Why is Firefox determined to ruin our browser customizations? V 89 sucks!
I've used Firefox since 2001. Twenty years I've been able to customize it like I want.
A few months ago I switched from ESR to Release channel because the release version could still be tweaked to the way I like it. Huge mistake!
Version 89 totally destroyed everything I like about Firefox! I use Firefox on a large monitor from my easy-chair. I NEED compact layout. Everything is zoomed anyway. I hate the new tabs! I ESPECIALLY hate the double-spaced bookmarks! I want to continue to use a custom CSS in "chrome" folder.
I switched back to the ESR channel (FF78) and had to re-tweak my about:config settings, reinstall and tweak add-ons and load hundreds of bookmarks to get the favicons back. Unique favicons make it much easier to differentiate between sites. Generic icons suck. Major hassle!
I will stick with Firefox ESR until it too becomes unusable for me. At that point, sadly, my decades long use of Firefox will come to an end.
I include two screen grabs that illustrate how I like my set-up. Note how easy it is to tell one tab from another.
Why "fix" what ain't broke?
Modified by woodsman2
All Replies (6)
Hello woodsman2, I am sure the folks at the top of this mountain are hearing you. I think you are a genius to have been able to restore the older version of FF and I am 100% happy that you are now happy.
But please remember that FireFox is a work in progress. And like all things in this country, there wlll be missteps, there will be needing tweeking, there will be needing corrections made via new releases.
In any case, we are here for you. If other issues arise, please let us know.
~dbben
ps: while I am 100% positive that FF78 is your all time favorite, what was it about FF88 that wasnt acceptable for you to install/use anymore? I can see from your pics how simplified 78 appears. But wasnt 88 just as good?
Thanks for the reply.
I had switched up a new chrome folder so that FF88 was working fine enough. It took me a day to research and download new chrome folders for FF88. Epic waste of time! It had already destroyed my rounded tabs but I was getting used to it. The new-style about:config is a disaster as well. I had to install a workaround to get the old-style about:config back.
Why not permanently stick with FF88? There was nothing about it I liked or saw as an improvement and...
Security updates! ESR channel is currently FF78 so that's what I'm using. Hopefully the ESR channel will avoid all the FF89 missteps altogether. I won't ever go back to the Release channel. Time will tell what the version 8 ESR will look like when it comes out.
Thanks for the additional information. I believe there is / are good intentions with the new browser. But perhaps, a misstep had been taken. However, there is always a new version on the horizon and mistakes can be corrected.
We will just have to wait and see.
In any case, Im glad your back up again and still sticking with FireFox ! Hey, it dont matter (or shouldnt matter) what version of FF people use, as long as they dont use them-others ! :-)
Let us know of we can be of service.
~dbben
Hi woodsman2, Firefox ESR will update to Firefox 91 in September/October/November, so you've bought yourself some time.
Did you build all your own userChrome.css code? Obviously a lot of CSS needs to be updated to account for changes in Firefox 89+ (Proton), but probably a lot can be salvaged from the presumably massive amount of work you did to adapt Firefox 57+ (Photon) to a mix of Firefox 29 and earlier UI elements.
For future reference:
You can find CSS enthusiasts on the following subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/FirefoxCSS/
And the "classic" respository has mostly caught up, I think:
https://github.com/Aris-t2/CustomCSSforFx
And there are many others the FirefoxCSS community can recommend for specific details.
Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
Thanks for the tips and replies.
It was a ton of work actually because I knew nothing about chrome folders and css when I set out to really customize things the way I liked them.
I can't take credit for any of the fine work I found online in the custom css community. I downloaded a bunch great templates, tried them out and then mix-and-matched code and icon repositories etc until I had finally created my own masterpiece.
By the time I finished doing all this I pretty much understood how to achieve all the tweaks I thought necessary but now, a couple years later, I would have to re-read and absorb a lot of stuff. I learn by doing and, generally, I enjoy these pc puzzles. You may notice I have an correctly-labeled, 3-phase "Psychedelic Toad Button" as a replacement for Windows 8.1 start-menu button. I had to read a lot before I did that with "Open Shell" too.
I like what I like. Since it's my pc I want to be in control. I will only switch to Windows 10 LTSC (or Ubuntu etc.) when security updates for W8.1 come to an end. This dumbing-down of the computer landscape under the banner of "usability" and "new (unwanted) features" bothers me in general. I know I'm not the only one who hates forced update "improvements" in all manner of software.
From browsers to anti-virus to operating systems, all too often it's a race to the monetized bottom.
Just so you know, I have been having a helluva time with v89. Today, after suffering too long, I installed v 87.0. I can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Like woodsman, I am close to my second decade with FF. This is UNACCEPTABLE.
Now I have to work on importing my passwords/bookmarks. Wish me luck.
Thank you.
Modified by CiaoBella1