CAB4 said

What is a home page?

See my screenshot of the Home page in Firefox 61.0 .

The "Top Sites" will vary depending upon the websites that you have visited. Yes, the default Search engine is Google Search and can be reached from two places; the Location Bar at the top of the browser window (in what is known as the "Navigation Tool Bar" and by using the "Search the Web" field at the top of the content area, where web pages are loaded.

As far as posting a screenshot here; see this support article which you have probably read already. How do I create a screenshot of my problem? It is best to use a compressed image type like PNG or JPG to save the screenshot and make sure that you do not exceed a maximum file size of 1 MB. Too large of file size or the wrong format and this forum won't accept the screenshot image.

Then use the Browse .... button below the Post a Reply text box to upload the screenshot.

They had my computer in the shop. If they cared, they would have installed my Firefox page the same way I had it when I took it in. It is a long drive. Plus, I will be without a computer for however long, and there's no guarantee they will fix it right. They will tell me to buy a book or go take a class at the community college. They are used to working on laptops and I have a desktop with a ton of stuff on my computer. People these days don't really care about doing a thorough job. I took it in 4 months ago and had to take it back because they put IMAP on it, which was wrong. So when I got it back I used my spare computer because I just had a feeling that the computer still wouldn't be right, and I didn't want to deal with it. So I used the other spare computer, which is an old computer and very slow. But it has a good email program, and I was glad to sacrifice speed for reliable email program. Then the computer bogged down, and I reluctantly got this one out and it's fast, but the email program doesn't work very well and I can't post comments unless I sign in with Google, which I'm not willing to do, and I figure I should be able to get the Firefox page fixed the way it was before myself. That's why I'm asking for some help, but also making suggestions how it would be easier for people who have not been to community college for computer maintenance and can't understand technical instructions.

I think what I'm calling the Firefox page is the home page. Can't someone tell me, help me? Used to be Yahoo was the default search engine, and now it's Google, but Yahoo did not take over like Google is. It's important to have a choice, not just install Google as king of the hill. I need help doing that. Why do I have to take a screenshot before anybody can help me?

The way my page is now I have to sign in, get permission from Google, and report to Google all that I'm doing, and I don't want to do that. You can probably, hopefully, understand why I don't want to do that. I don't know what you guys do on the Internet, but I write articles, do a lot of researching and surfing, and drop a lot of comments around and talk to lots of people. People like me use Firefox because we value our privacy and freedom to buzz around the Internet. I've always used Firefox all my life. I don't want to switch.

I don't have confidence to change my settings. I simply want Google not to be my default search engine. I want a choice of search engines listed on my home page, and even tho I will end up using Google to search it will be okay because I won't have to sign in or have Google blocking me or demanding I sign in and get datamined.

I don't trust Google. I don't do Facebook or Twitter or social media. Everybody has their preferences, and that is mine. I like to be independent. I need some help in getting my settings adjusted. I'm just not experienced with settings. I don't feel confident to figure it out myself, and I'm afraid I will screw it up and then my computer won't work at all.

You're wasting our time when you spend more time pissin' and moaning about how you have been wronged; while spending little to no time responding to the support information which has been provided thus far by like 6 different support contributors. And you still haven't provided a screenshot as multiple contributors requested and told you how to do it.

I'm reading the support forums, and Firefox support, and sorry my brain is not up to speed. I will get it. I'm reading that my problem is not just me -- but lots of other people have been having fits over this same thing. I am not a geek, and I'm not going to go messing with my settings until I know what I'm doing. I have never adjusted settings ever, and until I know more I'm not going to do it now either. I am studying. So leave me alone, and stop picking on me. I am not complaining. I was responding to people's questions. The whole problem seems to be getting Yahoo reinstated, and then things go back to normal. I'm almost finished reading that discussion but it ended in March, so I still have a lot more studying to do. I'm not going to mess up my computer to the point that it doesn't work at all. I'm not doing anything to the settings until I am confident. I'm not a computer geek. I just know how to type and research and write -- not fix settings. So live with it.

Picking on you? It seems to me that you are avoiding taking any serious action toward effecting any fixes that we recommend by repeatedly posting garbage about how unfair life is with computers, operating systems, and applications being changed, updated, and improved over the years.

