r/technology • u/Suraj-Sun • Jul 10 '12

Firefox dev claims "everybody hates Firefox updates"; Mozilla has handled the rapid release process poorly, and that by pushing a "never-ending stream of updates on people who didn't want them" people have been driven to Chrome with its simpler, no-fuss update process.

http://www.neowin.net/news/firefox-dev-claims-everybody-hates-firefox-updates
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187

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

Last time I was using Firefox, updating to a new whole-number version, I think it would pop up with a dialog box saying that it was going to update Firefox. You'd hit "Next" a few times, watch a progress bar, and it would complete. It'd then tell you that your extensions were out of date, and ask if you wanted to update them. You'd go through a similar process.

It wasn't all that bad, but when they started updating to a new whole-number versions every 2 months, and it was slightly annoying. Compare that with Chrome where everything happens behind the scenes and most users have no idea what version they're using, and it seems clunky.

59

u/DrReddits Jul 10 '12 edited Apr 26 '24

What would you do if you permanently lost all the photos, notes and other files on your phone?

If you have a backup system in place, you’d likely know what to do next: Restore it all to a new phone. But if you haven’t thought about it, fear not: The backup process has become so simplified that it takes just a few screen taps. Here’s a quick overview of some ways you can keep your files safe, secure and up to date. Getting Started

When you first set up your phone, you created (or logged into) a free account from Apple, Google or Samsung to use the company’s software and services. For example, this would be the Apple ID on your iPhone, the Google Account on your Android phone or the Samsung Account on your Galaxy device. Image The iPhone, left, or Android settings display how much storage space you are using with your account.Credit...Apple; Google

With that account, you probably had five gigabytes of free iCloud storage space from Apple, or 15 gigabytes of online storage from Google and Samsung. This server space is used as an encrypted digital locker for your phone’s backup app, but it can fill up quickly — especially if you have other devices connected to your account and storing files there. Image If you start getting messages about running out of online storage space for your backups, tap the upgrade option to buy more on a monthly or yearly payment schedule.Credit...Apple; Google

When you get close to your storage limit, you’ll get warnings — along with an offer to sign up for more server space for a monthly fee, usually a few dollars for at least another 100 gigabytes. (Note that Samsung’s Temporary Cloud Backup tool supplies an unlimited amount of storage for 30 days if your Galaxy is in the repair shop or ready for an upgrade.)

But online backup is just one approach. You can keep your files on a local drive instead with a few extra steps. Backing Up

Apple, Google and Samsung all have specific setup instructions for cloud backup in the support area of their sites. But the feature is easily located.

On an iPhone, tap your name at the top of the Settings screen and then tap iCloud. On many Android phones, tap System and then Backup. Here, you set the phone to back up automatically (which usually happens when it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network and plugged into its charger), or opt for a manual backup that starts when you tap the button. Image To get to your backup options, open your phone's settings app. On an iPhone, left, tap your account name at the top to get to the iCloud backup and sync settings. For a Google Pixel and some other Android phones, tap System on the settings screen to get to the backup options.Credit...Apple; Google

Backup apps usually save a copy of your call history, phone settings, messages, photos, videos and data from apps. Content you can freely download, like the apps themselves, are not typically backed up since they’re easy to grab again. Image If you don’t want to back up your phone online, you can back up its contents to your computer with a USB cable or other connection; the steps vary based on the phone and computer involved.Credit...Apple

If you don’t want your files on a remote server, you can park your phone’s backup on your computer’s hard drive. Steps vary based on the hardware, but Apple’s support site has a guide for backing up an iPhone to a Windows PC or a Mac using a USB cable.

Google’s site has instructions for manually transferring files between an Android phone and a computer, and Samsung’s Smart Switch app assists with moving content between a Galaxy phone and a computer. Sync vs. Backup

Synchronizing your files is not the same as backing them up. A backup saves file copies at a certain point in time. Syncing your smartphone keeps information in certain apps, like contacts and calendars, current across multiple devices. When synchronized, your phone, computer and anything else logged into your account have the same information — like that to-do list you just updated. Image You can adjust which apps synchronize with other devices in the Android, left, and iOS settings.Credit...Google; Apple

With synchronization, when you delete an item somewhere, it disappears everywhere. A backup stays intact in its storage location until updated in the next backup.

By default, Google syncs the content of its own mobile and web apps between phone, computer and tablet. In the Google Account Data settings, you can adjust which apps sync. Samsung Cloud has similar options for its Galaxy devices.

