Beta stopped at 57, go on?

[DN123ABC]

I was chugging along, running Firefox "Beta", on version 57. After a while, it went through the various iterations, then it "froze" once the 57 "release" came out (I think).

I am now stuck at 57.0.1 (64-bit) Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:57.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/57.0 ID:20171128222554.

I thought it would stay on "Beta" "Channel" and keep on going.

1. Is there something wrong, or is this how it was supposed to work?
2. Is it worth going to the next "beta" version (assuming 58)? I'm especially hoping it will stop freezing up, and maybe use a lot less memory.
3. What is the process for doing this? Do I just download the latest beta version? Are there any major problems with beta now?
4. I am assuming nothing new breaks by going from 57 to 58, since the big break happened from 56 to 57 (lost a lot of extensions).

Thanks.

[Mark12547]

My install of Firefox Beta is currently at 58.0b8 (64-bit).

Have you changed settings in the "Firefox Updates" section of about:preferences -> "General" side-tab? As shipped, the settings have "Allow Firefox to" ... "Automatically install updates".

Do you have two different paths to the Firefox executables, one for 32-bit build of Beta and the other to the 64-bit build of Beta? Or possibly one set of executables at the default location and another set at a different, specified location? (Sorry, I can't tell you what the default location is; I think I had used the full installer and named the target directory for my install.)

If you have Beta and Release both installed, verify that their executables are installed in different directories, and that the /defaults/pref/channel-prefs.js file under that executable directory lists the correct channel at the end of the very long line. (Release is currently at 57.0.1, which might be more than just a coincidence that this is where your Beta stopped updating.)


Just to serve as a sanity check, these are the versions I currently have installed, all reporting that they are up to date:

Firefox Nightly: 59.0a1 (2017-12-03) (64-bit)

Firefox Developer: 58.0b8 (64-bit)

Firefox Beta: 58.0b8 (64-bit) (Note: Help -> About identifies it as Firefox Quantum, but under the version number it does state "You are currently on the beta update channel".)

Firefox Release: 57.0.1 (64-bit) (Note: Help -> About identifies it as Firefox Quantum but doesn't mention what update channel it is using, but about:support shows "Update Channel" as "release".)

My system is Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit), and with 8GB RAM installed and the AMD processor on this 6-year-old machine has 4 cores.

[Brummelchen]

Is it worth going to the next "beta" version (assuming 58)? I'm especially hoping it will stop freezing up, and maybe use a lot less memory.

not for end users.
and it wont solve your issues - start a new profile
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Creating_a_ne ... on_Windows
or
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager

This article explains how to selectively transfer Firefox user data and settings to a new Firefox profile
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_ ... _-_Firefox

if that wont help its your system, including software/security software (antivirus/firewall).

Firefox 58 has again major changes, there is no way back to v57 without data loss.

[DN123ABC]

My install of Firefox Beta is currently at 58.0b8 (64-bit).

Have you changed settings in the "Firefox Updates" section of about:preferences -> "General" side-tab? As shipped, the settings have "Allow Firefox to" ... "Automatically install updates".

...
Firefox Release: 57.0.1 (64-bit) (Note: Help -> About identifies it as Firefox Quantum but doesn't mention what update channel it is using, but about:support shows "Update Channel" as "release".) ...

No, I didn't change anything. For me, "about:support" also shows "Update Channel" as "release", even though I never changed it from where it was ("beta" up until recently). This is why I was asking.

Is it worth going to the next "beta" version (assuming 58)? I'm especially hoping it will stop freezing up, and maybe use a lot less memory.

not for end users.
and it wont solve your issues - start a new profile
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Creating_a_ne ... on_Windows
or
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager

This article explains how to selectively transfer Firefox user data and settings to a new Firefox profile
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_ ... _-_Firefox

if that wont help its your system, including software/security software (antivirus/firewall).

Firefox 58 has again major changes, there is no way back to v57 without data loss.

I understand about profiles, etc. and don't think that is the issue. Things were fine up until the last two weeks. I've been testing Firefox since it was Phoenix, so I'm not new at this by any stretch of the imagination.

I am curious what these "major changes" are that you mention, as I follow the build threads somewhat closely. I don't mind things getting a little strange, and have been living with dead extensions for a while now, so that isn't even an issue. However, if there is something I missed, which breaks total functionality, then I must have missed it, and am all ears. Again, this would be for version 58 ("beta"), not version 59; even though I have done the nightly builds from time to time. Thanks anyhow.

[Brummelchen]

sorry, i can not confirm issues with firefox 58 with a profile upgraded from v57 which is pretty new with quantum (no v54/55/56 remnants).

[Mark12547]

DN123ABC, after doing whatever is needed to get things straightened out, what installs of Firefox do you want installed on your system: Beta (58.0b8), Release (57.0.1), both of these, both and Nightly (59.0a1)?

[DN123ABC]

Well, here's the deal. I was happily running 56.x (whatever) "BETA" version, and thought it would stay on 56.x (whatever) "BETA" version until the end of time. I was wrong, and it updated to 57.x (whatever) "BETA" version. This broke a lot of stuff, most importantly to me, the Session Manager extension. I had a good backup of my 56 profile, and also heard you can go back to 56 from 57, so I could still probably get my old session(s) back. So, I was living with 57.x (whatever) "BETA" version. Then, it suddenly STOPPED being a "BETA" version, and went right into 57 "RELEASE" version. It is now at 57.0.1 (I think) "RELEASE" version, and nothing has improved, and it seems to lock up more and more. A simple kill with the Microsoft Task Manager will fix that. I am wondering and hoping that going maybe to version 58.x (whatever) might have some memory fixes and other fixes in it that will make my experience better, and also allow me to help the Firefox people (aren't we ALL Firefox people?) with testing, if they even bother listening any more.