How about posting that screenshot as I and a few other contributors have requested repeatedly in this thread and the first one you started?

the-edmeister said

Picking on you? It seems to me that you are avoiding taking any serious action toward effecting any fixes that we recommend by repeatedly posting garbage about how unfair life is with computers, operating systems, and applications being changed, updated, and improved over the years. How about posting that screenshot as I and a few other contributors have requested repeatedly in this thread and the first one you started?

I already put in time to try to master the screenshot procedure. You don't need a screenshot. I'm not the only one having the same exact problem here, and a screenshot isn't going to fix anything. If you can't visualize my home page without any other search engines listed but GOOGLE, GOOGLE GOOGLE -- and that Google is in the address bar and Google is in the other big bar whatever you call that where we used to see the Firefox logo -- if you can't picture that, then how is it that you think I'm supposed to picture all these instructions I'm getting from all of you.

But it so happens I'm reading a forum discussion on my own problem, which is not just mine but lots of others, people who have spent hours and hours trying to resolve it themselves. You don't have the answers, and there are no simple answers. The problem is getting Yahoo reinstated.

So no, I'm not going to run out and do backflips because you tell me to do them, or spend anymore time with screenshotting so you can even understand what my problem is. And I'm not going to go running out and mess with the settings on my computer until I know what I'm doing, because at least my computer runs now and I don't need anymore problems than I already have with my computer.

So I appreciate your volunteering to help, but your insults and blame are not doing it for me. I have other things going on here besides running around doing whatever you say or somebody else says -- when you guys can't even tell what's going on with my computer unless I send you a screenshot. It's not that easy to do. It's more than just capturing the screenshot. Then you have to get it to where it's supposed to be, and I have enough other things to worry about. If you guys can't help me without a screenshot then please forgive me, and I only have so much blood to give here. I've got things to do. I will keep working on this myself, researching to find an answer, but as far as willy nilly changing my settings, no. I'm also not wasting anymore time on screenshot sharing. If you can't picture what's goign on with my computer how do you expect me eto undertand your solutions, the technical words you're using that you think I should somehow know what it all means. But you can't even figure out what my home page or Firefox page looks like (whatever) based on what I've told you that there are no search engines listed anywhere but Google. Not only Google but even Firefox is relegated to a teeny picture of maybe 1/4 inch on the whole entire page. That is what they call the home page I think, or I call it the Firefox page because before this Google takeover Firefox was the big presence on the page, and there were 5 or 6 search engines listed underneath the search box in the middle of the page where Firefox logo was front and center.

If your imagination can't handle that, I'm sorry. I don't have time to learn a new skill on how to do a screenshot and move it over to where you can look at it. I'm not the only person who doesn't know how to do screenshots the way you want me to do it for you guys.

Seems to me the real problem here is with Firefox. You guys have a program that is messed -- not only for me but for other people too, people who have a lot more experience with settings than I have. Maybe Firefox sold their soul to Google? Maybe that's the problem here?

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. One screenshot would go a long ways to counter your thousand plus words of bluster. And the time it would have taken you to learn how to take a screenshot and post it in this forum is surely far less than the time to argue with the contributors who are trying to help you, and you ignore most of what the people who have tried to help thus far.

You didn't even comment as to whether the screenshot that I posted was what you are talking about as the "Firefox Page", which by default uses Google for the search engine in two different places. How hard was it to confirm that what I showed you was in fact what you failed to clearly describe?

The problem isn't with Firefox, the Home Page works as the developers intended it to work. But some users have a problem because they (IMO) didn't take the time to learn how the changes made actually work.

It's also said that there are two guarantees in life; taxes and death. Well computer users can add a 3rd "guarantee" to those; software won't stay the same forever, "stuff" gets changed eventually.

"Maybe Firefox sold their soul to Google? Maybe that's the problem here?" No, Mozilla did use a different default search engine in the USA as the new default search engine for a 3 years - Yahoo! Search. (And many other localizations of Firefox had their own "popular" choices for the default search engine for those users.) But the deal that Mozilla struck with Yahoo back in 2014 ended last year about the time that Quantum was releases due to Yahoo! being sold and Mozilla used their contractual rights to terminate the agreement due to the new owner not being a suitable partner. And boy was there an uproar in 2014 from long term users over Mozilla going with Yahoo rather than staying with Google. But hey, it was a revenue decision; Yahoo offered more money than Google was willing to pony up.

The only "problem" that I can see is your hatred of Google over something like the default search engine setting which can easily be changed (and reversed) in less than 30 seconds.

