Image via Flickr user Capture Queen, and used under a CC license

Even though I wasn’t there, it sure was thrilling to see all the activity around the Flame phones at MozFest.

So, you’ve got a Flame and you’re wondering how you can use this new hardware to help Mozilla make Firefox OS awesome?! Well, here’s what we’d love from you.

First, check your Flame to see what build of Firefox OS it’s running. If you have not flashed it, it’s probably on Firefox OS 1.3 and you’ll need to upgrade it to something contemporary first. If you’re using anything older than the v188 base image, you definitely need to upgrade. To upgrade, visit the Flame page on MDN and follow the instructions to flash a new vendor-provided base image and then flash the latest nightly from Mozilla on top of that.

Once you’re on the latest nightly of Firefox OS, you’re ready to start using the Flame and filing bugs on things that don’t work. You’d think that with about five thousand Flames out there, we’d have reports on everything that’s not working but that’s not the case. Even if the bug seems highly visible, please report it. We’d rather have a couple of duplicate reports than no report at all. If you’re experienced with Bugzilla, please search first *and* help us triage incoming reports so the devs can focus on fixing rather than duping bugs.

In addition to this use-based ad hoc testing, you can participate in the One and Done program or work directly with the Firefox OS QA team on more structured testing.

But that’s not all! Because Firefox OS is built on Web technologies, you don’t have to be a hardcore programmer to fix many of the bugs in the OS or the default system apps like Dialer, Email, and Camera. If you’ve got Web dev skills, please help us squash bugs. A great place to start is the list of bugs with developers assigned to mentor you through the process.

It’s a non-trivial investment that the Mozilla Foundation has made in giving away these Flame reference phones and I’m here to work with you all to help make that effort pay off in terms of bugs reported and fixed. Please let me know if you run into problems or could use my help. Enjoy your Flames!

http://asadotzler.com/2014/10/28/mozfest-flame-phones/