Firefox - web browser

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webfork
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#166 Post by webfork »

Have you tested out any of the memory reducing tricks available?

There's mozilla's official recommendations:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fi ... -resources

... or this one, which has quite a bit of overlap but some nice detail and other tips towards the bottom:
https://vnexplorer.net/firefox-using-to ... 45667.html

... and some other about:config memory tweaks. I'm currently using the Tip 2: Reduce memory usage when minimized, though the steps for adding it don't seem to work. Don't create a new item, just start typing config.trim_on_minimize and it'll allow you to add it.
https://www.davidtan.org/tips-reduce-fi ... che-usage/

Doesn't view security as optional
Agreed. As Firefox tries to maintain it's status with their remaining dedicated userbase, they're afraid of major failures in security and feature shortfalls. An effective sandboxing tool seems like it would help with both. At the cost of a lot more RAM usage of course.

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Midas
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#167 Post by Midas »

Thanks for the tips, will try them ASAP, the pending demise of Firefox as we know it notwithstanding... 8)
webfork wrote: An effective sandboxing tool seems like it would help with both. At the cost of a lot more RAM usage of course.
An user-controlled FLOSS browsing sandbox is something I'd have no problem getting behind, even at the cost of further system resources -- I'm certain plenty of optimizing tricks would be sure to follow...

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#168 Post by webfork »

An user-controlled FLOSS browsing sandbox is something I'd have no problem getting behind, even at the cost of further system resources -- I'm certain plenty of optimizing tricks would be sure to follow...
Well said.

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#169 Post by Midas »

On the subject of Firefox customization -- and the ongoing onslaught of silently disabling user options -- I've come upon a most useful resource, with some (still?) working tips regarding the use of the so-called Enterprise Policy Framework -- which, BTW, at some point reads thusly:
The only sure way to change how Firefox behaves is to use the enterprise policy framework. Firefox seems to care about large corporate customers. They clearly do not care about regular people, the Mozilla corporation has demonstrated that time and time again.

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#170 Post by freakazoid »

Midas wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 7:19 am On the subject of Firefox customization -- and the ongoing onslaught of silently disabling user options -- I've come upon a most useful resource, with some (still?) working tips regarding the use of the so-called Enterprise Policy Framework -- which, BTW, at some point reads thusly:
The only sure way to change how Firefox behaves is to use the enterprise policy framework. Firefox seems to care about large corporate customers. They clearly do not care about regular people, the Mozilla corporation has demonstrated that time and time again.
I already do this. I have a copy of policies.json ready to be pasted into the main Firefox folder's /distribution/policies.json location whenever I update Firefox Portable.

More info about policies.json can be found here: https://github.com/mozilla/policy-templ ... /README.md
is it stealth? ;)

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#171 Post by Midas »

Having used Firefox (and derivatives) for ages, I had no reason to suspect the silent deactivation of my intemporal (albeit quite minor) setup options until a pesky update nag wouldn't go away however I tried. This shift away from user allegiance only dawned on me when I finally got the leisure to research (and solve) the issue. As they say, trust is earned in thimbles and wasted in buckets...

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#172 Post by JohnTHaller »

freakazoid wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 1:04 pmI already do this. I have a copy of policies.json ready to be pasted into the main Firefox folder's /distribution/policies.json location whenever I update Firefox Portable.
The Firefox Portable installer is configured to preserve the distribution directories in both App\Firefox and App\Firefox64. Is this not working for you?
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freakazoid
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#173 Post by freakazoid »

JohnTHaller wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 7:38 am The Firefox Portable installer is configured to preserve the distribution directories in both App\Firefox and App\Firefox64. Is this not working for you?
I manually update FirefoxPortable\App\Firefox because I use an unbranded build: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extens ... ded_Builds

Since I have you here John, how do I build the main FirefoxPortable.exe launcher file from source? Oftentimes when I want to update just that executable, I have to download and extract the entire Firefox Portable package just to get the small, <200kb FirefoxPortable.exe file.
is it stealth? ;)

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#174 Post by Midas »

freakazoid wrote: I use an unbranded build: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extens ... ded_Builds
Caren to enlighten us on the advantages of said build?

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#175 Post by freakazoid »

Midas wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 5:33 am Caren to enlighten us on the advantages of said build?
Unbranded builds allow you to install unsigned addons. More info can be found here: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extension_Signing#FAQ.

Some unsigned addons can be found on Github. I use a mouse gestures one that works on internal Firefox pages as well.
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#176 Post by Midas »

Thanks, looks useful. 8)

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Re: Firefox - web browser

#177 Post by JohnTHaller »

freakazoid wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 1:56 pmSince I have you here John, how do I build the main FirefoxPortable.exe launcher file from source? Oftentimes when I want to update just that executable, I have to download and extract the entire Firefox Portable package just to get the small, <200kb FirefoxPortable.exe file.
The source code is within the FirefoxPortable\Other\Source directory. You can also find it in our github here: https://github.com/PortableApps/AppConf ... /F/Firefox

Feed FirefoxPortableU.nsi into NSISPortable.exe and it'll compile. You'll need it to be within the FirefoxPortable\Other\Source directory.
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#178 Post by freakazoid »

JohnTHaller wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 5:23 pm The source code is within the FirefoxPortable\Other\Source directory. You can also find it in our github here: https://github.com/PortableApps/AppConf ... /F/Firefox

Feed FirefoxPortableU.nsi into NSISPortable.exe and it'll compile. You'll need it to be within the FirefoxPortable\Other\Source directory.
Thanks John. That worked out great! I'll keep an eye on the Github repo for new changes to the script.
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#179 Post by freakazoid »

JohnTHaller wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 5:23 pm The source code is within the FirefoxPortable\Other\Source directory. You can also find it in our github here: https://github.com/PortableApps/AppConf ... /F/Firefox
John, can you also make sure to update the ThunderbirdPortableU.nsi file on Github? The version on Github is v2.3, whereas the current release version on portableapps.com is at v2.7. Thanks in advance.
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Re: Firefox - web browser

#180 Post by JohnTHaller »

freakazoid wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 3:22 pmJohn, can you also make sure to update the ThunderbirdPortableU.nsi file on Github? The version on Github is v2.3, whereas the current release version on portableapps.com is at v2.7. Thanks in advance.
Updated. I should split those out to a separate project from the app configs so they're easier to locate.
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