My Firefoxes are crashing left, right, and center
so I'm trying to isolate the tweaks in an effort
to fix things. One given is that I boot a different
Linux distro every day of the week, another one is
that /home/UserMe in all of them is a link to a
folder on a remote data partition.

Unfortunately I've had little luck with FF or with
T-Bird in pointing them all to a single user folder
so that provisionally and UFN the FF of each system
has it's own folder to work in.

What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
and on top of prefs.js).

My question is, will different versions of FF
accept using a single write-protected user.js to
which all the instances of user.js are linked?

On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
>
> My Firefoxes are crashing left, right, and center
> so I'm trying to isolate the tweaks in an effort
> to fix things. One given is that I boot a different
> Linux distro every day of the week, another one is
> that /home/UserMe in all of them is a link to a
> folder on a remote data partition.
>
> Unfortunately I've had little luck with FF or with
> T-Bird in pointing them all to a single user folder
> so that provisionally and UFN the FF of each system
> has it's own folder to work in.
>
> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
> and on top of prefs.js).
>
> My question is, will different versions of FF
> accept using a single write-protected user.js to
> which all the instances of user.js are linked?
>
I've got one that I use for initial install of Firefox/TB. Has all those "allow close all windows" etc tweaks.
I put it in the profile, run the system but somehow (maybe me) the user.js is gone now in my installs.
I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated into prefs.js, but I have no idea. I wouldn't be
surprised if I didn't just copy them in to make sure they were there.
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
>>
>> My Firefoxes are crashing left, right, and center
>> so I'm trying to isolate the tweaks in an effort
>> to fix things. One given is that I boot a different
>> Linux distro every day of the week, another one is
>> that /home/UserMe in all of them is a link to a
>> folder on a remote data partition.
>>
>> Unfortunately I've had little luck with FF or with
>> T-Bird in pointing them all to a single user folder
>> so that provisionally and UFN the FF of each system
>> has it's own folder to work in.
>>
>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>> and on top of prefs.js).
>>
>> My question is, will different versions of FF
>> accept using a single write-protected user.js to
>> which all the instances of user.js are linked?
>>
> I've got one that I use for initial install of Firefox/TB. > Has all those "allow close all windows" etc tweaks.
> I put it in the profile, run the system but somehow (maybe me) the
> user.js is gone now in my installs.

I have so many deal-breaking issues with the
entire profiles getup that I just as soon not
even touch them (for the time being).

> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated into
> prefs.js, but I have no idea.  I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
> copy them in to make sure they were there.

I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
them in they probably got overwritten IF you
made further live changes to your filed changes(?).

bad sector wrote:
> On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
>> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
[..snip..]
>>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>>> and on top of prefs.js).
[..snip..]>
>> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated into
>> prefs.js, but I have no idea. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
>> copy them in to make sure they were there.
>
> I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
> remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
> them in they probably got overwritten IF you
> made further live changes to your filed changes(?).

Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
important updates.

During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it exists.
user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just delete
your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the prefs.js.

The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which are
important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
by any automatic update or so.

On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, this is what Frank Miller wrote:
> bad sector wrote:
>> On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
>>> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
> [..snip..]
>>>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>>>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>>>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>>>> and on top of prefs.js).
> [..snip..]>
>>> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated into
>>> prefs.js, but I have no idea. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
>>> copy them in to make sure they were there.
>>
>> I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
>> remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
>> them in they probably got overwritten IF you
>> made further live changes to your filed changes(?).
>
> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
> important updates.
>
> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it exists.
> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just delete
> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the prefs.js.
>
> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which are
> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
> by any automatic update or so.
To reword: Leaving user.js there means those tweaks will never change, as you say with an update?
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

Big Al wrote:
> On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, this is what Frank Miller wrote:
[..snip..]
>> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
>> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
>> important updates.
>>
>> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it exists.
>> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
>> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just delete
>> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the prefs.js.
>>
>> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which are
>> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
>> by any automatic update or so.
> To reword: Leaving user.js there means those tweaks will never change, as you say with an update?

