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Actually, what I'd expect is that they wouldn't tell me they even have a problem; I'd expect them to take down my requested changes according to their backup pl

Actually, what I'd expect is that they wouldn't tell me they even have a problem; I'd expect them to take down my requested changes according to their backup plan. (They do have one, right?) For instance, there might be a form upon which an agent can write down required customer changes, that is then filed so that the system can be brought up to date later when it's back online. If an operator "can't update" something, it is the fault of the company for not having contingency plans. Suppose Firefox was upgraded without a hitch and passed all their tests, but then there was a power outage in the server room...why should the customer even care about the difference between these two? Often the same contingency plan applies to many different cases, it's just a matter of actually having an organization with this kind of advance preparation.

teyc 15y ago
So, let's say FF27 was incompatible. Should an enterprise then run FF4 where security patches are no longer provided? The correct conclusion would that enterprises shouldn't run FF in the first place.
- makecheck 15y ago
  At least compare it to running FF26, which is the overwhelmingly-likely backup plan in such a case (i.e. they were probably using FF26 before, so they continue to use it until they have time to fix things for FF27). Staying back one version is not unreasonable. If the company has waited 23 versions to upgrade, then it's basically their fault for being in that situation. Security patches aren't always relevant; having a working browser (any browser) trumps all. If in fact there is no patched Firefox that works, but some other patched browser does work, then the more-patched browser wins. But if the only working browser is missing a few patches, big deal; use it anyway, and consider it added motivation to upgrade company infrastructure. You're not going to shut down the company for 4 weeks because the browsers are unpatched, I hope.
  - teyc 15y ago
    The actual practice in software houses is to certify their software against a limited number of browser versions. Otherwise, the testing costs would be too high. In addition, software couldn't be tested against unreleased versions, so no matter what, the certified environments would always be out of date. This is not a problem as long as security issues have been addressed. You will not find any vendor who promises you that their software will work against the next version of Firefox. So, as the I.T. head, you need to make cautious choices so that the technology mix will in fact work.

teyc 15y ago

So, let's say FF27 was incompatible. Should an enterprise then run FF4 where security patches are no longer provided? The correct conclusion would that enterprises shouldn't run FF in the first place.

makecheck 15y ago
At least compare it to running FF26, which is the overwhelmingly-likely backup plan in such a case (i.e. they were probably using FF26 before, so they continue to use it until they have time to fix things for FF27). Staying back one version is not unreasonable. If the company has waited 23 versions to upgrade, then it's basically their fault for being in that situation. Security patches aren't always relevant; having a working browser (any browser) trumps all. If in fact there is no patched Firefox that works, but some other patched browser does work, then the more-patched browser wins. But if the only working browser is missing a few patches, big deal; use it anyway, and consider it added motivation to upgrade company infrastructure. You're not going to shut down the company for 4 weeks because the browsers are unpatched, I hope.
- teyc 15y ago
  The actual practice in software houses is to certify their software against a limited number of browser versions. Otherwise, the testing costs would be too high. In addition, software couldn't be tested against unreleased versions, so no matter what, the certified environments would always be out of date. This is not a problem as long as security issues have been addressed. You will not find any vendor who promises you that their software will work against the next version of Firefox. So, as the I.T. head, you need to make cautious choices so that the technology mix will in fact work.