Firefox in the Clouds

This is probably way out there, but how about turning Firefox into a cloud browser? "Cloudfox"

The local application would be reduced to a secure shell, which runs a virtual version of Firefox directly from Mozilla servers. Personal data would be stored locally, application settings remotely.

By turning the local application into a fortified shell, whose only purpose is to maintain a secure connection between the local hardware and remote software, Firefox would exist in a limited number of "curated" distributions.

These versions would be directly available to 3rd party developers. (Adobe would not only have access to the live versions of "Cloudfox", but would become responsible for testing updates against them.)

Beyond the standardized versions would be the alpha versions for major "Cloudfox" updates. Developers would have access to these also.

Once updates are cleared, they are included into the live versions.

"Cloudfox" could be updated in near-real-time. When a user starts "Cloudfox", he logs into an account and is directed to the current live version. If a new version is introduced while a user is live, a message can be pushed for security updates. If a user declines, or the update falls below notification threshold, the current version will run for 7 days after "Cloudfox" was updated. Then the old version will be declared locked.

I'm not suggesting that people be forced to swallow a particular vision of Firefox. If people prefer a particular version, with a particular sets of older plugins, they should be able to download and configure as they please.

"Cloudfox" could exist next to standard Firefox - hassle-free.