changelog: v55-alpha

[earthlng]

• date: 20-August-2017
• foreword: Here are the changes since the last changelog (v54-alpha 4-June-2017). While we are continually improving and making changes, rest assured all the important 55 bits and bobs have been covered
• note: the comments in the code snippets below are for this changelog's commentary

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!! Thanks to everyone who contributed !!

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changelog: [all changes] [all changes minus the line ending conversion]

• all user.js updates for Firefox v55 are detailed in our ToDo: diffs FF54-FF55 issue
  • includes links to the commits made for each pref, links to bugzilla tickets, our discussions etc.
• new section 0500: SYSTEM ADD-ONS / EXPERIMENTS discussion: create System Addon section #171
  • we disable all system addons that have a master switch preference, except Screenshots
• Tracking Protection is no longer force-enabled in normal (non-private) windows Contradictory settings for DNT #163
  • FF55 also introduced "passive TP" ie instead of blocking requests it'll lower the priority (0425)
• enabled First-Party-Isolation (it's not perfect yet but good enough to give it a try)
• disabled Formfill VOTE: disable form history #186
• set OCSP to "hard-fail" ie. if an OCSP server doesn't respond the connection to the site is blocked
• disabled TLS1.0 + TLS1.1 (security.tls.version.min) Raise TLS min to v1.1 (or v1.2) #167
  • only ~2% of encrypted web traffic still uses TLS1.0 or TLS1.1
• removed some dead weight (see "removed from the user.js" below)
• other minor things (typos, link fixes, wording, better/more infos, etc)
  • in the deprecated section, you can enable entire sections based on ESR with a single character change 👍
• for all the rest see the full list of pref changes below

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all pref changes:

• new active prefs:

user_pref("browser.onboarding.enabled", false);
user_pref("browser.tabs.remote.allowLinkedWebInFileUriProcess", false);
user_pref("browser.urlbar.speculativeConnect.enabled", false);
user_pref("extensions.formautofill.addresses.enabled", false);
user_pref("extensions.formautofill.experimental", false);
user_pref("extensions.formautofill.heuristics.enabled", false);
user_pref("extensions.shield-recipe-client.api_url", "");
user_pref("extensions.shield-recipe-client.enabled", false);
user_pref("extensions.webcompat-reporter.enabled", false);
user_pref("media.eme.chromium-api.enabled", false);
user_pref("media.gmp-manager.updateEnabled", false);
user_pref("media.gmp-manager.url.override", "data:text/plain,");
user_pref("network.auth.subresource-img-cross-origin-http-auth-allow", false);
user_pref("security.tls.enable_0rtt_data", false);
user_pref("toolkit.telemetry.newProfilePing.enabled", false);
user_pref("toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled", false);

• new in 55alpha but commented out by default:

//user_pref("browser.cache.memory.capacity", 0);
//user_pref("dom.ipc.processCount.file", 1);
//user_pref("extensions.screenshots.disabled", true);
//user_pref("extensions.systemAddon.update.url", "");
//user_pref("media.wmf.vp9.enabled", false);
//user_pref("privacy.trackingprotection.annotate_channels", false);
//user_pref("privacy.trackingprotection.lower_network_priority", false);
//user_pref("toolkit.cosmeticAnimations.enabled", false);

• activated previously commented-out prefs:

user_pref("browser.formfill.enable", false);
user_pref("browser.tabs.remote.separateFileUriProcess", true);
user_pref("privacy.firstparty.isolate", true);
user_pref("privacy.firstparty.isolate.restrict_opener_access", true);
user_pref("security.OCSP.require", true);
user_pref("security.tls.version.min", 3); // previously inactive with value 2

• commented out:

//user_pref("privacy.trackingprotection.enabled", true);
//user_pref("privacy.trackingprotection.pbmode.enabled", true);

• changed values:

user_pref("geo.wifi.uri", ""); // 54alpha: "https://location.services.mozilla.com/v1/geolocate?key=%MOZILLA_API_KEY%"
//user_pref("privacy.window.maxInnerHeight", 900); // 54alpha: 768
//user_pref("privacy.window.maxInnerWidth", 1600); // 54alpha: 1366

