Firefox and Mozilla: The Monsters Garage

= Firefox & Mozilla: The Monsters Garage Rev.5 =


Small Disclaimer:

Let me just start by saying that this thread will not be telling you why you should be using Firefox. Frankly i don't care which browser you use, as long as you stay safe on the internet im happy. If anything the thread is merely a collection of links and information dealing with Firefox, in encyclopedia style you might say.

As time go by information found here may become obsolete as keeping it all up to date is rather tedious. Especially the internal settings not exposed by the user interface may change from version to version. Even more so when talking about the developer builds (known as nightly builds). Here settings may brake, change or even be removed from build to build. Also don't be too surprised to find a few dead links here and there, i would appreciate you letting me know. I make mistakes like everyone else and i don't have anybody other then you the reader for double checking. If you know something i don't speak up, if you find a mistake let me know.


A little background:

This thread was originally made as a follow-up to another thread about Firefox tweaking. My main goal at the time was simply to try and provide information about some of the not so obvious internal settings. As with all tweaking the correct usage is not always clear. This thread is not a beginners guide and it never will be. I link to basic usage help and guides at the start but the thread is technical in nature. But i hope that you can find something interesting and useful in this thread no matter.

The thread is broken into 4 parts use the index.


Part 1

General Information and guides.
Program usage.
Add-ons.
Change or disable the version compatibility of add-ons.
Managing, Customizing & Editing.

[post=1148669]Part 2[/post]

User.js tweaks.

[post=1148728]Part 3[/post]

Chrome Edit; userChrome.css and userContent.css tweaks.
Development News.
Testing, Bugs & Code Tracking.
Third Party/Unofficial: Optimized Builds.
Tests.

[post=1157085]Part 4[/post]

Information on preferences and tweaks.
Troubleshooting.
Thunderbird.



Firefox - General Information and guides


Mozilla.com
Mozilla.org
Releases
Spreadfirefox
Firefox central
Features
Tips & Tricks
FAQ about Firefox

Field Guide to Firefox 3
Power users guide to firefox 3
What's new in Firefox 3? Here, let me show you!



Firefox 3 vs Firefox 2 related stuff:


Make Firefox 3 run better / look better - Quick Guide


Location Bar:


Customising the Firefox 3 Location Bar

9 tweaks for Firefox 3’s location bar

How to disable the Smart Location Bar

Old Location Bar 1.3

Hide Unvisited 3



Bookmarks:


Basic Bookmarks for FF3

Places query syntax


Sharing one bookmark file between multiple builds by pointing to the bookmark file (browser.bookmarks.file) is no longer possible with the new bookmark system. It will as far as i can tell not be implemented because of issues with multiple processes simultaneously accessing the same database (consistency). There is talk about in-the-cloud sharing and syncing (Weave) and even though that may be cool to have it do not address the real problem here, and that is that there is no option to locally share one bookmark file between builds by simply pointing to the path of the file. For many users this is not a issue but there are plenty of scenarios where the option is needed and it's pretty annoying that it was removed i have to say.

Bug 385077 – ability to set path to places.sqlite by a preference like browser.bookmarks.file did


Miscellaneous:


Links and Forms (home page)

Adds back the Links and Forms tabs in the Page Info window.


Firefox - Program usage


Firefox Help
Firefox FAQ howto

Options/Preferences Window
Keyboard Shortcuts
Mouse Shortcuts

MozillaZine: Mozilla Firefox Support

Support.mozilla: Firefox Knowledge Base, Top Articles

Mozillazine: Knowledge Base

Complete Embedded Media Player Guide for Windows users
Complete Embedded & Streaming Quicktime/Real/Windows Media Player Guide for Windows Users
Full Step-By-Step Guide: Embedded Windows Media in Firefox
ActiveX
Can I use ActiveX controls?
How do I stop Mozilla Firefox from prompting me to install a plugin?



Firefox- Add-ons


Addons.mozilla.org: Extensions & Themes
Search engines
Bookmarklets
Plugins
PluginDoc
Mozilla ActiveX Project Download Plugin


Guru3dQuickNavigate

This is a little Firefox extension i made for navigating guru3d.com and forum. The extension will give you an Guru3d.com Menu Bar button with a drop down menu of all the guru3d.com links. My extension thread here at guru3d


How to disable the version compatibility check of an add-on:

extensions.checkCompatibility


How to change the version compatibility of an add-on:

Mozilla applications (Firefox, Thunderbird etc.) like all other software uses versioning (a version number). Add-ons such as extensions and themes must declare in their install file which version of a given application they are compatible with. As application code change, so might the need for a theme or extension's code to be "refitted" for these changes. Not only to assure the working functionality of the add-on but to make sure it won't brake the application. All very logical, however many times no code changes are needed, except to change the install file's declared compatibility. For whatever reason not all add-ons are to be found for the application version you might need, but have no fear changing it yourself is easy.

1. Rename the add-on from .xpi (Extensions) or .jar (Themes), to .zip e.g. extensionname.xpi > extensionname.zip

2. Extract the zip to it's own folder named after the add-on's (i.e. /extensionname), go in the folder find and open the file named install.rdf in a text editor.

3. Find the "<em:targetApplication> part matching the application (Firefox,Thunderbird etc.) your looking to change the minVersion / maxVersion of.

There can be minor differences in how this will look but the GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) inside/surrounded by <em:id></em:id> for each "targetApplication" is always fixed.

4. Now find the minVersion / maxVersion and change it to whatever needed.

Example using Firefox

Code:

http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/install.rdf#targetApplication
<!-- Firefox -->
<em:targetApplication>
<Description>
<em:id>{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}</em:id>
<em:minVersion>0.8</em:minVersion>
<em:maxVersion>1.6</em:maxVersion>
</Description>
</em:targetApplication>

5. Repack (zip) the add-on by selecting all the files inside the folder (do NOT select/zip the folder itself but the files inside the folder), use the folder name which should be the same as the add-on's name.