https://kb.mozillazine.org/User.js_file

On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, Frank Miller wrote:
> bad sector wrote:
>> On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
>>> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
> [..snip..]
>>>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>>>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>>>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>>>> and on top of prefs.js).
> [..snip..]>
>>> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated into
>>> prefs.js, but I have no idea. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
>>> copy them in to make sure they were there.
>>
>> I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
>> remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
>> them in they probably got overwritten IF you
>> made further live changes to your filed changes(?).
>
> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
> important updates.
>
> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it exists.
> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just delete
> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the prefs.js.
>
> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which are
> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
> by any automatic update or so.

So, since only the user writes user.js I should get away with
linking all FF user'js files to a single one in remote data (gonna
try that before midnight).

On 12/3/23 02:12 PM, this is what Frank Miller wrote:
> Big Al wrote:
>> On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, this is what Frank Miller wrote:
> [..snip..]
>>> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
>>> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
>>> important updates.
>>>
>>> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it exists.
>>> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
>>> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just delete
>>> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the prefs.js.
>>>
>>> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which are
>>> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
>>> by any automatic update or so.
>> To reword: Leaving user.js there means those tweaks will never change, as you say with an update?
>
> https://kb.mozillazine.org/User.js_file
Thanks.
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

On 12/3/23 14:30, bad sector wrote:
> On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, Frank Miller wrote:
>> bad sector wrote:
>>> On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
>>>> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
>> [..snip..]
>>>>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>>>>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>>>>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>>>>> and on top of prefs.js).
>> [..snip..]>
>>>> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated
>>>> into
>>>> prefs.js, but I have no idea.  I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
>>>> copy them in to make sure they were there.
>>>
>>> I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
>>> remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
>>> them in they probably got overwritten IF you
>>> made further live changes to your filed changes(?).
>>
>> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
>> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
>> important updates.
>>
>> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it
>> exists.
>> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
>> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just
>> delete
>> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the
>> prefs.js.
>>
>> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which
>> are
>> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
>> by any automatic update or so.
>
> So, since only the user writes user.js I should get away with
> linking all FF user'js files to a single one in remote data (gonna
> try that before midnight).

I tried to copy and edit a snippet into a user.js but the lingo and
the syntax have become unrecognizable mumbo-jumbo. What I would start
with is the line that absolutely makes the menu bar permanent as if it
were chiseled in stone. And I don't want it in the title bar because
that makes grabbing for moving problematic unless grab-gaps between
items are protected.

Simply put

- a title bar
- a fully conventiona menu bar below that
- then an editable URL slot that causes anything else on that
line to collapse into thge line below before it shrinks.

My screen real-estate is no one else's to waste or mess up, I
wanna see NOTHING else except the above lines or rows.

To get all this into a user.js file is my next objective and
exercise, I'll be very happy if I make it.

On 12/3/23 09:08, Big Al wrote:
> On 12/2/23 11:54 PM, this is what Frank Miller wrote:
>> bad sector wrote:
>>> On 12/2/23 20:21, Big Al wrote:
>>>> On 12/2/23 06:00 PM, this is what bad sector wrote:
>> [..snip..]
>>>>> What this leaves me to tinker with is prefs.js with
>>>>> the understanding that a user.js is what SHOULD be
>>>>> edited (I presume that user.js gets loaded after
>>>>> and on top of prefs.js).
>> [..snip..]>
>>>> I really wish I could tell you the stuff in user.js is incorporated
>>>> into
>>>> prefs.js, but I have no idea.  I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't just
>>>> copy them in to make sure they were there.
>>>
>>> I tried that long ago, in another life, don't
>>> remember if it was of any use. If you just pasted
>>> them in they probably got overwritten IF you
>>> made further live changes to your filed changes(?).
>>
>> Firefox (and Thunderbird) load their Preferences from the "prefs.js" file
>> in the according profile. This file /can/ be overwritten for example by
>> important updates.
>>
>> During startup the prefs.js is loaded and also the user.js - when it
>> exists.
>> user.js overrides (or adds) the included values in the prefs.js.
>> These overrides of user.js to prefs.js are permanent. So if you just
>> delete
>> your user.js it's values aren't automatically reset or deleted in the
>> prefs.js.
>>
>> The meaning of the user.js file is to nail down some preferences which
>> are
>> important to the user. They can be copied and moved and get never touched
>> by any automatic update or so.
> To reword:   Leaving user.js there means those tweaks will never change,
> as you say with an update?

