Firefox maker Mozilla (News - Alert) is at least one step closer to supporting a slower release schedule of its browser for companies that can’t keep up with the constant streams of updates.

Mozilla recently announced that a proposal for what it calls an Extended Support Release (ESR) of Firefox has turned into a plan of action, which presumably means it’s getting closer to reality.

Designed for companies, public agencies, schools and other organizations that support and manage Firefox, this alternate release of the browser would get updated just once a year. That contrasts with the regular release of Firefox, which gets updated every three months. Mozilla was prompted to take this more enterprise-friendly approach after being criticized last year by companies that have struggled to keep up with the rapid-fire updates of its browser.

Over the past year or so, Firefox has jumped from version 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 to 7 to 8 and now 9. And while individuals may be able to handle these constant updates, companies face a rougher time as they need to support each new version and ensure that it’s compatible with their existing Web sites and Web apps.

Further, each time Mozilla rolls out a new version, it cuts off full support for the previous version, which means IT professionals have little time to test the latest update or migrate all their users.

And when companies started complaining about the situation, Mozilla put its collective foot in its mouth by arguing that the enterprise has never and shouldn’t be a focus of the company, essentially saying “tough luck” to companies that have standardized on the browser.

Hit by further criticism, Mozilla soon realized it was stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to keep its browser updated but at the same time not leave its corporate customers in the cold.

“Providing updates to Firefox more frequently allows us to secure users against emerging threats and provide the platform for innovation that today’s rich and compelling Web experiences demand,” Mozilla said. “However, this created challenges for organizations that have to deliver lots of mission-critical applications through Firefox, so we worked closely with the Mozilla Enterprise User Working Group to develop the Mozilla Firefox ESR plan.”

To remedy the problem, Mozilla’s annual ESR version of Firefox would contain all the necessary security updates but would not make changes to any of the browser’s add-ons. The company said that it’s been working with many enterprises on the ESR to make sure this version keeps up with the latest security enhancements but doesn’t demand the amount of application testing or certification required by the regular release.

The company has promised to post more details about the plan to the mozilla.dev.planning newsgroup and the mailing list for the Mozilla Enterprise User Working Group, a collection of developers and IT professionals whose goal it to make Firefox more enterprise friendly. Those of you who manage and support Firefox are encouraged to join the group and get involved in its discussions and conference calls.

“Mozilla is committed to providing the best Web experience for people everywhere, and our goal for the Firefox ESR is to make it simpler for companies, public institutions, organizations, and institutions that manage their desktops to deploy Firefox in those environments,” the company added. “Over the last few months we received great feedback on the initial proposal from the Mozilla community and strongly believe that the ESR meets that goal.”

With so many companies using Firefox, let’s hope Mozilla’s initiative can ease the burden of support for IT pros and make this popular browser the right choice for the enterprise crowd.

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