From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

I'm noting the following new features.

On Windows, Firefox now supports running websites as web apps
pinned directly to the taskbar. These are sites that you can pin
and run as simplified windows directly from the taskbar without
losing access to your installed add-ons. This feature is not
currently available for Firefox installs from the Microsoft Store.

I haven't a clue. I'm running some sort of miniature Web server for just
one Web site? Have I downloaded the entire site? What about all the
third-party feeds, are they downloaded too?

Unless I'm testing -- and in which case, wouldn't I already be running
Apache -- what is the advantage? What am I testing for since it's not representative of Web servers generally?

I'm so confused.

The Firefox address bar can now show you important dates and
events. This feature supports displaying events (e.g. Mothers
Day) in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France,
and Italy regions.

You know what I want to see on the address bar? The URL of the Web page
I'm looking at. You know what else I want to see on the address bar?
Nothing. It's the one spot on the screen free from unwanted feeds and
ads and now it's not.

Any thoughts on disabling this?

When downloading a file in Private Browsing mode, Firefox now
asks whether to keep or delete it after that session ends. You
can adjust this behavior in Settings.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If I download a file, I've made a
choice to do so. If I no longer need it, I'll delete it myself.

Using the default download directory as a temporary directory per
session? What a hideous feature. That's why we have temporary
directories!

I'd want this disabled too.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

Looking at https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/mozilla-firefox-143-0-adds-support-for-progressive-web-apps-copilot-on-sidebar-important-dates-in-the-address-bar/
I'm not sure you (or I) understood what these features do.


Adam H. Kerman wrote:

I'm noting the following new features.

On Windows, Firefox now supports running websites as web apps
pinned directly to the taskbar. These are sites that you can pin
and run as simplified windows directly from the taskbar without
losing access to your installed add-ons. This feature is not
currently available for Firefox installs from the Microsoft Store.

I haven't a clue. I'm running some sort of miniature Web server for just
one Web site? Have I downloaded the entire site? What about all the third-party feeds, are they downloaded too?

Unless I'm testing -- and in which case, wouldn't I already be running
Apache -- what is the advantage? What am I testing for since it's not representative of Web servers generally?

I'm so confused.

What this apparently does is allow you to start Firefox with it running
a certain url, and save the call as an app to the Windows taskbar. Read
what my link says and see if you agree with my summary.
Since I'm not running Windows I can't check this.

The Firefox address bar can now show you important dates and
events. This feature supports displaying events (e.g. Mothers
Day) in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France,
and Italy regions.

You know what I want to see on the address bar? The URL of the Web page
I'm looking at. You know what else I want to see on the address bar?
Nothing. It's the one spot on the screen free from unwanted feeds and
ads and now it's not.

Any thoughts on disabling this?

Also covered in my link, browser.urlbar.suggest.importantDates (they
also list another preference but my about:config does not show this).

When downloading a file in Private Browsing mode, Firefox now
asks whether to keep or delete it after that session ends. You
can adjust this behavior in Settings.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If I download a file, I've made a
choice to do so. If I no longer need it, I'll delete it myself.

Using the default download directory as a temporary directory per
session? What a hideous feature. That's why we have temporary
directories!

I'd want this disabled too.

That link I found says that particular option is disabled by default
although I'm not sure it is correct - there is a preference browser.download.enableDeletePrivate which may or may not control this,
and my Firefox has it set to true.

Hope that
- is correct
- helps
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

I run Linux and have policies in place to change some of the default
settings, that browser.urlbar.suggest.importantDates is sufficiently
annoying that I wanted to see if there was a policy setting to disable
it for all of my Firefox profiles.
According to about:policies (the documentation) the answer is "no", I'll
have to disable it for all profiles.

Doubly annoying? I have Firefox esr on my normal machine and the
"latest and greatest" on my test machine, and copy my entire Mozilla
profiles from "normal" to "test" at irregular intervals.
Since "normal" is running esr it does not have these about:config
settings. I have just created it there as a boolean set to false.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

Adam H. Kerman wrote:
[..snip..]

Using the default download directory as a temporary directory per
session? What a hideous feature. That's why we have temporary
directories!

I'd want this disabled too.

Set in about:config

browser.cache.disk.parent_directory - /your temporary directory here browser.download.dir - /your download directory here browser.download.start_downloads_in_tmp_dir - true browser.download.useDownloadDir - false
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

R Daneel Olivaw <Danni@hyperspace.vogon.gov> wrote:

Looking at >https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/mozilla-firefox-143-0-adds-support-for-progressive-web-apps-copilot-on-sidebar-important-dates-in-the-address-bar/
I'm not sure you (or I) understood what these features do.

