Is automatic update too overdone?

It's undeniable that every programmer's code has loopholes, although this sounds unpleasant, but it's not their fault —— look at the complex software development platforms now understand Errors are inevitable. What matters is that the programmer must take steps to correct the error before it causes any harm. Automatically pushing users to security patches is the fastest way to fix vulnerabilities, but be careful: it's easy to overdo it —— just like Microsoft.

A typical example is Internet Explorer. For a long time, Microsoft's browser has been targeted by various malware and attacks due to its tolerant design and a series of seemingly endless security holes. To this end, Microsoft released an important IE security update in mid-April. This should be something to celebrate, Microsoft developers are doing a good job, it can be said that this security vulnerability has been closed.

This update is not just another security patch, but a new, major version upgrade for Internet Explorer 8—— Users who agree to install will find that it replaces the old version of IE. Disagree users ……. Well, no way, then you must dare to ignore this "critical security update". Make your own decisions.

IE8 sets a new standard

Microsoft has a strong reason to do this because older browsers don't conform to the W3C standard —— that is, the site standard that everyone often says (Site Standard). With IE8, Microsoft can twist the arms of every IE user to upgrade to the latest version, creating a new de facto standard on the Windows platform. IE8 is currently the most compliant version of the update. For web developers, this may be a boon.

Again, IE8's insistence on standards means that it will not work exactly the same as IE7, IE6 or IE5. Whether you like it or not, there are already too many enterprise applications that have written the unique quirks of these older browsers. Therefore, Microsoft can't blame others, except for themselves, after all, it publishes these browsers that do not meet security requirements. In order to make Windows backward compatible, Microsoft has invested hugely. It has been criticized for compatibility in Microsoft. Microsoft executives said that IE has been developed for more than a decade and has gone through multiple versions. The inconsistency between standards and web development standards has led IE to become more and more "duplicate" in order to be compatible with historical versions. "So for IE, instead of constantly releasing patches, launching a new version now looks Is the best way.

Unfortunately, comparing IE to Windows is a bit overkill. The once popular "web surfing" phrase has long lost its original meaning. Today's browsers are becoming more and more complex, allowing users to connect to a variety of online applications and run them on a PC desktop. They themselves have become a complete software platform. In fact, if the functionality of the browser continues to improve, the familiar desktop operating system may eventually lose its meaning. Therefore, Microsoft dares to test the water here in the browser is also a certain risk to its Windows.

Automatic updates are easy to go too far

However, there will still be bugs. In the old days, customers needed to check the vendor's website regularly to find new security patches themselves. In the best case, they can subscribe to the newsletter. Even so, they must download the update themselves after downloading. Microsoft's Windows Update feature is an important step in the right direction, followed by Firefox 1.5 and other automatic update features.

However, automatic updates are easy to go too far. It's not just that Microsoft is secretly challenging the bottom line that users can accept. Google's Chrome is also the same. For example, Google's update service runs in the background, silently downloading and installing a new version of the browser without the user's knowledge. Google’s approach “inspired” others! Apple’s approach is almost considered to be the worst, as it attempts to install Safari silently for QuickTime users under Windows, regardless of whether they are interested in trying a New Browsers

Fortunately, IE8 updates are more graceful than the original ones. Even if you download automatic updates, you must explicitly confirm that you want to install it. And if you decide to abandon and remove it via the Control Panel Add/Remove Program, then after rebooting, you will find that you are just back to the previous version of IE—— IE8 has not been deleted, but is hiding, not It will cause harm and there will be no foul. [Some friends will mistakenly think that IE8 is uninstallable, but it is not the case. In the latest Windows 7 Build 7048, open the control panel programs and functions, enter the Windows function to open or close, wait a moment in the program service list After seeing Internet Explorer 8, you only need to select it and confirm it, the system will reboot, configure and restart again, then IE8 will be "not seen". Note that this is not an uninstall. 】

Of course, software vendors need to find a balance between automatically handling security updates and user collaboration. Users have the right to know which software is being installed on their computer for what reason. At the same time, they also have the responsibility to get their computers with the latest security patches so they don't become victims of botnets, worms and other malware.

Pre-prompt?

Perhaps the problem now is that the software vendor does not provide enough information to the user to make the right choice. Perhaps each software update should give the user an easy-to-understand explanation before installation. Is it possible to look like this:

Dear User: We have a small problem. When we write the software you are using now, we think it's really perfect. But we are wrong, it contains some bugs, and criminals on the Internet may use them. If you continue to use it, every time you use your computer, the system may be vulnerable to spyware, viruses, identity theft, and some worse. The patch we now provide to you will address these weaknesses —— we think so, but there is one more condition: it will change some of the software's features and behavior, so it may not work in the previous way. It may also no longer be compatible with the software that was previously compatible, which may mean that you will not be able to use the software. Of course, everything will be chosen by you.

However, I don't know what is going on, I seriously doubt that such a prompt will not be approved by the marketing department ……