computer science

Mozilla Manifesto

Mozilla Manifesto is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mozilla Manifesto rather than just read about it. In short: The Mozilla Manifesto lays out the guiding principles of the Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit that leads the open-source Mozilla project best-known for its Firefox web browser. Penned in 2007 by Mitchell Baker, with adjustments in 2018, it promotes free software, universal access to the internet, and interoperable technologies, and emphasizes values of privacy, openness, and a belief in the ability of the internet…

Key takeaways

Mozilla Manifesto belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mozilla Manifesto to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mozilla Manifesto from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Mozilla Manifesto lays out the guiding principles of the Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit that leads the open-source Mozilla project best-known for its Firefox web browser. Penned in 2007 by Mitchell Baker, with adjustments in 2018, it promotes free software, universal access to the internet, and interoperable technologies, and emphasizes values of privacy, openness, and a belief in the ability of the internet to enrich the lives of people.

History The manifesto, adapted from principles Mozilla had held since it was founded in 1998, was written by Mitchell Baker and originally published in 2007. As a result of the subsequent evolution of the internet, which led Baker to believe that "the power of the internet [has been] used to magnify divisiveness, incite violence, promote hatred, and intentionally manipulate fact and reality", the manifesto was updated on the 20th anniversary of the founding of Mozilla in 2018 to add values of human dignity, tolerance, and civil discourse.

Content The manifesto outlines the guiding principles of the Mozilla Foundation and includes a pledge for how it will further those principles. It also asserts Mozilla's commitment to the internet, saying: "The open, global internet is the most powerful communication and collaboration resource we have ever seen. It embodies some of our deepest hopes for human progress."

Principles The manifesto lays out 10 key principles:

The internet is an integral part of modern life—a key component in education, communication, collaboration, business, entertainment and society as a whole. The internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible. The internet must enrich the lives of individual human beings. Individuals’ security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. Individuals must have the ability to shape the internet and their own experiences on it. The effectiveness of the internet as a public resource depends upon interoperability (protocols, data formats, content), innovation and decentralized participation worldwide. Free and open source software promotes the development of the internet as a public resource. Transparent community-based processes promote participation, accountability and trust. Commercial involvement in the development of the internet brings many benefits; a balance between commercial profit and public benefit is critical. Magnifying the public benefit aspects of the internet is an important goal, worthy of time, attention and commitment.

Pledge The manifesto also includes a pledge outlining Mozilla's commitments. These are to:

Build and enable open-source technologies and communities that support the Manifesto’s principles; Build and deliver great consumer products that support the Manifesto’s principles; Use the Mozilla assets (intellectual property such as copyrights and trademarks, infrastructure, funds, and reputation) to keep the Internet an open platform; Promote models for creating economic value for the public benefit; and Promote the Mozilla Manifesto principles in public discourse and within the Internet industry.

See also Don't be evil Right to Internet access Digital rights Internet activism

References

External links Official Manifesto

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mozilla Manifesto

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mozilla Manifesto claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mozilla Manifesto before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mozilla Manifesto ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mozilla Manifesto

In research: Mozilla Manifesto appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mozilla Manifesto in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mozilla Manifesto is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2007 documents, 2007 in computing, History of the Internet, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mozilla Manifesto outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mozilla Manifesto in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mozilla Manifesto means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mozilla Manifesto out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mozilla Manifesto in simple terms?

Why does Mozilla Manifesto matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mozilla Manifesto?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mozilla Manifesto.