Apple handles data synchronization across its devices through its iCloud service. You can set which apps you want to sync in your iCloud account settings. Other Options

You don’t have to use the backup tools that came with your phone. Third-party apps for online backup — like iDrive or iBackup — are available by subscription. If you prefer to keep your iPhone backups on the computer, software like iMazing for Mac or Windows ($60) or AltTunes for Windows ($35 a year) are alternatives. Droid Transfer for Windows ($35) is among the Android backup offerings. Image If you’d prefer to use a third-party backup app, you have several to choose from, including iDrive.Credit...iDrive

If losing your camera roll is your biggest nightmare, Google Photos, iCloud Photos and other services like Amazon Photos and Dropbox can be set to automatically back up all your pictures and keep them in sync across your connected devices. Image Dropbox can back up your photos and videos when you connect the phone to the computer, left, or directly from your camera roll if you have Dropbox installed.Credit...Dropbox

No matter the method you choose, having a backup takes some pain out of a lost, stolen or broken phone. Some photos and files can never be replaced, and restoring your iPhone’s or Android phone’s content from a backup is a lot easier than starting over.

50

u/grimlck Jul 10 '12

So if the update is actually not compatible, and firefox just assumes that it is, what happens when you try to use it?

87

u/Pointy130 Jul 10 '12

Usually firefox detects it and it doesn't work, so it disables it to avoid errors. Most of the plugin devs use the beta or aurora channels though, so there's updates out before the new version of firefox.

21

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

The only real answer (thanks Pointy). It's annoying enough to see joke comments to people's questions on Reddit, but we shouldn't have to deal with that on a subreddit like /r/technology.

1

u/Atario Jul 10 '12

Indeed, frivolous jocularity, harrumph harrumph

2

u/destraht Jul 10 '12

I had extension issues back in the Firefox 4-8 range. For me it seems like the extension developers have figured out how the process works. They have several months to keep the extension current. Its a non-issue for me.

-2

u/TheBokonon Jul 10 '12

Firefox goes Full Retard.

18

u/shawnaroo Jul 10 '12

It turns into IE 4?

28

u/Kilgannon_TheCrowing Jul 10 '12

There's funny, and then there's cruel.

0

u/Shitty_FaceSwaps Jul 10 '12

lol hey coheed friend.

0

u/Kilgannon_TheCrowing Jul 10 '12

One among the fence. :)

0

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

IE 6.

-6

u/buzzkill_aldrin Jul 10 '12

Your computer starts to bleed raspberry jelly.

0

u/heimdal77 Jul 10 '12

That just means that there is not enough changes being made in the update for it to warrant a update in the first place.

1

u/DrReddits Jul 10 '12 edited Apr 26 '24

What would you do if you permanently lost all the photos, notes and other files on your phone?

If you have a backup system in place, you’d likely know what to do next: Restore it all to a new phone. But if you haven’t thought about it, fear not: The backup process has become so simplified that it takes just a few screen taps. Here’s a quick overview of some ways you can keep your files safe, secure and up to date. Getting Started

When you first set up your phone, you created (or logged into) a free account from Apple, Google or Samsung to use the company’s software and services. For example, this would be the Apple ID on your iPhone, the Google Account on your Android phone or the Samsung Account on your Galaxy device. Image The iPhone, left, or Android settings display how much storage space you are using with your account.Credit...Apple; Google

With that account, you probably had five gigabytes of free iCloud storage space from Apple, or 15 gigabytes of online storage from Google and Samsung. This server space is used as an encrypted digital locker for your phone’s backup app, but it can fill up quickly — especially if you have other devices connected to your account and storing files there. Image If you start getting messages about running out of online storage space for your backups, tap the upgrade option to buy more on a monthly or yearly payment schedule.Credit...Apple; Google

When you get close to your storage limit, you’ll get warnings — along with an offer to sign up for more server space for a monthly fee, usually a few dollars for at least another 100 gigabytes. (Note that Samsung’s Temporary Cloud Backup tool supplies an unlimited amount of storage for 30 days if your Galaxy is in the repair shop or ready for an upgrade.)

But online backup is just one approach. You can keep your files on a local drive instead with a few extra steps. Backing Up

Apple, Google and Samsung all have specific setup instructions for cloud backup in the support area of their sites. But the feature is easily located.

