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→Replacing the existing installation
=== Linux ===
On Linux, we basically copy the <code>FIREFOX_NEW</code> over the existing installation directory, remove the manifest file, and restart Firefox.
== Other possible approaches ==
A number of other approaches have been considered before writing this proposal. One such approach is to make <code>FIREFOX_NEW</code> live inside the existing installation directory. That will cause a lot of pain on Windows where we can't overwrite files that are currently open in another application.
We have also considered keeping two versions of Firefox in versioned side-by-side directory. That will also lead into a number of problems because the directory from which Firefox is going to be launched is going to change over and over again.
= Downgrade =
Firefox currently supports downgrading to older versions by installing an old installer over the new installation directory. The way that it works is that the Firefox installer first uninstalls the old version and then proceeds with the rest of the installation. This can be made possible in the face of background updates by adding the manifest file to the uninstall.log file, and making the installer aware of the <code>FIREFOX_NEW</code> directory. The uninstaller should remove the <code>FIREFOX_NEW</code> directory as part of the uninstall process. The same handling is enough to correctly handle Firefox being uninstalled explicitly as well.
