4 ms·

To be fair, there is a very good reason for the "wait three seconds before you click install" thing in firefox: http://www.squarefree.com/2004/07/01/race-condi

To be fair, there is a very good reason for the "wait three seconds before you click install" thing in firefox: http://www.squarefree.com/2004/07/01/race-conditions-in-security-dialogs/ http://www.squarefree.com/2004/07/01/race-conditions-in-secu...

cmelbye 15y ago
Oh wow, very interesting. I had definitely always thought that it was because Mozilla wanted the user to read the dialog. That's quite an innovative method to trick the user into installing the bad code.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
ctdonath 15y ago
Finally, an explanation. Thanks. That delay has driven me nuts since it was implemented. It's the one thing I hate about Firefox: could never understand why the one button I wanted to click was never active when I wanted to click it, then became active after some flurry of activity trying to make it work. Time delays are not a suitable solution to bugs. Time is money; don't waste mine for some obscure simplistic solution when there is another solution (even if the latter is harder to implement). If you _are_ going to use it, do something to indicate to the user that the system knows time is passing and the user should be patient: if the "yes" button is going to activate after 3 seconds, show a countdown timer or "thermometer" or fuse burning or something so I know "wait until an indicated time is reached". Don't just do nothing for a while. At least now I know why it happens. I do appreciate that.
- pavel_lishin 15y ago
  > Time delays are not a suitable solution to bugs. "People trying to be evil" isn't really a bug. Is a safe with a timer not a suitable solution for a McDonald's or a bank?
phillco 15y ago
Fascinating! I always assumed (as did everyone else, I think) that the countdown, coupled with the stern warning in bold text, was to make you think twice about downloading extensions, not to thwart malicious websites. So why's it gone in Firefox 4?

cmelbye 15y ago

Oh wow, very interesting. I had definitely always thought that it was because Mozilla wanted the user to read the dialog. That's quite an innovative method to trick the user into installing the bad code.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

ctdonath 15y ago

Finally, an explanation. Thanks. That delay has driven me nuts since it was implemented. It's the one thing I hate about Firefox: could never understand why the one button I wanted to click was never active when I wanted to click it, then became active after some flurry of activity trying to make it work. Time delays are not a suitable solution to bugs. Time is money; don't waste mine for some obscure simplistic solution when there is another solution (even if the latter is harder to implement). If you _are_ going to use it, do something to indicate to the user that the system knows time is passing and the user should be patient: if the "yes" button is going to activate after 3 seconds, show a countdown timer or "thermometer" or fuse burning or something so I know "wait until an indicated time is reached". Don't just do nothing for a while. At least now I know why it happens. I do appreciate that.

pavel_lishin 15y ago
> Time delays are not a suitable solution to bugs. "People trying to be evil" isn't really a bug. Is a safe with a timer not a suitable solution for a McDonald's or a bank?

phillco 15y ago

Fascinating! I always assumed (as did everyone else, I think) that the countdown, coupled with the stern warning in bold text, was to make you think twice about downloading extensions, not to thwart malicious websites. So why's it gone in Firefox 4?