What does 'default' mean ?
I repeatedly come across the term default browser, or default search engine .....
Now, I know what default means, but in a completely different context (f.i. judgement by default or win by default ) .....
I've tried to find the answer on sites like ComputerHope , but can't find an answer anywhere.
Could somebody, please, once and for all, explain it to me - in plain English (I'm Dutch; so : have mercy ..... ) ?
Thank you in anticipation !
Happy112.
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Hi Happy123,
Sorry I do not speak Dutch. I suppose it means the one you normally use unless you specify something else.
The default browser for instance is likely to be the one that kicks in when you try to open a link to something on the internet. The default search engine is the one that will normally be used on searches of the internet.
In the case of Firefox there are multiple methods of searching, for instance the addressbar, the home page and just highlighting text within a web page may provide a search opportunity, these all use whatever search engine is set as the default. See also
- Make Firefox your default browser
- Configuration Options for Search
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/default#English
- 4
A selection made in the absence of an alternative. [quotations ▲]
The man became the leader of the group as a default. ...
default (plural default, comparable)
(computing) being a default setting or value
- 4
Alle svar (6)
Happy112 said
Microsoft trying to prevent clients from using Firefox instead of Edge does not   pertain to 'Firefox-issues' ? Huh ???
SUBJECTS We may not like how MS Windows behaves, thus the open letter from the new CEO last year, that you mentioned in the now closed thread /questions/1131812 However we have documented how to work with Windows and on this forum try to stick to finding solutions to problems rather than discussing other issues.
- Mozilla Support rules and guidelines_subjects-covered-in-the-support-forum
ICONS If Firefox is the default browser icons for some items such as shortcuts to Web pages and saved web pages will change from being an edge icon to a Firefox icon. That is expected and correct. I do not know what ""page 2"" is in your downloads as shown in your screenshot, but hat may well be correct. I can not say I have heard of the Recycle bin being replaced by a Firefox icon. That sounds wrong. Is it actually the recycle bin or just something else with that name ?
CHANGES No need to be frightened if known programs or applications such as Firefox make changes, that is normal. Windows will possibly warn you about changes before Firefox is installed and probably also if you change the default browser. You do need to take a step back and investigate if some unknown program tries to make changes. You may be interested in looking at this tutorial, even if you do not need to change your UAC settings
tenforums.com may be a good place to read up about Windows and ask Windows related questions.
Cheers, Grumpy
You managed to make me laugh again; I sure needed that !!!
That 'page 2' : those HTML-results I told you about.
No, seriously all the Edge-icons (including those in the recycle bin) now show the FF-icon (really gave me the creeps).
But when I 'do' something in Windows, nothing has changed ........
I'm just gonna let it go for now .......
Re. tenforums: you already gave me that and as a matter of fact it's on one of my tabs (I do listen to you ! ).
I feel so much better now (since you made me laugh again; even hearing Mrs. Slocombe telling Mr. Lucas to shut his cakehole wasn't working for me today).
Bye Grumpy; liefs van Chuckles.
Hiya John, (won't call you 'Grumpy' right now)
Finally, late last night, everything fell into place ......
Because I just couldn't let things go, I went over and over and over again all those links you sent me (numerous times even) and almost everywhere I was told to go to the FF-site and click on the menu.
And I wound up actually screaming: "I don't know where to find the FF-site and I most certainly do not know where the FF-menu is ....... help )
I knew where to find the menu on my startpage though ........ this being Google .......... never was a least bit interested in 'Google's menu' ..........
But as I was staring at my startpage, a little voice seemed to say: "click on the menu, you nitwit; do it ! "
So I did ..........
And there it was ..........
I now know why I just couldn't wrap my brain around this 'default-thing' : I should have known that in 'computer-lingo' a button is not a button and default does not mean what it usually means - all it took was just one short sentence in Dutch:
Firefox is niet Uw standaard browser . The keyword being: standaard , which of course means standard .......
And then everything fell into place ......
I secretely accused you of driving me nuts, while it was the other way around, all along ........
