New extension icon confusion, 1Password updates

Drew_AG

This discussion was created from comments split from: 1Password 'key icon' is missing from FireFox Toolbar.

Iwouldrathernot

lost 1PW with firefox update
nuisance to restart
I don't know. How bad would it be to lose all my passwords?

Agree with icon change coments
Change for change sake is a PITA.
I use the MAC version too big deal they are/were different
Remember , a lot of folks changed to 1PW when the competition became a nuisance

littlebobbytables

Hi @Iwouldrathernot,

While you are certainly free to agree that the icon change isn't to your taste, in the end the original poster never lost the 1Password icon, they just hadn't expected it to change on them. I only mention this as at the start of your post you say

lost 1PW with firefox update
nuisance to restart
I don't know. How bad would it be to lose all my passwords?

So I would like to verify if you're posting just to express your opinion on the icon (which you're entitled to do) or if you're looking for assistance with an issue. I just wouldn't want to misinterpret your post as a comment on the aesthetics of 1Password and miss that there is a request for support. If you need assistance with a problem we're here to help :smile:

Iwouldrathernot

Sorry if my post was a bit hard to follow.
The fourm software put several things on the same line and I lost punctuation between points.

I have a concern over the continual process of software updating.
The addition of new features and changes in OS present a process requiring continually updating
that often threatens to crash an otherwise stable process.

This presents both security and stability issues for me.

It would be very helpful to be notified that changes have been made and the significance that the changes create
Or at least have a fast and ready reference to new changes.

With the last Firefox update, 1password disappeared on my Win7 machine,
and when it reappeared after a reinstallation, it changed the interface.

I am capable at this point of figuring it out, though it is a monstrous nuisance
The two most important features of a password program are security and stability, and it threatened both of those directly

I find one password clearly a premium product, but I would gladly trade features for stability and security
If it is going to come and go, requiring periodic reinstallation, then it would be very useful to be brought on board to that process before it happens.

Having a new icon that has not been previously introduced ,appear
changing my process for maintaining information and security,
was not exactly an inspiring process.
No, it was an anxiety producing, complicated nuisance.

Iwouldrathernot

Help should not consist of
"Troll around on the Internet and see if you can find someone who seems to describe a similar problem"

hawkmoth

@Iwouldrathernot - Perhaps knowing where the release notes are published might help?

Mac: https://app-updates.agilebits.com/product_history/OPM4

Windows: https://app-updates.agilebits.com/product_history/OPW4

Drew_AG

Hi @Iwouldrathernot,

Since you're having a different problem than the OP in the previous thread, and since the problem with 1Password happened on your Windows PC, I've moved your messages to a new discussion in our Windows forum so you can get more help for that, if needed. I hope you don't mind! :)

The addition of new features and changes in OS present a process requiring continually updating
that often threatens to crash an otherwise stable process.

This presents both security and stability issues for me.

As you pointed out, changes/updates to an operating system or web browser can sometimes cause issues for 1Password. We have no control over changes to the OS or browser of course, so when that happens, we need to update either the main 1Password app, or the 1Password browser extension.

It would be very helpful to be notified that changes have been made and the significance that the changes create
Or at least have a fast and ready reference to new changes.

When you install an update for the main 1Password app/program on Mac or Windows, the release notes are shown so you can see what has changed. You can also review those or previous changes in the full release notes, using the links hawkmoth provided in his response.

The 1Password browser extension is different, and is normally updated automatically by the browser. If you'd like to view the release notes for the extension, you can find them here: https://app-updates.agilebits.com/product_history/OPX4

With the last Firefox update, 1password disappeared on my Win7 machine,

An update to a web browser should have nothing to do with the main 1Password program installed on Windows, so I'm assuming you mean the 1Password extension (or at least the extension icon) disappeared from Firefox. A problem with the browser extension will not cause you to lose your 1Password data, because your data isn't contained in the browser extension. The extension simply connects to the main 1Password software on Windows.

and when it reappeared after a reinstallation, it changed the interface.

