631908 - "Restart now" link (displayed after I clicked Remove button) is confusing

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[Hubert Gajewski]

1. Run Minefield
2. Go to Tools > Add-ons
3. Go to Extensions and install one of extensions (which requires restart)

"$Extention_name will be installed after you restart Minefield. <Restart now> <Undo>" is displayed (this is clear information)

4. Restart Minefield
5. Go to Tools > Add-ons
6. Click Remove button

Result:
"$Extention_name has been removed. <Restart now> <Undo>" is displayed.

Expected:
"$Extention_name has been removed. <Restart Minefied now> <Undo>" is displayed (or something similar)

<Restart now> link is unclear. Restart what exactly? A computer? Minefield? Uninstallation process?

Comment 1

[Hubert Gajewski]

Attachment: Screenshot

Comment 3

[Dave Webber]

“Restart now” also occurs on installing, updating, disabling, or enabling (most) extensions. (For comparison, the Software Update dialogue says specifies that it is the browser, by name, that your are being prompted to restart.)

I’ve known users to have become accustomed to restarting their computer every time they are prompted after changing browser extension installation / enablement state. Those I’ve asked confirmed that the source of their confusion was that they were told to restart, without what being specified, and as they understood it, the verb “restart” without an object implies “the computer” (if computers are involved in some way). 

Concurring with Hubert, I’d suggest specifying the browser name (or “it,” where it’s already named, as in “… or continue working, and restart later” in the Software Update dialogue) as the object of any verb “restart” which is currently used intransitively.

Comment 4

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

To me, "restart" is not the same as "reboot". Maybe I never had enough of the Microsoft user's mind (or mindlessness :-P ) even when I was still on Windows.

"Restart Thunderbird now" would make a very long button. Maybe suppress the adverb and just use "Restart <appname>"?

Comment 5

[Dave Webber]

The misunderstanding I reported witnessing was among clients who had long been exclusively Mac users. Mac OS, Windows, and many GNU/Linux distros all call rebooting “restarting” in their GUIs and documentation; so do many books about them, the authors presumably wanting to use the terms which will be seen. The clients I was dealing with happen to be highly mindful and intelligent, and well educated; as it happened, they also pre-existed pocket calculators, and are members of the majority of their generation who didn’t acquire a personal computer until their children were in school. 

I see no need to defame a billion or so (?) Windows users, even sarcastically, just because they happen to lack understanding of one particular topic in which you and I happen to be well-versed and experienced. None of us is proficient in every topic, nor even every important one (for whomever’s definition of “important”). I doubt any of us would accept being called mindless just for knowing less about something than someone else.

Comment 6

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

In reply to comment #5: David, please come off your high horse. Sorry you took my humor, or attempt at humor, as an insult, it wasn't meant as one.

I suggested using just "Restart <appname>", does that suit you?

Comment 7

[Blair McBride [:Unfocused] (UNAVAILABLE)]

(In reply to Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec] from comment #4)
> Maybe suppress the adverb and just use "Restart <appname>"?

That's been my thinking, and it's what about:newaddon uses. 

The wording for this has been a grey area since the rewrite, and we seem to go back and forth on what to use - ultimately, I think we're better off being more explicit in the wording (ie, mention the app name).

This fits in somewhere with bug 553460 too, which I have a WiP patch for but no ETA.

Comment 8

[Blair McBride [:Unfocused] (UNAVAILABLE)]

(In reply to Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec] from comment #6)
> In reply to comment #5: David, please come off your high horse. 

...


(In reply to Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec] from comment #4)
> Maybe I never had enough of
> the Microsoft user's mind (or mindlessness :-P ) even when I was still on
> Windows.

This was inappropriate.

Comment 9

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to Blair McBride (:Unfocused) from comment #8)
> (In reply to Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec] from comment #6)
> > In reply to comment #5: David, please come off your high horse. 
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> (In reply to Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec] from comment #4)
> > Maybe I never had enough of
> > the Microsoft user's mind (or mindlessness :-P ) even when I was still on
> > Windows.
> 
> This was inappropriate.

Well, all right, I should have thought twice before writing it. Since Bugzilla comments, once sent, cannot be edited, please disregard the parenthesis.

Comment 10

[Hubert Gajewski]

Attachment: Screen Shot 2017-03-05 at 00.16.08.png

It is no longer confusing. Additional text explains that "restart" is related to browser restart.

Comment 11

[Hubert Gajewski]

Attachment: Screen Shot 2017-03-05 at 00.22.10.png

I was wrong. I did not noticed that the bug is related to uninstallation process. Mentioned problem still exists.

Comment 12

[Andrew Swan [:aswan]]

Non-restartless addons are no longer supported.

Comment 13

[Hubert Gajewski]

(In reply to Andrew Swan [:aswan] from comment #12)
> Non-restartless addons are no longer supported.

So why do we have restart-related code in mozilla-central?

https://dxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/search?q=addonInstallRestartButton

browser/base/content/browser-addons.js
△ 458
label: gNavigatorBundle.getString("addonInstallRestartButton"),
▽ 459
accessKey: gNavigatorBundle.getString("addonInstallRestartButton.accesskey"),
browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/browser.properties
△ 217
addonInstallRestartButton=Restart Now
▽ 218
addonInstallRestartButton.accesskey=R

Comment 14

[Andrew Swan [:aswan]]

(In reply to Hubert Gajewski from comment #13)
> (In reply to Andrew Swan [:aswan] from comment #12)
> > Non-restartless addons are no longer supported.
> 
> So why do we have restart-related code in mozilla-central?

Because bug 1372695 has not been done yet.