What I tried on one system is delete the firefox folder and relauch to
regenerate a canned prefs.js. I then

- make only the one most important change to prefs (a CONVENTIONAL menu
bar) and copy it to a data folder as prefs.js-stock-tumbleweed as an example

- redo my prefs ritual again and take out just about every single
default setting (THAT's how bad it has become!) and save it as
prefs'js-clean-tumbleweed

- rename prefs.js to prefs.js-was and link prefs.js-clean-tumbleweed in
as user.js

What this should give me is a writable prefs.js to avoid headaches but a
clean overwrite of it. I haven't tested much yet, been busy with other
things... Enabling DRM is the ONE intervention I have to do when
hitting Netflix or Prime. Eventually I may have to store a DRM-version
of user.js to link-in just before watching flix.

Is there an itemized help-file explaining line-by-line all of prefs.js?
The GUI prefs dialog doesn't tell me enough, as an ideal option it would
show which line each settings item edits.

bad sector wrote:

> Is there an itemized help-file explaining line-by-line all of prefs.js?
> The GUI prefs dialog doesn't tell me enough, as an ideal option it would
> show which line each settings item edits.

You cold take this as a starting point:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries

On 12/6/23 11:31, Frank Miller wrote:
> bad sector wrote:
>
>> Is there an itemized help-file explaining line-by-line all of prefs.js?
>> The GUI prefs dialog doesn't tell me enough, as an ideal option it would
>> show which line each settings item edits.
>
> You cold take this as a starting point:
> http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries

Pretty intense, chinese mostly, but good to know.
What file is all that in, and why have three (including
pref.js & user.js)? If I had my way I'd stick with
GUI prefs which optionally show (below each input box)
the path and the line item edited by that input.

Just the other day I started seeing FF windows with
no title-bar and all black making them impossible
to handle on a black wallpaper. After googling around
I found that now there is a prefs setting for that
too (moretools>customtoolbar>bottomleft). What's next,
a single app for going to the moon or to get a six
pack in which you set in prefs what you wanna do with
it or you risk never coming back?

On 12/8/23 09:18 AM, this is what bad sector wrote:
> On 12/6/23 11:31, Frank Miller wrote:
>> bad sector wrote:
>>
>>> Is there an itemized help-file explaining line-by-line all of prefs.js?
>>> The GUI prefs dialog doesn't tell me enough, as an ideal option it would
>>> show which line each settings item edits.
>>
>> You cold take this as a starting point:
>> http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries
>
> Pretty intense, chinese mostly, but good to know.
> What file is all that in, and why have three (including
> pref.js & user.js)?  If I had my way I'd stick with
> GUI prefs which optionally show (below each input box)
> the path and the line item edited by that input.
>
> Just the other day I started seeing FF windows with
> no title-bar and all black making them impossible
> to handle on a black wallpaper. After googling around
> I found that now there is a prefs setting for that
> too (moretools>customtoolbar>bottomleft). What's next,
> a single app for going to the moon or to get a six
> pack in which you set in prefs what you wanna do with
> it or you risk never coming back?
>
>
Anything you do in about:config is put into prefs.js.
prefs.js is your system configuration!
If you look at it with a text editor, you'll see calendar settings, printer settings, mail settings etc.

