ID: IRCNE2011081214
Date: 2011-08-13
According to “Computerworld”, starting with Firefox 8, Mozilla will automatically block browser add-ons installed by other software until users approve them.
Software-bundled add-ons have been a problem for Firefox users, who have sometimes been surprised to find browser extensions show up on their machines without their consent. An add-on included with Skype, for example, caused such a high number of browser crashes that Mozilla added it to a list of banned extensions last January. And in 2009, an add-on that Microsoft silently slipped into Firefox left browser users open to attack, a fact that Microsoft itself admitted.
"While some of these applications seek the user's permission beforehand, others install add-ons into Firefox without checking to make sure the user actually wants them," said Justin Scott, product manager for add-ons, on a Mozilla company blog.
Scott ticked off numerous issues with such add-ons, ranging from slowing down Firefox's startup and page loading times to not keeping up with Firefox's feature and security updates. "Most importantly, they take the user out of control of their add-ons," Scott said. Changes slated for Firefox 8, which will hit Mozilla's "Aurora" preview channel next week and is scheduled to release in final form on Nov. 8, will return control to users, argued Scott.
If Firefox 8 finds that another program has installed an add-on, the browser will automatically disable it until the user has agreed to its installation. "Users that want the functionality provided by a third-party-installed add-on can easily allow the installation.
Previously-installed add-ons will also be tagged when users upgrade to Firefox 8, and won't be enabled until the user explicitly agrees.
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