I recently started using firefox and was very frustrated with how large the UI was, how it autofilled entire URLs while i was trying to search something, and how it changed my system’s titlebar buttons (minimize, maximize, close) to windows ones when I changed the theme from the default. I just found out about about:config and was able to solve every major issue i had with firefox literally within minutes, so why do they hide most of the settings?
it makes way more sense to just put the settings in the settings menu. also, why hide the compact density option? on a 1920x1080 display the default is about an eighth of my screen, my taskbar is only like 60% of that. having tried a couple of firefox-based browsers, i can confidently say the only thing any of them do better (aside from telemetry that can be easily turned off) is their settings. why does firefox hide most of the settings?
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No one here can adequately answer your questions, since they’re not really questions. You were annoyed by something and think that there is no reason for it to not be in the general settings UI. Fair enough, I kinda agree, but I’m also a power user and don’t mind tinkering in about:config, so it’s no skin off my nose. There’s nothing wrong with venting if that’s all you needed, but if it’s really rubbing you the wrong way why not file a feature request for them to change it?
Didn’t know Firefox had that, I’ll do that right now
Most of it is settings that absolutely nobody needs to tweak with unless you’re a turbo nerd.
This keeps the settings settings friendly for new users, but you still have all the advanced settings for advanced users.
How exactly are the things I mentioned “advanced”? Most of about:config is advanced stuff, but a lot of things in there are not, and should be regular settings. Something like UI density or not autofilling is not advanced, and should be in the regular settings menu.
Jumping off in to say if you’re on Lemmy you do not have a concept of what’s considered advanced for the average user.
Hey, there are those of us that work in IT Support and know EXACTLY where the average user ends. It’s just about the capabilities and reading comprehension of a 5th grader.
Start button, where’s that?
To be fair… it used to literally say START on it. Now there’s no indication whatsoever of that.
What’s a button?
What’s a computer?
I wonder if age is a better indicator than grade. I’ve been using Firefox since before navigator 1.2 and won’t be surprised if today’s 5th graders can manage tech in circles around me.
I grew up with grandparents that couldn’t figure out how to press one button on the vcr to turn the tv back on. That button was labelled “TV-Video”
I dont have any young people in my life so i don’t know what old person things i do, but like Grampa Simpson said, it will happen to me, and I have no doubt about it already happening to me
Bonus* I’m still so happy that i discovered on my own that i can swipe left and right on the space bar button to move my cursor left and right on my android phone. That simple thing helped me out and satisfies in in a cat who caught the canary kind of way and I’m sure there are dozens of things that would improve my ability to use and navigate new tech just as much that any 5th grader could probably show me
Young people now have issues with full computers. They’ve grown up on iOS and Android, and they expect touchscreens and that type of interface.
Windows, OSX, and Linux are too complicated in comparison. Double clicking and right clicking aren’t concepts on mobile interfaces. They’re used to tapping or just holding on an icon.
They can learn easier sure, but the knowledge they have doesnt directly translate as well as you’d think.
They’ve grown up on iOS and Android, and they expect touchscreens and that type of interface.
Not sure why you are explaining what i said to me again in a different way, but thats pretty much what the bulk of what i rambled was about
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That’s fair. I run IT Support and understand this. And at the same time the folks in finance are saying the same shit about our comprehension of basic accounting principles and business needs. Just calling out there’s always perspectives.
If anything, the public facing settings menu is already too much for them.
Are you implying that Lemmy, which is little more than a federated reddit clone, is “advanced”? The only difficult part about Lemmy itself is that making an account is a little awkward. Also, if you read the post you might see that I gave specific examples and they are VERY basic things.
“Very basic things TO YOU” I cannot stress how much most people in the world don’t give a fuck about their browser. It’s an interest to you so you know more about it. To the vast majority of people if it has an address bar, search bar, forward and back buttons then they’re just fine with it. Nothing wrong with either side there.
the average person does not understand the distinction between google search and chrome
Wether or not people care has nothing to do with how basic something is. Like yeah, most people don’t care if their browser fills in a whole url when they type in the address bar, but some people search for different but similar things often enough that a browser doing that makes it unusable. I am one such person. Also, if someone doesn’t care about their browser then they aren’t changing any settings in the first place, so putting a couple more basic options (that, I cannot stress enough, are already in the browser but have been hidden in a much less user friendly interface) has literally no effect on them, while making the experience much better for users who do want to change a couple settings. This is why most apps have a settings menu that actually contains the settings, not just privacy options and a link to the themes.
