Does anyone have the solution to stopping FileZilla from phoning home?

On 4/14/2018 10:09 AM, Paul wrote:
Neil wrote:
On 4/13/2018 11:36 PM, Paul wrote:
Setting the Update to Never, followed by preventing the
app from seeing "queued up Update to process", may get you off
the update squirrel cage, which is only there to generate
advertising views.

Â*Â*Â* Paul
Â*
What "advertising views" are you seeing? I let FileZilla update
whenever it wants to, and only see the repairs and modifications,
never any ads.


It's in the OPs picture.

https://i.cubeupload.com/P3qVra.jpg

Â*Â* Paul
Oh. That's easy enough to ignore...OTOH, ignoring maintenance updates
could cause problems.

--
best regards,

Neil

"Neil" wrote

| OTOH, ignoring maintenance updates
| could cause problems.
|

My copy seems to be dated 2013. I don't have
any problems. I do see problems, however, with
the assumption that newer is better. After all,
that's how you got stuck with Win10.

On 14/04/2018 03:56:02, Ragnusen Ultred wrote:
I don't want any app updating or phoning home unless/until I ask it to.
(Which is pretty much, never.)

Yet, FileZilla keeps trying to update.
http://i.cubeupload.com/P3qVra.jpg

I keep trying to stop it from updating.
But it's not working.

Does anyone have the solution to stopping FileZilla from phoning home?

I just block any program that wants to do that in my firewall settings.

--
mick

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 11:21:34 -0400, schrieb Mayayana:

| OTOH, ignoring maintenance updates
| could cause problems.
|

My copy seems to be dated 2013. I don't have
any problems. I do see problems, however, with
the assumption that newer is better. After all,
that's how you got stuck with Win10.

Life is a risk, but I'm with Mayayana that risking "updates" on something
like FileZilla is a puny risk overall, and, since FileZilla of a billion
years ago does the same job as FileZilla of tomorrow - you don't lose any
functionality whatsoever, in practice.

My rule of thumb is never update unless I want to update and I won't want
to update unless I know there is something I want that I don't already
have, which is almost never.

I can't seem to get it to not update by changing the xml file, which, I
changed so much, that it failed to even read it.
http://i.cubeupload.com/nq4pTL.jpg

It creates that xml file when the app closes, so it created a new one.
Right now, I give up on trying to make it stop updating in the settings
or in the XML file.

I hope the HOSTS will kill those updates finally.

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 10:22:23 -0400, schrieb Big Al:

How long does cubeupload.com save this pics?

I've been looking for that simple place to put temp images. This looks
easy to get to and use. I like that it leaves no link to "me".

As far as I know, it's forever (or as long as forever is anyway).
What I like about cubeupload is that it's no registration.
And, users who use it have to not complain that it makes them uneasy.
(for example, if it pops up ads or some other obnoxious penalty)

And it doesn't require me to answer any questions about the file.
Also that it can handle many files at a time.
And that it's fast enough.
It also handles VPN (since I never upload from my IP address).
I don't remember if it handles Tor exit nodes though (I'd have to test).
The only thing I don't like is that it changes the file name.
No big deal.

There are plenty of free no registration VPN available upload sites if you
don't like cubeupload.

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 04:03:56 -0400, schrieb Paul:

You can place an entry in the HOSTS file to prevent it from
reaching its destination.

In retaliation, expect it to take longer starting up.

To understand what to block, fire up Wireshark, start a trace,
then start FileZilla and see what URLs it sends out. Then you
can block those in the HOSTS file and try again.

That's a good idea, Paul, which should solve the problem instantly.

The C:\Users\ultred\AppData\Roaming\FileZilla\filezill a.xml file
should already tell me exactly what domain to block.

Namely:
Setting name="External address resolver"
http://ip.filezilla-project.org/ip.php/Setting
Setting name="Update Check New Version"nightly 2018-04-14
http://filezilla-project.org/nightli...la_3_setup.exe
https://dl1.cdn.filezilla-project.or...in64-setup.exe 7924192

Looking at those, I'll add to the hosts file:
0.0.0.0 ip.filezilla-project.org
0.0.0.0 filezilla-project.org
0.0.0.0 dl1.cdn.filezilla-project.org

For some reason, I'm having permission problems with the HOSTS file (it
keeps complaining that it's read only) but once I resolve that, this should
work moving forward.

I used Notepad, which I could run from the admin command line, so that
added the lines. It still seems to check, but maybe it just looks in the
xml file to determine the version. I tried changing the xml line

FROM: Setting name="Last automatic update version"3.32.0/Setting
TO: Setting name="Last automatic update version"3.0.0/Setting

But it still said I was using the latest version, so I might have to wait
for FileZilla versions to change on the net to fully test this out.
Thanks for that suggestion.