6. Rename the add-on from .zip to .xpi (i.e. extensionname.zip > extensionname.xpi).

7. Install.

One cool feature of versioning is the * sign which means infinite, it can be use for both major and minor numbers, i.e. <em:maxVersion>*</em:maxVersion>, <em:maxVersion>1.*</em:maxVersion> or <em:maxVersion>1.5.*</em:maxVersion> Just remember this will not magically make the add-on infinitely compatible with all future versions of the application. It only means it will be install compatible with all versions and never gets disable when the application updates the version number.




Firefox- Managing, Customizing & Editing

Learn how to manage Firefox and your personal data like bookmarks, settings and configuration files. You will get to know the location of the things you want to keep, the profile, how to migrate settings, import/export bookmarks, how to backup, how to make new profiles, how to run Firefox using a USB key.



Profiles:

Mozilla applications store your personal settings, added extensions and themes, and user data such as bookmarks, passwords, cookies and mail in a profile, also see Profile folder - Firefox


Profile folders:

Profile folders are placed in the same area by default but are named randomly for additional security, refer to Profile name Salting later on. You can chose a custom location, see Profile Manager. The installation directory includes a folder named profile (for example, C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\profile on Windows), but this folder contains program defaults, not your user profile data.


Profile folder paths:

The profile folder path depends on the operating system and version. Here is a list of profile folder paths.

Find the location of the profile that you are currently using:

From the Firefox menu bar, choose Tools > Error Console (Firefox 2/3) or Tools > JavaScript Console (Firefox 1.5). Copy the following code...

Code:

Components.classes["@mozilla.org/file/directory_service;1"].getService( Components.interfaces.nsIProperties).get("ProfD", Components.interfaces.nsIFile).path

...in the Error Console or JavaScript Console window, paste the code in the field near the top. Click the Evaluate button. The console should display the location of the profile that is currently in use. If you don't see it, make sure you have the "All" button pushed.


Application Data path:

%AppData% is a shorthand for the Application Data path on Windows. To use it, click Start > Run (you can use the search box on Vista), enter %AppData% and press Enter. You will be taken to the "real" folder, which is normally C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data on Windows XP/2000, or C:\users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista.


Mozilla Application Data paths:

Profile Manager:

The Profile Manager allows you to create and manage profiles. With a new profile the application will run without any extensions, themes, or customized settings that may be causing problems, but you can still import your data from another profile or switch back to a previous profile.


Profiles.ini:

The profiles.ini file contains information used to keep track of Firefox and Thunderbird profiles, as well as SeaMonkey profiles starting in SeaMonkey 2.0. Whenever you use the Profile Manager to create, rename or delete a profile in these applications, the changes are reflected in the profiles.ini file. The profiles.ini file is located inside the "Firefox" "Thunderbird" or "SeaMonkey" folder in the profile folder path for each application.

Code:

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=Default User
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/npfd7lu9.default
Default=1

• IsRelative=1 refers to the expected or "default" folder path that would be relative to the operating system, e.g., Path=Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default would be C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default for a Firefox profile folder in Windows XP.
  
• IsRelative=0 refers to a custom profile location such as Path=D:\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\MyProfile
  
• StartWithLastProfile=1 indicates that the "Don't ask at startup" option is selected.
  
• Default=1 refers to the last selected profile.

Profile name Salting:

Profile name salting is a random string of 8 characters is given to all profile folder names by default. The reason for this is to make the path to you profile folder random and unpredictable.

Bug 56002: Make path to profile dir unpredictable
Bug 230606: Tighten the same-origin policy for local files (file: URLs, trusted, security)
Bug 97180: Make profile directory salting more user-friendly
Profile name Salting
Create Mozilla Profile without .slt directory


Managing Profiles:

How To Manage Profiles
Firefox Profile Tutorial


Migrate, Import/Export, Backups:

Import bookmarks
Migrating settings to a new profile
MozBackup
Running from a USB Drive


Customizing & Editing:

Editing Configuration Files
Config
Tips & Tricks
Customizing Mozilla
Additional Functionality via Extensions


Extensions for Customizing & Editing:

MR Tech's Mozilla Extensions Page
MR Tech's Local Install
MR Tech's Best Mozilla, Firefox & Thunderbird Extensions
Extension: Tweak Network
Fasterfox
Preferential
ChromEdit Plus
FireTune


About protocol links:

About protocol links
MR Tech's About:About


Command line arguments:

kb.mozillazine.org: Command line arguments
mozilla.org: Command line arguments


1. The command line argument for creating profiles, do not accept names with spaces.

1.1 It can launch profiles containing spaces, the profile name must then be enclosed in quotes ""

2. Full path to .exe with spaces must be enclosed in quotes ""

3. Profile names are case sensitive

You can use the default install firefox -Command line argument or full path to .exe "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -Command line argument


Launch Profile Manager > firefox -p or firefox -ProfileManager

Create profile > firefox -createprofile ProfileName

Create profile at the given path > firefox -createprofile "ProfileName c:\internet\moz-profile\"
Note profile name and profile dir are quoted together.

Start Firefox with a given profile name > firefox -p "Joel User"

Start Firefox with profile located at the given path > firefox -profile "C:\myprofile"

 

Thanks for putting up all the information, Professor! However, it flew over my head like a jet.

 

Firefox- "User.js" tweaks.


The User.js file is the main preferences file for Firefox and is located in your profile folder. The file do not exist by default, so you need to create it before you can start adding preferences read Editing Configuration Files or use the ChromEdit Plus extension.


The user.js can be used to set various hidden Firefox preferences not in the Options menu as well as tweaking certain settings to (possibly) better fit computer and connection speed. I have put together a list of User.js preferences, as well as a few optional preferences. You can copy-paste them into a text editor and save as user.js (NO .txt file extension) then put it in your profile folder. It is not 100% optimized for fast but is leaning heavily towards fast.

Note that some settings are application version specific.

