1505611 - Firefox 63 ignoring settings about upgrade notifications and checks

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: General, enhancement)

Description

[crxssi]

Attachment: cantupdate.png

After upgrading to 63.0, Firefox is apparently ignoring/not honoring update/upgrade settings that direct Firefox to not attempt to update or notify about updates.  Firefox is repeatedly saying things like "Firefox can't update to the latest version.  Download a fresh copy of Firefox and we'll help you to install it" in the doorhanger; and/or another one that says "Unable to Update.  A recommended security and stability update is available, but you do not have the system permissions required to install it.  Please..."  These should not occur. It is doing the same thing to a friend who has a similar setup.  This is on Linux machines, where we are installing Firefox manually through the vanilla/official Mozilla downloaded ftp versions.

I believe these are supposed to be the key about:config settings that should be honored:

app.update.auto;false
app.update.enabled;false
app.update.doorhanger;false

Despite the above, Firefox is still complaining about there being updates and/or not having permission to install updates.  How can one turn off ALL checks for updates, notifications about updates, and checks for permissions to install updates?  This has never been an issue until Firefox 63.

Comment 1

[crxssi]

Attachment: unabletoupdate.png

Comment 2

[[:philipp]]

hi, this was an intentional change according to the release notes:
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/63.0/releasenotes/ (workaround is also described there)

Comment 3

[crxssi]

Thanks so much for the info!  Apparently I wasn't using the correct search terms when I was researching it before posting this bug report.

Here are additional links that might help others:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1232918
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1233924
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1420514
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/28/mozilla-makes-it-more-difficult-to-block-firefox-updates/

The single workaround is irritating and also not available to individual users when Firefox is installed centrally by root, so it would have to be done as root, in the installation directory, and re-done with every single update.  Wow.

Now excuse this upcoming rant...

I think this was just an amazingly arrogant, unfriendly, hostile, and stupid change Mozilla made.  It would be one thing to remove the preference and just rely on hidden settings.  It is another to completely remove ability and treat the user as either an incompetent idiot or an enemy.

It is also a poor design that allows Mozilla to ignore or remove about:config settings and not indicate that, somehow, while in about:config.  It wastes time and causes more support issues.