[tor-bugs] #7495 [Firefox Patch Issues]: Create browser-based update notification mechanism

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#7495: Create browser-based update notification mechanism
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
 Reporter:  mikeperry             |          Owner:  mikeperry
     Type:  enhancement           |         Status:  new      
 Priority:  major                 |      Milestone:           
Component:  Firefox Patch Issues  |        Version:           
 Keywords:  SponsorJ tbb-bounty   |         Parent:           
   Points:                        |   Actualpoints:           
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------

Comment(by mikeperry):

 Replying to [comment:4 brade]:
 > Replying to [comment:2 mikeperry]:
 > > Hrmm.. it seems like a floating panel might be hard to distinguish
 from a CSS popup
 > > in a malicious webpage, especially since it seems bound to the
 interior of a browser
 > > window.
 > >
 > > What if we turned the Torbutton yellow, changed the tooltip text, and
 added a menu
 > > option that sent users to the update link? Would people notice this,
 or we still
 > > need a popup?
 >
 > A XUL floating panel can be moved any where on the screen.  It is a full
 native window that will always stay on top (thus making it harder to
 ignore).  It could be opened partially overlapping the toolbar area to
 make it obvious that it is not part of content.  It is still possible that
 users might confuse it with a popup window but a popup window will display
 the URL at the top.
 >
 > Changing the color and/or graphic within the Torbutton might be a good
 idea but it would be easier for people to ignore.

 The old graphic for Torbutton might be our starting point here. It has a
 yellow-grey center and a purple border. Instead of a red X, we could put a
 red up arrow and maybe an exclamation point. The menu could then have a
 bold or otherwise distinct "Update Tor Browser..." entry that links to the
 appropriate download page, with OS+Arch. The purple border + up arrow
 would satisfy the color-blind requirement, and is also quite visibly
 different.

 There is a tor.png 32x32 icon in the source. That could be a starting
 point. We can see if we can find a volunteer with a good eye to play with
 gimp/photoshop to put the up arrow on it.

 > Maybe use the popup and also change the look of the Torbutton?  That
 way, users who are unsure of the popup could close it and use the
 Torbutton menu to access the update.

 I am still wary of using the popup at all. Even if it is placed to overlap
 a non-content area of the window, we'd still be training our users to
 install software from "popups". Most users probably won't notice the
 subtle distinction of the non-content overlap ability.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/7495#comment:5>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online