Mozilla: Has Firefox become too customizable?

[nsane.forums]

Customizability has always been a big part of Firefox's appeal for many users, but lately at least some within Mozilla are wondering if the open source browser's options have become too numerous.

“If I told you that a company is shipping a product to hundreds of millions of users right now, and included in the product are several prominent buttons that will break the product completely if you click them, and possibly lock you out from the Internet — can you guess which product it is?” began Alex Limi, who works on product design strategy at Mozilla, in a blog post on Monday.

The answer, it turns out, is none other than Firefox, which now “ships with many options that will render the browser unusable to most people, right in the main settings,” Limi explained.

'Firefox will appear broken'

What Limi is referring to is some of the many checkboxes users can select or de-select in Firefox's settings, and he gives several particularly vivid examples.

In one, if a user were to uncheck the “Load images automatically” box in the Content panel in Firefox settings, users would be unable to see Google's search box, for example, rendering the Internet effectively broken.

Uncheck “Load images automatically” and you'll see no Google search box

Unchecking the “Enable JavaScript” box can wreak similar havoc: “Most sites these days that aren’t just displaying content will fail in interesting mysterious ways if you don’t have JavaScript enabled,” Limi wrote. “For the general population, Firefox will appear broken.”

Other examples include what happens when you de-select the Navigation Toolbar and pretty much anything you might do in the certificate manager, he added.

'Disastrous effects'

Limi's conclusion? Many of the options in Firefox are used by very few people and yet can have "disastrous" effects for those who don't understand them.

“We’re trying to design software that can be used by everyone — that also means we have to keep them safe and not make it so easy to break a product they rely on every day,” he explained.

Bottom line: Limi wants Mozilla to reconsider and revamp the Firefox settings. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen; I'll post an update if I learn anything more.

View: Original Article

[DKT27]

Simple, have a checkbox called "Enable advanced options" in Firefox settings. Problem solved.

[Ganxxta]

There is no such thing as "too customizable"...

[Ambrocious]

More options is never a bad thing.

[Bizarre™]

Mozilla: Has Firefox become too customizable?

Works just fine with me ^_^

[nikos519]

Simple, have a checkbox called "Enable advanced options" in Firefox settings. Problem solved.

Yes - and a checkbox to "Reset all options to default"

[Purple Trail]

Simple, have a checkbox called "Enable advanced options" in Firefox settings. Problem solved.

Yes - and a checkbox to "Reset all options to default"

The reset feature is already implemented.

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/reset-firefox-easily-fix-most-problems

[DKT27]

Simple, have a checkbox called "Enable advanced options" in Firefox settings. Problem solved.

Yes - and a checkbox to "Reset all options to default"

The reset feature is already implemented.

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/reset-firefox-easily-fix-most-problems

That'll reset Firefox. He is probably only asking for Options / Settings.

[dcs18]

On the contrary, I believe that Firefox could do with far more customizations on the Option box.

Advanced Users would love that whereas n00bs like Limi can stick with beloved Internet Explorer. :thumbsdown:

[R0H1T]

Simple, have a checkbox called "Enable advanced options" in Firefox settings. Problem solved.

Yes - and a checkbox to "Reset all options to default"

The reset feature is already implemented.

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/reset-firefox-easily-fix-most-problems

That'll reset Firefox. He is probably only asking for Options / Settings.

Well there is already this option available since ver.3 atleast as far back as I can remember !

I can't believe it that people don't recall this ~

[RMD]

Don't worry Limi you cute, silly little nut. Who am I kidding, this man is pure stupidity.

The end-user who he is refering to is either so uninterested or so unknowledgeable, or both, that he or she will not even know there is such a thing as "options" in the first place. Alex Limi, I'm more worried that you're in charge of the operations you've responsibility for than the things you state here. End of story.

[stylemessiah]

So what the article is really saying is that you would have to find someone who has been living under a rock and who's last interface to the net was gopher before you would find someone silly enough to disable default enabled settings....good luck finding someone silly enough to do what the article is about.

