For versions of Firefox 84.0 and up, we will take a different approach to distributing WNPs. The following changes can apply to Firefox Desktop 84+:

1. We need to change the URL that opens WNPs. From now on, it should not include a locale, only a version. Website content negotiation will distribute the correct locale.

2. We should open WNPs in locales specified by Peiying. I am copying from an email thread with Peiying, for confirmation:

From localization perspective, we think all the languages that currently support Firefox Desktop should have the WNP evergreen available. Here is the list of the locales: https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/file/tip/browser/locales/shipped-locales.

3. We can QA the behavior above for WNP84, but going forward will not file this bug, nor a QA ticket in JIRA on a release cadence. Instead, we'll file them on an as-needed basis, if the contents of the evergreen page change.

If you are named in needinfo, I would like you to scrutinize this plan and confirm, since it has wide implications for how we work going forward. Thank you.

quick question - what should we do with the Beta/Devedition WNP in this new context? Asking whether to keep those rules as is, change them, or remove them?

This sounds good to me for the regular /whatsnew page.

For pre-release /whatsnew pages I think we can still do 1 (remove the locale from the URLs), and continue to show them on the same cadence as we have been doing so - but I'll defer to Justin here.

Show the evergreen WNP for all shipped locales, and let the browser do
language negotiation rather than including the UA locale in the URL.

For pre-release /whatsnew pages I think we can still do 1 (remove the locale from the URLs), and continue to show them on the same cadence as we have been doing so

Agreed.

Sounds good!

Looks good! we will not allocate any QA resource for this starting Fx85. As and when you need qa assistance, need-info us (for bug verification) or file a JIRA ticket (something major like if the page contents change).

(In reply to Alex Gibson [:agibson] from comment #2)

For pre-release /whatsnew pages I think we can still do 1 (remove the locale from the URLs), and continue to show them on the same cadence as we have been doing so - but I'll defer to Justin here.

Are those available for all shipped locales, or should we keep the existing in-tree lists (for beta and devedition)?

(In reply to Julien Cristau [:jcristau] from comment #8)

(In reply to Alex Gibson [:agibson] from comment #2)

For pre-release /whatsnew pages I think we can still do 1 (remove the locale from the URLs), and continue to show them on the same cadence as we have been doing so - but I'll defer to Justin here.

Are those available for all shipped locales, or should we keep the existing in-tree lists (for beta and devedition)?

I'll defer to Peiying here for locale lists.

Comment on attachment 9190836 [details]
Bug 1680091 - Update WNP rules for 84 release and beyond. r?mtabara

Beta/Release Uplift Approval Request

• User impact if declined: what's new page not displayed for the right set of locales on update to 84 release
• Is this code covered by automated tests?: No
• Has the fix been verified in Nightly?: No
• Needs manual test from QE?: Yes
• If yes, steps to reproduce:
• List of other uplifts needed: None
• Risk to taking this patch: Low
• Why is the change risky/not risky? (and alternatives if risky):
• String changes made/needed:

Comment on attachment 9190836 [details]
Bug 1680091 - Update WNP rules for 84 release and beyond. r?mtabara

Approved for 84.0b8.

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/0bddb5d27610

(In reply to Alex Gibson [:agibson] from comment #9)

(In reply to Julien Cristau [:jcristau] from comment #8)

(In reply to Alex Gibson [:agibson] from comment #2)

For pre-release /whatsnew pages I think we can still do 1 (remove the locale from the URLs), and continue to show them on the same cadence as we have been doing so - but I'll defer to Justin here.

Are those available for all shipped locales, or should we keep the existing in-tree lists (for beta and devedition)?

I'll defer to Peiying here for locale lists.

The list is the same between production, beta, and devedition. While discussing this with flod, it dawned on me that we have this situation that requires us to compare the following before coming up a confirmed list:
1). what locales support Fx desktop but don't have a mozorg site
2). what locales support the mozorg site but doesn't have Fx desktop product.

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/31f6d36688bb

(In reply to Razvan Maries from comment #14)

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/31f6d36688bb

Thank you! I compared the Fx Desktop locale list with Mozorg locale list and come up with this list that the locales overlap. Check the WNP tab. Shall we go with this list moving forward?

QA issue here: https://jira.mozilla.com/browse/PI-890

(In reply to Peiying Mo [:CocoMo] from comment #15)

Shall we go with this list moving forward?

Wasn't the intent that we not be storing the locale list in m-c anymore? I'm not sure what the question is here.

(In reply to Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM] from comment #17)

(In reply to Peiying Mo [:CocoMo] from comment #15)

Shall we go with this list moving forward?

Wasn't the intent that we not be storing the locale list in m-c anymore? I'm not sure what the question is here.

(Peiying, please correct me if I'm wrong here.)

The so-called "evergreen" WNP has been unchanged for a very long time, and still there are some locales that do not have localized content. It seems unlikely that they will get localized content. That presents us with a problem to solve: Do we show those locales an en-US WNP, or do we skip the WNP for them?

If we skip the WNP for them (which is probably a better experience), we have to store some list of locales in m-c -- the locales where "evergreen" localized content exists. Our intent here is to make that list more stable than the per-release locale list has been historically.

(In reply to Peiying Mo [:CocoMo] from comment #15)

(In reply to Razvan Maries from comment #14)

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/31f6d36688bb

Thank you! I compared the Fx Desktop locale list with Mozorg locale list and come up with this list that the locales overlap. Check the WNP tab. Shall we go with this list moving forward?

The list you used for fx desktop looks incomplete. The list of localized builds is https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/file/tip/browser/locales/shipped-locales.

The list you used for fx desktop looks incomplete. The list of localized builds is https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/file/tip/browser/locales/shipped-locales.

Thank you for providing the shipped locale list. I have updated [the spreadsheet] to include this information. Check the shared locales tab to see what they have in common. The WNP tab contains the locales for the current evergreen page.

@hoosteeno, it is true a lot of the locales have not been active and we may never see the page localized. However, we do have communities from time to time who are interested in working on mozorg project. We will also pitch to those working on the desktop project to localize the WNP evergreen to increase download rate in their languages.