Google report says silent updates boosts browser security

[clevin]

http://www.thetechherald.com/articl...-Using-silent-updates-boosts-browser-security

according to google's count

97 percent of Chrome users were running the current release within 21 days (at the time the release version was 1.0.154.48), Firefox users hit a high of 85 percent within 21 days of version 3.0.8, Safari users with version 3.1.x earned a maximum of 53 percent, while those on 3.2.x faired considerably lower in rank.
...
Opera scored the lowest of the tested browsers. Three weeks after a new release, only 24 percent of Opera users were updated to the newest version.

of course, googel Chrome

will look for an update every five hours, and download and install it without informing the user. According to the paper, as of April 2009, the user has no control over this process, cannot disable the updates and, in most cases, a browser restart isn’t needed

Pros and cons, decide for yourself.

 

[benthewraith]

Seems very easily exploitable. And also, Google really doesn't have any business installing and/or updating software without my consent...

 

[Diseal3]

I would at least like to be notified that google is doing this rather then raping my machine.

 

[Abstract]

This information isn't very meaningful.

People who bother to download and use Google Chrome are more likely to be tech freaks anyway. It's like saying more Windows 7 beta testers were into technology than the average home user. Well duh.

Some may argue that Firefox users are the same, except that's not really true. FF is far more mainstream, and some people have adopted FF simply because they read an article in the newspaper or magazine about the advantages of Firefox. Even my stepdad uses Firefox. He heard that it was supposed to be better, although he doesn't really know why (nor does he care).

The only surprise is Opera being so far down the list. I'm not surprised by the slow rate of updates by Safari users.

 

[clevin]

This information isn't very meaningful.

People who bother to download and use Google Chrome are more likely to be tech freaks anyway. It's like saying more Windows 7 beta testers were into technology than the average home user. Well duh.

although you have a point there, I don't think what you mentioned is a significant reason for the number.

You have to assume that tech savy users do update themselves very diligently. Which may be true to a certain degree, but I doubt that can cover everybody.

I do think silent update is a major reason for chrome users using most up to date browser. But Its strange to see that chrome is not doing 100%, if the silent update is compulsory and non-negotiable.

Plus, I think firefox is doing it as best it can within reasonable boundary, it allow users to disable auto updates, and it always remind users about the update. Google is stepping across the boundary a bit. I'm not sure people will be comfortable with it, I know I am not.

 

[MikhailT]

although you have a point there, I don't think what you mentioned is a significant reason for the number.

You have to assume that tech savy users do update themselves very diligently. Which may be true to a certain degree, but I doubt that can cover everybody.

I do think silent update is a major reason for chrome users using most up to date browser. But Its strange to see that chrome is not doing 100%, if the silent update is compulsory and non-negotiable.

Plus, I think firefox is doing it as best it can within reasonable boundary, it allow users to disable auto updates, and it always remind users about the update. Google is stepping across the boundary a bit. I'm not sure people will be comfortable with it, I know I am not.

not strange, more surprised its 97%. The reason it wouldn't be strange is that some people don't use chrome daily and may have stopped using it. Or uses Chrome just for site testing and don't open it all the time.

 

[mkrishnan]

I do think silent update is a major reason for chrome users using most up to date browser. But Its strange to see that chrome is not doing 100%, if the silent update is compulsory and non-negotiable.

Is it perhaps because of users who infrequently run their copies but happen to be running it on the day of checking? And/or, how does Chrome deal with administrative privileges?

Granted presumably hardly any managed installations probably have Google Chrome on them, one of my biggest annoyances with the rapid stream of updates (speaking of culprits, why on Earth does Acrobat seemingly need to install an update every other week or so?) is using automatic updaters that seem to have no concept of user privileges. So I am constantly getting annoying pop-ups from Acrobat for upgrades I cannot install on my work PC and which my IT department for whatever reason has not deigned to roll out.

So here is kind of a tough one for me... does Google Chrome allow automatic updating of code from non-administrative accounts (in whatever OS... e.g. without needing to log in as an administrator in Windows, without needing to provide admin authentication in OS X, without needing to provide a sudo password in Linux, etc)? If so, that seems like it will not fly well with managed installations. If not, then it won't maintain that 97% when it hits a broader class of PCs, anyway.