Upgrading running desktop software

While servers typically run services which can be restarted via init scripts upon upgrade, desktop software does not have that option. Many programs, in particular Firefox, do not behave well when an upgrade happens while the program is running. The current method of dealing with this is to pop up a notification, but this is a poor user experience if the upgrade occurred automatically and at a time inconvenient for the user. We suggest a brainstorming session on potential methods of deferring updates of running programs until the programs or the computer is restarted.