I'm gonna have to come up with a different nickname for you now .........
Please forgive this ignoramus (that should be ignorama , but that looks weird) ?
Have a lovely day and take care of yourself.
Liefs, Dopey.
P.S.: I just noticed an uploaded image underneath this text; I didn't upload anything right now   ....... (???)
Icons & File Extensions
Ah I see. Icons inside the Recycle bin changing. Yes that is normal.
If you change your default word processor & Office Suite to LibreOffice all your word processing docs, databases, spreadsheets presentations etc. change their icons to LibreOffice icons.
If you choose to change the program that always opens text.txt files to something else or your pdf viewer to Firefox then those .txt & .pdf file change. The three (or four) final letters after a dot are the file extensions they may at least sometimes be hidden in Windows. Each program has a list of extensions it opens by default. Anything with that extension will change its icon.
- Glance at wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension
- Note on Wikipedia it may be worth looking up not only Dutch and English but Simple English articles. Simple English articles are entirely jargon free and usually much shorter and less detailed
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension
simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension
Note if you right click on a Files icon you get options to open it with different applications. If you use the option to always open with any specific program then the icons with that file extension all show the icon of the program that now opens them by default. Any time you want to open something with a Firefox icon in Edge just right click it and as a one off choose to open it in Edge.
Note also sometimes you may end up choosing an option that does not work Windows will not check in advance whether Firefox or whatever is able to open a particular file type.
Is this your first computer ? There are lots of things you do not need to know about computing or browsers, but if you do know something of what is going on behind the scenes, or at least where where to look up the details when you need them, it often makes it easier to solve any problems you have.
Windows also by default hides some System and other files. It helps prevent people breaking things by keeping them hidden. You may find some fixes described on the forum that do not make sense unless you are able to see such hidden files. It is probably best to leave then hidden and only unhide them if you need to follow specific instructions, then hide them again afterwards.
Note the example given their is to find the Firefox profile folder. If Firefox is open it will let you find and open the profile folder from the troubleshooting information page. It is safe to open and look at the Firefox profile, but do not change things unless you understand what you are doing or are following trustworthy instructions.
- Use the Troubleshooting Information page to help fix Firefox issues
- Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data_how-do-i-find-my-profile
Image Upload
I am not sure I understand what you are asking about. Your latest screenshot is of the content of your Music (Muziek) folder. It may be unusual to include loosely music related folders and files in that, rather than just playable music files but that is your choice.
Firefox Basics
Have you looked at some of our help pages & articles
- Get started with Firefox - An overview of the main features
- The main listing of help articles by category /products/firefox
- Keyboard shortcuts - Perform common Firefox tasks quickly
- Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars
- Bookmarks in Firefox
Menu Button
This has changed a few times. It was a menu bar at the top. You will still get that if you press keyboard Alt Key. Then it was an orange button top left. Now it is a three bar icon top right.
Fake Urgent Updates
Firefox will be updating to Fx48 shortly. You probably will not notice much if any change and it will happen automatically. Just take care not to fall for fake updates that you may come across on the web. Probably with orange screens. These are malware.
Yes, this is my first computer (bought it four months ago yesterday).
That screenshot: I sent that yesterday as 'proof' (thought you didn't believe me).
As for that music folder: I don't even use that for music (well, I put some of my backup folders just about in any other folder, and I do put items where normally other people wouldn't put them, but, like you said: that's my choice, weird as it may be)
After reading my last message: do you now understand why I had such a hard time wrapping my brain about it all ? I sure hope you do !
I haven't come up with a different nickname for you yet, but after my 'wake-up-call' last night I'm calling you something else (to myself) and it's definately not 'Grumpy' .....
P.S.:
I went through every link you sent me, and: no I will definately not change anything (talking about my FF Profile folder; don't recognize any of it).
I also went and changed my folders; they're making more sense now (to me, anyway).
Would you please do me one more favour and go to my Mozilla Support profile (which I just edited) and let me know what you think; (I really value your opinion).
Liefs.
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