Comments start with //
Preferences start with user_pref (In red)

Code:

// * HTTP/1.1 pipelining * //

// Determines whether to use HTTP/1.1 pipelining
// True: Enable pipelining
// False (default): Disable pipelining
// Note: Pipelining is not well-supported by some servers and proxies
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.pipelining", true);[/color]

// Determines whether to use HTTP/1.1 pipelining when a proxy server is configured.
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.proxy.pipelining", true);[/color]

// Determines the maximum number of HTTP requests in the pipeline
// (sent sequentially without waiting for a response).
// Values greater than 8 are assumed to be 8; values less than 1 are assumed to be 1.
// Default value is 4
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.pipelining.maxrequests", 8);[/color]

// * Memory/RAM * //

// Maximize quicker from a minimized state
// (this will use more RAM as memory won't trim/free on minimize)
// See part 4 of the thread "notes on tweaks" for more info
[color=red]user_pref("config.trim_on_minimize", false);[/color]

// In Firefox 2 and SeaMonkey 1.1, these defaults changed to the following:
// Physical RAM, Memory Cache (in KB)
// 32 MB, 2048
// 64 MB, 4096
// 128 MB, 6144
// 256 MB, 10240
// 512 MB, 14336
// 1 GB, 18432
// 2 GB, 24576
// 4 GB, 30720
// 8 GB, 32768
[color=red]user_pref("browser.cache.memory.capacity", 14336);[/color]

// Pages that were recently visited are stored in memory in such a way
// that they don't have to be re-parsed (this is different from the memory cache).
// This improves performance when pressing Back and Forward.
// This preference limits the maximum number of pages stored in memory.
// Possible values and their effects:
// -1 Automatically determine the maximum amount of pages to store in memory based on the total amount of RAM (Default)
// RAM, Pages
// 32MB, 0
// 64MB, 1, 
// 128MB, 2
// 256MB, 3
// 512MB, 5
// 1GB - 4GB, 8
// 0 Do not store any pages in memory.
// Users who are having problems with memory consumption can try setting a lower value to lower memory consumption.
// Users who have no problems with memory can leave it at -1 or fit it to the installed amount of memory
[color=red]user_pref("browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers", 5);[/color]


// **General network ** //


[color=red]user_pref("network.dnsCacheExpiration", 360);[/color] // = 6 minutes
[color=red]user_pref("network.dnsCacheEntries", 100);[/color]
[color=red]user_pref("network.ftp.idleConnectionTimeout", 60);[/color] // = 1 minute

// Determines whether to perform IPv6 name lookups
[color=red]user_pref("network.dns.disableIPv6", true);[/color]

// Determines whether to use link prefetching
// http://www.mozilla.org/projects/netlib/Link_Prefetching_FAQ.html
// True (default): Silently prefetch hinted documents and store in the cache
// False: Disable all link prefetching
[color=red]user_pref("network.prefetch-next", false);[/color]


// ** Network HTTP ** //

// The "network.http.max." prefs can be altered based on connection speed.
// Max values are "inclusive" yet NOT to be used, use some reasonable values.

// Determines the maximum number of simultaneous HTTP connections.
// The default value is 24 for all applications except Minimo, whose default is 2.
// In Firefox 3, the default has been raised to 30. 
// Valid values are between 1 and 65535 inclusive.
// 32-48 are ok values max use 96
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.max-connections", 38);[/color]

// Determines the maximum number of simultaneous HTTP connections
// that can be established per host.
// If a proxy server is configured, then the server is the proxy server.
// Minimo default: 2. All others default: 8. Firefox 3: 15
// Valid values are between 1 and 255 inclusive.
// Faster connections can use more
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.max-connections-per-server", 18);[/color]

// If "network.http.keep-alive" is true (default), and if a proxy server IS configured
// then a new connection will only be attempted if the number
// of active persistent connections to the server is less than this preference
// Minimo default: 2. Firefox 3: 8. All others default: 4
// Valid values are between 1 and 255 inclusive.
// Faster connections can use more
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy", 10);[/color]

// If network.http.keep-alive is true (default), and if a proxy server is NOT configured
// then a new connection will only be attempted if the number
// of active persistent connections to the server is less than this preference.
// Default: 2. Firefox 3: 6
// Valid values are between 1 and 255 inclusive.
// Faster connections can use more
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server", 10);[/color]

// Requested timeout for Keep-Alive connections in seconds
// Default value is 300.
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.keep-alive.timeout", 30);[/color]

// Determines amount of time (in seconds) to suspend pending requests 
// before spawning a new connection once the limit on the number
// of persistent connections per host (network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server)
// has been reached. However, a new connection will not be created if max-connections
// (network.http.max-connections) or max-connections-per-server
// (network.http.max-connections-per-server) has also been reached.
// Default value is 10.
[color=red]user_pref("network.http.request.max-start-delay", 5);[/color]


// ** Rendering and other internal settings ** //


// Change the values based on how fast your PC and connection is.
// Higher numbers for slower PC's and connections, lower numbers for faster.


// True (default): Enable timer-based reflows during page rendering
// False: Opposite of the above
[color=red]user_pref("content.notify.ontimer", true);[/color]

// Determines the number of initial reflows during timer-based rendering.
// After this number of reflows, the page is only reflowed when the calculation
// of the layout of larger parts of the page is finalized.
//Default value is -1 (never).
[color=red]user_pref("content.notify.backoffcount", 5);[/color]

// True (default): Enable interruption of parsing
// to return to the application's event loop from time to time
// False: Opposite of the above
[color=red]user_pref("content.interrupt.parsing", true);[/color]

// Determines (in part) when to display a new portion of text to the layout from the buffer
// (the maximum number of text runs that may fly by before doing a notification).
// Value is in kilobytes. Default value is 8191.
// For more information, https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=77540
[color=red]user_pref("content.maxtextrun", 8191);[/color]


// Determines time in milliseconds to wait
// before an initial reflow attempt during page rendering
// Default value is 250
// Synchronize with "content.notify.interval" for best performance
// *Note* IF the rule about synchronizing with "content.notify.interval" for best performance
// and the rule of not going below 100000 in "content.notify.interval" is to be followed
// then you must use a value of no less then 100
// 100 to 150 for fast, 250 to 750 for dial-up
[color=red]user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 150);[/color]

