Author Topic: Firefox ... doing odd things  (Read 2777 times)

robgul

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Firefox ... doing odd things
« on: 15 November, 2011, 10:14:02 am »
Anyone else with issues ?   Installed Firefox 8 last week as an upgrade - now seems to make the browser act inconsistently .. especially it seems with Java related stuff.

Examples : 1) My Joomla sites don't recognise menu requests in the admin area.  2)  I tried to book a hotel room on the Kyriad website, no reaction from the input boxes.    Tried both with IE8 ... no problem.

[I'm expecting a deluge of "use Chrome" messages ... I'm going to, but it does seem to take over rather more than I like a browser to do so]

Rob

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #1 on: 15 November, 2011, 10:28:36 am »
I am no using FF8 for anything yet.
I can't always get yacf to load properly with FF on Windows xp on one computer or Vista on another.
OK with ie though.

GraemeMcC

  • CaptainContours
Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #2 on: 15 November, 2011, 12:37:18 pm »
Anyone else with issues ?   Installed Firefox 8 last week as an upgrade - now seems to make the browser act inconsistently .. especially it seems with Java related stuff.

My update installed itself last night.
I noticed that all of the my previous Java add-ons have been disabled - pending repacement with compatible sets?
FF8 did auto-update my Lavafox Theme and my Netcraft add-on though, since they are marked as being compatible.

Haven't played much with it yet, but it was bloomin' fast getting into my Virgin webmail accounts! :thumbsup:
Will see what happens when I try more online car insurance shopping tonight... ::-)
PBP 2011: 1234 km by Nr. 5678 in < 90 hrs. Most auspicious...

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #3 on: 15 November, 2011, 01:31:29 pm »
Anyone else with issues ?   Installed Firefox 8 last week as an upgrade - now seems to make the browser act inconsistently .. especially it seems with Java related stuff.

Examples : 1) My Joomla sites don't recognise menu requests in the admin area.  2)  I tried to book a hotel room on the Kyriad website, no reaction from the input boxes.    Tried both with IE8 ... no problem.
That sounds like its nothing to do with Java. Though it may be JavaScript related.
What add-ons are you using? Tried disabling all of them?

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #4 on: 15 November, 2011, 10:13:44 pm »
I had an issue with FF crashing every 20 mins. restarted in safe mode & it was fine.

Uninstalled deleting all settings etc. reinstalled & it's still the same. No addons have been installed.

In conclusion, I've given up & now use Chrome!

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #5 on: 15 November, 2011, 10:18:00 pm »

In conclusion, I've given up & now use Chrome!

+2

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #6 on: 15 November, 2011, 10:29:24 pm »
Is this why firefox 3.6 appears to be all that the ubuntu repositories are upgrading me to?     Phil ridiculed me the other week for being on old software that couldn't get google to do a barrell roll, but if older proven technology is stable, I'd rather stick with that  ;D

GraemeMcC

  • CaptainContours
Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #7 on: 17 November, 2011, 12:40:31 pm »
I still keep FF 3.6.x on the desktop - it's easy to find things in the cache (not that I'd be wanting to copy any mp3 files or the like for my own use... :facepalm:)
FF5+ has a rather convoluted cache distribution system.

But did my online car insurance stuff off the laptop via FF8. Seems to work fine. Can't blame FF because the price quotes kept jumping (upwards!)
PBP 2011: 1234 km by Nr. 5678 in < 90 hrs. Most auspicious...

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #8 on: 17 November, 2011, 12:45:13 pm »
I have been finding it very unstable for a while now

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #9 on: 17 November, 2011, 12:47:44 pm »
I'm getting really annoyed with Firefox changing or refusing to remember my settings.

I have remember passwords and form and history turned on, and all updates turned off. But every time I start Firefox, it changes them to the opposite.

GraemeMcC

  • CaptainContours
Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #10 on: 17 November, 2011, 05:38:37 pm »
What OS are you using?

My lappie with FF8 on Win7 is okay thus far, and was for FF5 & FF7 too.
Or, have you other programs (anti-spyware, etc) with over-ride settings?
IIRC, SpywareBlaster (and Spybot S&D) have anti-tamper settings, so these could be "correcting" anything FF tries to overlay.

I did have an add-on theme for a while on FF5 which was giving grief, so ditched that (can't recall which though - wasn't Lavafox but was similar) and all returned to normal.
PBP 2011: 1234 km by Nr. 5678 in < 90 hrs. Most auspicious...

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #11 on: 17 November, 2011, 08:58:08 pm »
What OS are you using?

My lappie with FF8 on Win7 is okay thus far, and was for FF5 & FF7 too.
Or, have you other programs (anti-spyware, etc) with over-ride settings?
IIRC, SpywareBlaster (and Spybot S&D) have anti-tamper settings, so these could be "correcting" anything FF tries to overlay.

I did have an add-on theme for a while on FF5 which was giving grief, so ditched that (can't recall which though - wasn't Lavafox but was similar) and all returned to normal.

Win XP and Ubuntu 11.04.

I don't think it's to do with any anti-malware progs.