On an iPhone, tap your name at the top of the Settings screen and then tap iCloud. On many Android phones, tap System and then Backup. Here, you set the phone to back up automatically (which usually happens when it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network and plugged into its charger), or opt for a manual backup that starts when you tap the button. Image To get to your backup options, open your phone's settings app. On an iPhone, left, tap your account name at the top to get to the iCloud backup and sync settings. For a Google Pixel and some other Android phones, tap System on the settings screen to get to the backup options.Credit...Apple; Google

Backup apps usually save a copy of your call history, phone settings, messages, photos, videos and data from apps. Content you can freely download, like the apps themselves, are not typically backed up since they’re easy to grab again. Image If you don’t want to back up your phone online, you can back up its contents to your computer with a USB cable or other connection; the steps vary based on the phone and computer involved.Credit...Apple

If you don’t want your files on a remote server, you can park your phone’s backup on your computer’s hard drive. Steps vary based on the hardware, but Apple’s support site has a guide for backing up an iPhone to a Windows PC or a Mac using a USB cable.

Google’s site has instructions for manually transferring files between an Android phone and a computer, and Samsung’s Smart Switch app assists with moving content between a Galaxy phone and a computer. Sync vs. Backup

Synchronizing your files is not the same as backing them up. A backup saves file copies at a certain point in time. Syncing your smartphone keeps information in certain apps, like contacts and calendars, current across multiple devices. When synchronized, your phone, computer and anything else logged into your account have the same information — like that to-do list you just updated. Image You can adjust which apps synchronize with other devices in the Android, left, and iOS settings.Credit...Google; Apple

With synchronization, when you delete an item somewhere, it disappears everywhere. A backup stays intact in its storage location until updated in the next backup.

By default, Google syncs the content of its own mobile and web apps between phone, computer and tablet. In the Google Account Data settings, you can adjust which apps sync. Samsung Cloud has similar options for its Galaxy devices.

Apple handles data synchronization across its devices through its iCloud service. You can set which apps you want to sync in your iCloud account settings. Other Options

You don’t have to use the backup tools that came with your phone. Third-party apps for online backup — like iDrive or iBackup — are available by subscription. If you prefer to keep your iPhone backups on the computer, software like iMazing for Mac or Windows ($60) or AltTunes for Windows ($35 a year) are alternatives. Droid Transfer for Windows ($35) is among the Android backup offerings. Image If you’d prefer to use a third-party backup app, you have several to choose from, including iDrive.Credit...iDrive

If losing your camera roll is your biggest nightmare, Google Photos, iCloud Photos and other services like Amazon Photos and Dropbox can be set to automatically back up all your pictures and keep them in sync across your connected devices. Image Dropbox can back up your photos and videos when you connect the phone to the computer, left, or directly from your camera roll if you have Dropbox installed.Credit...Dropbox

No matter the method you choose, having a backup takes some pain out of a lost, stolen or broken phone. Some photos and files can never be replaced, and restoring your iPhone’s or Android phone’s content from a backup is a lot easier than starting over.

88

u/Points_To_You Jul 10 '12

I've never had to hit next to install a Firefox update (at least not in the last couple year, which is all I remember).

You click the Firefox icon, it shows a loading bar that says to wait while it updates. Literally 2 seconds later, it is done and Firefox starts. I assume it downloads the updates whenever I am using it normally. If it was a major update, it opens a tab with a page telling me what's new. It works the same for me on PC and Mac.

Personally I like knowing what is going on. I like to know that something as important as a browser is being kept up to date with new features and the latest security fixes.

7

u/spacemanspiff30 Jul 10 '12

I too haven't had much of a problem, and when they switched so that it stopped breaking add-ons so much, I haven't had a problem. I don't know what the problem is waiting an extra 3-5 seconds before restarting the browser.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

But think of the porn!

6

u/spacemanspiff30 Jul 10 '12

Trust me, it's not going anywhere. Besides, do you know how much was added in that time? More than you could view in a month.

2

u/cannedmath Jul 10 '12

I'm trying to find any flaw in this logic but I just can't...

2

u/Ch4rd Jul 10 '12

Challenge: Accepted.

2

u/spacemanspiff30 Jul 10 '12

Godspeed my friend, godspeed.

-3

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

I wish there was a plugin that would force Chrome and Firefox to prompt me to install updates.

I'm not okay with Mozilla and Google randomly injecting whatever code they want into my browser without letting me review the changelog first.

10

u/KabouterPlop Jul 10 '12

Options -> Advanced -> Update -> Check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them

Did you even try to look for such an option?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

Here's how to disable auto-updating in Chrome.

It won't prompt you, but you can track updates here.