// Determines time steps for the initial reflows
// defined by "content.notify.backoffcount" in microseconds
// Default value is 120000.
// Values below 100000 are not recommended (don't go below 100000)
// Synchronize with "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" for best performance
[color=red]user_pref("content.notify.interval", 150000);[/color]

// Determines how long to wait for user input (mouse movement or typing)
// in microseconds until switching to low frequency interrupt mode.
// High frequency interrupt mode provides better UI responsiveness
// at the expense of load time
// Default value is 750000.
// keep in synch with "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and "content.notify.interval"
[color=red]user_pref("content.switch.threshold", 150000);[/color]

// Determines time in microseconds after which parsing is interrupted
// to return to the application's event loop.
// Default value is 3×"content.notify.interval"
// Synchronize as a multiple of "content.notify.interval" for best results
[color=red]user_pref("content.max.tokenizing.time", 450000);[/color]


// *NOTES* From Laszlo:
// If these settings don't give you an improvement, 
// you could play with the "content." and ".initialpaint.delay" settings
// As said above, I got the best results by keeping them  in synch
// as in the given example (750000 and 750) while setting 
// "max.tokenizing.time" to a multiple of "switch.threshold" 
// (greater 3; with the values of the above example: 
//  3 * 750000 = 2250000, 4 * 750000 = 3000000, ...)

Optional preferences:

Code:

// Speeds up submenus like Bookmarks
// Determines the delay in milliseconds
// If this preference is not set, the OS's value is used.
[color=red]user_pref("ui.submenuDelay", 0);[/color]

// This setting determines the maximum number of
// simultaneous popup windows which can be open
// at any time. The default is 20
[color=red]user_pref("dom.popup_maximum", 5);[/color]

// This setting determines the selection behavior
// when you double-click on a word on a web page
// By default (True), Firefox selects the word and
// the white space on either side of that word
// If set to False, Firefox will only select the word itself
[color=red]user_pref("layout.word_select.eat_space_to_next_word", false);[/color]

// Disable Bookmark Icons
[color=red]user_pref("browser.chrome.site_icons", false);[/color]
[color=red]user_pref("browser.chrome.favicons", false);[/color]

// Tab overflow.
// To fit more tabs on the tab strip, Firefox shrinks each tab’s width.
// This preference determines the narrowest a tab can become before the tab strip becomes scrollable to handle the overflow.
// Default value is 100.
[COLOR=red]user_pref("browser.tabs.tabMinWidth", 60);[/COLOR]

// Number of seconds between Live Bookmarks updates
// Minimum 60, Default: 3600 (1 hour)
[COLOR=red]user_pref("browser.bookmarks.livemark_refresh_seconds", 10800);[/COLOR]

// True: Cache content received via SSL (security risk!)
// False (default): Do not cache content received via SSL
// Note: More information in Bug 205921
[color=red]user_pref("browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl", false);[/color]

// Let remote content link to local (file://) content. This is needed for intranets.
// http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=84128#c20
[color=red]user_pref("security.checkloaduri", false);[/color]

// This could be a potential security risk if set to true.
[color=red]user_pref("signed.applets.codebase_principal_support", false);[/color]

// Show full path to plugins in about:plugins
[color=red]user_pref("plugin.expose_full_path", true);[/color]

// Instead of error dialog box messages, displays it on a page in the browser
// Enabled on the Trunk
[color=red]user_pref("browser.xul.error_pages.enabled", true);[/color]

// True (default): Show placeholders while image is loading
[color=red]user_pref("browser.display.show_image_placeholders", false);[/color]


// Browser.tabs.closeButtons (Firefox 2.0 and above)
// http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser.tabs.closeButtons
// 0 = Display a close button on the active tab only
// 1 = Display close buttons on all tabs (Default)
// 2 = Don’t display any close buttons
// 3 = Display a single close button at the end of the tab strip (Firefox 1.x behavior) 
[color=red]user_pref("browser.tabs.closeButtons", 2);[/color]

// Disables closing window when closing the last tab, Trunk only for now[/color]
[color=red]user_pref("browser.tabs.closeWindowWithLastTab", false);[/color]

Specify path to Cache folder parent_directory:

Code:

// Path to Cache folder:
user_pref("browser.cache.disk.parent_directory","C:\\Cache folder parent_directory");

Cache folder parent_directory. The cache parent folder is the folder in which the cache folder resides (or root drive as a root has no parent). The Cache folder is named (must be named) Cache. If there is no Cache folder one will be made when you run Firefox.

This means if you have your cache folder in C:\Temp\Cache you specify it like this C:\\Temp when using user.js or prefs.js, or C:\Temp using about:config


Specify full path and file name of the bookmark file (Firefox 1/2 only):

Code:

user_pref("browser.bookmarks.file","C:\\Path To bookmarks.html");

Note: In Windows, the path separator must be two slashes, e.g. C:\\Path\\To\\bookmarks.html or C:\\Path\\To\\Cache if the value is being set in user.js or prefs.js instead of within about:config


Much of this is based on laszlo's Firefox Tuning thread at MozillaZine Forum so big thanks to laszlo. Notation is mainly from kb.mozillazine.org

 

There ya go.

Stickied and a Thread title update.

Very well done Animatrix.

 

Firefox- Chrome Edit


Read Editing Configuration Files for help or use the ChromEdit Plus extension. Note that settings are application version specific.

www.Userstyles.org is a online repository of "userChrome" and "userContent" tweaks. Using their Stylish extension you can "install" styles from the repository, instead of having to edit the config files. You can preview styles without having to restart or save the style.

Userstyles.org: Application styles (userChrome)
Userstyles.org: Site-specific styles

Mozillazine.org: Post your userFiles!

Chrome element names and IDs


Chrome Edit, userChrome.css


The userChrome.css file sets the display rules for various elements in the Firefox user interface and is located in the sub-folder called chrome in your profile folder. As with user.js, this file does not exist by default, so you need to create it before you can start adding your preferences. There's actually an example file that exists by default, called userChrome-example.css. Basically, you can just rename that file by removing the -example part.

EDIT: Most of the stuff listed here is now old and needs to be updated. But much of this keeps changing from version to version.

