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It isn't as big a problem as you might expect. A very low percentage of users even change the advanced settings, so any issues which might exist have a very lo

It isn't as big a problem as you might expect. A very low percentage of users even change the advanced settings, so any issues which might exist have a very low impact. If a user does hit a problem with some combination of settings, it is more likely they will report it with some useful reproduction information, since they are likely more of a power user than the average user. Finally, anyone changing advanced settings is more likely to understand that they may break something and are less likely to be upset, when compared to something fundamental breaking for all users.

jdmichal 10y ago
In fact, Firefox even warns you upon navigating to about:config that you could very well break something.
- Klathmon 10y ago
  And chrome warns you too, but it doesn't stop the flood of help posts in the forums, on reddit, and other places when something is broken because of a setting that someone forgot they had enabled. Just recently one of the updates for chrome broke the ability to interact with extensions if the user had enabled the flag "Material design in the browser's top chrome". There were tons of angry posts everywhere about how unusable chrome was because of that change, and how they should test their software better... As for only "advanced users" knowing what happens in there, just do a web search for "chrome://flags" and look at any one of the hundreds of blog posts, news articles, and tutorials showing you how to go in and turn on these few flags that "make chrome better".
  - jjnoakes 10y ago
    People compile binaries off of the internet and sudo make install them right over /usr. Go Google for all of those blog posts. Evidence of the stupidity of the masses is not evidence that there is anything wrong with leaving advanced options behind a scary warning and letting people break things sometimes. In fact, I'd wager that if you took away those advanced options, people would find some more dangerous way of achieving their goals, and there would probably be even more breakage and more blog spam complaints over the status quo. Things are fine. The sky is not falling.
    - Klathmon 10y ago
      Well the chrome team is making that gamble, so I guess time will tell if it pays off!

jdmichal 10y ago

In fact, Firefox even warns you upon navigating to about:config that you could very well break something.

Klathmon 10y ago
And chrome warns you too, but it doesn't stop the flood of help posts in the forums, on reddit, and other places when something is broken because of a setting that someone forgot they had enabled. Just recently one of the updates for chrome broke the ability to interact with extensions if the user had enabled the flag "Material design in the browser's top chrome". There were tons of angry posts everywhere about how unusable chrome was because of that change, and how they should test their software better... As for only "advanced users" knowing what happens in there, just do a web search for "chrome://flags" and look at any one of the hundreds of blog posts, news articles, and tutorials showing you how to go in and turn on these few flags that "make chrome better".
- jjnoakes 10y ago
  People compile binaries off of the internet and sudo make install them right over /usr. Go Google for all of those blog posts. Evidence of the stupidity of the masses is not evidence that there is anything wrong with leaving advanced options behind a scary warning and letting people break things sometimes. In fact, I'd wager that if you took away those advanced options, people would find some more dangerous way of achieving their goals, and there would probably be even more breakage and more blog spam complaints over the status quo. Things are fine. The sky is not falling.
  - Klathmon 10y ago
    Well the chrome team is making that gamble, so I guess time will tell if it pays off!