Comments on: Firefox’s Immune System http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/ Giorgio Maone's answers to the Web, the Universe, and Everything Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:44:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Giorgio http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15638 Giorgio Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:37:57 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15638 @<a href="http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15615" rel="nofollow">Wellington beef</a>: After last update (1.9.9.14) you've been greeted by this message: <blockquote> Why such a tight release schedule? Version <strong>1.9.9.14</strong> fixes an hard to reproduce but serious and <a href="http://forums.informaction.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2999" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported by many</a> page loading issue..<br> Thanks for your patience. </blockquote> That said, aside this emergency update, you got <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addons/versions/722" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external" rel="nofollow">just 3 updates in a month</a>. It doesn't seems "like every 5 minutes" to me, but YMMV... @Wellington beef:
After last update (1.9.9.14) you’ve been greeted by this message:

Why such a tight release schedule?
Version 1.9.9.14 fixes an hard to reproduce but serious and
reported by many page loading issue..
Thanks for your patience.

That said, aside this emergency update, you got just 3 updates in a month. It doesn’t seems “like every 5 minutes” to me, but YMMV…

]]> By: Wellington beef http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15615 Wellington beef Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:52:08 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15615 Yo, Giorgio, would you mind telling me why NoScript comes up with an update like every 5 minutes? It's pretty damn annoying, I restart my browser after downloading an update, and then when it restarts, there's ANOTHER update for NS. Could you make your updates a little less frequent? Thanks. Yo, Giorgio, would you mind telling me why NoScript comes up with an update like every 5 minutes? It’s pretty damn annoying, I restart my browser after downloading an update, and then when it restarts, there’s ANOTHER update for NS. Could you make your updates a little less frequent? Thanks.

]]> By: Anonymous Coward http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15479 Anonymous Coward Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:07:57 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15479 Defending an *ahem* extreme caution about active content on a blog? Love it ;) And of course retail doesn't rule the web either. http://geekz.co.uk/lovesraymond/archive/eric-buys-an-ipod Defending an *ahem* extreme caution about active content on a blog?
Love it ;)
And of course retail doesn’t rule the web either.
http://geekz.co.uk/lovesraymond/archive/eric-buys-an-ipod

]]> By: Tom T. http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15478 Tom T. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:50:51 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15478 This is why I get my MS Updates manually with Firefox, and not through IE or MS Update. With MS Update set to "notify, don't download or install" (the only sane setting) I would have to vet each one individually anyway, so if I'm going to do that, I might as well skip the ActiveX scan, the pushing for Service Pack 3 (opposed by my OEM), IE 7 and 8, etc., and just get manually each one that I decide I need. Anyone who uses a 400-MB pdf reader when a 4-MB reader does just as well (I use Foxit older version 2.0, with no native JavaScript support) is asking for 396 MB of attack surface and vulnerabilities. Adobe needs to be denigrated more widely on the web for its bloat, vulnerabilities, and once-every-three-months patches. BTW, at the recommended Fx plug-in check, I received this message: "You have JavaScript disabled or are using a browser without JavaScript. This Plugin Check page does not work without the *awesome* power of JavaScript. Please enable this Content Preference and reload the page. Or disable all your plugins and keep JavaScript disabled... you'd be in good company, that's how RMS rolls." (my emphasis on "awesome". Yes, the power of JS is awesome, all right -- for evil as well as good. It doesn't seem appropriate for Mozilla to be touting it as Superman, nor to be sneering at users who browse with it disabled. I've seen many "JS-disabled" messages, but that's the second-worst one ever. I'd rather not bring up the worst one again. Cheers. This is why I get my MS Updates manually with Firefox, and not through IE or MS Update. With MS Update set to "notify, don’t download or install" (the only sane setting) I would have to vet each one individually anyway, so if I’m going to do that, I might as well skip the ActiveX scan, the pushing for Service Pack 3 (opposed by my OEM), IE 7 and 8, etc., and just get manually each one that I decide I need.

Anyone who uses a 400-MB pdf reader when a 4-MB reader does just as well (I use Foxit older version 2.0, with no native JavaScript support) is asking for 396 MB of attack surface and vulnerabilities. Adobe needs to be denigrated more widely on the web for its bloat, vulnerabilities, and once-every-three-months patches.