Developer.mozilla.org: have info on changes made to Firefox which may help explain why something is broken or give information about new features (e.g. CSS changes). But it is inherently technical stuff.

https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Documentation_hot_links
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/CSS

Mozillazine.org: Theme Development (may have info on UI changes to Firefox).

Addonsmirror.net: userChrome.css - Skins, skinning the interface

Tabs

Hide new tab button

Code:

/* Tab bar: hide new tab button */
tabbrowser .tabs-newtab-button { display: none !important }

Hide all tabs drop-down list

Code:

/* Tab bar: hide all tabs drop-down list */
.tabbrowser-strip *[class^="tabs-alltabs"] { display: none !important }

Tab Colors

In order to make the active tab easier to distinguish among the currently opened tabs, you can also change the colors for the tabs.
For Firefox 1.x

Code:

/* Change color of active tab */
tab{
   -moz-appearance: none !important;
}
tab[selected="true"] {
   background-color: rgb(222,218,210) !important;
   color: black !important;
}

/* Change color of normal tabs */
tab:not([selected="true"]) {
   background-color: rgb(200,196,188) !important;
   color: gray !important;
}

Tabs color Firefox 2.0 default theme
For Firefox 2.x
(Change the colors to whatever you like)

Code:

/* Color, light blue, blue and red, black text */

/* non selected state */

.tab-image-left,
.tab-image-right,
.tab-image-middle,
.tab-close-button,
.scrollbutton-up,
.scrollbutton-down-box,
.tabs-alltabs-box {
  background-color: #F0F8FF !important; /* change color here */
}

/* selected */

.tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-image-left,
.tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-image-right,
.tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-image-middle,
.tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-close-button {
 background-color: #1e90ff !important;
}

/* hovered */

.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected="true"]):hover > .tab-image-left,
.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected="true"]):hover > .tab-image-right,
.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected="true"]):hover > .tab-image-middle,
.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected="true"]):hover > .tab-close-button {
  background-color: #ff0000 !important;
}

/* normal state text */

.tabbrowser-tab > .tab-image-middle > .tab-text {
  color: #000000 !important;
}

/* selected & hovered for non selected text */

.tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-image-middle > .tab-text,
.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected="true"]):hover > .tab-image-middle > .tab-text {
  color: #000000 !important;
}

Firefox 3 Tab colors:

Todo - no code

userstyles.org: Search Tab colors
addons.mozilla.org: Search Tab colors


Tab and scrollbutton spacing:

Code:

/* Tab and scrollbutton spacing */
.tabbrowser-tab {
  margin-left: 1px !important;
  margin-right: 1px !important; 
}
.scrollbutton-up {
  margin-right: 2px !important;
}
.scrollbutton-down-box {
  margin-left: 2px !important;
}

Tabs at bottom:

Code:

/* Show tabs at bottom */
#content > tabbox { -moz-box-direction: reverse; }

Tab-bar height:

Code:

/* Change the tab-bar height */
tab {height: 23px !important;} .tabbrowser-strip {height: 25px !important;}

Sidebar


Place the sidebar on the right side:

Code:

/* Place the sidebar on the right side of the window */
#browser {
-moz-box-direction: reverse;
}

Set the sidebar size constraints:

Code:

/* Set the sidebar size constraints */
#sidebar {
   max-width: 450px !important;
   width: 150px !important;
   min-width: 5px !important;
}

Search box


Searchbar Autosizer (Extension)

Search bar Width:

Code:

/* Search bar Width */
#search-container { width: 88px !important; }

Make the searchbar shrink and expand when hover

Code:

/* Make the searchbar shrink and expand when hover */
#search-container {
 margin: 0 1px 0 0 !important;
 padding: 0 !important;
}
#search-container .searchbar-textbox,
#search-container .textbox-input-box {
 margin: 0 !important;
 padding: 0 !important;
}
#search-container .searchbar-dropmarker {
 margin: 1px 0 0 1px !important;
 padding: 0 !important;
}
#search-container * {
 width: auto !important;
}
#search-container .textbox-input-box {
 width: 0 !important;
}
#search-container:hover .textbox-input-box {
 /* width: auto !important; */
 width: 200px !important;
}
#search-container .searchbar-textbox {
 -moz-appearance: none !important;
 border: 0 !important;
 background-color: -moz-dialog !important;
}
#search-container:hover .searchbar-textbox {
 -moz-appearance: textfield !important;
 margin-left: -2px !important;
 background-color: -moz-field !important;
}

Bookmarks toolbarbutton


Bookmarks toolbarbutton size:

Code:

/* Bookmarks toolbarbutton size*/
#personal-bookmarks toolbarbutton {
margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px !important;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px !important
}

Hide "text" or "icon" in Bookmarks Toolbar :

Code:

/* Hide "text" or "icon" in Bookmarks Toolbar */
#personal-bookmarks .toolbarbutton-icon {display : none !important;}

Multi-row bookmarks toolbar

Code:

/* Multi-row bookmarks toolbar */
#bookmarks-ptf {display:block}
#bookmarks-ptf toolbarseparator {display:inline}

Chrome Edit, userContent.css


The userContent.css file sets the display rules for web content and is located in the sub-folder called chrome in your profile folder. As with user.js, this file does not exist by default, so you need to create it before you can start adding your preferences. As with userChrome.css, there is an example file that exists by default, called userContent-example.css. Basically, you can just rename that file by removing the -example part.