The new browser icon was introduced in version 4.2.5 of the 1Password extension (released last October, 2014). But there weren't any changes to the interface in that version, so it should have looked the same as previous releases of the version 4 extension. That leads me to believe you may have been using the version 3 extension previously, which was very different. The version 4 extension has actually been around since we released 1Password 4 for Mac in October 2013 - although 1Password 4 for Windows wasn't released until about a year ago.

I do apologize if changes to the extension have caused any confusion for you! It sounds like you're using the latest version of the extension now, which is good because the latest versions of the 1Password program and extension will have the latest improvements to security, stability, and functionality. If you have any additional questions about that, please don't hesitate to let us know - we're always happy to help! :)

RichardPayne

@Drew_AG is there no way to have the extension seeks permission from the user before updating? I suspect that is what @Iwouldrathernot is looking for.

MikeT

Hi guys,

@RichardPayne,

is there no way to have the extension seeks permission from the user before updating?

No, everything related to installing, updating, and modifying extensions are all handled by the browser, we don't have any control over it. Safari is the only browser that do offer the option to disable auto-updates (for now), so Safari users can manually check for updates and install it.

This is a security measure by the browser vendors to secure the extensions against outside interferences and to prevent malware extensions from hooking into the browser without the user's intervention.

All we can do is provide a manifest on where it can download from and if there is a browser version requirement but even this will be disallowed soon (read more below). Extensions are parts of the browser, it's not something we can change on our own. Some browsers like Chrome don't even offer an option to disable auto-updates for its extensions.

In addition, soon, even the installations will be required at their online extension stores and offline installation will be banned, which means our current method of downloading from our own site will be disallowed. Chrome has started this process, Mozilla is moving toward this and Apple has just effectively disallowed any auto-updates for extensions hosted outside of their Safari Extensions Gallery starting with El Capitan later this fall.

Iwouldrathernot

Thanks for the help
I lost passwords with an upgrade once
makes you avoid upgrades when that happens
Stability and security
makes all changes and quirks trigger an alarm

Sorry to mix threads, but as a cross platform user, the partitions in the program
and extentions just add complexity , and that is often
not a positive

Thanks again

RichardPayne

Sorry to mix threads, but as a cross platform user, the partitions in the program

and extentions just add complexity , and that is often not a positive

The only way to truly remove those partitions is to make it a web app, but that impacts negatively on security because the platform that runs the software typically includes the ability for scripting code to interact with it.

Stability and security makes all changes and quirks trigger an alarm

Stability is a matter of proper pre-release testing, not trying to freeze software in a particularly instance. Utter stability is actually an enemy of security as those people still running Win XP will likely find out. Of course, utter instability is also an enemy of security which is why overnight builds are not a good idea for production systems.

You can avoid being alarmed by ensuring that you properly backup your data. 1Password already starts this process by running regular backups automatically. It's just up to you to ensure that those backups are stored somewhere safe.

MikeT

Hi @Iwouldrathernot,

Thanks for the help. I lost passwords with an upgrade once, makes you avoid upgrades when that happens Stability and security makes all changes and quirks trigger an alarm

We do understand, which is why the 1Password 4 program is not a direct upgrade to 1Password 1 and we automatically back up your data daily as long as there are changes made to it. We designed 1Password to be extremely resilient against anything we can think of and more.

In addition, version 4 of the 1Password extensions are no longer storing your data like it did in the past. We now directly handle your data via the program's Helper service that runs in the background and runs native code for your data. This removes the need to sync data between the extension and the 1Password Helper, this means it will not be possible for either to be outdated or lose data, there is only one database in the whole setup.

Sorry to mix threads, but as a cross platform user, the partitions in the program and extentions just add complexity , and that is often not a positive

The extensions perform the same way on all platforms, this is the same process on OS X. It will be auto-updated by the browsers, which we have very few control over.

We build 1Password as a native app to each platform with its own development team because we believe that is the best way to build apps. Trying to port the same codebase to all platforms on its own is very fragile and while it might provide the same look and feeling, it may not provide the same consistent experience because of the technical differences between platforms and would've taken a long time to bring new features.