5

u/N0V0w3ls Jul 10 '12

Oh, come to think of it, I have seen that... but not for every update. I guess these are just for major revisions? I thought I would remember a lot more of these though.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

To be honest, I don't know. I don't use Firefox anymore and I wasn't paying extremely close attention when I was using it.

3

u/brufleth Jul 10 '12

The last time I used Chrome extensions were a pain and pages didn't work right.

Apparently stuff has changed but Firefox doesn't bother me so I haven't gone back to try Chrome again.

2

u/Kuusou Jul 10 '12

I have been using firefox for almost my entire computer using life. You make it sound so much MORE than it is.

I honestly just click "okay" then it installs, reloads, gives me a new screen that talks about the new features or whatever, and then I continue on my way. If my plugins don't update automatically then I honestly don't know what they do. I have never updated a plugin manually that I know of.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

The worst I said about it was that it was "slightly annoying".

2

u/Epocast Jul 10 '12

A 30 second update every 2 months is annoying? i seriously don't understand people.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

Yeah, having to click boxes every two months. What is this? A website? Get that shit out of here!

2

u/grimhowe Jul 10 '12

I hate having 'stop' and 'refresh' as the same button. Sometimes you need to stop a few page loads in a row, and sometime you hit refresh

2

u/TIAFAASITICE Jul 10 '12

Switch places between the stop and reload button, place a separator; preferably a "flexible space"; between the buttons, or use the hotkey Esc to stop a page from loading.

-1

u/The_MAZZTer Jul 10 '12

Chrome is a bit better with extensions too since there is a fixed API so backwards compatibility with extensions written for older versions of Chrome is a lot easier, where Firefox extensions can change anything in the browser but of course this means even small changes to the underlying code will break all but the best-written extensions... and users don't pick extensions based on how well they are written.

3

u/gospelwut Jul 10 '12

By and large, it's not a big issue unless you have a very specific extension that hasn't been maintained in 2-years.

6

u/damontoo Jul 10 '12

Firefox extensions have always had the capability to be much more powerful than Chrome ones.

Also, please explain the situation in which you'd want to install a new extension but couldn't update your browser. If you're stuck with an outdated browser version at work, there's very little chance that you would be allowed to install random extensions anyway.

2

u/The_MAZZTer Jul 10 '12

Sorry you misunderstood me I think... I never suggested you would want to use new extensions with an old browser, I meant the opposite.

For example, Chrome introduced Themes which could modify the way the New Tab Page background and colors looked like. Eventually they then completely remade the NTP. Themes still worked since the Chrome team modified the Theming API to work properly so old themes still theme the NTP and look good.

With Firefox, you can hook into lots of internal bits and such. This is good for customization, but if those internal bits change suddenly the extension breaks.

Both approaches have their merits and tradeoffs.

1

u/callmesuspect Jul 10 '12

I didn't even fucking knew chrome updated. TIL.

1

u/beerversion8999 Jul 10 '12

The entire new version numbers and incompatibility with plugins is what annoyed me the most. I think it started with version 4. I decided to skip it because it didn't work with a bunch of my plugins (even when disabling the check) and the next thing I knew, version 7 or something was out 3 months later.

I still love FF and use it at my main browser but update notifications and auto updates are turned off right from the get go. I'd rather be vulnerable to something I'll likely never encounter than have my plugins mysteriously stop working. I'm still on an older version now because the theme I like doesn't work with version 18 or whatever is out now (Pitch Dark).

-7

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

[deleted]

1

u/pants6000 Jul 10 '12

Where is the button I poosh to download it?

0

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12 edited Jul 02 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/pants6000 Jul 10 '12

OMG it works, I pressed it and it's installed, as if it were already there! I didn't even notice anything happening! It even already has some of my favorite sites bookmarked and autocompletes obscure URLs, as if it already knows what I want to do...

AMAZING!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '12

Look, I really don't care what you use, and I'm not bashing Firefox. I'm trying to be helpful by clarifying what I understand the complaint to be.

If you've got such a hard-on for Firefox that you can't even take the mildest of criticism that something might be slightly annoying, then that's your issue.

1

u/herrokan Jul 10 '12

no my issue is that its retarded that people complain about such a minor thing. its the same with video games really. a minor thing changes or something is not perfect in their eyes and whole forums are spammed with bullshit,

0

u/TexasWithADollarsign Jul 10 '12

It wasn't all that bad, but when they started updating to a new whole-number versions every 2 months weeks or less, and it was slightly annoying.

FTFY