Userstyles.org: Site-specific styles (userContent)
Addonsmirror.net: userContent.css


Change cursor for links that open in new window

Code:

/* Change cursor for links that open in new window */
:link[target="_blank"], :visited[target="_blank"], 
:link[target="_new"], :visited[target="_new"] {cursor: crosshair;}

Change cursor for JavaScript links

Code:

/* Change cursor for JavaScript links */
a[href^="javascript:"] {cursor: move;}

Make forms look nicer

Code:

/* Make forms look nicer */
input,textarea {border: 1px inset ThreeDFace;} select 
{border-width: 1px !important;} 
input[type="radio"], input[type="checkbox"] 
{border: 1px inset ThreeDFace ! important;} 
button, input[type="reset"],input[type="button"], 
input[type="submit"] {padding: 1px 0 1px 0;border: 
1px outset ButtonFace;}

Disable Flash

Code:

/* Disable Flash */
embed[type="application/x-shockwave-flash"] {display: none !important;}

Color Codes, for customizing colors

Color Codes, RGB and HEX (remember the #)
Htmlgoodies: Color Codes (remember the #)
Webmonkey: Color Codes
Google: Color Codes



Firefox- Development News


Release Notes and Changelogs

Releases
Release Notes
Burningedge: Unofficial changelogs for Firefox releases
Wiki.mozilla: Recentchanges


Roadmap

All information given here are subject to change, and do change. The links giving here may not be up-to-date and you will need to read this threads newer posts for information and updates not posted here.

groups.google: mozilla.dev.planning
Brendan's Roadmap Updates
Wiki.mozilla: "Firefox"
Firefox/Feature Brainstorming
Firefox3/Product Requirements Document
Firefox:3.0 PRD
Firefox 3.0 (Gran Paradiso) Plan
http://wiki.mozilla.org/Gecko_1.9_Roadmap
http://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3
http://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3/Gecko_Feature_List

Firefox3.5 StatusMeetings
Firefox3 StatusMeetings
Firefox2 StatusMeetings
Firefox 2.0/3.0 Roadmap
Google Groups: mozilla.dev.apps.firefox
Google Groups: mozilla.dev.planning
Gecko: Reflow Refactoring
Tamarin Project
Brendan's Roadmap Updates: Project Tamarin
Frank Hecker; Adobe, Mozilla, and Tamarin

Historic:

Firefox:2.0 Product Planningraft Plan
1.9_Trunk_1.8_Branch_Plan
Firefox 2.0

Development related links

Mozilla Developer Center
Mozilla Quality
Wiki.mozilla
Mozilla Labs

MozillaZine Hosted Weblogs
Mozilla Security Blog
MozillaZine Forum: Firefox Builds
Planet Mozilla
Bonsai Watch
Bugzilla


The Burning edge


The Burning Edge: FAQ

* What are nightly builds?
* When will the next version of Firefox come out?
* What do "trunk" and "branch" mean?
* What does "WFM" mean?
* What do the compiler-optimization flags mean?
* So which optimized build should I get if my processor is X?
* I'm seeing a bug but nobody else is seeing it!



Firefox- Testing, Bugs & Code Tracking


Mozillazine: Firefox Builds


Nightly builds


Nightly builds

Trunk Changelog
Branch Pushlog


Hourly Trunk builds

mozilla-central-linux
mozilla-central-macosx
mozilla-central-win32


Tinderbox

About tinderbox

Tinderbox: All
Latest: tinderbox-builds
Tinderbox: Mozilla2.0
Tinderbox: Mozilla1.8
Tinderbox: Firefox
Tinderbox: SeaMonkey


Experimental

All experimental builds ftp



Getting the Firefox build ID (build time)

A. Put about: in the Location Bar, press enter.

B. Look at the firefox.exe, Right click > Properties > Version tab > File version

C. Tools > Error console > Copy paste Components.classes["@mozilla.org/xre/app-info;1"].getService(Components.interfaces.nsIXULAppInfo).appBuildID and press "evaluate".

D. Install the "Nightly Tester Tools" extension.

Nightly Tester Tools
Home page of Nightly Tester Tools



Firefox- Third Party/Unofficial: Optimized Builds


Mozillazine: Third Party/Unofficial Builds
Pryan.org: Unofficial nightly builds of mozilla software

Ayakawa (In English) (SSE/SSE2/PGO), Ayakawa (Japanese)

Mmoy: Home page (MMX/SSE/SSE2/x64)
mmoy build thread
Mmoy builds

Swiftfox: Optimized Mozilla Firefox Build for Linux

tete009 (English) (SSE/SSE2/PGO)
tete009 (Japanese)
mozillazine: tete009


USB Drive-Friendly build and related information

Portable Firefox (USB Drive-Friendly)
Run Firefox from removable media
Mozilla Firefox in a RAM Partition



Firefox- Tests


SmokeTests (Mozilla Quality Assurance SmokeTests)

http://www.numion.com/stopwatch/
http://scragz.com/tech/mozilla/test-rendering-time.php
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/csstest.html
http://www.world-direct.com/mozilla/dhtml/funo/jsTimeTest.htm
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,11923484~mode=flat#11926586
http://greymagic.com/dagon/ff.html

 

Nice work.

 

Firefox - Information on preferences and tweaks


kb.mozillazine: Preferences
http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config (copy paste the URL, forum quirk)
The Preferential project
kb.mozillazine: Tweaking preferences
developer.mozilla.org: Tuning Pageload



Content.interrupt.parsing

This preference controls whether the application will interrupt parsing a page to respond to UI events.

Possible values and their effects

True = Parsing can be interrupted to process UI events. (Default)
False = Parsing cannot be interrupted. The application will be unresponsive until parsing is complete.


Content.notify.ontimer


Rather than wait until a page has completely downloaded to display it to the user, Mozilla applications will periodically render what has been received to that point. Because reflowing the page every time additional data is received greatly slows down total page load time, a timer was added so that the page would not reflow too often. This preference specfies whether that timer is active.

Possible values and their effects

True = Don't reflow pages at an interval any higher than that specified by content.notify.interval. (Default)
False = Reflow pages whenever new data is received.


Content.switch.threshold


The user can interact with a loading page when content.interrupt.parsing is set to true. When a page is loading, the application has two modes: a high frequency interrupt mode and a low frequency interrupt mode. The high frequency interrupt mode interrupts the parser more frequently to allow for greater UI responsiveness during page load. The low frequency interrupt mode interrupts the parser less frequently to allow for quicker page load. The application enters high frequency interrupt mode when the user moves the mouse or types on the keyboard and switches back to low frequency mode when the user has had no activity for a certain amount of time. This preference controls that amount of time.