So my question is whether or not it is worth trying out. I've heard from you, Brummelchen, so now I am looking for some more opinions, and then I can make some sort of informed decision.

Thanks.

[therube]

The question is, is it worth it to you.
If you want to test, nothing stopping you.
Nothing stopping you from running multiple versions, even simultaneously.

Obviously things have improved for the better.
You already named some; like your extensions no longer work. (Oh, wait, you said better .)

If you do Youtube "live feeds", supposedly that is working in 58 (without resorting to about:config hacks), so that is better.

If there is a feature in 57 that is hampering you, & 58 has a fix for that, test.
You say "freezing". Guess that bears investigation to figure out just why, under what circumstances you freeze.

Given that at this point in time, all FF levels; release, beta, nightly, whatever, all have to be consider "beta" or "work in progress" or "breakages in progress", no telling what today's release or tomorrow's build will bring.

[James]

The Beta channel is not tied to any one version as 58.0 is currently on Beta channel (current build is 58.0b9) and will update to 59.0b1 when it is out if updates is allowed.

Release, Beta, Aurora (developers edition), and Nightly are separate channels.

Firefox 57.0.1 is on Release channel. Not sure why you would want to stay with a Beta build of Firefox 56.0 at time and not use the 56.0.2 Release.

So you use separate Profiles for each the different versions on the different channels or share a Profile between them?

[Brummelchen]

the big conclusion still is the riddle, why v57 is that slow or buggy on his computer?
v57 has bugs, ofc and some are fixed in v58, but in general firefox 57 is not slow or buggy as he claims.
me is running windows 7/8/10 ans have on 3 separate systems no issues.

should use msconfig and start windows in safe mode with network (drivers)! (only network drivers) this will point out that an installed driver will block.

[DN123ABC]

The Beta channel is not tied to any one version as 58.0 is currently on Beta channel (current build is 58.0b9) and will update to 59.0b1 when it is out if updates is allowed.

Firefox 57.0.1 is on Release channel. Not sure why you would want to stay with a Beta build of Firefox 56.0 at time and not use the 56.0.2 Release.

So you use separate Profiles for each the different versions on the different channels or share a Profile between them?

This is why I was confused a bit. It seemed to just change from "Beta" to "Release" channel on its own, and I came here to see if this is how it normally happens. In the past this has not been the case.

I only have one profile. I did make a backup of the "56 profile" before updating to 57.

So, that said, how do I change channels now, to get to 58? Or do I just download a 58 "Beta" version and install over what I have?

Maybe now will be the time I go back to my "56 profile", and revive all my windows and tabs with Session Manager again.

Decisions, decisions.

[DN123ABC]

Not sure if I mentioned it, so here is an additional data point in this mystery.

After 56, I lost the use of Session Manager. Going forward, I would rely on the built-in "recovery" where it will ask to reopen the last batch of windows and tabs, which was similar. Then, out of the blue, it decided to stop doing that as well.

Thanks.

[therube]

Maybe your session restore files are corrupted?

What does it do when you attempt to restore?
Anything of note logged in Error Console?

Backup existing session files.
Delete existing session files (you will have none at that point).
Fire FF up, browse some, quit, & verify that the (now new) session files will restore correctly.

Don't know what else to say, but see if it works going forward.

[DN123ABC]

The question is, is it worth it to you.
If you want to test, nothing stopping you.
Nothing stopping you from running multiple versions, even simultaneously.

Obviously things have improved for the better.
You already named some; like your extensions no longer work. (Oh, wait, you said better .)

If you do Youtube "live feeds", supposedly that is working in 58 (without resorting to about:config hacks), so that is better.

If there is a feature in 57 that is hampering you, & 58 has a fix for that, test.
You say "freezing". Guess that bears investigation to figure out just why, under what circumstances you freeze.

Given that at this point in time, all FF levels; release, beta, nightly, whatever, all have to be consider "beta" or "work in progress" or "breakages in progress", no telling what today's release or tomorrow's build will bring.

So, I am thinking that there is nothing new (significantly) broken from version 57 "beta" to version 58 "beta". The broken session manager and broken extensions will remain broken in the same way, and I will get some possibly faster browsing out of the deal. I think I am going to go for it.

[DN123ABC]

So, went ahead and did it. Now on this version:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:58.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/58.0 ID:20171211020921

with these extensions:
Adblock Plus development build 3.0.2.1948beta [DISABLED]
Duplicate Tabs Closer 3.1.2
Nightly Tester Tools 4.0pre20170912
NoScript 10.1.5.8rc2 [DISABLED]
Print Selection to PDF 0.1.0
Tab Counter 0.2.1
Tab Session Manager 1.7.1

I only did the "Tab Session Manager 1.7.1" in a last-ditch effort to try to get tabs back.


So far, overall, nothing has changed really. No new breakage, nothing really noticeably fixed either. Maybe a tad faster. ?