Filed under: Internet, OS Updates, Troubleshooting
What are your updating habits?
I use Firefox for work. I interface with Blogsmith, our CMS, using Firefox. I use my primary email in Firefox. I eschew multiple plugins and add-ons because I want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of the "main window" to my work world. Today I see that there's a 3.0.6 update -- but I'm not updating yet.Why? Because I don't trust it. Until I poke around and see that my (few) additions to the browser work, and that something serious didn't crop up, I'm not sold. And why is that? Let's just paraphrase: "burned a thousand times, now shy." This is true of OS updates, sadly. My primary work machine is a Mac, and there have been times when Apple has pushed updates that make things worse. Just recently I updated Safari, and now rendering is much slower than before. I have no idea why, nor will I ever, because by the next time I update, it might be fixed. Or it might get worse.
The question of web apps updating themselves automatically is another debate (which we'll get to soon enough). But my question is: how often do YOU update? Every point update? Do you investigate the update first, or do you just click and do it? Plus, are you less skeptical of paid updates to software? And is there an app that you've let sit, un-updated, for years because you happen to dislike the current features or interface? Sound off in the comments.
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Erik said 12:34PM on 2-04-2009
Day to day updates are one area that Ubuntu absolutely *shines*
All of your apps are handled centrally, and the default setup will generally only push out security and bug fixes. You can then go to the application authors to stay cutting edge on specific apps that you like to use with newer features.
Best of both worlds IMO.
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Nic Moon said 12:36PM on 2-04-2009
Everyone of my addons was allowed "updated" or already set to function. And if your really worried you can use Nightly Tester Tools (90% of the time updates won't affect it).
PS this update includes updates to firefox that make updates work even better (such as Adblock-Plus).
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Tony2X said 12:39PM on 2-04-2009
I have pretty aggressive updating habits. Most of my machines are running Win7 at the moment with only my primary desktop still on Vista. But then I do work for a software company who uses us (the great workers) to test software before it gets into your sticky paws.
Most of the time it works out for me but heed my warning, backup now and backup often. Dogfooding can sometimes lead to tears.
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Erik Sagen said 12:42PM on 2-04-2009
Well, thanks no doubt to Steam, I really don't think twice about updating but I do read the release notes.
If there are adverse effects due to an update (in most cases this is related to video card drivers) then I just roll back.
Yet, there are times when I won't update because and you mentioned this, the program itself is running just fine and it's possible that there's nothing update-worthy in the changelog/release notes. Conversely, there are times when I'll just update it anyways because the fixed bugs are worth it.
Case in point: Realmac just updated Little Snapper for the first time since it was released. The updates were okay, but the bug fixes (like improving support for snapping from non-Safari browsers) were significant.
To each his own, I guess.
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Haplo said 12:45PM on 2-04-2009
The only time when I do some serious research is when updating bios and drivers. Normally, graphics drivers only make old games worse ;)
I even auto-update some of my wordpress blogs.
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techandlife said 12:47PM on 2-04-2009
I agree. I'm not an early adopter either. I've covered this in a recent blog post if anyone is interested:
http://www.techandlife.com/2008/09/upgrading-software-early-adoption/
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Jash Sayani said 12:52PM on 2-04-2009
My Habits:
1. ALWAYS BACKUP
2. ALWAYS CHECK THE BACKUP (Learnt is recently when my backup was corrupted after a format and Windows 7 installation).
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Fred said 12:56PM on 2-04-2009
I let updates come and go as they please on all apps I own. The only difference is drivers. I was burnt too many times on my old 4850 crossfire setup to trust drivers without giving them a week to bake in public.
But app/OS updates are installed asap.
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LySiNe said 12:58PM on 2-04-2009
I run Firefox nighty builds as my main browser. I think that says enough about me.
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minibar said 1:25PM on 2-04-2009
does anyone know how to get a non-alphanumeric downloadsquad password?
960d511e (completely altered) is annoying.
where did my profile go from years past so i can correct this mistake of humanity?
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Muffin_man said 2:28PM on 2-04-2009
Use password remembering software. (or Firefox)
Jordy said 2:32PM on 2-04-2009
I never update any Apple things either, they nearly always make things worse and rarely offer anything worth updating for (This is for Windows)
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Dashifen said 2:40PM on 2-04-2009
I upgrade pretty much weekly using tools like SUMo (http://sumo.en.softonic.com/) and if it happens automagically, that's even better.
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minibar said 2:44PM on 2-04-2009
thanks muffin for having that avatar which clued me in to click on the almost rss looking symbol in my post.
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TurboFool said 3:24PM on 2-04-2009
I update pretty darn frequently and constantly. I always prefer to be on the newest version.
As for Firefox, though, I think your concern is unfounded. Add-ons generally don't break with .0.x upgrades. They break with .x upgrades, but the ones that amount to security releases are within the range that it doesn't care about. They mark compatibility based on the range they're compatible with, not specific versions. I've never run into an add-on that stopped working with one of these. Now from, say, 2.0 to 2.5, or 2.5 to 3.0, or 3.0 to 3.1, then yes, definitely, and it's given me pause when upgrading in the past (and slowed me down from allowing my mother to upgrade), but the low-level ones? Nah.
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Andrew said 6:55PM on 2-04-2009
Personally, I don't worry too much about updates. Firefox tells me when it needs an update, Windows lets me know via the Update Center; most of the important programs are smart enough to do it on their own. My anti-virus programs update themselves when I perform weekly maintenance and repair.
For the ones that aren't, I pay close attention to the new of the tech world -- sites like this. If I hear about a potential security risk of an old version, or some fancy new features, I update manually. Other than that, I let things stay as they are.
This philosophy seems to work pretty well.
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USGroup1 said 7:59PM on 2-04-2009
It's funny, I just updated my Firefox to 3.06 and pages now seems to be loading a little slower :)!
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Bryan Price said 8:59PM on 2-04-2009
Firefox release I always download and install unless it's a major release. But I've also been using the nightly betas on my portable install, and I always upgrade pronto with that. I figure if a build goes nuts, I still have my installed version to fall back on. And I'm really digging the 3.1 even at prebeta.
Then again, I'm digging the Windows 7 beta as well.
:-p
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Aniruddh said 6:24AM on 2-05-2009
Well I'm a Update hunger..as soon as I'm getting updates i do install in my PC but I also do check release notes and other info after that only I update my PC..
But one of my friend who don't have Internet connection who always take software's from me which i download from Internet he use that and until something bad happen to it like software corrupt or something like that, after that only he gonna come again..so here he dint care for update and he not facing any kind of problem...even his computer is not updated for Microsoft updates and still it working great...
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Rex said 10:05AM on 2-05-2009
the first thing I do every day is run
sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude upgrade
on Konsole ;-)
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