Possible values and their effects

The number of microseconds (1 second = 1,000,000 microseconds) of inactivity that puts the application into low frequency interrupt mode. (Default: 750,000)

* content.notify.ontimer and content.interrupt.parsing must be set to true for this preference to take effect.


Content.notify.interval


Rather than wait until a page has completely downloaded to display it to the user, Mozilla applications will periodically render what has been received to that point. Because reflowing the page every time additional data is received greatly slows down total page load time, a timer was added so that the page would not reflow too often. This preference specfies the minimum amount of time to wait between reflows.


Possible values and their effects

The minimum number of microseconds (1 second = 1,000,000 microseconds) between reflows. (Default: 120,000)

* content.notify.ontimer must be set to true for this preference to take effect.
* This preference affects the default value of content.max.tokenizing.time.

Lowering the interval will lower the perceived page loading time but increase the total loading time, especially on slower connections. Values below 100,000 have a significant impact on performance and are not recommended https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=72138#c6


Content.notify.backoffcount


Rather than wait until a page has completely downloaded to display it to the user, Mozilla applications will periodically render what has been received to that point. Because reflowing the page every time additional data is received greatly slows down total page load time, a timer was added so that the page would not reflow too often. This preference controls the maximum number of times the content will do timer-based reflows. After this number has been reached, the page will only reflow once it is finished downloading.


Possible values and their effects

-1 = No limit on timer-based reflows (Default)

0 = Don't do any timer-based reflows.

Any positive integer = The maximum number of timer-based reflows to perform.


Content.max.tokenizing.time


Rather than wait until a page has completely downloaded to display it to the user, Mozilla applications will periodically render what has been received to that point. This preference controls the maximum amount of time the application will be unresponsive while rendering pages.


Possible values and their effects

The maximum number of microseconds (1 second = 1,000,000 microseconds) between reflows. (Default: triple the value of content.notify.interval)

* content.notify.ontimer and content.interrupt.parsing must be set to true for this preference to take effect.

Lowering the interval will make the application more responsive at the expense of page load time. A multiple of the value of content.notify.interval is recommended https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=76722#c34


Content.maxtextrun

Rather than wait until a page has completely downloaded to display it to the user, Mozilla applications will periodically render what has been received to that point. Because the application must wait for a node to be completed before rendering it, very long text nodes can prevent the page from reflowing. To prevent the wait, Mozilla applications split text nodes to a length specified by this preference.


Possible values and their effects

The maximum number of bytes in a text node. (Default: 8191)

* Values of 8192 and higher cause massive slowdowns in rendering text-heavy pages https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=77540#c1 has been marked as a duplicate of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=57451


Network.http.keep-alive.timeout


HTTP is the application-layer protocol that most web pages are transferred with. HTTP keep-alive connections can be re-used for multiple requests, as opposed to non-keep-alive connections, which are limited to one request. Using keep-alive connections improves performance. This preference determines how long keep-alive connections are kept alive.


Possible values and their effects

Amount of time in seconds to keep keep-alive connections alive. Default: 300 seconds.

* This preference only has an effect if network.http.keep-alive is true.


Nglayout.initialpaint.delay


Mozilla applications render web pages incrementally - they display what's been received of a page before the entire page has been downloaded. Since the start of a web page normally doesn't have much useful information to display, Mozilla applications will wait a short interval before first rendering a page. This preference controls that interval.


Possible values and their effects

The number of milliseconds to wait before first displaying the page. (Default: 250)

Lower values will make a page initially display more quickly, but will make the page take longer to finish rendering. Higher values will have the opposite effect.


Network.http.pipelining


HTTP is the application-layer protocol that most web pages are transferred with. In HTTP 1.1, multiple requests can be sent before any responses are received. This is known as pipelining. Pipelining reduces page loading times, but not all servers support it. Some servers may even behave strangely if they receive pipelined requests. If a proxy server is not configured, this preference controls whether to attempt to use pipelining.


Possible values and their effects

True = Attempt to use pipelining in HTTP 1.1 connections.
False = Never use pipelining. (Default)


* This preference only has an effect if you are not using a proxy. If you are using a proxy, see network.http.proxy.pipelining.
* network.http.keep-alive must be set to true for pipelining to work.
* network.http.version must be set to 1.1 for pipelining to work.
* While this preference will improve performance, it may cause problems loading pages from some servers.


Users who want better page loading speed can try setting this preference to true, keeping in mind this may break some websites.


Network.http.pipelining.maxrequests


HTTP is the application-layer protocol that most web pages are transferred with. In HTTP 1.1, multiple requests can be sent before any responses are received. This is known as pipelining. This preference specifies the maximum number of requests to pipeline at once.


Possible values and their effects

Any integer from 1 to 8 inclusive determines the maximum number of requests to pipeline at once. A value of 1 disables pipelining. (Default: 4)

* network.http.pipelining or network.http.proxy.pipelining (depending on whether you use a proxy) must be set to true for this preference to take effect.

Higher values will cause a delay before the first request completes but will make the last request complete sooner. Higher values will also cause more of a delay if a connection fails.


Config.trim_on_minimize


On Windows operating systems, when a program is minimized and left for a period of time, Windows will reclaim the memory the program used in anticipation that other programs might need it. Because of the way Mozilla applications are stored in memory, Windows is much more aggressive in reclaiming the memory they use, which can cause a delay when the program is restored. This preference determines whether to allow Windows to reclaim memory from a minimized Mozilla application.

Possible values and their effects

True = Allow Windows to reclaim memory when the program is minimized.
False = Prevent Windows from reclaiming memory when the program is minimized. (Default)

If you're experiencing problems with the application consuming too much memory, you can try setting this preference to true. If you're not experiencing any problems, it should be left at false to maintain application responsiveness.

Slow startup after long periods of inactivity (minimized window or other)
Resuming from hibernate state takes too long if Firefox running
CPU Hogging upon resuming from Standby/Hibernation
The working set of an application is trimmed when its top-level window is minimized



Note: Any Tweak, it's value, function/effect, max/hard limit, are not 100% well known and may/will change over time (build versions). Some "Tweaks" might have no effect some may even give slowdowns, test your settings.


