The Dream of a Self-Repairing Browser
The idea of a mechanism that allows software to repair itself is not far-fetched, yet programs keep spewing errors like it's the first day. This is especially true among web browsers, with lost sessions and security issues. Exploring Mozilla's development blogs, we came across two things called Self-Heal and Self-Repair Server, which raises the possibility of a future build of Firefox capable of healing itself on its own…
Deleting the profile, removing extensions, starting in safe mode… typical recommendations when establishing what's going on with our Firefox installation. Personally, I think Mozilla's browser has a superior ability to hang at the worst moments. Now, it's also not fair to blame it for all problems. Both Adobe Flash Player and extensions are real headaches, and Firefox developers fight tooth and nail to contain them. Unfortunately, their efforts have had limited success, and when the browser decides it's time to take a nap, nothing can convince it otherwise.
Self-Heal and Self-Repair Server
In recent days, two components have manifested in Mozilla's development channels: Self-Heal and Self-Repair Server. Self-Heal was named alongside the new function to verify extensions and add-ons, and if we take into account what they discussed in the coordination meeting held on March 4, it's likely that Self-Heal and add-on verification work together. Self-Repair Server appeared last Monday, and is described as part of an experimental system that detects problems in the browser and repairs them "proactively" on its own.
Unfortunately, that's all. The information is still very scarce, and from what we can tell so far, both components are in a very early stage of development. On the other hand, I think all browsers, not just Firefox, need something with these characteristics. When things go wrong, the most common path is a complete reinstall, and beyond the benefits, the fact is that users hate doing that. If Firefox acquires the ability to repair itself and Mozilla implements this without sacrificing flexibility, it could become a more than decent reason for many to consider switching browsers.
