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Mozilla Rids of .Net-hatin' Firefox 3.5, Replaces it with a Friendlier Version

Posted 08/18/09 at 10:08:04 AM  by Paul Lilly

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If you're a Firefox user, you may want to check which version you're running. That's because Dana Blankenhorn over at ZDNet has apparently discovered that Firefox 3.5 kills support for Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant 1.0, and while that may put a smile on some open-source fans' faces who despise everything Microsoft, it's a different story for programmers who require .Net support.

As long as you're running the most recent version of Firefox, this looks to be a moot issue. Released earlier this month, Firefox 3.5.2 appears to play nice with .Net, with our add-ons manager showing Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant 1.1 installed. We're also given the option to uninstall it, which hasn't always been the case with previous versions.

COMMENTS:2
TAGS: Software, browser, firefox 3.5, net framework assistant
COMMENTS
avatarAbility to uninstall the .net Framework assistant

Submitted by scottwed on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 1:18pm

The ability to uninstall the .net Framework assistant was actually provided by a hotfix to the framework.   MS moved it from being added at the computer level, to a per-user level.

How to remove the .NET Framework Assistant for Firefox

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/963707

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avatarBut it shouldn't be there in the first place...

Submitted by techparadox on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 12:08pm

You neglected to mention that this extension was slipped in to the list by a previous Windows Update and installed without the users' knowledge or permission.  All it does is make it possible for the .net ClickOnce deployment technology to be used inside of Firefox, which is adds an inhernetly insecure vector of infection to what is a (mostly) secure and worry-free browser.  I, for one, went in and disabled the extension's ability to fire off the apps with one click by tweaking its options to essentially turn it into a ClickTwice install where it will warn me of anything that is about to be installed.

Shame on MS for trying to sneak this one past all the users of Firefox just to increase the installed base of their deployment software.

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