HTTP/1.1 Pipelining FAQ
Asa Dotzler on HTTP pipelining: How to speed up firefox?
Here is lazlo's warning on the fine-tuning:



Firefox - Troubleshooting


Firefox install notes

Installing new Firefox versions on top of older versions repeatedly and using the same profile over longer periods of time, can lead to issues. Anytime major changes are made some backwards compatibility issue may arise. To eliminate all doubts if having a problem, do a clean install (into new/empty folder) and make a new profile, also make sure your using compatible extensions (that they install is no guarantee for them to work without issues).


Usage Troubleshooting

Firefox Help
MozillaZine: Mozilla Firefox Support

Images / animations don't load
Summary of Can't Connect/timeout Solutions
Error loading any website
Reducing memory usage - Firefox

Standard Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting
Standard diagnostic
Firefox Issues


Crash reporting

Talkback (aka Quality Feedback Agent)
Quality Feedback Agent
Talkback search


Maybe it's not Firefox

The first action to take when having a problem is to make sure no "outside" or third party program is interfering or blocking Firefox or any of it's needed browser actions like Java, Java scripts, pop-up's, URL blocking and so on. Anti-virus, Firewall, Anti-spyware, Ad-blocking software can all have interfering or unwanted blocking effects.


Check your settings and read the nice manual

Browser settings needed should be enable Java, JavaScript, Cookies, Image loading, etc.


Extensions can be both good and bad

Extensions are grate but unfortunately also the number one leading issue to Firefox look alike problems. Make sure the problem you have is not caused by a extension you have installed. Remember to look for updates for your extensions, use the build-in extension check or have the auto look-up on. Use Firefox's safe mode to quickly disable all extensions.



Three step troubleshooting


1. Start Firefox in it's safe mode

This will run Firefox with all extensions and themes temporally disabled so you can quickly check for any related issues.



2. Make a new profile

This will give you a clean profile and any issue related to your profile (settings,extensions, etc.) should go away.


3. Uninstall/Reinstall (full).

Well lets face it some times reinstalling a program can fixes problems.

Firefox (and many other applications) will not delete the program folder on uninstall. So reinstalling needs to be done right. Delete the old program folder or install into a new empty folder not the old folder. It is also very important that any profile problems there may be with the old profile from the old install, NOT be carried over into the new install. Make absolutely sure the profile you are using is okay AND compatible with the version (Trunk/Branch) of Firefox. Otherwise make a new profile for the new install.


********

Thunderbird


Thunderbird
Thunderbird Release Notes
Getting started with Thunderbird
An introduction to Thunderbird


Thunderbird Help
Tips & Tricks
Mozilla Thunderbird Support
How to get help (FAQ)
Timeout on dual core CPU

Using Gmail, Hotmail/MSN or Yahoo! Mail with Thunderbird
kb:Thunderbird
kb:Configuration
kb: Other sources of Thunderbird information

The Rumbling Edge
Thunderbird 2.0 Roadmap

Portable Thunderbird

 

I have this computer ===>
and 384/64 DSL, so wich tweaks to use, fast-slow or slow-slow?

 

Pinbot, you have a fast computer to me, in a sense where a single program is considered, firefox, so i'd use Fast-slow, but the best way to know is to try different configs so YOU really know how fast firefox can be on your computer

 

Nevermind, firefox works fine as it is, but I found few things that bugs me:
1. When I browse pages somethimes scrolling stops for second and than everything is fine again. If this happens when I want to click a link I can't so I must wait until it unstops. BTW I enabled smooth scrolling, and that doesn't help.
2. When I write post (ie. here on Guru3d) and want to quote something or make it bold, firefox puts this on the end of post, so I must copy it back where I left cursor. This is very anoying, and quoting somebody, becomes nightmare.

 

PinBot if i were you i'd just try fast/fast but you can make different user.js for testing.
Just close FF when making changes to the user.js, or trying a different user.js .

As for scrolling problems in FF it's usually the web page that just don't "work" in FF.
Im not going to start bashing the web master or the usual "stuff".

I'll just say this. There are many pages (still) that are made for IE or that only "works" in IE.
Yes it sucks but that's life.

(Did this started happening after applying some of the tweaks?.)

I'm not sure i understand your qustion.
"puts this on the end of post"?.

 

thats the code in Vbulletin I think... nothing to do with FireFox

 

First sorry for bad English, choking is happening from the day I installed FF.

I put cursor where I wan't to insert for example bold text, and I press B, than write text in the box, and when I press OK, text is put in the end of last sentence I wrote. So I must copy that back where it should be.

 

I have AMD Athlon 1800+, 256MB 266Mhz ram.
My internet connection varies from time to time between 80KBps to a max of 200 Kbps(rarely I get this). What settings should I use??

I have also noticed something:
Today I installed Firefox 1.0.4 and when I was downloading an attachment of about 8.5MB the download speed was very fast and then it decreased proportional to time.
I normally get about 10Kbps(average) download speed even in IE6
The download started in Firefox with a speed of 20Kbps and ended in 1.5Kbps and I had to cancel the download. Also Can I use flash-get with Firefox as the default download manager??

 

Yes you can use Flashget with firefox . You just need to download the extension named Flashgot from this link : https://addons.update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=220

 

Yes but which settings should I use??.
I forgot just how can I configure flashget or flashgot to download. What I do now is copy the link location and paste it in flashget. But sometimes I don't get the actual link.
I also have seen that when I download attachments using Firefox's own download manager it is unable to determine the actual size of the file!!!
And so the download also fails sometimes!

 

after installing the flashgot plugin you'll get the option of flashget through the default firefox downloader .

 

Thnx. actually I am using WellGEt now!!!

 

can anyone tell me how to make scrolling on forums as smooth as in IE? forums are so sluggish on firefox.

[edit] nvm. i see it's the way vbulletin is coded. i know it's the way the page is coded but still sux firefox can't handle it. time to give opera a try.

[second edit] opera rox. none of that annoying scrolling problems with firefox.

 

I just had the opposite problems..
It's smooth scrolling in Firefox than in IE