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Mozilla removes option to change New Tab Page from Firefox


Batu69

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Users of the Firefox web browser have had options until now to replace the default New Tab page of Firefox with a custom one using the built-in preference browser.newtab.url.

It was for instance possible to set it to a blank page to block the New Tab page functionality in Firefox which became popular after the introduction of a redesigned New Tab page in Firefox, or to set it to a favorite web service or website instead which would then be opened whenever a new tab page was created in the browser.

Mozilla noted some time ago that the useful feature was abused by companies who replaced the New Tab page in the browser with a custom version, for instance during software installations as third-party offers but also in malicious ways directly without opt-out.

The browser.newtab.url preference has no exposed UI, is not really supported, and is abused by search hijackers. We should remove it and encourage people using a non-default new tab page to install an add-on instead.

That's why the organization made the decision to remove the preference browser.newtab.url from Firefox 41.

disable-firefox-newtab-page.jpg

While it is certainly improving user protection, as hijackers won't be able to use the preference anymore to modify the new tab page in Firefox using it, it is removing an option from Firefox that some users used to customize the browser's New Tab Page.

It is unfortunate that the change is introduced at a time in which Mozilla is facing criticism over recent New Tab page changes that introduces advertisement on the page.

The change, which just rolled out in the most recent Nightly version of the web browser affects users who modified the preference manually or through add-ons. Those who have customized the New Tab page will notice that the customization does not work anymore after they upgrade Firefox to a version in which the preference has been removed.

Firefox users who fell victim to tools that changed the New Tab page automatically without their consent benefit from this as the New Tab page is reset automatically as a consequence.

Some add-ons that provide functionality to change the New Tab page in Firefox may have stopped working however and while it is likely that some will be updated to restore it, it will make add-ons unusable who are not updated, for instance because they have been abandoned by their authors.

The functionality to change the New Tab page in Firefox is still available to add-on developers who can create or modify extensions for the browser to provide users with that functionality.

This is not the first time that long-standing preferences have been removed from Firefox. Mozilla removed the popular keyword.url parameter in Firefox 23 for instance which allowed you to set a different search provider in the address bar than the one used by the search form of the browser.

Mozilla wanted add-on developers to re-introduce the functionality to Firefox for users who made use of it back then. The organization has the same stance this time.

The Firefox add-on New Tab Override has been created recently to re-introduce the functionality in Firefox 41 and later.

firefox-new-tab-page-override.jpg

  1. Install the add-on in Firefox using the link above.
  2. Open about:addons after installation and locate it in the list of extensions.
  3. Click the options button next to it.
  4. Replace the about:newtab resource in the URL field on the page that opens with another url that you want to use.

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Fancy that... Mozilla removing a feature people want... who would have thought?

Way to go (self-described) "Champions of the Web" and "Defenders of Users' Rights"...

Soon most add-ons I have installed will be to restore popular functionality that these bullies have removed or changed for the worse, and just raised their middle finger when users complain.

Thank God for the add-on developers, without them undoing Mozilla's "changes", users would have ditched Mozilla's browser ages ago.

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Fancy that... Mozilla removing a feature people want... who would have thought?

Way to go (self-described) "Champions of the Web" and "Defenders of Users' Rights"...

Soon most add-ons I have installed will be to restore popular functionality that these bullies have removed or changed for the worse, and just raised their middle finger when users complain.

Thank God for the add-on developers, without them undoing Mozilla's "changes", users would have ditched Mozilla's browser ages ago.

A lot of people automatically defend Firefox as good because "open source", but in the end, most of their money is coming from sponsors, which means changing your default search to Yahoo! (since the Google deal has gone tits up), and now having a default New Tab page that shows ads and sends your pages to an online service (tell me again why you need to send the URL to a special server to generate a thumbnail?).

You may as well use Chrome, honestly.

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addons may help with this for now . But after version 41 there will no way to use unsigned addons unless you use a devopler version they say you may also be able to use them with ESR but that's yet to be seen and when ESR hits version 45 you may as well kiss that bye too.. Alot of people protested about them adding the pocket .Firefox has steady been going down hill since they strated rapid release adding features no one wants much and removing ones everyone likes . Just look at the marketshare anyone with eyes can see there headed for a fall just like Opera done before them .

The devopler of Cyberfox said this about it

At this stage signing appears to be the least of the worry's, Possibly a ploy by Mozilla to hide the real change with validation and restricting what addons can n can't do
with a series of smoke n mirrors.

The true impact of there new validation system is yet to be seen

With the choices out there that's left Palemoon it dont have good add-on compatibly ether so its really oxymoron to use it in place of FF and I'm not using Goggle Chrome ether .. because its owned by an advertising company and they dont have all my addons and already has addon compatibly problems with 3rd party addons. So if Cyperfox ends up enabling forced addons I dont know what to do? Seems days of great browsers are long gone.

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Fancy that... Mozilla removing a feature people want... who would have thought?

Way to go (self-described) "Champions of the Web" and "Defenders of Users' Rights"...

Soon most add-ons I have installed will be to restore popular functionality that these bullies have removed or changed for the worse, and just raised their middle finger when users complain.

Thank God for the add-on developers, without them undoing Mozilla's "changes", users would have ditched Mozilla's browser ages ago.

A lot of people automatically defend Firefox as good because "open source", but in the end, most of their money is coming from sponsors, which means changing your default search to Yahoo! (since the Google deal has gone tits up), and now having a default New Tab page that shows ads and sends your pages to an online service (tell me again why you need to send the URL to a special server to generate a thumbnail?).

You may as well use Chrome, honestly.

Most people who have used Firefox lots of years and dont like the changes have ether moved Cyberfox or Palemoon here latley . The ones that moved to Chrome moved to it long ago they allready own most of the marketshare already . This was the very reason I left IE was it held a monopoly on other browsers for years just like Chrome does now, No real Firefox user would switch to Chrome they dont like the engine. Its time for the Open Source market to make us something new so we can take our freedom back and not be dictated by these billion dollar companies like Google. <_<

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I am able to change the New Tab Page to any page of my choice (without using add-ons) on my Firefox, ATM - confident that when the V41 arrives, my copy shall continue to remain unaffected.

Planning to publish the technique as a tutorial in the playground. F3h9xqz.gif

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