• removed from the user.js:

user_pref("dom.keyboardevent.dispatch_during_composition", false); // default is false anyway
user_pref("dom.vr.oculus.enabled", false); // covered by dom.vr.enabled
user_pref("dom.vr.openvr.enabled", false); // covered by dom.vr.enabled
user_pref("dom.vr.osvr.enabled", false); // covered by dom.vr.enabled
user_pref("extensions.pocket.api", ""); // covered by extensions.pocket.enabled
user_pref("extensions.pocket.oAuthConsumerKey", ""); // covered by extensions.pocket.enabled
user_pref("extensions.pocket.site", ""); // covered by extensions.pocket.enabled
//user_pref("layers.async-pan-zoom.enabled", true); // default is true already

• moved to 9999: DEPRECATED / REMOVED:
  • browser.formautofill.enabled
  • browser.formfill.saveHttpsForms
  • browser.fullscreen.animate
  • browser.newtabpage.directory.ping
  • browser.selfsupport.enabled
  • browser.selfsupport.url
  • browser.tabs.animate
  • dom.enable_user_timing
  • dom.keyboardevent.code.enabled
  • geo.security.allowinsecure

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Any and all help, suggestions, recommendations, links, tips and tricks, questions, thank you's or whathaveyou are welcome - signup/login and start typing - thanks

[2glops]

Seems strange to me, the four prefs below appears on about:config but not in prefs.js.
Any clue ?
FF55.0.2 on Linux

user_pref("browser.tabs.remote.separateFileUriProcess", true);
user_pref("extensions.formautofill.experimental", false);
user_pref("extensions.webcompat-reporter.enabled", false);
user_pref("privacy.firstparty.isolate.restrict_opener_access", true);

After check :
extensions.formautofill.experimental don't exist on DXR / central, already disappeared on v55
renamed to extensions.formautofill.available (FF56)
pref("extensions.formautofill.available", "on");

[earthlng]

appears on about:config but not in prefs.js. Any clue?

Some prefs that have the same user-set value as FFs default value, are not stored in prefs.js.

[Atavic]

Why dropping 'ghacks' or making it private? Let the critical comments alone...

[earthlng]

Afaik to make it private you'd have to pay. Even if it was free I don't think we should do that. But I certainly don't mind dropping the ghacks name and not advertising it there anymore. Maybe it will get better over there once 57 or 58 are released and hopefully all the mozilla haters and trolls will have moved on to whichever other browsers they're going to use.

As for the Chef he is clearly "inspired" ;) by our work but instead of thanking us he insults us:
CHEF-KOCH/FFCK@073601c
Look at that commit and tell me he is not getting it from here. IDK WTF his problem is, maybe it's those days in the month for him or something.

[Atavic]

I'd like to create a logo if you drop the famous name google-hacks

[2glops]

Don't understand the agressivenness of CHIEF-KOCK but your answers are powerful.

Anyway, I don't bother if 'ghacks' would be dropped.

[crssi]

Looks like someone had a very bad day and is now being rude. :(
Please, don't let him to discourage you.
There are too many here who really loves your work.

[earthlng]

Yeah, I tried to be reasonable but he wouldn't have it. We'll see if Martin publishes my not-so-reasonable comment.

I'd like to create a logo if you drop the famous name google-hacks

You're welcome to create a logo regardless of whether we drop the name or not.

[grauenwolfe]

@earthlng LOL, fucking badass, man! So damn good.

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/08/22/firefox-55-new-preferences-and-ghacks-user-js-changes/#comment-4221728

Looks like he closed his whole project down now. Scheißkopf.

https://github.com/CHEF-KOCH/FFCK/issues/5

Edit: Thorin - Fixed the above links [https://github.com/CHEF-KOCH/FFCK/issues/5](url) is not how you use markup here, it's [Some title text here](https://github.com/CHEF-KOCH/FFCK/issues/5)

[crssi]

Are you sure that browser.formautofill.enabled is deprecated/removed.
If I reset it in FF56, it does not wanish.

[crssi]

^^that nailed it. Thank you. Reloading did make it gone.

[crssi]

OK OK, will do some self-spanking now.