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Firefox’s relatively new rapid release schedule lets developers implement and unveil new features and updates quickly, but there’s one thing we hate about it. No, it’s not the headache it causes enterprise users, although that sucks, too. It’s the constant update notifications. Geez, Firefox needs to update again, we get it already! Fortunately, Mozilla gets that we get that, and they’re looking to move to silent updates sometime in 2012.
“In the past we have been very careful to make sure people know something is changing with their web browser before it changes,” Mozilla Chair Mitchell Baker said in a blog post yesterday. “ Our position was to err on the side of user notification. Today people are telling us — loudly — that the notifications are irritating and that a silent update process is important. This work is underway.”
While Baker claims that some improvements will be made in the coming months, he pointed readers to a blog post by Mozilla dev Brian Bondy, who was assigned the task of quelling the update noise. Long story short, his solution is on track for an early 2012, Firefox 10-ish implementation and involves adding an optional “Mozilla application updater” to Windows services, which should stop the Windows User Account Control from prompting users whenever a Mozilla product – including Firefox – needs to update. Users will be able to disable or uninstall the updater service at any time. There’s tons of technical information linked to in Bondy’s blog post, if you’re a nitty-gritty kind of Firefox user.
Comments are closed on this article
Blues22475
October 05, 2011 at 6:43am
The majority of my plug-ins work on Firefox 7, but I am still annoyed at the fact that they think a repaid-release schedule will give them some kind of edge. If anything, it's just going to either
1. Make more users stop using Firefox cause their plug-ins don't work anymore.
2. People disable the update feature which could potentially leave them at risk and completely ignore the updates altogether.
Joe2.0
October 04, 2011 at 9:42pm
Im getting fed up with my add-ons working for a week only until there's another update then i have to wait several weeks for some of my addons to maybe start working again as they update.
Next time my Foxytunes add-on starts working I'm not updating firefox for a while.
I thought rapid release was going to make it easier for developers...
dgrmouse
October 04, 2011 at 2:26pm
A service that runs 24/7 whether I am browsing the web or not is absolutely foolish and Brian Bondy is a fool to suggest it. The folks at Mozilla are too stupid to consider what brought them the limited success they now enjoy, instead choosing to fix what ain't broken.
rdolbert
February 17, 2012 at 4:50pm
The service doesn't run 24/7, it is on demand when an update happens.
dgrmouse
February 17, 2012 at 11:12pm
It's still an attempt to circumvent a system service that is there for a reason. I don't want to bypass UAC, and I am upset to the point of being hostile that software vendors feel like they should be able to do whatever they wish with my system. A freaking web browser should NOT require a system service. I don't want Firefox to be more tightly integrated with my system, I want it to be more isolated. And, damnit, I want to be in control - being able to manually disable add-on updates does no good if the settings are reset after every (sometimes daily) update. I'd be willing to bet that these buffoons are going to reinstall the service that they claim you can disable after every browser update. Unacceptable.
rdolbert
February 18, 2012 at 11:25am
I can see you are very angry but your anger stems from false assumptions.
1. The service will never be re-installed if you manually uninstalled it.
2. No settings will be auto-reset on update.
3. There is no attempt being made to circumvent security and Windows itself even uses a service for updates.
4. You are fully in control of all settings for updates and the component is entirely optional..
dgrmouse
February 18, 2012 at 2:35pm
Half of these things already happen. If you choose to manually update your add-ons in Firefox, it still phones home for each add-on with each incremental update. I have verified this three times this week, with 10.0,10.1, and 10.2. If Firefox wants to know what extensions I use, they can ask me to volunteer the information (which I will refuse). One of the minor updates even went so far as to surreptitiously install the Test Pilot (https://testpilot.mozillalabs.com/) Thunderbird add-on without any intervention from me. I installed a point-release to fix a security hole, and next thing I know my e-mail client is trying to monitor and report my behavior. F-you, buddy.
Installing a service is an attempt to sidestep UAC. It is clearly stated that the goal is to update software components without triggering a user prompt. Users are upset that they are being prompted by the OS that untrusted (Firefox) software is trying to make changes to their system. The right thing to do here isn't to install more software so that Firefox can make changes without prompting them - the right thing to do is to EXPLAIN to a user EXACTLY what is going on, why it is necessary, and what will happen if they refuse. That the interests controlling Firefox's development don't know the difference is why I'm upset at them. Firefox needs to get back to its early post-Netscape roots, because it has surely lost its way.
Ghostryderflyby
October 04, 2011 at 2:11pm
I absolutely do not want silent updates. Sorry folks. Every freaking time they update, all your frappin addons don't work anymore. As a result, I don't update until the updated addons have been released. They go silently updating me before the addons are updated and I'm going to be pulling my hair out. It's almost enough to make one revert to IE9 so you know your addons will work. Almost.
So how about making silent updates and option you can opt out of there Mozilla???
nheimler
October 04, 2011 at 6:25pm
You can disable updates via Options -> Advanced -> Update. I run a lot of public PCs as a tech and have Chrome, Firefox, and IE installed. I do this for Chrome and Firefox (disable updates), so that I can update manually when I find a stable version. FF7 and FF8 so far to me, seem to be the best versions of FF in a long time. I don't run all kinds of addons though besides the basic Java etc so I'm completely happy with these versions. A browser is a browser to me...it's made to surf the net nothing more. That's all I need it for.
Brad Nimbus
October 04, 2011 at 11:12am
Not that its a big deal but the updates were getting pretty annoying Not oh shit itunes has to update again and wait ten minutes before you can listen to music annoying but a minor annoyance
*edit* Also I want to point out that I find Firefox is starting to shit the bed a tiny bit. Minor things like horrible loadtimes, shutting it down to have it not respond, or have it shut down only to find that another instance is running or something I discovered today, while switching back from my tv to my monitor firefox decided to not play any sound from youtube etc. I swear the IE/bing combo is looking more delicious everyday.
Neel Chauhan
October 04, 2011 at 11:38am
I HATE THE NEW FIREFOX. Chrome will overtake FIREFOX ONE OF THESE DAYS because the new FF sucks. Why am i still using firefox if it sucks?
Brad Nimbus
October 04, 2011 at 11:49am
I'm using it for the adblock feature. Chrome has it too but it seems to only work when it feels like it,
Deviate
October 04, 2011 at 11:07am
So now you can choose between Firefox Regular or Crystal Meth version.
