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Auto-updates by default are great, but having no way to opt out of auto-updates (or at least, an update to a given known-bad version)? That's pretty bad.
by rattray 6y ago
Auto-updates by default are great, but having no way to opt out of auto-updates (or at least, an update to a given known-bad version)? That's pretty bad.
- akvadrako 6y agoAgreed. For example iOS and stock Android, terrible designs.
- anaerobicover 6y agoYou can opt out of auto-update on iOS (for both individual apps and the OS).
- akvadrako 6y agoNot really - it will keep bugging you to update.
- rightbyte 6y agoWhy would you want auto-updates though. It just breaks your stuff. Grandmas' or devs' alike. I feel users rarely benifits. But sure having apps with user hostile functions being pushed without a way to say no is convenient for the responsible at those places. Atleast when you get a prompt you know why stuff fails afterward. Debugging silent auto update issues is a nightmare.
- thitcanh 6y agoReally? Autoupdates are why we don’t have to code for Chrome 12 today. Autoupdates are awesome, just not for business, sometimes.
- sjwright 6y agoBrowsers have the benefit of massive interest in their beta releases. This substantially reduces the number of breaking changes which make it into auto-updated versions. Perhaps Docker could learn from this and only auto-update to versions which have been used by a large audience for N weeks with no regression reports.
- rattray 6y agoOn average, updates make stuff better. Getting them automatically and quickly is, on average, a good thing. Only when that becomes untrue for a sustained period of time should you turn off updates, but at that point, you're just sticking to a single pinned version until you're able to switch to a competitor. Vendors who just keep pushing user-hostile shit should lose customers, not (just) updaters.
- rightbyte 6y agoYe well I am fine with auto updates as long as it is possible to disable (without hacks or esoteric config file settings in GUI apps). The convinence of having the computer click "install latest version" in a prompt for you is minimal. I think it should be the user's choice. This trend in slow rollouts to see what breaks and using users for beta testing is annoying.
- capableweb 6y agoI don't think what you're saying is necessarily true. Browsers for example are very resilient at this point, and seem to handle auto-updates just fine. Worst case scenario you can use a different browser for a couple of hours. The upside is that auto-updating works in most cases and users hardly notice, while you're shipping security fixes straight to them. With developer tools it's different. Your tool stops working and suddenly you cannot work. You often can't just change the tool either, without having to rewrite stuff. For this, it's necessary that versions stay the same until we're ready to upgrade. Same goes for libraries you're using and so on.
- nitrogen 6y agoBrowser updates break addons and workflows on a regular basis. Google for how to do something like add a shortcut to a website to the Android homescreen from Firefox, and chances are all the tutorials you find will be out of date.
- TylerE 6y agoSeems like you've got a bit of reverse surviorship bias here. You don't notice all the updates that are flawless.
- egypturnash 6y agoThe deliriously unhip Wordpress installation running my website has auto-updates for minor versions turned on. Major updates still require my intervention. It pretty much always just... works. New exploits just get patched out. Of course, with the exception of the new "Gutenberg" editor, WP has always been ultra conservative in terms of major usage change.
- benmller313 6y agoIf updates to some software "Just breaks your stuff", you have bigger problems with the software than the decision to auto update or not.