I recently started using firefox and was very frustrated with how large the UI was, how it autofilled entire URLs while i was trying to search something, and how it changed my system’s titlebar buttons (minimize, maximize, close) to windows ones when I changed the theme from the default. I just found out about about:config and was able to solve every major issue i had with firefox literally within minutes, so why do they hide most of the settings?

it makes way more sense to just put the settings in the settings menu. also, why hide the compact density option? on a 1920x1080 display the default is about an eighth of my screen, my taskbar is only like 60% of that. having tried a couple of firefox-based browsers, i can confidently say the only thing any of them do better (aside from telemetry that can be easily turned off) is their settings. why does firefox hide most of the settings?

  • oleorun@real.lemmy.fanEnglish
    8·
    23 days ago

    UI bloat would be my first guess. Adding all of those settings to a normally-accessible UI would make common settings disappear in the noise.

    Best to hide the settings not frequently used but still allow them to be set via about:config or by editing the config.json file directly. Mozilla did that, you Googled and found the solution to your issues, problem solved?

    • Unknown1234_5@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      33·
      23 days ago

      I did find the answer, but I shouldn’t have had to. They could have easily done an “advanced” drop-down at the bottom of the page. The option are much less intuitive in about:config than they would be in the actual settings menu because they don’t have descriptions so there is enough ambiguity with some that I may accidentally enable the wrong thing and cause an issue. This is an unnecessary problem.

      • lime!@feddit.nuEnglish
        3·
        23 days ago

        fair enough, but if you’re in about:config you are probably also able to do a web search for what a key means. adding a friendlier ux could result in skiddies clicking around in there and breaking things they dont understand. lord knows i did when i was young.

        • Unknown1234_5@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          22 days ago

          I’m only in about:config because regular settings have been banished there for no reason and I need to access those settings. For advanced stuff about:config is perfect, what I’m saying is that a lot of stuff that should be in the regular settings is only found in about:config

          • lime!@feddit.nuEnglish
            1·
            22 days ago

            for some things i agree, but there’s other stuff that I think should be in there instead of it the regular options. i assume our list of what would be where differs.