Mozilla actually wanted to get more away from Google so Google has no longer been the global default search engine ever since November 2014. This is when Yahoo and some other search engines became the new defaults depending on locale.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/11/19/promoting-choice-and-innovation-on-the-web/

As of Firefox 57.0 and later any locales of Firefox that had Yahoo as the search engine default was changed back to Google ...reluctantly. https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/11/14/firefox-features-google-as-default-search-provider-in-the-u-s-canada-hong-kong-and-taiwan/

Little public information on the real reason(s) however Mozilla and Yahoo have been in a legal dispute for several months now. As of Firefox 59.0 and 52.7.0esr Releases the Yahoo search engine was completely removed and not just hidden. https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/12/05/mozilla-files-cross-complaint-against-yahoo-holdings-and-oath/ and https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712925

I would say far more people who got Yahoo as the new default search engine complained about having Yahoo as default compared to when Google was the global default or now on the locales that have it again.

Just change your search engine to another one and even remove Google. Plenty of search engines options at http://mycroftproject.com/

Thank you for this complete answer, which I was gleaning from my searches, but you nailed it down for me, and I think you for going to the trouble. Also, everyone here who has been putting up with me.

I went into Options and deleted Google as my default search engine, but I still can't post to youtube and the sign in demands are still following me around, blocking my activities. Also, now I have ads that I didn't have before, and I'm afraid to click on the ad blocker because it has strings attached to it, and with Google staring down at me, the One Eyed monster, I'm afraid to agree to let anyone know my business.

The fact that I now have to sign in to post on YouTube tells me that Google is still running my life. I was using a different computer, an older computer. Maybe this more more modern cmoputer is the reason why Google is in my life now? I need to maybe get my older computer boosted up with some more memory or whatever I need to do so I can continue to use it and not the newer one that seems to be married to Google? The numbers for the cutoff on Google don't mean much to me and I don't know where to find out what the number is for my current computer. I just know it's more current than the other computer, my spare, which actually works way better. It's slow but I can send emails and I don't have to get permission from Google to post on youtube or all the rest of the nonsense Google does. Google is a good search engine, but not a good overall master of my Internet activities.

Are you aware that YouTube is owned by Google? Google bought the site in November 2006 and now it is part of Alphabet, Inc which was formed in 2015 when Google restructured their assets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

If you use YouTube you can't get away from Google. And regardless of which version of Firefox I use, Firefox ESR 38 or the latest Firefox 61, I still need to be logged in to my Google+ account to be able to post comments about YouTube videos. And when using older versions of web browsers (or browsers other than Google Chrome) a person will be missing some features offered by YouTube.

the-edmeister said

Are you aware that YouTube is owned by Google? Google bought the site in November 2006 and now it is part of Alphabet, Inc which was formed in 2015 when Google restructured their assets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube If you use YouTube you can't get away from Google. And regardless of which version of Firefox I use, Firefox ESR 38 or the latest Firefox 61, I still need to be logged in to my Google+ account to be able to post comments about YouTube videos. And when using older versions of web browsers (or browsers other than Google Chrome) a person will be missing some features offered by YouTube.

This is helpful information. I've been debating getting my old, slow computer souped up. The email program works way better, and I don't have any problem getting my emails out to a group. And I'm not having to sign in with Google to post and I don't have ads. After your explanation I now know why. But I'm still wondering why these things were not happening until I took my computer in to the shop 4 months ago, so it's strange that if this has been the case with Google for all this time that it only came true for me when I took it into the shop for repairs.

Before my computer crashed and I took it in to the shop, I didn't have Google running my computer like a dictator. I had Google as one of several search engines to choose from to do a search, and that was fine.

Since then, I've eliminated Google as any search engine at all on my computer, even as a choice among several others. And still I have to sign in with Google to post on YouTube now. Do you know if Google started doing this to people within the last 4 months?

YouTube is owned by Google. You have to sign in to Google to post to YouTube. That hasn't changed. Probably you were just logged in before,and something changed and now you're having to log in Everytime. But this is not new.

If you don't trust Google, I wouldn't suggest using YouTube either.

This thread is getting out of control, so please post what issues with Firefox you're still having. You can install uBlock Origin to remove ads (I think it was suggested before) and I strongly suggest you complain to the shop that fixed your computer, as they seem incompetent. I used to repair computers professionally and never let a customer leave without sitting them down and making sure they used their computer in front of me to avoid just this issue.

You can change your home page to anything you want, Firefox is your web browser so if you don't visit Google than you won't use Google.