I mean like why? Just open and update when I’m done that’s what every other browser does. Stop making me wait to use the Internet firefox!
The better approach would be to prepare the update in the background and swap out the version on the next start
Isn’t that what it does? That’s how it works on macOS, and I get prompted to restart on Linux when I install updates in the background.
Yeah and it only takes seconds on a decent PC.
I’m on Windows and I don’t recall the last time I was inconvenienced by a Firefox update. Like… I can’t even remember what it actually does. OP must be running it on a potato or something.
I think they mean when you go to open Firefox (when it updates) it immediately closes and reopens the first time? At least mine does that.
I thought it did too, but this post says it’s different? Maybe they’re wrong. I haven’t double checked.
I think Firefox works like Chrome does here. Both give me a little notice in the menu that a new version is ready, and Chrome is a little more annoying about it (turns yellow, then red). I need both for work, and I much prefer how Firefox does it.
What I noticed – I turned on my 💻, opened Firefox then Firefox was updating. It was fast. So it hasn’t been annoying so far.
I’m not really hankering for that 4 seconds it takes to restart.
Takes longer on older hardware
My T400 and T480 are nearly indistinguishable from my ThinkCentre M70q Gen 2.
I’m running a 12 year old laptop with 80 tabs open. Last time I did apt upgrade and had to restart the browser it took about six seconds.
It matters more when you clear history and cookies automatically at close. You lose your entire session.
Then… don’t do that? You can clear history and cookies manually really easily, so if you restart your browser less often than Firefox releases updates (every 4 weeks), you’re just opening yourself up to hacks by running an insecure browser.
Huh? I restart firefox multiple times a day, I was simply trying to point out that if you have automated updates and automatic clears of browsing data enabled you’ll run into this. I’m not about to start doing so manually just because the browser restarts itself.
You can have automatic updates without automatic restarts. I have automatic updates on my work Mac and it never restarts itself. My other computers are Linux, so I control when those get updates.
You can automate linux updates, and this can be enforced through your organization. So, no, it is not always in the users control, like in the case of having unattended upgrades in linux enabled with enterprise software.
Went not just disable automatic updates? Update when you have time for it.
My issue with FF’s auto update is that the behavior is how painfully the auto-update works with multiple profiles.
I’ll have one window (well three) open for some (measurable in days) time.
- FF updates silently, I haven’t restarted my browser so I haven’t noticed.
- I go to open a session in the second (or third profiles)
- FF decides now is a great time to apply the update, after all it just opened right?
- All the existing open browsing sessions in the other profiles get bricked. The tabs just stop responding, no browsing works, just dead in the water.
I have to shut it (all?) down to get it working again.
I don’t know how Chrome handles this so I cannot compare. TBH still worth using FF over that adware!
Applications updating themselves… must be a Windows thing. Didn’t they want to copy package management from Linux? Maybe AI can help.
You guys close your browser? Weird
Well yeah, about every 4 weeks when Firefox gets updated.
I disagree. Software not terminating immediately is grounds for uninstallation. It should update silently while it runs.
This is what I hate on school computers, and it drives people away from Firefox.
You don’t have admin privilege, you can’t update, so don’t even try.
I always disable auto-updates on those., my work computer requires admin permissions to install anything. But for some reason, especially with Firefox or any other web browser. You can just click cancel on the enter the administrative password andshit screen and then it just installs anyways.
It installs it into your local user folder instead.
Would you prefer:
“Firefox Updater
This app is preventing shutdown”
You shut your PC down?
Yeah, no reason not to. Takes only a couple of seconds to boot, and everything is reset to a clean state.
I started using Windows 11 in December 2023 and tried to just use sleep. My 🔋 drained fast while my 💻 was on sleep. I expected it. AMD and Intel processors generally aren’t as efficient as the Apple M soc.
While it was on sleep, there were times it suddenly needed to restart.
I once had a blue screen of death too.
So now, I shut it down most of the time. Windows 11 boot-ups and shutdowns are surprisingly fast. :)
I still have 10 and I dread 11.
runs to you
whispers Linux Mint into your left ear
runs away
My laptop won’t charge from USB-C if the battery fully dies, so I shut it down to prevent that.
I got a X570 board with the really loud fan.
Instead of sleep mode, I think they meant.
huh?
Huh what?
well what did they mean?
They meant - it seems unusual to shut the computer all the way down on a regular basis instead of just using sleep mode most of the time.
Things that don’t happen in other browsers with background updating for $100, Alex.
There are other browsers?
Just adware and spyware
Firefox has background updating.
I’ll take 20 updaters running in the background for 4GiB, Dan.
You’ve not used it on linux I guess. Update at some random point in time while you use it. Now I understand why it does it, but it’s just horrible terrible unforgivable.
Shouldn’t it update exactly when you want on Linux, because it’s done by your package manager?
Yeah, I know when I update Firefox with pamac that when I next open it it’s going to need to update. It takes 3 seconds and restores my open tabs afterwards. It’s really not so bad.
Would installing Firefox on winget solve OPs problem, assuming they are on Windows?
Not likely. Windows doesn’t like modifying open files, so the installer would probably request you close Firefox. Linux will happily change the in-use files underneath the browser, Firefox notices and prompts you to restart the browser when you open a new tab.
Yes, it’s done by the package and when you configure it to, which in practice is right now.
Actually, that’s one of the things Ubuntu got right with Snap (hate is as much as you want). They install the new version in the background without interrupting your flow. The next time, you close Firefox and choose to open it again…tada… it’s the new version.
I think Flatpak does that too, no?
The flatpak version updates in the background, doesn’t interrupt if its already running, and is immediately on the latest version the next time you run firefox.
Same on macOS. I haven’t used Windows in years, but I’d be surprised if it’s much different there.
I see it like thank you that i don’t have to go to Mozilla website and download the installer. So much time saved, and it only takes like 5 second without manually doing anything. On Linux i saw please restart Firefox tab and clicked it. No problem. I got the update fast.
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed Firefox updating. The only sign I get that it updates is that when it does a special tab opens telling me about the new features.
Go to options. Scroll halfway down the page. Firefox gives you the choice to change updates from automatic to whenever you want.
I prefer automatic updates.
Apparently, you don’t.
I don’t like when it chooses to auto update. Its a very minor but annoying annoyance
Ubuntu has an even better approach. It updates silently while you are using it. Then your tab crashes. And when you retry it tells you to restart firefox. Truly genius *cheffs kiss
chef’s* kiss
As an Arch user. I wanted to use Arch at work too. Well, they want me to use Kubuntu (or any other prefered Ubuntu, but I like KDE so I do what every other dev uses)… except for Home Office ofc. Arch.
Still. I hate this stupid update thing. Suddenly I get 20 notifications of KDE system wanting a reboot because of updates and Firefox doing exactly this.
The worst. When I open a new tab by middleclicking a link, the tab crashes. I restart Firefox and the new Tab is gone forever. Sometimes its easy to get what I saw but not always.
How else would you know it was doing anything?
Just use a a package manager
