Firefox's unethical forcing users to update dirty tactic
from AntBlog701

Firefox's unethical forcing users to update dirty tactic

Let me to ask you this question: how many of you would go through every single panels in Preferences and read through every thing? And how many of you really understand every settings?

I believe it is safe to say a number of software users do not bother to change the default settings of software, also a number of users do not feel comfortable on making changes to default settings.

Firefox, an open-source web browser embraced by a huge number of open-source extremists, takes this advantage (a huge number of users do not bother to check entire Preferences) and forces user to update.

Why do users must use the latest of whatsoever version available?

I saw this message dialogue:

I didn't have much choice, did I? I was forced to update Firefox then or upon re-launching Firefox.

I then got this window.

Okay, like many other users, I left my settings in Preferences as default.

I should've opted not to let Firefox automatically download and install the update, but I did not go through that section of the Preferences.

From my experience with operating system and other software, many of them would check if the current installed version is latest or not, however, none of those would set it to download the update and install the update automatically. Mac OS X checks periodically, but would ask me if I want to download and install it.

Not everybody must live with the latest of whatsoever software or patches. Generally speaking, a huge percentage of Firefox's active users are university/college students, and many of them want everything free and opensource, as well as unable to live without the latest of software or patches. However, using such tactic (not everybody checks every settings of Preferences or confident on changing them) and forcing people to update the software is an unethical ploy.

Users were only informed after the update has been downloaded, (and would be installed once relaunching). That is, completely disrespecting users those who do not go through every single panel in Preferences.

If you are one of the open-source extremists, you would probably support this dirty tactic... making more people using the latest of whatsoever software. If this is not the version updating, would you be happy that you were forced to do something without informing you first, and probably against your decision? When in fact Firefox could have showed courtesy by asking users' permissions first.

I was extremely unhappy about being forced to update Firefox to the latest version.

Shame on ya, Firefox. You can join me in Firefox's (semi) forced updating policy thread.