Re: Linux and Software Freedom

Tony Mechelynck wrote:
> On 17/08/11 20:36, Asa Dotzler wrote:
> [...]
>> You personally probably don't need need Firefox to tell you anything
>> about its up to date status. Your Linux distribution handles your
>> updates and your versions. That's relevant for the 1-2% of Firefox users
>> on Linux for sure.
> [...]
>
> I'm on Linux, but Firefox is one of extremely few products which I get
> straight from their original publisher, bypassing my distro's
> sotware-update system.

That's excellent. You're in good but small company there.

> However, I check for updates for all my software daily (or sometimes
> even oftener) at the time of day when it suits *my own* schedule, and I
> have no use for Firefox (or anything else) disrupting my work routine,
> either by popping up an "updates found" alert, or even by "only"
> monopolizing my bandwidth by downloading an update wihout my say-so, or,
> worse, stopping everything in order to install a new version.

Several things here. First, we're fixing Firefox to not interrupt you 
with "updates found" alert. That's hopefully going away soon.

Second, Firefox doesn't monopolize your bandwidth if you're active. It 
downloads in very small chunks with regular back-offs so what ever it is 
you're working on isn't slowed down by the update service.

Finally, it sounds like what you're asking for is simply to turn off 
unprompted Software Updates and manage them yourself.  You're completely 
free to do that. Firefox will never take away your ability to disable 
updates.

> Maybe I'm crazy, but if I weren't I wouldn't be with Linux in the first
> place, would I? I'd have remained where I started from, a serf to Lord
> Bill of the Gates, or maybe I would have gone over to the Highlands and
> indentured myself to the MacIntosh. ;-P

I over-genralized and assumed you were relying on your Linux distro for 
updates. That's how the vast majority of Linux users get their updates, 
so I don't think it was a sin to assume that. Because you don't use the 
distro update service, you are using Firefox's and Firefox's can be 
easily disabled leaving you in sole control of when Firefox updates.

- A