If you read back over some of the other posts, the use of user.js has been well explained.
A short explanation is: if you manually entered a config to not warn you when closing multiple tabs into the user.js,
then that config would overwrite anything done in prefs.js. If you had a windows update that changed that setting on
you, the user.js would keep it from changing since it has precedence.

Hope I didn't muddle that too much.
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

Big Al wrote:
> Anything you do in about:config is put into prefs.js.
> prefs.js is your system configuration!
> If you look at it with a text editor, you'll see calendar settings, printer settings, mail settings etc.
>

Right. Essentially, about:config is the GUI way of accessing prefs.js.
If you really want, you can interact with a text editor, but
about:config makes it easier. And for user.js, you're limited to access
from an editor.

However, a limitation to about:config (and for that matter, prefs.js) is
that what you can see is limited to what's already there, but not what's
possible, if corresponding entries aren't there. I've found this to be
especially true for things that are accessible in Seamonkey (and for all
I know, features that date all the way back to the Mozilla Suite and
Netscape Navigator). Those are things that are still available, but
where they've been removed from the Firefox user interface.

One that I know about is browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML . If that's
set to True, then it causes Firefox to export all your bookmarks to a
bookmarks.htm file (located in your profile) when you close out a
session. I do this with Seamonkey (where that can be enabled/disabled
in the config UI), and it's a useful way of making my Seamonkey
bookmarks available in other contexts -- not just importing into another
browser or profile, but where I can set other browsers and profiles to
use that file as the home page, and as a result, having all my bookmarks
available in any browser, and current as of the last time I closed
Seamonkey.

Some time ago, I tested this with Firefox, and the capacity is there as
well if I manually enter via about:config. However, reading
about:config or prefs.js, there's no indication that that capacity is
there, and as noted, there's no longer capacity to enable via the
Firefox user interface.

The same thing applies to general.useragent.override, which is useful
for spoofing the User Agent string, whether imitating another browser,
or showing a different platform. Although the need for doing this kind
of thing in Firefox is infrequent (and there are several extensions that
provide that capacity), it is also supported in Firefox, but you have to
know that you can do it in about:config or prefs.js. Just looking at the
content won't suggest that it's possible, and thus, it does require an
external reference.

Smith

On 12/8/23 10:46, Big Al wrote:
> On 12/8/23 09:18 AM, this is what bad sector wrote:
>> On 12/6/23 11:31, Frank Miller wrote:
>>> bad sector wrote:
>>>
>>>> Is there an itemized help-file explaining line-by-line all of prefs.js?
>>>> The GUI prefs dialog doesn't tell me enough, as an ideal option it
>>>> would
>>>> show which line each settings item edits.
>>>
>>> You cold take this as a starting point:
>>> http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries
>>
>> Pretty intense, chinese mostly, but good to know.
>> What file is all that in, and why have three (including
>> pref.js & user.js)?  If I had my way I'd stick with
>> GUI prefs which optionally show (below each input box)
>> the path and the line item edited by that input.
>>
>> Just the other day I started seeing FF windows with
>> no title-bar and all black making them impossible
>> to handle on a black wallpaper. After googling around
>> I found that now there is a prefs setting for that
>> too (moretools>customtoolbar>bottomleft). What's next,
>> a single app for going to the moon or to get a six
>> pack in which you set in prefs what you wanna do with
>> it or you risk never coming back?
>>
>>
> Anything you do in about:config is put into prefs.js.
> prefs.js is your system configuration!
> If you look at it with a text editor, you'll see calendar settings,
> printer settings, mail settings etc.
>
> If you read back over some of the other posts, the use of user.js has
> been well explained.
> A short explanation is: if you manually entered a config to not warn you
> when closing multiple tabs into the user.js, then that config would
> overwrite anything done in prefs.js.  If you had a windows update that
> changed that setting on you, the user.js would keep it from changing
> since it has precedence.
>
> Hope I didn't muddle that too much.

