Keep a Backup Copy of Firefox v2 and v3 close – The Auto Upgrades Hurt

Every time I start up firefox and see a screen that says, You’ve been updated to the latest version of Firefox, I instantly think, "I’ve been F*43Fo#ed!” (I’ve been Firefoxed).

As great as Firefox is, the auto updates really suck.    The thing is that so many of us use 3rd party add-ons, plugins, extensions whatever it is you want to call them, that when an upgrade comes, you are more than likely to lose some essential tool from your browser.

Ironically, I got the message above when I opened a new Firefox window, while another was already open with 20 tabs open or something.  So I’m even wondering if my tools will work in the previously opened tabs or not!

The only fix I know of is to keep a copy of the Firefox install for older versions close at hand.  I keep version 2 and version 3.  (There are still some great add-ons for V2 that still don’t work in FFv3.)

What I’d really like is a Firefox that had the ability to temporarily roll back if it found a add-on or plugin in conflict.  Truth be told if Firefox does not work with my plugin yet, I don’t want it.  I want to wait until the plugin gets its upgrade too!

Now, I know that would probably trigger a disintegration of the internet as we know it because few plugin authors would then feel the need to actually update their plugin code for the new version.  That is the peril of open source afterall.  The central software program doesn’t have the money to push developers along and get them on the same version page.  So the user ends up suffering a bit. 

Its not like things are so bad that people are giving up and moving back to IE6-8.  But there might come a day, when people are damned well fed up with this situation and then that new monopoly in browser town (chrome) might be waiting in the wings to dethrone the champ.

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