I am sick of the frequent updates of Fierfox

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David Bailey
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I am sick of the frequent updates of Fierfox

Post by David Bailey »

I am sick of the frequent updates of Fierfox. On several occasions these updates seem to have hung my machine, and I have now turned off updates completely - despite the theoretical risk of not patching some vulnerability.

Thunderbird also seems affected. It is frequently updated with no apparanent change - so I have frozen the updates to that software too.

David
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Frank Lion
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by Frank Lion »

David Bailey wrote:I have now turned off updates completely

David

Thanks for letting us know.
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David Bailey
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by David Bailey »

Frank Lion wrote:
David Bailey wrote:I have now turned off updates completely

David

Thanks for letting us know.


I don't know what exactly you mean by that, but how many updates per week are really necessary/useful?

You didn't even address the fact that sometimes updates seem to hang my machine completely (Windows XP 64 bit) so that a hard shutdown is required.

I have used Firefox and Thunderbird for many years, and even created a small Firefox AddOn for personal use, but the regular beat of new updates is making me wonder what is going on!

David
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dfoulkes
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by dfoulkes »

You didn't even address the fact that sometimes updates seem to hang my machine completely (Windows XP 64 bit) so that a hard shutdown is required.

Why would he address your "facts".. you came to this topic just to complain and notify people that you were going to stop updating... you didn't "ask" for help... all you did was rant! What do you expect.

If you want help then start a new topic and don't steal this one.

FYI... I've updated this profile since FF3.Beta and I have over 40 extensions... and have NEVER had any problems... as most people do not.
As you can see she's (The CAT) always alert and on the prowl for Meoware !!
lithopsian
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by lithopsian »

Any update more often than every six weeks is a quick fix for a serious break or a significant security issue. You probably want those, but certainly it is entirely optional. Coming soon are silent updates, the idea being not to bother the user with minor details such as downloading megabytes of new code onto their machine ;) Of course if it crashes your machine then it isn't very silent.

My Linux install cannot update itself automatically even if it tried because it doesn't have sufficient permissions. root and all that ...
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Frank Lion
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Post by Frank Lion »

David Bailey wrote:
Frank Lion wrote:
David Bailey wrote:I have now turned off updates completely

David

Thanks for letting us know.

I don't know what exactly you mean by that

David

I mean, the subject of 'Anyone know the latest on the David Bailey update situation?' is bound to come up sometime and now, thanks to your visit here today, I will be able to advise them that you have now turned off updates completely.
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VanillaMozilla
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by VanillaMozilla »

David Bailey, please don't update. I like it when other people leave their computers as attractive targets for attack, to draw attention away from mine. Mozilla has just given the guys with the black hats the info they need to attack your computer with, e.g., an image in an ad.
David Bailey
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by David Bailey »

I had assumed that someone might have offered a reason why there are so many updates nowadays.

Or that someone might have supplied that relevant statistics about numbers of updates.

Or that someone might have recognised the freezing problem to which I referred.

Instead of anything useful of that sort, my post seems to have provoked only sarcasm.

I wonder just how many users you manage to burn off with responses like that?

David
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Frank Lion
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by Frank Lion »

David Bailey wrote:I wonder just how many users you manage to burn off with responses like that?

David

Hopefully just the bastards who barge on to serious chemspill threads and rant on about totally off-topic subjects.

Frank
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Kevin McFarlane
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temp

Post by Kevin McFarlane »

David Bailey wrote:I had assumed that someone might have offered a reason why there are so many updates nowadays.


First, Chrome is fairly similar. There will be at least one every six weeks where major version number is bumped. We can expect one or two in between. I'm not sure how frequent these .1 releases were prior to v4. However, they did tend to be less noticeable because add-ons were mostly unaffected until a major version number bump.

Or that someone might have recognised the freezing problem to which I referred.


Can't help you there I'm afraid.
David Bailey
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by David Bailey »

Kevin McFarlane wrote:
David Bailey wrote:I had assumed that someone might have offered a reason why there are so many updates nowadays.


First, Chrome is fairly similar. There will be at least one every six weeks where major version number is bumped. We can expect one or two in between. I'm not sure how frequent these .1 releases were prior to v4. However, they did tend to be less noticeable because add-ons were mostly unaffected until a major version number bump.

Or that someone might have recognised the freezing problem to which I referred.


Can't help you there I'm afraid.


Thanks for the first reasonable reply! I have been receiving far more frequent updates than this - I am wondering if I am somehow receiving beta releases. I'd say I have seen more than one update per week.

I was not complaining about my addon because I pushed its max compatible version way up (it is for personal use) so it is always compatible.

Obviously it is hard to be certain what causes a freeze, so I think I will live without updates (or do them manually as and when) and see if I get a freeze in any other context.

David
David Bailey
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by David Bailey »

VanillaMozilla wrote:David Bailey, please don't update. I like it when other people leave their computers as attractive targets for attack, to draw attention away from mine. Mozilla has just given the guys with the black hats the info they need to attack your computer with, e.g., an image in an ad.


Is this level of aggression really useful?

David
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WaltS48
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by WaltS48 »

David Bailey wrote:I had assumed that someone might have offered a reason why there are so many updates nowadays.

Or that someone might have supplied that relevant statistics about numbers of updates.

David


How do you mean so many updates? If releases, that has been covered over, and over and over and, over (enough overs?). But once more just for you.

Mozilla plans to switch to more frequent Firefox releases in order to provide frequent improvements to users, without disrupting longer term work.


EDIT: That was started with the Firefox 5.0 release.

https://wiki.mozilla.org/RapidRelease#Overview

https://wiki.mozilla.org/RapidRelease/Calendar

If you mean from 10 to 10.0.1 to 10.0.2, those are security releases.

Firefox 11 is scheduled to be released March 13th, bringing new features, such as being able to migrate your Chrome browser settings and data to Firefox.
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flaneurb
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by flaneurb »

David Bailey wrote:I am sick of the frequent updates of Fierfox. On several occasions these updates seem to have hung my machine, and I have now turned off updates completely - despite the theoretical risk of not patching some vulnerability.

Thunderbird also seems affected. It is frequently updated with no apparanent change - so I have frozen the updates to that software too.

David


David, my suggestion is to separate ranting and asking for help. As you've noticed, people get turned off (or on) by the rant and forget that you're asking for help (which really doesn't seem that obvious).
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Daifne
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Re: Firefox 10.0.2 chemspill to be released on Friday

Post by Daifne »

flaneurb wrote:
David, my suggestion is to separate ranting and asking for help. As you've noticed, people get turned off (or on) by the rant and forget that you're asking for help (which really doesn't seem that obvious).


And to add, don't hijack another thread, especially an important one like this, to rant or ask a support question. You have already been told that you need to start a new topic for any support issues.
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