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posted by mrpg on Thursday November 16 2017, @09:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the my-extensions-dont-work dept.

From Firefox's faster, slicker, slimmer Quantum edition now out

[...] Collectively, the performance work being done to modernize Firefox is called Project Quantum. We took a closer look at Quantum back when Firefox 57 hit the developer channel in September, but the short version is, Mozilla is rebuilding core parts of the browser, such as how it handles CSS stylesheets, how it draws pages on-screen, and how it uses the GPU.

This work is being motivated by a few things. First, the Web has changed since many parts of Firefox were initially designed and developed; pages are more dynamic in structure and applications are richer and more graphically intensive. JavaScript is also more complex and difficult to debug. Second, computers now have many cores and simultaneous threads, giving them much greater scope to work in parallel. And security remains a pressing concern, prompting the use of new techniques to protect against exploitation. Some of the rebuilt portions are even using Mozilla's new Rust programming language, which is designed to offer improved security compared to C++.

Also at: Firefox aims to win back Chrome users with its souped up Quantum browser

The fastest version of Firefox yet is now live


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  • (Score: 2) by lgsoynews on Thursday November 16 2017, @04:37PM (8 children)

    by lgsoynews (1235) on Thursday November 16 2017, @04:37PM (#597759)

    I'm on Linux. But it does not matter, before the 57 appeared, I had no reason to NOT update automatically. Also, what I criticize is the lack of warning before a KNOWN breaking change.

    Also, I don't use the regular version, I use the Dev Edition, which is updated earlier.

    And it's a pain to disable the automatic updates AFTER the fact, especially when you use many profiles, as I do.

    So, after that unexpected update, for EACH profile I use, I had to go and change to "never check". Then each time, I had to replace the modified FF directory, to go back to version 56.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 5, Informative) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 16 2017, @05:21PM (3 children)

    by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday November 16 2017, @05:21PM (#597776)

    Also, I don't use the regular version, I use the Dev Edition, which is updated earlier.

    Okay, this just killed most of my sympathy for your issue. You don't run the bleeding-edge alpha version *with automatic updates turned on* and have any right to complain about breaking changes.

    You might as well lean out your front door, shout "HEY EVERYBODY I'VE GOT A REALLY EXPENSIVE BIGSCREEN TV IN HERE AND AM LEAVING FOR THE WEEKEND!" then be surprised when it's gone when you get back.

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by lgsoynews on Friday November 17 2017, @06:28AM (2 children)

      by lgsoynews (1235) on Friday November 17 2017, @06:28AM (#598089)

      Blaming the victims does not help, and your arguments are wrong...

      The reason I use the DEV Edition is mostly because it's the official way to run unsigned addons, which i NEED, because I have some small personal addons & I've done a bit of testing of addons dev, so I must be able to run unsigned ones.

      In addition to that, the DEV edition is not an "alpha", that's the role of the Nightly channel (which I also used but no longer now since it broke most of my addons). On Mozilla's website, it's even explained: this is the edition for developers (I quote: "For web/platform developers and early adopters")!

      And to repeat what I wrote above: I HAVE to use it, it's not even a choice! Since version 48, I had to switch to the DEV edition or lose my unsigned addons. Before that I ran separate versions: one with Nightly (for tests), all the others with the release (for all real uses), until Mozilla forced the signed addons for the Release and Beta versions. What choice do I have? Do you think I enjoyed switching from something that worked fine, that it was just for the LOLz?

      Anyway, it DOES NOT MATTER. FF should always display a warning popup when BIG changes are about to happen. Even with automatic updates!

      So, don't blame me! I did NOT choose to remove the ability to run unsigned addons (with a setting change) in the Releases.

      • (Score: 1) by Crash on Friday November 17 2017, @09:12AM

        by Crash (1335) on Friday November 17 2017, @09:12AM (#598115)

        Firefox Dev AKA Firefox Aurora is behind Nightly by ~4 weeks. Whereas Firefox Beta is behind Nightly by ~8-12 weeks.

      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday November 17 2017, @04:44PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Friday November 17 2017, @04:44PM (#598235)

        Blaming the victims does not help

        Ooh yeah baby, throw more dismissive buzzwords at me. I'm so close!

        What choice do I have?

        Pale Moon?

        Anyway, it DOES NOT MATTER. FF should always display a warning popup when BIG changes are about to happen. Even with automatic updates!

        If it gave you a sanity check it would hardly be automatic. So if by that you mean, they should make the automatic updates not automatic, I...guess I agree.

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @01:09AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @01:09AM (#598005)

    Or instead of opening your profiles to let them upgrade as you change the settings, you could have manually opened the databases containing that setting and turned off auto-updated before loading your other profiles. Try that next time. If you don't like modifying files directly, then turn off your internet access or select work offline when you open firefox so it can't update itself.

    • (Score: 2) by lgsoynews on Friday November 17 2017, @05:56AM (2 children)

      by lgsoynews (1235) on Friday November 17 2017, @05:56AM (#598082)

      Easily said... But you missed my point: I DID NOT know that the breaking update was coming.

      How do I stop the update by going offline, while the profile has ALREADY downloaded the new version? Remember, my profiles are used all at the same time, to separate my uses...

      Even if it were not already downloaded, how do you change a setting for a profile without loading it first? By modifying some obscure setting in the database, I agree, I can do it. But how much time would it take? I'd need to identify the setting, open and change in each profile's database with SQLliteMan (or something), it would take as long as just replacing the files...

      Anyway, all those are workarounds that should not be needed. I'm a pro, so I can manage, but what about other users? The REAL problem is that FF does not display a dialog box before apply the breaking change (even in "automatic update"), that's a HUGE mistake, and it will cost many users to Mozilla, again.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @08:50AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @08:50AM (#598107)

        I'm a pro, so I can manage, but what about other users?

        The "non-pro" users:
        a) Won't be using Firefox.
        b) Would be using FireFox without your unsigned addons.

        Given Firefox's small user base you might actually be the only one with this problem.

        You can run more than one instance of Firefox. I personally do that. That way my banking firefox is not the same as my soylentnews one (they don't even run with the same user account).

        If you're doing testing of add-ons you should actually do stuff like this. That you're affected so badly is you being pro but not being pro enough.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @03:39PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @03:39PM (#598205)

        I didn't realize you had all your profiles open at once. I too use multiple profiles, but I also have tons of tabs so I can't have too many profiles open at once else things start crashing.