That page was helpful. Thank you.

Adam H. Kerman wrote:

I'm noting the following new features.

On Windows, Firefox now supports running websites as web apps
pinned directly to the taskbar. These are sites that you can pin
and run as simplified windows directly from the taskbar without
losing access to your installed add-ons. This feature is not
currently available for Firefox installs from the Microsoft Store.

I haven't a clue. I'm running some sort of miniature Web server for just >>one Web site? Have I downloaded the entire site? What about all the >>third-party feeds, are they downloaded too?

Unless I'm testing -- and in which case, wouldn't I already be running >>Apache -- what is the advantage? What am I testing for since it's not >>representative of Web servers generally?

I'm so confused.

What this apparently does is allow you to start Firefox with it running
a certain url, and save the call as an app to the Windows taskbar. Read >what my link says and see if you agree with my summary.
Since I'm not running Windows I can't check this.

I didn't realize that when they said "an app", it was just a shortcut item
that could be pinned to the taskbar, not literally the program itself.

Right click on tab, the pin tab, has never done anything. I have no idea
what's blocking it. With the new feature to drag to the taskbar to pin,
that's not working either.

But I've always used bookmars. If I want to go directly to the URL upon starting Firefox, I could use a shortcut.

I miss the old Quicktask feature that was part of Internet Explorer (I
forgot the exact name of it) that appeared on the taskbar. That was simply
a folder with ordinary shortcuts in it that was a lot easier to
manipulate than pinning. These were Firefox shortcuts.

I'll address the rest separately.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

R Daneel Olivaw wrote:

-a-a-a-aWhen downloading a file in Private Browsing mode, Firefox now
-a-a-a-aasks whether to keep or delete it after that session ends. You
-a-a-a-acan adjust this behavior in Settings.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If I download a file, I've made a
choice to do so. If I no longer need it, I'll delete it myself.

Using the default download directory as a temporary directory per
session? What a hideous feature. That's why we have temporary
directories!

I'd want this disabled too.

That link I found says that particular option is disabled by default although I'm not sure it is correct - there is a preference browser.download.enableDeletePrivate which may or may not control this,
and my Firefox has it set to true.

As an aside, that browser.download.enableDeletePrivate setting does not
exist in my 140.2.0esr Firefox so I have to assume it is something to do
with this glorious feature.

Hope that
- is correct
- helps

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:21:39 -0000 (UTC), Adam H. Kerman wrote:

The Firefox address bar can now show you important dates and
events. This feature supports displaying events (e.g. Mothers
Day) in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France,
and Italy regions.

You know what I want to see on the address bar? The URL of the Web page
I'm looking at. You know what else I want to see on the address bar?
Nothing. It's the one spot on the screen free from unwanted feeds and
ads and now it's not.

I couldn't agree more. I have Google (yeah, I know) Calendar on my phone
to remind me of things like that.

Any thoughts on disabling this?

I can't find it under Settings, but it's probably not enabled for me
since I'm in Belgium.

When downloading a file in Private Browsing mode, Firefox now
asks whether to keep or delete it after that session ends. You
can adjust this behavior in Settings.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If I download a file, I've made a
choice to do so. If I no longer need it, I'll delete it myself.

Sounds more like a bug than a feature. I'm under the impression that
several of these 'features' aren't yet enabled for everybody.
--
s|b
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.software.firefox

s|b wrote:

On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:21:39 -0000 (UTC), Adam H. Kerman wrote:

The Firefox address bar can now show you important dates and
events. This feature supports displaying events (e.g. Mothers
Day) in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France,
and Italy regions.

You know what I want to see on the address bar? The URL of the Web page
I'm looking at. You know what else I want to see on the address bar?
Nothing. It's the one spot on the screen free from unwanted feeds and
ads and now it's not.

I couldn't agree more. I have Google (yeah, I know) Calendar on my phone
to remind me of things like that.

Any thoughts on disabling this?

I can't find it under Settings, but it's probably not enabled for me
since I'm in Belgium.

Quoting from that link I provided in my first response to this thread,

This feature is available for users in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy.

and Belgium is not in that list. The link (and that post) say that browser.urlbar.suggest.importantDates is the setting you need to toggle.

When downloading a file in Private Browsing mode, Firefox now
asks whether to keep or delete it after that session ends. You
can adjust this behavior in Settings.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If I download a file, I've made a
choice to do so. If I no longer need it, I'll delete it myself.

Sounds more like a bug than a feature. I'm under the impression that
several of these 'features' aren't yet enabled for everybody.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2