Features/Desktop/64bit Firefox Windows 7

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Status

Add support for 64-bit Firefox Windows 7/Vista
Stage	Definition
Status	`
Release target	`
Health	OK
Status note	`

{{#set:Feature name=Add support for 64-bit Firefox Windows 7/Vista

|Feature stage=Definition |Feature status=` |Feature version=` |Feature health=OK |Feature status note=` }}

Team

Product manager	Asa Dotzler
Directly Responsible Individual	`
Lead engineer	`
Security lead	`
Privacy lead	`
Localization lead	`
Accessibility lead	`
QA lead	Mihaela Velimiroviciu
UX lead	`
Product marketing lead	`
Operations lead	`
Additional members	`

{{#set:Feature product manager=Asa Dotzler

|Feature feature manager=` |Feature lead engineer=` |Feature security lead=` |Feature privacy lead=` |Feature localization lead=` |Feature accessibility lead=` |Feature qa lead=Mihaela Velimiroviciu |Feature ux lead=` |Feature product marketing lead=` |Feature operations lead=` |Feature additional members=` }}

Open issues/risks

• Plug-in support will be a major issue here. We do not want users to have a worse view of 64-bit builds than they do of 32-bit.
• Accessibility support will be an issue here. Some of the ATs inject their own DLL into Firefox's address space. That would break if they inject a 32-bit DLL into a 64-bit process.
• Not sure what to do if users have both 32-bit and 64-bit Firefox installed

Stage 1: Definition

1. Feature overview

Offering a x86 64-bit Firefox to Windows 7 (and Vista) 64-bit users brings one immediate and major improvement. It would help dramatically with OOM crashes due to address space exhaustion. There are potential performance benefits as well -- especially in JavaScript land.

This feature falls primarily in the Experience category (from the "Discover, Experience, and Connect" vision statement.)

2. Users & use cases

Users with 64-bit Windows 7 (and Vista) can currently use Firefox 32-bit builds and that's what we offer them. But the 32-bit builds can only use part of the user's memory address space and so we are not taking full advantage of the user's platform capabilities.

3. Dependencies

• Platform engineering resources are needed to implement running 32-bit plug-ins in 64-bit Firefox.
• Rel Eng will need to update systems for build, automation, and updating.
• QA will have one more platform to test.

4. Requirements

• Coherent 32 bit plugin on 64-bit build experience
• Build automation able to create 64 bit builds
• QA automation able to test 64 and 32-bit builds
• AUS changes to support 64 and 32-bit builds and updates
• www.mozilla.com to offer 64-bit builds
• Performance parity with 32-bit Firefox on Windows
• Stability parity with 32-bit Firefox on Windows

Non-goals

• We should not attempt support of 64-bit Windows XP (neither x86-64 nor Itanium)
• We do not immediately need a stub installer or website magic to deliver 64-bit builds to 64-bit Windows users.
• We do not need or expect memory use parity with 32-bit Firefox.
• We do not intend to drop support for 32-bit Firefox.

Stage 2: Design

5. Functional specification

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6. User experience design

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Stage 3: Planning

7. Implementation plan

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8. Reviews

Security review

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Privacy review

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Localization review

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Accessibility

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Quality Assurance review

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Operations review

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Stage 4: Development

9. Implementation

• Rel Eng tracker: bug 558448
• Core tracker: bug 471090

Stage 5: Release

10. Landing criteria

` {{#set:Feature open issues and risks=* Plug-in support will be a major issue here. We do not want users to have a worse view of 64-bit builds than they do of 32-bit.

• Accessibility support will be an issue here. Some of the ATs inject their own DLL into Firefox's address space. That would break if they inject a 32-bit DLL into a 64-bit process.
• Not sure what to do if users have both 32-bit and 64-bit Firefox installed

|Feature overview=Offering a x86 64-bit Firefox to Windows 7 (and Vista) 64-bit users brings one immediate and major improvement. It would help dramatically with OOM crashes due to address space exhaustion. There are potential performance benefits as well -- especially in JavaScript land.

This feature falls primarily in the Experience category (from the "Discover, Experience, and Connect" vision statement.) |Feature users and use cases=Users with 64-bit Windows 7 (and Vista) can currently use Firefox 32-bit builds and that's what we offer them. But the 32-bit builds can only use part of the user's memory address space and so we are not taking full advantage of the user's platform capabilities. |Feature dependencies=* Platform engineering resources are needed to implement running 32-bit plug-ins in 64-bit Firefox.

• Rel Eng will need to update systems for build, automation, and updating.
• QA will have one more platform to test.

|Feature requirements=* Coherent 32 bit plugin on 64-bit build experience

• Build automation able to create 64 bit builds
• QA automation able to test 64 and 32-bit builds
• AUS changes to support 64 and 32-bit builds and updates
• www.mozilla.com to offer 64-bit builds
• Performance parity with 32-bit Firefox on Windows
• Stability parity with 32-bit Firefox on Windows

|Feature non-goals=* We should not attempt support of 64-bit Windows XP (neither x86-64 nor Itanium)

• We do not immediately need a stub installer or website magic to deliver 64-bit builds to 64-bit Windows users.
• We do not need or expect memory use parity with 32-bit Firefox.
• We do not intend to drop support for 32-bit Firefox.

|Feature functional spec=` |Feature ux design=` |Feature implementation plan=` |Feature security review=` |Feature privacy review=` |Feature localization review=` |Feature accessibility review=` |Feature qa review=` |Feature operations review=` |Feature implementation notes=* Rel Eng tracker: bug 558448

• Core tracker: bug 471090

|Feature landing criteria=` }}

Feature details

Priority	P2
Rank	999
Theme / Goal	Experience
Roadmap	Firefox Desktop
Secondary roadmap	`
Feature list	Desktop
Project	`
Engineering team	Plugins

{{#set:Feature priority=P2

|Feature rank=999 |Feature theme=Experience |Feature roadmap=Firefox Desktop |Feature secondary roadmap=` |Feature list=Desktop |Feature project=` |Feature engineering team=Plugins }}

Team status notes

	status	notes
Products	`	`
Engineering	`	`
Security	`	`
Privacy	`	`
Localization	`	`
Accessibility	`	`
Quality assurance	`	`
User experience	`	`
Product marketing	`	`
Operations	`	`

{{#set:Feature products status=`

|Feature products notes=` |Feature engineering status=` |Feature engineering notes=` |Feature security status=` |Feature security health=` |Feature security notes=` |Feature privacy status=` |Feature privacy notes=` |Feature localization status=` |Feature localization notes=` |Feature accessibility status=` |Feature accessibility notes=` |Feature qa status=` |Feature qa notes=` |Feature ux status=` |Feature ux notes=` |Feature product marketing status=` |Feature product marketing notes=` |Feature operations status=` |Feature operations notes=` }}

• Some plug-ins have 64-bit support already.
  • Java http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/java_win64bit.xml#Java%20for%2064-bit
  • Adobe Flash 64-bit http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer.html
  • Microsoft Silverlight 64-bit http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/future/