Mozilla wants users to update old versions of Firefox

Mozilla has plans to update users who are still running an old version of Firefox. Although the exact plans are still being worked out, Mozilla will implement a hotfix from Firefox 11 that automatically downloads new software in the background.

This is evident from a post by Mozilla developer Benjamin Smedberg in a discussion group. Two tricks have been devised to get users to update their old version of the Firefox browser. For Firefox 11 and above, Mozilla will update the hotfix add-on. This add-on allows Mozilla to make updates without the need for a full browser update. Through the hotfix add-on, Mozilla wants to let new versions of the Firefox browser automatically download in the background.

After the download is complete, the user still has to give permission for installation. Mozilla promises that it will respect the wishes of users, so it is not obliged to install the update. In addition, automatic software updates can be turned off. What the update screen will look like exactly has yet to be worked out.

Versions older than Firefox 11 will have to make up something else as they don’t have a hotfix add-on. These users will be notified that an update is available for their browser version, but it can be ignored. To encourage users to install the update, the update will now be marked as ‘minor’ instead of ‘major’. It also eliminates add-on compatibility checks, which may deter users from updating. This method will be used for Firefox versions 3.6 and above.

The latest versions of Firefox already have an automatic update mechanism, but the older versions do not yet. According to Mozilla, about 2 percent of users “get stuck” on the older version with each release cycle. The browser builder expects to release the new update mechanisms for older versions of Firefox with the release of Firefox 30, which is planned for next month.