# Firefox and another useless update (Pocket)



## Alice Kramden (Mar 26, 2008)

Somehow I have managed to have the "automatic update" block checked for Firefox and they have slipped in another useless (in my opinion) update which includes this new "Pocket" program, addon, or whatever. 

I have rechecked the automatic update, so maybe no more of them will arrive in the dark of night. 

This Pocket thing was the first thing to greet me this morning as I got online. 

Nothing irritates me more than when something is installed on my computer without my okaying it, so when I found this "feature" on here this morning, it got me cranky. 

I looked up how to get rid of it, and followed the instructions; about:config, browser.pocket.enabled, double click to False. Okay, that took it off my machine, but I still have the little symbol up on the bookmarks pull down menu. I want to get rid of that. How do I do it?

For those who have not yet heard of this, Pocket is a third party application that Firefox is installing by default on all FF users computers with the latest update. It is a glorified bookmarking program, and most people don't need it. They are also being paid to install it, so it is a money maker for them.

Too many gadgets and too much bloat on Firefox. 

When I get back to the house after while, I am going to do some searching to see what I can do, meanwhile could some of you more computer savvy geeks cast around and see how to get rid of this? 

I would even go back to the previous version of Firefox, as I was used to it and for gosh sakes, I wish they would leave it alone. Constant "updates" with features I neither need or want. Cheeeeze!

Gotta go get my walk made, will be back after while. 

Thanks!


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Alice Kramden said:


> I would even go back to the previous version of Firefox, as I was used to it and for gosh sakes, I wish they would leave it alone. Constant "updates" with features I neither need or want. Cheeeeze!


Every version of Firefox since 0.8:
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/

You might also check out Firefox ESR. Looks like it should be a lot more stable regarding changes, while still getting security updates. It's what I'd use, I think, if I used Windoze.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/faq/


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## Alice Kramden (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks, backwoodsman. I'll study on it and see what course may work best for me. 

Appreciate your help and the links. 

Have a pleasant day!


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

It is possible to stop the madness of the auto update. I didnt write what I did down on paper and been sometime back, but I manage to stop it at version 30. There are a whole slew of settings in about:config that you have to change. Its not just one little simple box anymore. They made it very difficult on purpose. On slow connection automated silent updates just slow everything to useless crawl and on metered broadband, they are worse leaches than ads and tracking scripts, wanting to do their thing on my dime. If you want a lighter mozilla browser, suggest PaleMoon. It also auto updates so you have to slap its knuckles with ruler too. But if I remember it was bit easier to lockdown. Still have to go into the about:config configuration file. And if you are using windows and want really light weight mozilla based browser, look at Kmeleon. I dont think it auto updates. Its been really difficult since Opera became just another Chrome clone. One basically now only has option of Firefox or Chrome far as full service browser. The small browsers dont have capability to block all the script tracking stuff. And browsers without javascript are next to useless.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disable-auto-update/?src=search I dont know how well this addon/extension works. But hey worth a try if you dont want spend lot time in about:config looking for all the hidden items to turn off.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I have a major rant about update hell, that is a subset of a rant on how good ideas get broken over time due to people meddling and updating and "adding features."


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

Go to 
Tools >> Add-ons and look in there (under Plugins or Extensions?) for Pocket and disable it. You may be surprised by what other add-ons/Extensions are living in your FireFox


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## Alice Kramden (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks, guys. Auto update is unchecked. Add-ons show only what I have installed. 

I messed up a computer a long time ago messing with stuff I didn't know or understand. Research and recommendations are welcome, as well as what I can google-fu on the 'net. 

Youtube keeps driving me to distraction with their utterly stupid automatic playing of videos. No video should start to play, anywhere on anything until one has clicked on it to start it. I'm not talking about the autoplay where you move the button at the top right. I'm talking about whatever video comes up starts playing. You don't have time to read the comments to see if you want to watch a movie, it has already started and you have to pause it to see if it is one you want to watch. 

I had installed flash stopper, and it worked wonderfully up until the other day. I guess youtube found a way around it. 

I get tired of having to fight to stop autoplay, on everything. You find something that works to keep it from happening, then suddenly it reverts back to blaring out and playing. Then, you spend time and get aggravated trying to find something that works to stop it again. 

Why youtube, and google, want to force videos I cannot understand. From the comments online it is clear that no one anywhere likes the autoplay. 

Just a rant, the internet is getting more and more complicated and I don't like it.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Nobody likes the useless "most relevant" search default on Ebay either. I am still not sure how that choice actually decides how to sort results. Results are meaningless to me and rarely show lowest item+shipping result. Maybe sellers pay to get their item listed first when shown that way?? But they ignore any complaints. So have to click several times for something I should just be able to set permanently according to lowest item+shipping price.


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## rzrubek (May 13, 2004)

Alice you can turn auto play off look in upper right area for on/off button


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## Alice Kramden (Mar 26, 2008)

That is not the autoplay that is so irking. It is the automatic playing of any video when you click on it to bring it up. It starts playing soon as it loads. I want time to look at the comments or to study what has come up on the right hand side of the page before I start watching anything. Nothing should play until I click the play button.

I've got the autoplay button turned off soon as I go to Youtube. That stops the next video in the rotation. It does not stop anything else from playing as soon as it loads. 

Say I'm going to watch some Roy Rogers movies. Go to, for example, "Sunset in the Desert". It starts playing. Hit pause while I look at whats on the right. Decide I'd rather watch "Along the Navajo Trail" instead. Click to bring it up and it starts playing.

It should not play until I click on the play button. No video anywhere should play until the play button is pushed. Like I said, Flash Stopper used to work, but after they updated the other day, it quit working. I've got an add on installed, "Next Vid Stopper", and it turns off the autoplay up in the corner. 

This is just a sore point with me as it seems like Google/Youtube want to control what you watch to the point of ramming it down your throat. 

Rant over, thanks for bearing with me.:cowboy:


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