Firefox Desktop OSs

 Notes: 

Where you see the instruction: Open 'about:config' you will need to type or copy/paste 'about:config' (without the speech marks) in to Firefox's address bar press return then click the 'I'll be careful, I promise' button.

Where you see the instruction: Type or copy/paste: you will need to enter the text that appears in the highlighted box below in the the box next to the word 'Filter' on the about:config page.

AwesomeBar: Change The Amount Of Results Returned (v3 >)
The "AwesomeBar" allows you to do a keyword search of your bookmarks, tags and browsing history by typing in the address window. As you start typing in the address bar the AwesomeBar shows you a list of a dozen suggestion, this tweak allows you to set a higher or lower number of returns.

Open 'about:config'

Type or copy/paste:

urlbar.maxRichResults

In the windows below double-click on the entry and change the value to 12

Bookmark Toolbar Icons - Disable (All Versions)
Locate the chrome directory:  Linux - /home/ /.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome Windows - C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[User Name]\chrome\ 

Create the file userChrome.css

Paste in the CSS following code: /* Hide bookmark icons in the Personal Toolbar */toolbarbutton.bookmark-item > .toolbarbutton-icon {display: none; }

Save and Restart Firefox

Dictionary Word List - Editing (All Versions)
This can be useful if you have inadvertently entered an mis-spelt word in to the dictionary or if you want to add custom entries, i.e. scientific words, place names. The location of the dictionary can be found in the following locations depending on your operating system:  Linux - /home/[User Name]/.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/extensions/en-GB@dictionaries.addons.mozilla.org/dictionaries OS X - ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default/ Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\extensions\en-GB@dictionaries.addons.mozilla.org\dictionaries Windows Vista - C:\users\[User Name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\  Open the following file to edit:  persdict.dat 

Extension Install Delay - Disable (All Versions)
Open 'about:config'

Type or copy/paste: security.dialog_enable_delay In the windows below double-click on the entry and change the value to 0 to disable the delay

In-Line Spell Check In All Textboxes And Webforms - Enable (All Versions)
Open 'about:config'

Type or copy/paste: layout.spell In the windows below double-click on the entry and change the value to 2

Installation Of Current Stable Release
There are certain parts of Ubuntu that force the installation of the Canonical packaged Firefox - which points to /usr/lib/firefox-3.x.x/firefox.sh. This will most certainly not be the latest version.

These instructions will install the latest version side-by-side with the packaged version. You will then change the symbolic link to make use of it.

This guide is primarily for Ubuntu users and shows how to install the latest version of Mozilla Firefox which is not available through the Synaptic Package manager. It is possible to install a Mozilla repository but this then access the latest nightly builds which are not guaranteed to be stable.

Download the latest version of Firefox from the here.

 Note:  Where you see YOUR_FILENAME_HERE replace it with the name of the file you have downloaded.

Open a terminal and change directory to where you have downloaded the file from Mozilla, then run the following commands:

sudo tar jxvf YOUR_FILENAME_HERE.tar.bz2 -C /opt/ sudo chown -R root:root /opt/firefox/ sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/firefox/ cd /usr/bin/ sudo ln -sf /opt/firefox/firefox firefox

To create a menu entry, open a terminal and run the command:

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/firefox.desktop

Add the following text:

[Desktop Entry] Encoding=UTF-8 Name=Firefox Comment=Browse the World Wide Web Exec=/opt/firefox/firefox Icon=/opt/firefox/chrome/icons/default48.png Terminal=false Type=Application Categories=Application;Network; StartupNotify=true

Save and close gedit

Firefox can be found under Applications → Internet → Firefox.

You will need to add the icon for the start menu.

Open a terminal and type:

sudo su - root

Enter the password for your current profile

cd /opt/firefox/icons/ cp mozicon128.png /usr/share/pixmaps

Keep Firefox Open When You Close The Last Tab - Enable (v3.5 >)
In previous versions of Firefox if under Preferences/Options --> Tabs was set to 'Always show tab bar' pressing Ctrl+W if a single tab was showing it blank the contents but left Firefox running. In Firefox 3.5 even with this option set; pressing Ctrl+W with a single tab showing closes the programme.

Open 'about:config'

Type or copy/paste:

browser.tabs.closeWindowWithLastTab

In the window below double click on 'browser.tabs.closeWindowWithLastTab' to change the value from 'true' to 'false'

Now clearing the contents of the last tab using Ctrl+W will leave a blank tab and not shut the programme.

Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working
If the 'Home' and 'End' keys are not working press 'F7' and they should be activated.

Location Aware Browsing (a.k.a. Geolocation) - Disable (v3.5 >)
 An Overview 

This feature uses Google Location Services to determine the location of your computer using the following: the computer’s internet IP address, information from nearby wireless access points, and a random client identifier (this is assigned by Google and expires every 2 weeks). If you are concerned about your privacy, the feature can be turned off with the following simple tweak.

Open 'about:config'

Type or copy/paste:

geo.enabled

In the window below double click on 'geo.enabled' to change the value from 'true' to 'false'

New Tab Button - Remove (v3.5 >)
Locate the userChrome.css file in your Firefox user profile, this can be found in the following locations depending on your operating system:  Linux - /home//.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome OS X - ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome/ <li>Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\<your_account>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\chrome <li>Windows Vista - C:\users\[User Name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\ </ul>

 Note:  If the userChrome.css file does not exist you may need to create it, there is usually a sample file included in the installation which you can copy.

At the end of the file add the following: .tabs-newtab-button {display: none} Save and close the file

Start Firefox 3.5

Reduce RAM Usage When Firefox Is Minimized (All Versions)
This tweak moves Firefox to your hard drive when minimized, freeing up much RAM, Firefox requires restarting for these settings to take effect.

Open 'about:config'

Right click anywhere under the 'Filter' box and select New --> Boolean

Name it:

config.trim_on_minimize

Then select TRUE from the resulting pop up window

Show The Close Button On The Last Tab - Enable (v3.5 >)
New Method - install The Last Tab Close Button addon

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/downloads/file/89367/last_tab_close_button-0.3.2-fx.xpi?src=api&confirmed=1

Old Method

When there is only have one tab left open it does not have a close button, because if you close it it would close Firefox (unless you have implemented the 'Keep The Window Open When You Close The Last Tab' tweak above). It is still possible to close it pressing Ctrl + W, or selecting Close Tab in the File menu. The following code give you back the button.

Locate the userChrome.css file in your Firefox user profile, this can be found in the following locations depending on your operating system:

 <li>Linux - /home/<your_account>/.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome <li>OS X - ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome/ <li>Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\<your_account>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\chrome <li>Windows Vista - C:\users\[User Name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\ </ul>  Note:  If the userChrome.css file does not exist you may need to create it, there is usually a sample file included in the installation which you can copy. Add the following at the end of the userChrome.css file:

.tabbrowser-tabs[closebuttons="alltabs"] > .tabbrowser-tab > .tab-close-button { display: -moz-box !important; } .tabbrowser-tabs:not([closebuttons="noclose"]):not([closebuttons="closeatend"]) > .tabbrowser-tab[selected="true"] > .tab-close-button { display: -moz-box !important; } Save and close the file

Start Firefox 3.5