Why did Firefox update to a new version without my permission?
My firefox automatically updated to version 52. It was bad enough that firefox was updating small things, in the background, without my permission. But NEVER has it updated to a whole new version without my say-so. I was purposely avoiding version 52 because I know the firefox team decided to block Unity player from working in it. I have a huge number of bookmarks to pages that use Unity. Now, they're completely useless. I did NOT want this version of firefox! If I had wanted it, I damn well know how to update it on my own! I don't need a browser that goes behind my back, ignores my decisions not to update, and does whatever the hell it wants to even when I have denied its permission to do so (multiple times, as I've found the permissions changed more than once - that isn't the case this time). I need a browser that actually does what I want it to do, not what some team of people think it should do. I've been using firefox pretty much since it was first introduced. But they have definitely lost a formerly loyal user here. Not due of the blocking of Untiy (which, by the way, I find extremely idiotic - the Firefox team isn't smart enough to program around problems, so they have to block everything like don't like, then blame websites for not keeping up? Lazy.), but because they apparently feel that my wishes and needs for the browser I use aren't worth giving a damn about. I need a browser that keeps pace with websites, and pays attention when I don't want it acting on its own. Firefox is no longer that browser. Not for myself, and not for anyone else. I've been using firefox for a very long time. Since version 1.5 came out. If I'm leaving after using it this long, it's only a matter of time before others do, if they haven't started already. No, I won't simply be going to Chrome. I don't give a damn that Google blocked Unity as well. Firefox has turned their competition with Chrome into a pissing match, without giving a damn whose legs they're pissing on. I'm not staying to find out who wins, and I know I'm not the only one who has stopped caring.
All Replies (4)
You Can Fix this by Choosing another option instead of Automatic Update by doing this
Go to Options > Click on Advance > Then Click on Update Tab or You can Simply Copy the below Code and paste it into URL Bar and hit enter to Go there. about:preferences#advanced
Mahtab said
You Can Fix this by Choosing another option instead of Automatic Update by doing this Go to Options > Click on Advance > Then Click on Update Tab or You can Simply Copy the below Code and paste it into URL Bar and hit enter to Go there. about:preferences#advanced
Mahtab, No, I can't fix it by doing that, because that is EXACTLY what I ALREADY did, LAST YEAR. The updates still occurred. This is what I meant when I said that it happened without my permission. I actively turned off the updates, doing exactly what you replied with, but doing so long before I came here to post. I've been using firefox since version 1.5. If I don't know how to shut off updates by now, that would be a very big problem. The update issue did not happen on my end. Firefox updated in the shadows, without needing my permission, which means Mozilla has no issue going behind its users backs, to do whatever Mozilla wants to do. This is what is unacceptable, and anyone who continues to accept it is a fool.
Make sure these about:config prefs are set as well.
app.update.enabled - false
app.update.auto - false
app.update.mode - 0
app.update.service.enabled - false
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/what-mozilla-maintenance-service
Modified by Moses
What version were you using before?
By the way...
While the regular release of Firefox 52-53 only allows the Flash plugin, the Extended Support Release (ESR) of Firefox 52 will still run Java, Silverlight, and other old plugins -- everything that runs on Firefox 51. I don't know whether Unity ran on Firefox 51, but a poster reported in another thread that the ESR solved the problem.
ESR was first developed to meet the needs of large organizations that wanted Firefox to change much more slowly, but anyone can use it. The main difference is that it gets security updates only, no feature changes for about a year at a time.
More information on this change and ESR: Why do Java, Silverlight, Adobe Acrobat and other plugins no longer work?
Windows Users: When you get to the ESR installer list, you'll notice at least two different downloads for Windows:
- Windows installer is the standard version for Windows that runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista through 10 (and 32-bit XP), the best choice for most users
- Windows 64-bit installer ONLY runs the Flash and Silverlight plugins, so that is not what you're looking for. (If someone reading this only needs Silverlight and is considering switching to 64-bit, there may be some extra file cleanup to do on your system. See: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox)