I'm amazed this is allowed on hacker news. Anytime I've said anything remotely critical of Firefox it has been flagged and removed from here.
Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
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Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’d say “allowing the code to run on the host computer” is way less confusing for the less technical people than “allowing the code to run outside the sandbox”. Most people have absolutely no idea what sandboxing means.
IHMO lying / being vague is never good when trying to educate someone. Non-technical people are not dumb and can understand what a sandbox is.
How would they know what it is if nobody explains it to them? It's not like the term is obvious.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#13I'm amazed this is allowed on hacker news. Anytime I've said anything remotely critical of Firefox it has been flagged and removed from here.
Perhaps it's the way you say it, rather than what you say?
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’d say “allowing the code to run on the host computer” is way less confusing for the less technical people than “allowing the code to run outside the sandbox”. Most people have absolutely no idea what sandboxing means.
IHMO lying / being vague is never good when trying to educate someone. Non-technical people are not dumb and can understand what a sandbox is.
Have you ever read a summary of a license or a legal document? It's the same idea.
Simplifying terms and using approximations so that the uninitiated can understand is not lying, it's good communication. We can't use jargon all the time.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#15I'm amazed this is allowed on hacker news. Anytime I've said anything remotely critical of Firefox it has been flagged and removed from here.
There's a steady stream of criticism from other users that is not getting flagged (and is often highly upvoted). Consider contacting the mods using the footer link to ask what they think might be different about your comments that results in HN readers flagging them.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#16> But researchers found that the bug could allow malicious JavaScript to run outside of the browser on the host computer. The phrasing may unfortunately mislead the less technical readers of their audience. JavaScript always runs “on the host computer”, this should be described as a sandbox escape.
I’d say “allowing the code to run on the host computer” is way less confusing for the less technical people than “allowing the code to run outside the sandbox”. Most people have absolutely no idea what sandboxing means.
You can still cut the jargon and tell the essence. E.g. "the exploit allows malicious code to run without the confines of the browser, giving it access to everything the user normally has access to".
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
IHMO lying / being vague is never good when trying to educate someone. Non-technical people are not dumb and can understand what a sandbox is.
How would they know what it is if nobody explains it to them? It's not like the term is obvious.
Not knowing something is better than "knowing" something false.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#18I'm amazed this is allowed on hacker news. Anytime I've said anything remotely critical of Firefox it has been flagged and removed from here.
Complaining about getting flagged or downvoted makes it likely to be flagged or downvoted, on HN or elsewhere. Your comment doesn't even say anything negative about Firefox, it's just vague complaining.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#19Use noscript. It's possibly one of the best add-ons out there now.
Re: Mozilla says a new Firefox security bug is under active attack
#20Can anyone confirm if 73.0b3 includes the same fix?
Their "what's new" link in the beta's About window doesn't track with the beta release cycle. There's no revision listed, so I think the notes are for 73.0b1 still? At any rate, there's no mention of any security fixes.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/73.0beta/releasenotes/