supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Firefox's New update system We're well aware that the update system we had in place for Firefox 1.0 was sub-par and a major focus for the upcoming 1.1 release has been building a world-class update system that "just works" for our users. Accomplishing this work is no small feat and we learned a lot from our experiences with the 1.0.x releases. The new system will be much more robust and capable on both the client side and the server side. From the client end, we've got a much improved user experience that should take away pretty much all of the pain of updating Firefox 1.1 for both minor versions and major versions. On the server side, we've increased our capacity and will have the capability to serve "patch" updates which should make things easier for everyone. This new system will also provide benefits for our testing community. If all (or even most) goes according to plan, nightly build users will be able to get the latest nightly bits through the same update mechanism which will make testing nightly builds a bit more convenient and, more importantly, will help us get a lot more testing on the update system itself. This nightly updating system should be in place within the next few days and will be available to our 1.1 Alpha 2 users (preffed off by default). 1.1 Alpha 2 is just the first testing stage, though, and the 1.1 Beta is where we'll introduce the full set of capabilities (including patching) to the testing community. I'm super-excited about these improvements and will do my best to keep you all up to date on our progress and the opportunities for early testing. Stay tuned. Source: Asa Dotzler's Blog (felt this deserved it's own thread to get more attention then just a post in my "road to firefox 1.1" thread) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoochieMamma Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Excellent news (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 I'm dying to try it out especially for nightly builds :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Floyd Veteran Posted July 3, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 3, 2005 I'm dying to try it out especially for nightly builds :) 586157008[/snapback] holy cow yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted July 3, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 3, 2005 The nightly build update system is a nice addition, but the rest is just something that should have been there all alone. It's about time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 true but then 1.0 would have taken a lot longer, same reason 1.1 is taking soo long to be released. Remember the aviary branch wasn't supposed to last as long as it did, which caused all the problems once the branch and trunk merged which some things are still being fixed that broke then. So they wanted to release 1.0 to get back to working on the trunk which had 8 months worth of patches that werent on the branch...couldnt go another 6-10 months like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted July 3, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 3, 2005 true but then 1.0 would have taken a lot longer, same reason 1.1 is taking soo long to be released. Remember the aviary branch wasn't supposed to last as long as it did, which caused all the problems once the branch and trunk merged which some things are still being fixed that broke then. So they wanted to release 1.0 to get back to working on the trunk which had 8 months worth of patches that werent on the branch...couldnt go another 6-10 months like that. 586157030[/snapback] Regardless, the current update system is crap. When you have to redownload a whole browser, all it does is waste bandwidth, inflate download numbers, and generally inconvenience people. I would have preferred to wait and have them get it right for the major release rather than rush 1.0 out so they could hit the market at the right time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 I agree but I was stating how they felt. The devs felt that they couldnt put every single feature into the first release, there had to be a cut off somewhere. Regardless the damage is done and they are working to fix it (not saying its fixes because only a small handful of people have actually tested this so far) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted July 3, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 3, 2005 One thing that worries me, though, is the nightly download system. While it's nice, it can also introduce people to nightly builds when they really shouldn't be using them. I guess I'll wait to judge 100% until I see it first hand, but the last thing I need is my bored friends getting curious and downloading something they shouldn't be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[bear] Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 it better have some big warnings before it lets the end user download. I test the nightly builds and I know you and I both know its no picnic.. There are some horrific crashes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 As long as it got done, I'm happy. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will a 'perfect browser'. The fact that firefox developers are hot on improving (and staying ahead of IE) is the main reason I switched to firefox. I like a dynamic program constantly evolving to suit the wide range of consumers needs. Keep up the good work! :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriz Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Awesome news (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 One thing that worries me, though, is the nightly download system. While it's nice, it can also introduce people to nightly builds when they really shouldn't be using them. I guess I'll wait to judge 100% until I see it first hand, but the last thing I need is my bored friends getting curious and downloading something they shouldn't be. 586157079[/snapback] I completly agree. especially when none of the user will know if there are any problems with the build they are about to download unless they read the threads on mozillazine first. I know many years ago I used to download betas and alphas of software just because I could. i wanted the newer features becuase i got bored with the old software and just needed a fix. sounds weird but I know there are many people like this and this problem will create huge problems if they "subscribe" to the nightlys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostShell Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 That is great news. Firefox just keeps on getting better and better. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted July 3, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 3, 2005 I completly agree. especially when none of the user will know if there are any problems with the build they are about to download unless they read the threads on mozillazine first.I know many years ago I used to download betas and alphas of software just because I could. i wanted the newer features becuase i got bored with the old software and just needed a fix. sounds weird but I know there are many people like this and this problem will create huge problems if they "subscribe" to the nightlys. 586157101[/snapback] Exactly my point. Well, at least we know this will be interesting haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 oh ya, definently. I'm not even sure if i'm going to "subscribe" to the nightlys. I download pacifica builds regulary and i'm hesitant on them because I know of the problems that can pop up out of nowhere. I will probably stick to reading the threads before downloading the newer bits manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 sounds very good its always been my opinion the updater needed work. i hope they can filter out the extensions that shouldnt be updated with the auto updater though (only one i can think of is flashblock) its quite annoying if you dont realize its a problem then run the updater (hadnt updated for a while and was to lazy to visit the site :() as you cant access the prefs for it any more although it still seems to work, im not really sure how many extensions like this exist though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDogg Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 sounds very good its always been my opinion the updater needed work. i hope they can filter out the extensions that shouldnt be updated with the auto updater though (only one i can think of is flashblock) its quite annoying if you dont realize its a problem then run the updater (hadnt updated for a while and was to lazy to visit the site :() as you cant access the prefs for it any more although it still seems to work, im not really sure how many extensions like this exist though. 586157180[/snapback] You can currently have it check for Firefox updates only..and exclude extensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova_00 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 He doesnt know that the extension authors are at fault there. They set the max version of firefox to something like 2.8 and since firefox is at 1.0 when a new version of the extension comes out firefox thinks the extension is for that version of firefox since the max version is set at 2.8, downloads and installs the extension, restart and the extension completly screws up firefox. The extension authors need to not set max version for the extension unless they have actually tested it with that version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDogg Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 ture, but you can also have Firefox not check for updates to extensions. It's not that hard to do. It's under advanced options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleDave Veteran Posted July 4, 2005 Veteran Share Posted July 4, 2005 Yeah I have asked Asa about the updating system in an interview I am doing with him soon. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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