I’ve been using firefox since it was still netscape navigator 1.2
I have no idea what you are even talking about.
That’s why it’s an advanced setting.
The average user is dumber than you think. I’m the case in point.
Or maybe not, since i know that all the annoying “you actually need to know what the hell any of this shit is settings, or you better be using a very good guide to change these settings” are super easy to find by going into the about:config.
Having to search through endless menus and submenus for basic settings is annoying AF. Those settings should be as easy and obvious as possible for everyone who cant use about:config to do what you need to do
all config settings available in one spot
“why does it hide settings”
What?
why hide the compact density option
Because when the Proton UI was released, management decided to officially support three density levels and dropped Compact. They still left the css there and it still works, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually breaks down the road.
There is already one minor breakage that I’m aware of. Tabs can display additional text, for example when a tab is playing audio, it shows “PLAYING” underneath the tab title. This requires tabs to be two lines of text tall, so it’s just not displayed in Compact density…
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The only thing I can think of that could improve
about:configwould be to either have an optional column with a description for each setting, or a tooltip with a summary when you hover on top of a specific setting instead of having to search online.Just a nitpick though.
I’m aware that about config has options for everything in the browser, but it is literally just a searchable config file. I’m not saying all of it needs to be in settings, but a lot of stuff from about:config should be. About:config is not good enough for those settings for the same reasons that manually editing the config file isn’t.
I mean it sounds like about:config is exactly what you’re wanting though. Minimal UI with everything accessible.
That’s not at all what I’m saying. I’m not wanting minimal UI for everything, I’m wanting many of the options that are in about:config (such as the ones I mentioned in the original post) to be moved to the settings to make them more accessible, since a lot of basic functionality like toggling address bar autofill is relegated to about:config where the UI and discoverability is inadequate for such basic options.
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UI bloat would be my first guess. Adding all of those settings to a normally-accessible UI would make common settings disappear in the noise.
Best to hide the settings not frequently used but still allow them to be set via about:config or by editing the config.json file directly. Mozilla did that, you Googled and found the solution to your issues, problem solved?
I did find the answer, but I shouldn’t have had to. They could have easily done an “advanced” drop-down at the bottom of the page. The option are much less intuitive in about:config than they would be in the actual settings menu because they don’t have descriptions so there is enough ambiguity with some that I may accidentally enable the wrong thing and cause an issue. This is an unnecessary problem.
fair enough, but if you’re in about:config you are probably also able to do a web search for what a key means. adding a friendlier ux could result in skiddies clicking around in there and breaking things they dont understand. lord knows i did when i was young.
I’m only in about:config because regular settings have been banished there for no reason and I need to access those settings. For advanced stuff about:config is perfect, what I’m saying is that a lot of stuff that should be in the regular settings is only found in about:config
for some things i agree, but there’s other stuff that I think should be in there instead of it the regular options. i assume our list of what would be where differs.
As mentioned, about:config, allows you to configure all settings. It provides a minimal UI.
A subset of these settings are also available in the standard settings menu.
Realistically the settings menu can’t contain EVERY setting, at least not giving the current UI. The UI as designed is meant to support the most common options.
Your complaint is that the options you found should be part of the common options.
Mozilla collects telemetry data. So presumably their data doesn’t show them that those settings are so popular that they need to be in the settings menu.
Now that doesn’t mean their data is perfect. Or maybe they’re missing a specific use case. In which case filing a big might be the best option.
Mozilla collects telemetry data. So presumably their data doesn’t show them that those settings are so popular that they need to be in the settings menu.
the telemetry doesn’t reflect accurate use of ‘advanced’ settings, because those users have already turned that function off.
A subset of “advanced” users might have turned telemetry off so it certainly is skewed somewhat, but I don’t think there a good reason for me to believe that the subset is necessarily that large.
Users stupid. Mac-ification.
There’s also another thing that I don’t think is mentioned yet. The options available in Settings are supported features. If the feature is only available via about:config then there’s a good chance that it is not supported or tested configuration. It might work or it might not, at least not in all scenarios
Firefox is not the only browser that hide settings, i remember when opera used the konami code to unlock settings. I think it’s just for poweruser since you are able to broke things with some of these settings.
since we’re essentially down to chromium-based browsers and firefox. they all have ‘hidden’ settings.
A lot of the stuff in about:config is definitely more developer/power user stuff, but there are also a lot of things in there (like the ones I mentioned) that should be in the settings.
because it’s awesome
You can do alot of customation with Firefox. Thats why I am happy with it.