BTW, at the recommended Fx plug-in check, I received this message:

"You have JavaScript disabled or are using a browser without JavaScript. This Plugin Check page does not work without the *awesome* power of JavaScript. Please enable this Content Preference and reload the page.

Or disable all your plugins and keep JavaScript disabled… you’d be in good company, that’s how RMS rolls."

(my emphasis on "awesome".

Yes, the power of JS is awesome, all right — for evil as well as good. It doesn’t seem appropriate for Mozilla to be touting it as Superman, nor to be sneering at users who browse with it disabled. I’ve seen many "JS-disabled" messages, but that’s the second-worst one ever. I’d rather not bring up the worst one again. Cheers.

]]> By: Browsers Anon http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15461 Browsers Anon Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:00:09 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15461 Update: So that bit of smiting didn't last long; it appears that those with patched installs, and that fabled animal "enterprise" were not comfortable about Firefox getting unilateral and decisive without giving them an easy button to re-enable their click-once stuff. A selection from the news feed http://news.google.com.au/news/story?cf=all&ned=tau&ncl=dBbwgnwHa3gf6fMeikJgk89857PiM&topic=t Take home summary: the .NET assistant lives again, but thankfully for the really clueless, the Infestation plugin remains blocklisted. And the quote from Shaver: "We (especially I) appreciate your patience and support as we work to keep our users safe and comfortable with all the tools at our disposal" Safe *and* comfortable? How likely is that ever going to be. Update:
So that bit of smiting didn’t last long; it appears that those with patched installs, and that fabled animal "enterprise" were not comfortable about Firefox getting unilateral and decisive without giving them an easy button to re-enable their click-once stuff.
A selection from the news feed
http://news.google.com.au/news/story?cf=all&ned=tau&ncl=dBbwgnwHa3gf6fMeikJgk89857PiM&topic=t
Take home summary: the .NET assistant lives again, but thankfully for the really clueless, the Infestation plugin remains blocklisted.
And the quote from Shaver:
"We (especially I) appreciate your patience and support as we work to keep our users safe and comfortable with all the tools at our disposal"
Safe *and* comfortable? How likely is that ever going to be.

]]> By: Basti http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15459 Basti Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:38:36 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15459 @JB (9) Bill Gates doesn't need to pay himself for promoting IE ;) No browser is safe. @JB (9)

Bill Gates doesn’t need to pay himself for promoting IE ;)

No browser is safe.

]]> By: JB http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15456 JB Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:21:45 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15456 "Bill says: IE8 in protected mode in Vista/7 is the most secure way of browsing the internet. I won’t touch Firefox with a ten foot pole. Microsoft and .Net Framework rocks." Paid for by Microsoft. "Bill says:

IE8 in protected mode in Vista/7 is the most secure way of browsing the internet. I won’t touch Firefox with a ten foot pole. Microsoft and .Net Framework rocks."

Paid for by Microsoft.

]]> By: Bill http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15449 Bill Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:49:47 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15449 IE8 in protected mode in Vista/7 is the most secure way of browsing the internet. I won't touch Firefox with a ten foot pole. Microsoft and .Net Framework rocks. IE8 in protected mode in Vista/7 is the most secure way of browsing the internet. I won’t touch Firefox with a ten foot pole. Microsoft and .Net Framework rocks.

]]> By: Zipper http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15431 Zipper Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:16:56 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15431 Google litters Firefox with plugins too. Apparently I've got the Google Earth plugin (don't want/need it, just Google Earth is fine), Google Update (don't know what it is), Google Updater (don't know what it is), Picasa (don't know what it is). The rest of the plugins I installed myself, with the exception of "2007 Microsoft Office system", the purpose of which is also clouded to me. Google litters Firefox with plugins too. Apparently I’ve got the Google Earth plugin (don’t want/need it, just Google Earth is fine), Google Update (don’t know what it is), Google Updater (don’t know what it is), Picasa (don’t know what it is). The rest of the plugins I installed myself, with the exception of "2007 Microsoft Office system", the purpose of which is also clouded to me.

]]> By: exceed http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15416 exceed Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:34:24 +0000 http://hackademix.net/2009/10/17/firefoxs-immune-system/#comment-15416 Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

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