Firefox Beta Tests Add-on Hotfix Feature

Starting with Firefox 10, Mozilla will start delivering hotfixes for its web browser, via an add-on, in order to have fewer full updates pushed to users.

Firefox beta users are the first testers of the feature, as Mozilla pushes today an automatically downloaded test add-on. The component is visible in the Add-ons Manager as “Mozilla Firefox hotfix” and will not affect the way the browser acts.

In the following week the add-on should be removed, also automatically. The reason for this action is to gather metrics about the functionality of the feature.

The intended purpose of the “add-on hotfix” feature is not to ship new features or replace the need for software updates. The reasons for choosing this solution are fast delivery of tweaks and fixing issues that can be eliminated without the need to download a new build of the browser.