https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=915
Comment #270 pretty much sums it up.
These are emotions, not a constructive answer. Any widely used software
is a regular holly mess of patches, emergency stability fixes,
compatibility workarounds, security locks etc. Usually any new item
from the list brings an avalanche of other items and so on.
A pictorial sample of this in application to say Microsoft JScript can
be found at
<http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2006/09/27/774117.aspx>
Inevitably some day the moment comes then you start getting
"unexplainable behavior" back. Say (rather close to a real sample) if
you are typing "abrakadabra" and pressing Ctrl key the system hangs up:
but only if the mouse pointer is off the screen. But it doesn't hand up
in any case if 3rd party X program is installed: but X program gets its
printing nuked. From this point forward you have a choice i) spend your
life time trying to find the real reason or ii) just smash everything
and start from the ground. Everyone chooses the 2nd option so far: this
is how "fully rewritten, majorly improved" versions are appearing.
Mozilla is in the most difficult situation I guess because the code is
open. It means that all mess others have hidden under respectfully
looking .exe and .dll - all this mess would be exposed to the public.
So maybe it is a (subconscious) desire to "keep the underwear clean" as
you cannot hide it. I personally still would prefer CAPTION and other
basic things working as they were for the last 10-15 years; even if
some internal C++ proc will get a funny look because of that.
At the same time I do realize that Mozilla is having hard time in
paying back for doing the initial project so strictly and literally by
W3C papers. Many (way too many IMHO) of these papers were utopias a la
Saint-Simon and Fourier: thus maybe something great to read before to
go to bed - but a total disaster if one tries to implement it in the
real life.