"( ) Check for updates, but let you choose whether to install them"

IMO, that 'feature' doesn't work as the average user would expect it to work. It won't wait for the user to respond to the notification that an update is available. If the user happens to be "clicking" or scrolling at the exact instance that the message decides to appear, that message will end up behind the main browser window; then 10 to 12 seconds later Firefox will automatically download the update without waiting any longer.

Back in 2007 when that update feature was new to the Firefox Nightly version (a tester version for new features) which provides an update every day and I wanted to be "choose to install" the update, Well, Mon-Fri it was automatically installing the update, but on Sat & Sun it gave me the message. Took me a couple of weeks before I realized that on Mon-Fri I would immediately check my main email account, which I didn't do upon launching Firefox on the weekend. So I decided to just sit and do nothing at all with Firefox when I first launched it one weekday; lo & behold, that message appeared after Firefox had been open 15 seconds, and I noticed then that another Firefox "tab / block" was open on the Windows Task Bar. Yes, that is normal, so much so that users are so used to it that they could tend not to even notice it unless they focused on the Task Bar and not realize that Firefox was opening the message as a small window that was being diverted to behind the main browser window. I was running W2K at that time and saw the same thing when I switched to WinXP; with Win7 and later that "extra tab / block" isn't as noticeable, new windows for a running process get "stacked like playing cards" rather than open an additional "tab / block" in the Task Bar, which isn't as noticeable.

With that realization I just said No = "Never check for updates" and added manually checking for a Firefox update every day to my routine. Discussed it here in the Builds forum back then and a couple of other users confirmed by evaluation of the sequence. And a far as I have seen that hasn't changed one iota; at least up until around Firefox 39 (or so) was the Nightly version being tested. I quit testing the Nightly's around that time; was (and still am) disgruntled with the "signing" feature for add-ons. After running at the "cutting edge of Firefox development" for 12 years I took a hiatus and haven't gone back - and using primarily "ancient" versions instead to keep my add-ons (and sanity).

I find the below quote, that you posted, very interesting.

My Firefox updated a few weeks back to 55.0.3 and one add on extension that I depend on for work stopped working. I am okay with 55.0.3 except for that one issue. Would it work for me to download an older version of "FireFox portable" to run that one add on extension. I am okay not being able to run regular FireFox while portable is running. I can use other browsers during that time. If this is an option that you think might work which version you would download. I think the extensions was working with 54 and I am sure it will work with 43.0.1 as I have that on an older computer and the extension still works fine on that machine.

Thank you for taking time to reply and I, like you, need to keep my sanity.

yeto

the-edmeister said

After running at the "cutting edge of Firefox development" for 12 years I took a hiatus and haven't gone back - and using primarily "ancient" versions instead to keep my add-ons (and sanity).