Need help - Firefox

[Hawkmoon]

I have been using Waterfox Classic as my browser, but my computer at work has Firefox on it, so I have been trying to make peace with Firefox. Both browsers are derived from a common Mozilla code base, so I naively thought they shouldn't be all that different. As usual ... wrong! There are a couple of truly annoying things about Firefox, and I can't figure out how to fix them. I hope someone can help.

For ... reasons ... I've been using Firefox a bit. (Like it's what's on my computer at work.) And I'm not liking it much. Maybe there's a way to correct a couple of the really annoying things it does. If there is, I haven't figured it out.

#1: The address window. If I want to type the address of a site I want to go to in the address window, I'm fine if the browser recognizes it and autocompletes the address. What I DON'T want or need is a cascading drop-down list of the last 100 web sites I have visited. (Yes, I exaggerated -- it's really 10, IIRC.) In fact, I don't want any drop-down list at all. Is there a way to shut that off?

#2: Search. I have Duck Duck Go set as my default search engine. I have the Firefox default web page as the page to display when I open a new tab. And that correctly shows Duck Duck Go as the search engine in the search window when I open a new tab. BUT ... if I start to type my search criteria into the search window -- it doesn't put it there. It immediately jumps up and starts typing in the address window. That's not where I want it. If I wanted to type in the address window, I would have put the cursor in the address window. I put the cursor in the search window because THAT's where I want to type. I NEED to kill that behavior. Is there a way to put a stake through its heart?

[HeroHog]

#1: Easy fix. Click the 3 Horizontal lines at the top-right, click "Settings", click "Home" in the far left far left box, Uncheck "Recent activity", profit!

[HeroHog]

#2: In Settings, under "Search" in the Left Menu box, under "Search Bar" check
"Use the address bar for search and navigation", under "Default Search Engine" select "DuckDuckGo".
I also, under "Search Suggestions, Choose how suggestions from search engines appear.", I check:
X Provide search suggestions
   X Show search suggestions in address bar results
   X Show search suggestions ahead of browsing history in address bar results

Poke around in the Settings. There's a lot of "tuning" you can do there!

Extensions I use:

• AdBlocker for YouTubeâ„¢
• AdGuard AdBlocker
• Enhancer for YouTubeâ„¢
• Google Translate
• To Google Translate (Different from above)
• Image Search Options

Plugins I use:

• OpenH264 Video Codec provided by Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.

[Hawkmoon]

#1: Easy fix. Click the 3 Horizontal lines at the top-right, click "Settings", click "Home" in the far left far left box, Uncheck "Recent activity", profit!

Doesn't work. I unchecked that a long time ago.

Screenshot attached

[HeroHog]

My bad, add this:

"Settings", "Privacy & Security", "History"
Find "Firefox will" then select "Use custom settings for history"
(uncheck) "Always use private browsing mode"
  (Click "Clear History..." button at tail of the line above
  (Uncheck) "Remember browsing and download history"
  (Uncheck) "Remember search and form history"
  (Check) "Clear history when Firefox closes"
    (Click) "Settings" button at the tail of the line above
      In pop-up window, do the following:
        Under "History":
          (check)Browsing & download history
          (check)Active logins
          (check)Form & search history
          (un-check)Cookies
          (check)Cache

        Under "Data":
          (un-check)Site settings
          (check)Offline website data

        Click "Ok" button
        Close tab

[HeroHog]

I'm laying here recovering from massive abuse and indignation at the hands of the VA Urologists. Cut me a little slack! 

[HeroHog]

I TRY to have mine set up so that if I suddenly croak, I don't have to worry about what will be found on this laptop other than HUNDREDS of links to everything under the sun, but 99.9% of that is PG13 at the worst.

[Hawkmoon]

My bad, add this:

"Settings", "Privacy & Security", "History"
Find "Firefox will" then select "Use custom settings for history"
(uncheck) "Always use private browsing mode"
  (Click "Clear History..." button at tail of the line above
  (Uncheck) "Remember browsing and download history"
  (Uncheck) "Remember search and form history"
  (Check) "Clear history when Firefox closes"
    (Click) "Settings" button at the tail of the line above
      In pop-up window, do the following:
        Under "History":
          (check)Browsing & download history
          (check)Active logins
          (check)Form & search history
          (un-check)Cookies
          (check)Cache

        Under "Data":
          (un-check)Site settings
          (check)Offline website data

        Click "Ok" button
        Close tab

I think I'm on pretty close to the most recent update, but I don't have some of the options mentioned above. I did turn off ALL the options under "History" and now when I start to type an address, it still pops open a window, but now it only has one line in it. The downside is that it now doesn't autocomplete sites that I enter frequently.

I'm not very happy with Firefox.

[HeroHog]

I'm using Ver 97.0.1

[Hawkmoon]

91.6.0esr

"ESR" is "Extended Service Release." The ESR channel is considered to be more stable and is recommended for companies and institutions that don't want to deal with frequent updates and possible issues. 91.6.0 is the current ESR version.

[HeroHog]

Ah, Apples VS. Squid then, I guess.

[lee n. field]

91.6.0esr

"ESR" is "Extended Service Release." The ESR channel is considered to be more stable and is recommended for companies and institutions that don't want to deal with frequent updates and possible issues. 91.6.0 is the current ESR version.

Debian Stable is on that version of Firefox.  I'll dink with it if I get a chance.

[lee n. field]

#2: Search. I have Duck Duck Go set as my default search engine. I have the Firefox default web page as the page to display when I open a new tab. And that correctly shows Duck Duck Go as the search engine in the search window when I open a new tab. BUT ... if I start to type my search criteria into the search window -- it doesn't put it there. It immediately jumps up and starts typing in the address window. That's not where I want it. If I wanted to type in the address window, I would have put the cursor in the address window. I

BTW, Brave behaves in exactly that way.

And, that for me is "feature, not bug".

At work we use Connectwise Control for a remote access program.  Anybody's who's not in our system that I need to do remote work for, I walk through going to our custom url (cd.screenconnect.com), entering a code and downloading and running the client program.  There's a fraction of the folks out there I talk to that can NOT, for anything, find the address bar of whatever browser they're using.  They'll enter it in some search bar, and end up looking at ads for Connectwise.

</vent>

[Hawkmoon]

BTW, Brave behaves in exactly that way.

And, that for me is "feature, not bug".

At work we use Connectwise Control for a remote access program.  Anybody's who's not in our system that I need to do remote work for, I walk through going to our custom url (cd.screenconnect.com), entering a code and downloading and running the client program.  There's a fraction of the folks out there I talk to that can NOT, for anything, find the address bar of whatever browser they're using.  They'll enter it in some search bar, and end up looking at ads for Connectwise.

</vent>

Well, I'm old fashioned, and not very smart. I expect to type addresses in the address window, and search terms in the search window. And I get confused and upset when the *%)*^%$*& browser doesn't comprehend that.