My suggestion for "automatically load images" is that

1 ) It really is kind of redundant anyways when so much of online life is visual. It was a great setting when you were on dial up...

2 ) It should be link sensing and only be able to be deselected if youre on a slow link.

Really its a bit of a non article, most people i know, average users, wouldnt ever go in and fool with things they didnt understand.....

[Farscape]

More options always a good thing. i like firefox as it allows me to put things where i want them. Unlike the android version, which has removed simple things like "home, back and forward buttons).

[RealNeo]

Unchecking the “Enable JavaScript” box can wreak similar havoc: “Most sites these days that aren’t just displaying content will fail in interesting mysterious ways if you don’t have JavaScript enabled,” Limi wrote. “For the general population, Firefox will appear broken.”

And if you use any other browser and turn off javascript (or block it with noscript/script safe extension), then it also appears to be ""broken"". So every browser is broken? I think not. For a standard user you make a preconfigured settings and copy that into his/her profile, they never open setting again to mess with it. It's highly customizable, and that's why i like it.

A ) standard users: if it works don't f*ck with the settings (or read after it what it does) :D

B ) advanced users: you don't always have to untick everything you see, to make it safer.

Edit: just downloaded Firefox portable and unchecked Load images automatically and Enable JavaScript setting and the search is still there. So wtf?

[Ganxxta]

Unchecking the “Enable JavaScript” box can wreak similar havoc: “Most sites these days that aren’t just displaying content will fail in interesting mysterious ways if you don’t have JavaScript enabled,” Limi wrote. “For the general population, Firefox will appear broken.”

And if you use any other browser and turn off javascript (or block it with noscript/script safe extension), then it also appears to be ""broken"". So every browser is broken? I think not. For a standard user you make a preconfigured settings and copy that into his/her profile, they never open setting again to mess with it. It's highly customizable, and that's why i like it.

A ) standard users: if it works don't f*ck with the settings (or read after it what it does) :D

B ) advanced users: you don't always have to untick everything you see, to make it safer.

Edit: just downloaded Firefox portable and unchecked Load images automatically and Enable JavaScript setting and the search is still there. So wtf?

Yep same here.

Just tried it on Aurora and Google, disabled both settings, search is still there, only the "Google" logo is gone as its an image...

Don't know how he managed to f**k up his Google page...

[RealNeo]

Anyway, who is this Alex Limi, who works on product design strategy at Mozilla on a Mac, and disables navigation bar on a browser? Can't we disable this guy instead? :D Never had a Mac, never will, but on windows it's one right click with the mouse at the top of the browser and left click on nav bar. How hard can this be? :)

[DKT27]

Don't know how he managed to f**k up his Google page...

Two words: Mac OS. :tehe:

[JessicaLeigh]

What about the about:config already in Firefox? Why can't they just put the rest of the 'dangerous chemicals' out of the reach of 'children' ? ;)

[edwardecl]

Errr why not just make it harder to set said options. Put it hidden in an advanced part of the config settings which requires you to not only tick "Advanced Settings" but a dialogue box stating what exactly can happen if you play with options you don't understand.

You could even take it one step further, put a warning somewhere on screen somewhere if the browser detects that java script is used on a website but javascript is disabled the same for any other stuff like flash or java or another other unsupported feature, perhaps an exclamation mark in the navigation bar for general errors which when clicked on or hovered over reveal whats the problem and how to fix it, or fix it automatically. And disable the ability to remove core features from being present on the screen unless overridden in the about:config options. Why would anyone ever want to remove navigation buttons or the address bar for example.

Nothing wrong with customisability, what he's talking about is people messing with things they they should not be messing with if they don't know the implications of their actions. The answer, just remind them... and offer a way to revert the actions.

[DKT27]

Thing is, I reason I came to know about what setting does what in Firefox and Windows only by playing with them, so I really have no idea why one wants to dumb things down - you want people to never learn?