see if their unemployment check has landed in their mailbox. It failed because it perfected what social networking is all about. The developers were able to update their status on so many networking sites, connect with so many people and tell the masses every thought that popped in their head that they no longer had time to actually be productive. That’s the social web in it’s purest form.

Zynga is an absolute perfect spot for them to end up. Now they’ll get to develop games for the people that have a few minutes to kill in between updating their status and going out to see if their unemployment check has landed in their mailbox.

]]> By: marc AUGIER http://www.linux-mag.com/id/8613/#comment-9446 marc AUGIER Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:32:42 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/?p=8613#comment-9446 I tried Flock a couple of times and went through the same problems: it was slow and was missing my Firefox extensions. I am now using Rockmelt, which is another tentative of a social browser and feel it is succeed to the usability + usefulness challenge. It is a fork of Chrome if I have understood the technical guts behind and it has regular updates. Marc ps: I am not a Rockmelt vendor, I am just looking for comments ... I tried Flock a couple of times and went through the same problems: it was slow and was missing my Firefox extensions. I am now using Rockmelt, which is another tentative of a social browser and feel it is succeed to the usability + usefulness challenge. It is a fork of Chrome if I have understood the technical guts behind and it has regular updates.

Marc
ps: I am not a Rockmelt vendor, I am just looking for comments …

]]>