Not at all, thank you, and I'm still chewing it
although my 2 cents is that one should not have
to become a developer to use a bloody web utility.
But that's not a prime factor at this point, what
I want is what I want, the suitability of ways
and means comes after :-)

The last Time I invested half an hour into the
exercise I created a cleaned-up prefs.js via the
prefs GUI and saved that out as the remote file to
which user.js links. Haven't had time to analise the
results yet...

On 12/8/23 11:23, NFN Smith wrote:
> Big Al wrote:
>> Anything you do in about:config is put into prefs.js.
>> prefs.js is your system configuration!
>> If you look at it with a text editor, you'll see calendar settings, printer settings, mail settings etc.
>
> Right.  Essentially, about:config is the GUI way of accessing prefs.js.
> If you really want, you can interact with a text editor, but
> about:config makes it easier.  And for user.js, you're limited to access
> from an editor.
>
> However, a limitation to about:config (and for that matter, prefs.js) is
> that what you can see is limited to what's already there, but not what's
> possible, if corresponding entries aren't there.  I've found this to be
> especially true for things that are accessible in Seamonkey (and for all
> I know, features that date all the way back to the Mozilla Suite and
> Netscape Navigator).  Those are things that are still available, but
> where they've been removed from the Firefox user interface.
>
> One that I know about is browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML.  If that's
> set to True, then it causes Firefox to export all your bookmarks to a
> bookmarks.htm file (located in your profile) when you close out a
> session.  I do this with Seamonkey (where that can be enabled/disabled
> in the config UI), and it's a useful way of making my Seamonkey
> bookmarks available in other contexts -- not just importing into another
> browser or profile, but where I can set other browsers and profiles to
> use that file as the home page, and as a result, having all my bookmarks
> available in any browser, and current as of the last time I closed
> Seamonkey.

THAAAANKKK YOOOUU, this is the best thing I've read in ages.

Now if I could only link that Bookmarks.html to a remote file
and get all web-navigators on all my systems to both read and
edit THAT one file on the fly I'd be happier tan a pig in shit,
excuse my french!

For Now I will try using it as a home page.

On 12/8/23 12:22, bad sector wrote:
> On 12/8/23 11:23, NFN Smith wrote:
>> Big Al wrote:
>>> Anything you do in about:config is put into prefs.js.
>>> prefs.js is your system configuration!
>>> If you look at it with a text editor, you'll see calendar settings, printer settings, mail settings etc.
>>
>> Right.  Essentially, about:config is the GUI way of accessing
>> prefs.js. If you really want, you can interact with a text editor, but
>> about:config makes it easier.  And for user.js, you're limited to
>> access from an editor.
>>
>> However, a limitation to about:config (and for that matter, prefs.js)
>> is that what you can see is limited to what's already there, but not
>> what's possible, if corresponding entries aren't there.  I've found
>> this to be especially true for things that are accessible in Seamonkey
>> (and for all I know, features that date all the way back to the
>> Mozilla Suite and Netscape Navigator).  Those are things that are
>> still available, but where they've been removed from the Firefox user
>> interface.
>>
>> One that I know about is browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML.  If that's
>> set to True, then it causes Firefox to export all your bookmarks to a
>> bookmarks.htm file (located in your profile) when you close out a
>> session.  I do this with Seamonkey (where that can be enabled/disabled
>> in the config UI), and it's a useful way of making my Seamonkey
>> bookmarks available in other contexts -- not just importing into
>> another browser or profile, but where I can set other browsers and
>> profiles to use that file as the home page, and as a result, having
>> all my bookmarks available in any browser, and current as of the last
>> time I closed Seamonkey.
>
> THAAAANKKK YOOOUU, this is the best thing I've read in ages.
>
> Now if I could only link that Bookmarks.html to a remote file
> and get all web-navigators on all my systems to both read and
> edit THAT one file on the fly I'd be happier tan a pig in shit,
> excuse my french!
>
> For Now I will try using it as a home page.

I created a

browser.bookmarks.autoImportHTML

but then disabled it to fgalse as it didn't seem to do much :-)

ideally the import would begin a session and the export would close it