5
submitted 1 year ago by Zagrebian@fedia.io to c/firefox@fedia.io
all 15 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Maxb0tbeep 5 points 1 year ago

when there's updates to an application, some parts inside the application need to be restarted.

[-] siffefe@fedia.io 2 points 1 year ago
[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

you're running multiple profiles of Firefox at the same time (so restarting one with a queued update writes the changes to disk, throwing the other profile instances out of alignment).

In that case, launching a different profile in a new window should not use the new version. In other words, Firefox should not do anything with the pending version until the user actually restarts the entire browser. Having the second window run in the new version just because there was a pending version seems like a bad approach.

[-] Thorned_Rose@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Exactly this. I often browse the interwebs while waiting for updates to finish. If Firefox gets updated, it'll prompt me to restart it.

Not sure ht the big deal is here. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

The problem is that the user should not be prevented from browsing the web just because a new update is ready. The user should choose when to update. If the user has multiple important tabs open, they should be able to finish their work, but if Firefox refuses to load any new tabs, then the user cannot continue working normally.

[-] Thorned_Rose@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

But if the program isn't restarted then it could become unstable or crash. You shouldn't really have any software running while doing updates anyway. I browse the web knowing that I'll need to restart Firefox so I never do anything of import while waiting.

[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

I’m not “doing updates”. I’m just using Firefox normally.

[-] yoasif@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

Is there a missing screenshot here?

[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

OP here. Most of the comments completely missed the point, but whatever.

[-] density@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Need more info about the running environment.

How do you update software? Package manager?

[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

No, it’ just a macOS application. Firefox updates itself automatically on macOS.

[-] growlph@pawb.social 0 points 1 year ago

This is actually not unique to Nightly - the stable build does it, too.

I do recognize that scheduling updates is hard - no user ever wants to stop what they're doing and restart something, and it's important to keep users from running problematically out of date software.

I agree with OP though that this particular interaction is unusually frustrating for me. This message only appears after trying to load a link or a new tab, meaning it's actively waiting for me to want to use the browser before telling me that I can't, essentially guaranteeing it will interrupt my workflow.

I don't have a good suggestion on how to fix this without making the update system less robust - it might just be a necessary evil - but I do feel that OP's concern is legitimate.

[-] Zagrebian@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

Could Firefox not delay the update until the user actually restarts the browser?

this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
5 points (100.0% liked)

Firefox

88 readers
7 users here now

The latest news and developments on Firefox and Mozilla, a global non-profit that strives to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the web.

You can subscribe to this community from any Kbin or Lemmy instance:

Related

Rules

While we are not an official Mozilla community, we have adopted the Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines as far as it can be applied to a bin.

Rules

  1. Always be civil and respectful
    Don't be toxic, hostile, or a troll, especially towards Mozilla employees. This includes gratuitous use of profanity.

  2. Don't be a bigot
    No form of bigotry will be tolerated.

  3. Don't post security compromising suggestions
    If you do, include an obvious and clear warning.

  4. Don't post conspiracy theories
    Especially ones about nefarious intentions or funding. If you're concerned: Ask. Please don’t fuel conspiracy thinking here. Don’t try to spread FUD, especially against reliable privacy-enhancing software. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Show credible sources.

  5. Don't accuse others of shilling
    Send honest concerns to the moderators and/or admins, and we will investigate.

  6. Do not remove your help posts after they receive replies
    Half the point of asking questions in a public sub is so that everyone can benefit from the answers—which is impossible if you go deleting everything behind yourself once you've gotten yours.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS