So, Firefox decided to drop support for “old technology” plugins… Since I could not find web-extension updates for some of my required plugins or they are not ready yet (e.g. Tab Mix Plus, now called Tab Mix – Links)…

Easy-peasy: install ESR 52.9.0, then disable auto-updates… Done!

Not quite… I booted my PC this morning only to find Firefox, flicking a big middle finger to all its advanced users, had ignored my settings to not auto update – and proceeded to update itself to ESR 60.2…

Obviously, this got me royally pissed as I had to waste time rolling back and setting it up as I originally chose (i.e. no updates); and so I wasted some time to track down and neuter their update capabilities once and for all.

So:

1. uninstall Firefox ESR 60.2
2. grab Firefox ESR 52.9.0
3. install it
4. assuming you are running Windows, disable the “Mozilla Maintenance Service” from the Services Control Panel (e.g. run services.msc):
   
5. then, give Mozilla the middle finger in return by ensuring the maintenanceservice.exe, maintenanceservice_installer.exe and updater.exe executables are zero-bytes (and write-protected if you want to go a step further):
   

This effectively kills the auto-updater. Even attempting to update manually via the “Help > About Firefox” will fail:

To all Microsoft, browser and UI/UX developers: never, ever, assume that you know better than I on how I work – even if you have a “great new idea” – make sure that it is optional (or reversible) – because that great new idea of yours may not be (read: usually is not) so great after all.

<RANT>

Examples? Here are some for starters:

• Microsoft Office Ribbon Interface:
  • takes more mouse clicks to get the same thing done as before (but because, you know, everyone uses a 8″ tablet on a train to do “real work”, so, you know, you need large buttons that fingers can’t miss – but oh, never mind that the menus are still too small to press on, or that some people do not know how to cApTalise)
  • split-brain mentality (e.g. File “menu” vs. every other menu “Ribbon”; made worse when clicking on the “Properties” button where available)
• Windows 8 and 10’s new UI:
  • split-brain mentality (good ‘ol Control Panel vs. “Flatulant Fluent Design” Settings pane – e.g. detailed changes to power options uses three different UI patterns, or the stupid default to not show the scroll bar until you hover over it – like, people will know there is more beyond the bottom edge, right?)

</RANT>