Firefox survival guide

sangheeta

Hello,
As there is a linux survival guide on this forum, I wondered why not create a Firefox survival guide to share lots of practical tips?

Improve the speed of the scroll, the harder we scroll, the faster we go:
mousewheel.acceleration.factor = 20
mousewheel.acceleration.start = 1

Switch tabs using the mouse wheel:
toolkit.tabbox.switchByScrolling = true

Have the find bar centered below the favorites bar using the userChrome .css:
source

findbar {
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 0;
  position: relative;
  margin-top: -4px !important;
  margin-bottom: calc(0px - 2 * var(--toolbarbutton-inner-padding) -  20px);
  border-top: none !important;
  transition: transform 82ms linear, opacity 82ms linear 32ms !important;
  background: var(--toolbar-bgcolor) !important;  /* --lwt-accent-color for contrast */ 

  /* Don't overlap with scrollbar */
  /* margin-right: 16px; */
}

findbar .findbar-textbox {
  width: 32em !important;
  text-align: center !important;  
} 

findbar[hidden] {
  transform: translateY(-30px);
}

findbar > .findbar-container {
  -moz-box-direction: reverse;
}

findbar .findbar-button {
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 0;
}

findbar .found-matches {
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 2;
  display: -moz-box; 
  min-width: 200px;
  text-align: right !important;
  opacity: 0.75 !important;
}

findbar .findbar-find-fast.findbar-find-status {
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 3;
  display: none !important;
}

findbar > .findbar-container > hbox {
  margin: 0 70px;
}

findbar > .findbar-container::before,
findbar > .findbar-container::after {
  content: "";
  display: -moz-box;
  -moz-box-flex: 1;
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 0
}
findbar > .findbar-container::after { 
  -moz-box-ordinal-group: 4;
}

[deleted]

sangheeta Improve the speed of the scroll, the harder we scroll, the faster we go:
mousewheel.acceleration.factor = 20
mousewheel.acceleration.start = 1

I've just set
mousewheel.default.delta_multiplier_y
and mousewheel.system_scroll_override_on_root_content.vertical.factor
to 240.

Your method seems better, thanks! I found 16 to be more suitable for acceleration factor, though.

JoshStrobl

Best way to survive Firefox:

Chrome: https://getsol.us/articles/software/third-party/en/#google-chrome

Vivaldi (Stable): sudo eopkg install vivaldi-stable

Vivaldi (Snapshot): sudo eopkg install vivaldi-snapshot

😛

rav101

JoshStrobl

Well that escalated!

I've actually been giving Firefox an opportunity now I've moved to Linux and ive been really enjoying it. I find it on a level with chrome for apps and speed etc but that's my personal mileage.

RLFontan

JoshStrobl Firefox is not better in terms of privacy and open source stuff? I'm not suggesting, I'm really asking... one of the reasons i give privilege to Firefox is that i felt like it's better related with open source world.

cdorin

JoshStrobl Use Vivaldi at work till it crashed twice in the same day, losing all my work (working on a wiki). Since then, vivaldi is my second browser. Mozilla is again at the top because it's rock solid.

Boggle247

JoshStrobl privacy related tweaks here https://www.privacytools.io

danielson

@sangheeta for that scroll tip on Firefox tabs! 😃
It is one of the features i now consider basic and appreciate to see in others like Vivaldi, Brave and Slimjet.
Would be nice to have preview on taskbar like on Windows or even on top like in Vivaldi...

It's hard to choose and pick a default browser in Linux 'cause everything just moves with so much speed!
One minor detail annoys me with Firefox: clicking on x to close seems to take a little while to happen compared to Vivaldi and other Chrome-clones.

Otherwise, keep the Firefox tips and tweaks comin' as i always seem to fall back to Firefox just as i do with Solus on Linux.

sangheeta

danielson clicking on x to close seems to take a little while to happen compared to Vivaldi and other Chrome-clones

kyrios gave the solution here

You can go in Add-ons -> Languages and disable the languages packs you don't need. It's annoying but you only have to do it once.

kyrios

I am surprised, I thought one of the first tip would concern hardware acceleration.

danielson

kyrios - excellent point? 😄
Was wanting to post that but had to step out on an errand.
So, here it is (even if from another thread):

Firefox:

In the URL bar type about:config and press enter, then agree to the accept the risk warning.
Search for and double click these values to toggle (enable / disable) where appropriate.

Enable hardware acceleration in Firefox
layers.acceleration.force-enabled

Enable autoscroll
Use middle mouse button to click and scroll with mouse movement.
general.autoScroll

Disable Firefox Pocket
extensions.pocket.enabled

In KDE is a dark theme causing forms on websites using firefox to be dark?:
Create a new string pref in about:config (right click menu) named widget.content.gtk-theme-override and set the value to a installed light theme (e.g. Breeze), then restart Firefox.

https://discuss.getsol.us/d/146-linux-survival-guide

lekkerlinux

kyrios This is weird! I have used Firefox and Chrome, with hardware acceleration enabled in both, while the privacy protection in Firefox is set to strict and using Adguard in Chrome, with the end result of Chrome still being faster than Firefox.

EbonJaeger

danielson In KDE is a dark theme causing forms on websites using firefox to be dark?:

Again, doesn't just apply to KDE. 🙂

Solarmass

show full url
browser.urlbar.trimURLs;false

danielson

EbonJaeger -thank you.

Btw, think i've learned more useful Firefox tweaks here in a few minutes than a few years on Mozillazine.org (or elsewhere for that fact) ! 😀

sangheeta

[deleted] Your method seems better, thanks! I found 16 to be more suitable for acceleration factor, though.

You're welcome, I found this setting a little by chance because the solutions proposed on the internet were not conclusive. Finally these two lines do the job.

danielson

[deleted] : 16 and 1 and doing just fine with me.
Thanks for the tip! 😃
Wasn't really expecting anything noticeable.

EbonJaeger

RLFontan In theory. In practice, I don't really trust Mozilla anymore. Especially after their ways of running tests on unsuspecting users. Sadly I suspect Firefox privacy is a bit of a sham these days.

danielson

EbonJaeger -can't be any worse than Google Chrome or future Microsoft Chrome-Edge or whatever they'll call it. Hey! I know, they're going to call it Outlook III.

kyrios

EbonJaeger It's a pity to think like this, even if I understand that kind of reaction. Mozilla is not perfect but the foundation a very active in the domain of privacy protection.

EbonJaeger

danielson EbonJaeger -can't be any worse than Google Chrome or future Microsoft Chrome-Edge or whatever they'll call it.

True; though even I wouldn't put Microsoft in the same boat as Google. (I actually like Edge, more or less. You may call me a heretic now. xD )

RLFontan

In terms of performance, i had a best time with Chrome based browser, but i just try to help those aligned with open source and privacy the maximum i can.

danielson

One feature via an extension i used a lot for a while, was the ability to autohide the toolbar.
I've grown accustomed to doing without (Slimjat has it natively).
Do like most Chrome-based browsers but Firefox usually handles everything pretty well.

danielson

Edge is fun too!
Don't want to start a browser war.
Just feel it's good to have an alternative to the dominant Chrome world.
What happens if Chrome or Chromium take you down a road you don't want?
Like a driverless car that decides to roll you over a cliff because its GPS tells it the road is still there!

Do miss a "close tabs to the left" option in Firefox.

kyrios

danielson euhm.... euhm....