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 09:57:45 -0400, schrieb Mayayana:

I'm on 3.7.3. I've never seen any attempt to update.

For the record, I'm entering that info as my current
contribution to your tribe's collective data trove.

I'm on FileZilla 3.32.0, where the tribal record will show that no matter
what I put at "FZ: Settings Update Never", it still automatically
downloads the update and then nags forever to install the update.

Mayayana wrote:
"Ragnusen Ultred" wrote
|
| I've used Filezilla for years on many computers, and it has always
| respected the "Never check for updates" setting. It has never "reset"
| itself.
|
| What version are you on?

I'm on 3.7.3. I've never seen any attempt to update.

For the record, I'm entering that info as my current
contribution to your tribe's collective data trove.



Well the latest version is 3.32.0. Developers make updates to fix
things. Maybe you should acquaint yourself with what you are foregoing

https://filezilla-project.org/versions.php

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 16:37:24 +0100, schrieb mick:

Does anyone have the solution to stopping FileZilla from phoning home?

I just block any program that wants to do that in my firewall settings.

It doesn't seem to work in my initial tests, where I added this to the
HOSTS file based on what the xml file had as domains listed.
0.0.0.0 ip.filezilla-project.org
0.0.0.0 filezilla-project.org
0.0.0.0 dl1.cdn.filezilla-project.org

When I press the "check update" button in FileZilla, it thinks for a few
seconds and then says I have the correct version.

So I can't tell if the blocking in the HOSTS file worked or not, since it
could be a hard-coded domain that the program uses (yes, I have wireshark
but you all know how miserable the output is from wireshark).

I'll just sit on it until there's a new update and then I will check if the
update works with the HOSTS file blocking those three domains.

If anyone else can suggest additional domains to block, let us all know
(tribal knowledge and all that).

Paul wrote:

It's in the OPs picture.

https://i.cubeupload.com/P3qVra.jpg


That's could be considered an example of the lease intrusive bit of
advertising... and how much did you spend to get the application?


--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 13:57:33 -0400, schrieb Jonathan N. Little:

Well the latest version is 3.32.0. Developers make updates to fix
things. Maybe you should acquaint yourself with what you are foregoing

https://filezilla-project.org/versions.php

Searching for "update" in that interesting file comes up with interesting
tidbits, one of which is that they totally revamped the updater quite a few
times.

Some additional tidbits...
* Test of changes to autoupdate logic introduced in 3.2.7-rc2
* Fix handling of HTTPS in the auto updater in case a mirror redirects to HTTPS
* The updater can now handle HTTPS servers that redirect to other HTTPS servers
* FileZilla is now also available as 64bit Windows program. Users of 32bit FileZilla on 64bit Windows will get automatically migrated using the auto-updater
* Fix visual problems caused by too long URLs in update checks
* The updater now submits CPU capabilities when checking for updates. In a future version support for CPUs without SSE2 support will be dropped
* Use HTTPS to check for updates and compare hash of downloaded update file
* Add additional logging if autoupdate mechanism fails
* Fix activity indicators not working after the update check has been run
* Auto-update check now transmits whether the operating system is 32bit or 64bit
* Remember location of update download directory
* Successfully downloaded update file is no longer deleted if user cancels the finish page of the update check wizard
* Do not show update dialog if there is already some other dialog open
* Fix SHA-512 calculating incorrect hashes on 64bit systems, used by SFTP and the update wizard
* Reduce number of needed user interactions in installer if update started from within FileZilla
* Fix parsing of HTTP chunk lengths for the update downloader
* Downloading updates should no longer randomly freeze the client after HTTP redirects
* The update wizard now shows a list of changes in the new version
* etc.

Probably the most important was this:
* Add option to disable update checks to fzdefaults.xml

So maybe I've been changing the wrong file!

Even so, the update question is always whether the newer version adds
anything that you want, and, whether it adds anything you don't want.

In my very humble experience with freeware over the decades, almost never
does the "latest and greatest" version add anything you want, and very
often (especially on mobile devices), it adds a ****load of crap that you
don't want.

For an egregious example, take "Super" which we all used, until it went
over to the dark side. Even the venerable Irfanview started addding
checkboxes to add crapware to our systems.

"Jonathan N. Little" wrote

| Well the latest version is 3.32.0. Developers make updates to fix
| things. Maybe you should acquaint yourself with what you are foregoing
|
| https://filezilla-project.org/versions.php
|

Why? My version works fine. Is there something
in particular that you think I might need? Or do
you just update as a rule, assuming that newer is
better?

