266487 - option to auto-update Firefox, requiring no user intervention

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Toolkit :: Application Update, enhancement)

Description

[Ken]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1

It would be very handy if there were a separate system service (talking NT here,
but there must be a Unix equvialent) that would run the "check for an update"
service.  For me this would be the final nail in the IE's coffin, this is
currently the only reason to use IE and not use Firefox as it stands.  The
reason to do this, is that then an administrator can install it and configure
it, but a normal user (without installation priviledges) would still get their
browser updated.  This is how WindowsUpdate works.  For example a friend has
configured his machine so that his family cannot mess with the PC, but he still
wants security holes patched automatically.

Just a thought...

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

Comment 1

[Steffen Wilberg]

*** Bug 274969 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 2

[Steffen Wilberg]

*** Bug 267281 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 3

[Steffen Wilberg]

This is already planned, see
http://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php/Firefox:Options_Window:

+---------------------------------------------------------+
| +----------+ +----------------------------------------+ |
| |          | | Advanced                               | |
| |          | +----------------------------------------+ |
| |          | +---------+------+--------+----------+     |
| |          | | General | Tabs | Update | Security |     |
| |          | +----------------+        +--------------+ |
| |          | | Periodically check for updates to:     | |
| |          | |  [x] Firefox                           | |
| |          | |      [x] automatically download updates| | 
| |          | |          and: (*) install them         | |
| |          | |               ( ) prompt me when ready | |
| |          | |                   to install           | |
| |          | |      ( Check Now )                     | |
| |          | |                                        | |
| |          | |  [x] My Extensions and Themes          | |
| |          | |      ( Check Now )                     | |
| |          | |                                        | |
| |          | |                                        | |
| |          | +----------------------------------------+ |
| +----------+                                            |
|                                   ((  OK  )) ( Cancel ) |
+---------------------------------------------------------+


Ben is already working on it.

Comment 4

[Darin Fisher]

Yes, this now exists on the trunk for Firefox 1.5.  Marking FIXED.

Comment 5

[Ken]

So, just to clarify, there is a service that now runs with Adminstrator priviledges (ala Windows Update) that updates Firefox without the user intervention, and the user can be a "pleb" (ie. no administrative rights)?  Microsoft's BITS (Background Updater) could potentially be used for that (that's how they implemented the updater application block in .NET to achieve that).  I realise this is all quite Microsoft specific talk, but I know a lot of people who only give their gives a "normal" user account and will refuse to use Firefox until similar IE (security updating) behaviour exists.  Myself, I run firefox because it's a better browser is so many ways.

Comment 6

[Steffen Wilberg]

No, there is no service running in the background with administrator prilileges. 
Firefox ships a small patch program in its program directory which is invoked after Firefox has downloaded an update and you restart Firefox.

You don't need to be an administrator to let Firefox perform a software update. But you do need to have write access to the Firefox program directory.