4 ms·

When all online tests are invalidated, blame Mr. Robot

33 points by betterunix2 9y ago

noncoml 9y ago
Am I the only one who doesn't see this plugin installed?
- jameskilton 9y ago
  No, I didn't get it installed either because I've been far more strict about trying to turn off any and all reporting, analytic and telemetry options in any software I run, so at some point I turned off the option that would have let that thing get installed. I'm guessing you did the same.
- john_moscow 9y ago
  I was going to check my plugin list as well after I read this, only to realize I switched to Chrome a few months ago.
  - noncoml 9y ago
    I was going to suggest to switch back to Firefox 57 and give it another chance, but I guess the timing couldn't be worst.
- Simon_says 9y ago
  For one data point, I saw it yesterday, and I don't see it today, and I didn't uninstall it. I suspect Mozilla remotely removed it after the backlash.
  - jlgaddis 9y ago
    I doubt that. They haven't backtracked on this at all.
    - dorian-graph 9y ago
      Yes they have. [1] [1] https://gizmodo.com/after-blowback-firefox-will-move-mr-robot-extension-t-1821354314 https://gizmodo.com/after-blowback-firefox-will-move-mr-robo...
- reustle 9y ago
  Apparently it was supposed to be hidden from the list for most people
muraiki 9y ago
Here's something that I don't understand. Mr. Robot is ultimately owned by Comcast. Comcast of course has spent an enormous amount of money destroying net neutrality. Why is Mozilla supporting a company that's at odds with Mozilla's claimed goals?
- chii 9y ago
  Because of money. When a company does something, it's because of money.
  - muraiki 9y ago
    I can't find the article I read that explained this, but apparently this was done without any financial compensation to Mozilla.
    - itronitron 9y ago
      the timing is interesting, coming several days after the end of net neutrality
csydas 9y ago
The non-reddit version of this story: A redditor manages a computer lab that is heavily secured for specific tests which require locked-down computers. They decided on Firefox for the browser, and the Mr.Robot plugin stunt invalidated a test series because it was an unofficial plugin. They installed chromium as a workaround. Their CIO was not happy.
- justinjlynn 9y ago
  Tests were re-validated after some review by the test provider. While I can't in any way condone how Mozilla violated user trust when they side-loaded that extension, perhaps the test provider should specify Firefox Extended Support Releases (ESR) if they're going to require specific fixed setups like that (with all auto-updates disabled). A signed golden master provided by the test service would also go a long way in preventing problems like this, or at least providing a means of redress for already thinly stretched university IT departments. Finally, I'm surprised they haven't blocked any and all network access, except for registered testing servers, via netfilter. So, there's that.
  - csydas 9y ago
    My experience with the test providers is that often they partner with another company that handles the technology side of things, which is often hack-ish at best. Universities often have the choice of directing their students to authorized test centers with heavily locked down machines (and a nominal testing fee), or try to recreate such an environment with their own equipment and rooms. The difficulty with this is that often the provided tools for locking down a computer lab are woefully out of date, relying on old browsers or software components that are EOL or just quite out of date, which isn't very compatible with the trend towards auto-update software/OSes. It's a bad situation for students and educators alike as they have no professional alternative for their careers and it just ends up being an awkward time of the year for many people. Some of my most stressful memories from my professional career were simple compatibility issues that got overlooked during a wave of updates, and suddenly a bunch of nursing students or education students have a ticking timer on a certification test where parts of it won't load because X plugin is incompatible with Y part of the test.

33 points by betterunix2 9y ago

noncoml 9y ago

Am I the only one who doesn't see this plugin installed?

jameskilton 9y ago
No, I didn't get it installed either because I've been far more strict about trying to turn off any and all reporting, analytic and telemetry options in any software I run, so at some point I turned off the option that would have let that thing get installed. I'm guessing you did the same.
john_moscow 9y ago
I was going to check my plugin list as well after I read this, only to realize I switched to Chrome a few months ago.
- noncoml 9y ago
  I was going to suggest to switch back to Firefox 57 and give it another chance, but I guess the timing couldn't be worst.
Simon_says 9y ago
For one data point, I saw it yesterday, and I don't see it today, and I didn't uninstall it. I suspect Mozilla remotely removed it after the backlash.
- jlgaddis 9y ago
  I doubt that. They haven't backtracked on this at all.
  - dorian-graph 9y ago
    Yes they have. [1] [1] https://gizmodo.com/after-blowback-firefox-will-move-mr-robot-extension-t-1821354314 https://gizmodo.com/after-blowback-firefox-will-move-mr-robo...
reustle 9y ago
Apparently it was supposed to be hidden from the list for most people

muraiki 9y ago

Here's something that I don't understand. Mr. Robot is ultimately owned by Comcast. Comcast of course has spent an enormous amount of money destroying net neutrality. Why is Mozilla supporting a company that's at odds with Mozilla's claimed goals?

chii 9y ago
Because of money. When a company does something, it's because of money.
- muraiki 9y ago
  I can't find the article I read that explained this, but apparently this was done without any financial compensation to Mozilla.
  - itronitron 9y ago
    the timing is interesting, coming several days after the end of net neutrality

csydas 9y ago

The non-reddit version of this story: A redditor manages a computer lab that is heavily secured for specific tests which require locked-down computers. They decided on Firefox for the browser, and the Mr.Robot plugin stunt invalidated a test series because it was an unofficial plugin. They installed chromium as a workaround. Their CIO was not happy.

justinjlynn 9y ago
Tests were re-validated after some review by the test provider. While I can't in any way condone how Mozilla violated user trust when they side-loaded that extension, perhaps the test provider should specify Firefox Extended Support Releases (ESR) if they're going to require specific fixed setups like that (with all auto-updates disabled). A signed golden master provided by the test service would also go a long way in preventing problems like this, or at least providing a means of redress for already thinly stretched university IT departments. Finally, I'm surprised they haven't blocked any and all network access, except for registered testing servers, via netfilter. So, there's that.
- csydas 9y ago
  My experience with the test providers is that often they partner with another company that handles the technology side of things, which is often hack-ish at best. Universities often have the choice of directing their students to authorized test centers with heavily locked down machines (and a nominal testing fee), or try to recreate such an environment with their own equipment and rooms. The difficulty with this is that often the provided tools for locking down a computer lab are woefully out of date, relying on old browsers or software components that are EOL or just quite out of date, which isn't very compatible with the trend towards auto-update software/OSes. It's a bad situation for students and educators alike as they have no professional alternative for their careers and it just ends up being an awkward time of the year for many people. Some of my most stressful memories from my professional career were simple compatibility issues that got overlooked during a wave of updates, and suddenly a bunch of nursing students or education students have a ticking timer on a certification test where parts of it won't load because X plugin is incompatible with Y part of the test.