Developers don't necessarily make updates to
fix things. That can be one reason. They also add
features. Sometimes those are things you don't
want. Sometimes the new features need a fix.
Sometimes updates end free features. If I had a
problem I'd look at updates. I don't have a problem.

On the other hand, I updated VLC awhile back
and it started screwing up the display of other
windows when it was running. I'm now back to 2.0.5,
the last version that worked properly for me. I
don't know the reason for the problem, but 2.0.5 does
everything I ask of it and never crashes or causes
problems. (v. 2.1.5 was also a problem.)

Actually, I'd say that in my experience, updates are
more likely to be worse than better. I use Paint Shop
Pro 5 and 16. I have PSP7 but it's not as good as 5.
(And 16 has problems.) I'm on Firefox 52 ESR. Recent
versions break a lot of extensions and what I've heard
about that hasn't been good. I still use Regmon and
Filemon. The newer ProcMon replaces both of them.
But with Filemon and Regmon, when I click the button
to stop capture, that's what it does. With Procmon
it freezes with an inane message that claims it's
"disconnecting" from capture. That take several seconds.

In many cases things like firewalls have been sold
and the older versions are more trustworthy.

My version of PDF XChange Viewer dates from 2014.
I just did my Federal tax forms with it. My impression
is that newer versions are not free, or have more
limited functionality. I'm not sure. If I have problems
I'll research it again. But for now, PDFXV is free and
does what I want without crashing or problems. So
why should I update?

I don't advocate never updating. I don't advocate
one way or the other. But there's something to be
said for not fixing what isn't broken. The trend toward
auto-updating, connected largely to the trend toward
services, has resulted in 2 big problems:

1) Software developers get lazy because every version
is basically a beta. for the most part, the cyclic updating
is done to hide the fact that there really aren't any
notable new features. It's not because they come up with
new, hot feautres faster than ever.
A lot of commercial software is now like that. I know
someone whose only job is to do compiles for a large company.
The builds are ongoing. I know someone else who does
bughunting for medical software that gets updated automatically
once per week. It's insane. That development model was cooked
up to save jobs in a market where most software is already
mature.

2) It's a very unstable situation for the end-user. People
who have been trained to think that updates are inherently
good are running computers full of software on an auto-
dripfeed of who-knows-what. The average person could
have 10-20 programs enmeshed in a cycle of instability.
Even Windows is now like that. Many of the problem
posts in this group are about how the latest Windows
update broke something. Did you ever stop to think that
maybe that's not the best design?... That maybe Microsoft
isn't just sending down "fixes"?

It's striking that there's always a percentage of people
who want to tell everyone else to update, as though it's
a religious belief. I don't presume to tell you how you
should manage your computer. Yet you don't hesitate
to tell me I should update my software, as though you're
an expert, without any thought to what you're saying.

"Ragnusen Ultred" wrote

| I'm on FileZilla 3.32.0, where the tribal record will show that no matter
| what I put at "FZ: Settings Update Never", it still automatically
| downloads the update and then nags forever to install the update.

This might be a longshot, but are you sure
that Windows isn't blocking you writing to the
config file and lying to you about it? It seems
odd that open source software might act so
obnoxiously.
If it is doing that then I guess you're options
would be to back up the version and/or block
their site in HOSTS.

"Ragnusen Ultred" wrote
| Namely:
| Setting name="External address resolver"
| http://ip.filezilla-project.org/ip.php/Setting
| Setting name="Update Check New Version"nightly 2018-04-14
|
http://filezilla-project.org/nightli...la_3_setup.exe
| https://dl1.cdn.filezilla-project.or...in64-setup.exe
7924192
|

For what it's worth, here's what I have:

Setting name="Update Check" type="number"0/Setting
Setting name="Update Check Interval" type="number"7/Setting
Setting name="Last automatic update check" type="string"2010-03-11
02:01:33/Setting
Setting name="Update Check New Version" type="string" /

"Update Check New Version" is an empty value.

On 14 Apr 2018, Ragnusen Ultred wrote in
alt.comp.os.windows-10:

Am Sat, 14 Apr 2018 01:24:10 -0400, schrieb Nil:

I've used Filezilla for years on many computers, and it has
always respected the "Never check for updates" setting. It has
never "reset" itself.

What version are you on?

Whatever is the latest. I usually keep up pretty closely with the
latest updates with Filezilla Client and I've never had a problem,
including the one you're complaining about.

By the way, you have a corrupt header in your posts - two lines are
concatonated:

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bitX-Complaints-To: http://abuse.usenetxs.com

This causes my Android newsgroup reader to crash.