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> Auto-updates are always on I really hope this isn't going to become a standard thing. There are still plenty of people like me who are stuck with something l

> Auto-updates are always on I really hope this isn't going to become a standard thing. There are still plenty of people like me who are stuck with something like satellite internet, which forces us to micromanage our data usage. I can't afford to just have things auto-updating whenever they want.

nemothekid 12y ago
It was the default in Chrome, and I believe its the default in IE as well. It has its upsides as well, you generally only need to target the latest stable version of Chrome.
- krisgenre 12y ago
  Its been a while since I used Windows but doesn't IE update through "Windows updates"? Is it on by default?
  - fournm 12y ago
    It does now--older versions did not.
- hackuser 12y ago
  > It has its upsides as well, you generally only need to target the latest stable version of Chrome. That is an upside for developers; for users, there is an additional cost to using your website (i.e., updating Chrome, which they do seem to make as easy as possible).
gioele 12y ago
> I really hope this isn't going to become a standard thing. I think people are starting to realize that you cannot always live on the bleeding edge, even then the edge is not that sharp. IIRC Firefox ESRs (extended support releases) do not update automatically. Or they update automatically but only to other infrequent ESRs.
- hackuser 12y ago
  > IIRC Firefox ESRs (extended support releases) do not update automatically. Or they update automatically but only to other infrequent ESRs. I'm pretty sure you can disable automatic updates in any version of Firefox. In the ESR editions, you certainly can disable them. It's an essential feature -- imagine being the manager of 20,000 desktops when they all auto-update at once, consuming all the bandwidth, simultaneously stopping the work of every employee in the enterprise, creating hundreds or more support calls, and breaking the corporate intranet. And yes, ESR editions update only to other ESR editions.
asadotzler 12y ago
I too micromanage my data and pay for overages. Firefox updates, assuming you don't skip them, are actually quite reasonably sized, averaging about 10MB a month for me over the last few of years, both major version revs and minor security updates combined. I consider my online security worth those 10MB because I've never been able to manage my bandwidth to the kind of precision where 10MB one way or the other would have made a meaningful distance in my bill.
wodenokoto 12y ago
Take a look at the introduction again and ask yourself if you are a busy bee or an evergreen user. I think he made a good use case for this browser, why is could work as a standalone product and why it can't stand alone in the market.
Flimm 12y ago
If you're connected to the Internet you have to update your browser all the time just to stay minimally secure.
- Pacabel 12y ago
  Are you suggesting that the updates themselves never introduce new security flaws?
  - asadotzler 12y ago
    I don't see any such suggestion. The fact is that updates fix many known flaws -- flaws that are or will be exploited after an update is released and the details of the flaws are fully disclosed (to the world, including the bad guys) so not taking an update is the same as being zero day'd by the software providing the update. It's not a good idea to avoid taking fixes for known and already or soon to be exploited flaws because the update may or may not have introduced new as yet unknown flaws.

nemothekid 12y ago

It was the default in Chrome, and I believe its the default in IE as well. It has its upsides as well, you generally only need to target the latest stable version of Chrome.

krisgenre 12y ago
Its been a while since I used Windows but doesn't IE update through "Windows updates"? Is it on by default?
- fournm 12y ago
  It does now--older versions did not.
hackuser 12y ago
> It has its upsides as well, you generally only need to target the latest stable version of Chrome. That is an upside for developers; for users, there is an additional cost to using your website (i.e., updating Chrome, which they do seem to make as easy as possible).

gioele 12y ago

> I really hope this isn't going to become a standard thing. I think people are starting to realize that you cannot always live on the bleeding edge, even then the edge is not that sharp. IIRC Firefox ESRs (extended support releases) do not update automatically. Or they update automatically but only to other infrequent ESRs.

hackuser 12y ago
> IIRC Firefox ESRs (extended support releases) do not update automatically. Or they update automatically but only to other infrequent ESRs. I'm pretty sure you can disable automatic updates in any version of Firefox. In the ESR editions, you certainly can disable them. It's an essential feature -- imagine being the manager of 20,000 desktops when they all auto-update at once, consuming all the bandwidth, simultaneously stopping the work of every employee in the enterprise, creating hundreds or more support calls, and breaking the corporate intranet. And yes, ESR editions update only to other ESR editions.

asadotzler 12y ago

I too micromanage my data and pay for overages. Firefox updates, assuming you don't skip them, are actually quite reasonably sized, averaging about 10MB a month for me over the last few of years, both major version revs and minor security updates combined. I consider my online security worth those 10MB because I've never been able to manage my bandwidth to the kind of precision where 10MB one way or the other would have made a meaningful distance in my bill.

wodenokoto 12y ago

Take a look at the introduction again and ask yourself if you are a busy bee or an evergreen user. I think he made a good use case for this browser, why is could work as a standalone product and why it can't stand alone in the market.

Flimm 12y ago

If you're connected to the Internet you have to update your browser all the time just to stay minimally secure.

Pacabel 12y ago
Are you suggesting that the updates themselves never introduce new security flaws?
- asadotzler 12y ago
  I don't see any such suggestion. The fact is that updates fix many known flaws -- flaws that are or will be exploited after an update is released and the details of the flaws are fully disclosed (to the world, including the bad guys) so not taking an update is the same as being zero day'd by the software providing the update. It's not a good idea to avoid taking fixes for known and already or soon to be exploited flaws because the update may or may not have introduced new as yet unknown flaws.