It seems Firefox "phones" home and checks the settings and changes them. It also changes them during browsing, after I've had Firefox open for a while. I've had this happen on various versions of Firefox: 3.xxxx, 5, 6, Tor Browser, portable Firefox.

I've even gone into about:config and changed the update http addresses, and I still get the update nag pop-up box.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #12 on: 17 November, 2011, 09:05:04 pm »
Last few days all FF updates failed - even the two attempted manual ones.  Still using FF, but I don't think it's updated. 

edit.   nope, still v7
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #13 on: 17 November, 2011, 10:14:25 pm »
I'm on Ubuntu 10.04 and was upgraded to Firefox 8 earlier in the week, so far its worked faultlessly.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #14 on: 18 November, 2011, 12:15:09 pm »
I'm on Ubuntu 10.04 and was upgraded to Firefox 8 earlier in the week, so far its worked faultlessly.

Interesting.....     I'm also on 10.04 but FF still on 3.6

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #15 on: 18 November, 2011, 12:25:33 pm »
FF8 on XP desktop has been a bit sluggish since upgrading a couple of days ago. Java Console was disabled for incompatibility.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #16 on: 18 November, 2011, 03:17:05 pm »
I'm on Ubuntu 10.04 and was upgraded to Firefox 8 earlier in the week, so far its worked faultlessly.

Interesting.....     I'm also on 10.04 but FF still on 3.6

If I click on help then on About Firefox it tells me I'm on Firefox 8 and that I'm currently on the Update Channel

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #17 on: 18 November, 2011, 03:28:49 pm »
Oh I don't doubt that you're on 8.  I'm just confused as to why I kept getting "you've been updated to the latest version" messages, yet I'm still on 3.6 when I thought it was all set to automatically update when required.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #18 on: 18 November, 2011, 03:32:04 pm »
Oh I don't doubt that you're on 8.  I'm just confused as to why I kept getting "you've been updated to the latest version" messages, yet I'm still on 3.6 when I thought it was all set to automatically update when required.

Yes it does seem strange, I would have thought it would keep you on the latest one automatically.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #19 on: 18 November, 2011, 04:34:49 pm »
Nutty is running Ubuntu. Most Linux distributions do not update packages to new versions at all within the distribution release. On Windows Firefox updater gets the latest package direct from Mozilla on Linux it doesn't work like that.
The distribution (in this case Ubuntu) will add crucial bug and security fixes to a package such as Firefox but they wont change you to a new version. These fixes are what Nutty is getting.
If he upgraded to Ubuntu 11:10 he would get Firefox 7 I think as that was what was current at release.
If you want to have the latest versions of any program you need to install them yourself on Linux (eg download a universal Linux binary from Mozilla) or use a distribution that has a rolling release rather than twice yearly (or whatever)  snapshots.  Arch is a completely rolling release and SuSE has a rolling version as well. But remember that this will upgrade everything not just specific packages (the kernel and other essential bits as well)  so don't cry if something breaks.
With Ubuntu some packages can be updated to the latest version whilst not changing the whole shebang by subscribing to a PPA where debs for the latest versions are posted.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #20 on: 18 November, 2011, 04:40:31 pm »
I'm on 10.04 with FF 3.6.24. Everything works great but a few months ago I updated  FF and my computer started to freeze like hell. I cleared FF out of the system and used a 3.6 download from the FF website. It installed automatically.

Now FF only updates version 3.6 :thumbsup:
"100% PURE FREAKING AWESOME"

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #21 on: 18 November, 2011, 05:15:11 pm »
Nutty is running Ubuntu. Most Linux distributions do not update packages to new versions at all within the distribution release. On Windows Firefox updater gets the latest package direct from Mozilla on Linux it doesn't work like that.
The distribution (in this case Ubuntu will add crucial bug and security fixes to a package such as Firefox but they wont change you to a new version. These fixes are what Nutty is getting.
If he upgraded to Ubuntu 11:10 he would get Firefox 7 I think as that was what was current at release.
If you want to have the latest versions of any program you need to install them yourself on Linux (eg download a universal Linux binary from Mozilla) or use a distribution that has a rolling release rather than twice yearly (or whatever)  snapshots.  Arch is a completely rolling release and SuSE has a rolling version as well. But remember that this will upgrade everything not just specific packages (the kernel and other essential bits as well)  so don't cry if something breaks.
With Ubuntu some packages can be updated to the latest version whilst not changing the whole shebang by subscribing to a PPA where debs for the latest versions are posted.

So the fact that I'm getting automatic updates is down to the way my PPA's are working.

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #22 on: 18 November, 2011, 06:18:11 pm »
Brilliant.   Thanks for the clear explanation there :)

I'll stop worrying that I'm on outdated software, and stick with what seems to be stable and "just work".

Re: Firefox ... doing odd things
« Reply #23 on: 18 November, 2011, 06:37:35 pm »
So the fact that I'm getting automatic updates is down to the way my PPA's are working.

I would think so.

ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable

Gets you the latest Firefox direct from Mozilla every time you do an "apt-get update" or if you have auto update set to on.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.