Maybe more people will join me in thinking that the best thing to do is to set browser.newtabpage.enabled=false and otherwise fiddle with the settings until it just shows you nothing but a blank page in a nice colour when you open a new tab or window.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
60 points (76.3% liked)
Firefox
17815 readers
53 users here now
A place to discuss the news and latest developments on the open-source browser Firefox
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
I just have an empty new tab page. There is no need to use about:config to set this setting. The Firefox > Settings > Home the homepage for new windows or new tabs separately. At least the recent activity for Visited pages is useful for new window. I highly recommend to Sponsored Shortcuts, which is an alternative term for advertisement. Or just turn off the Firefox Home for newtabs by setting it to Blank Page.
Sponsored Shortcuts, which is an alternative term for advertisement
That's simply incorrect, Sponsored Shortcuts work differently than ads, in the later you're tracked and your PII gathered.
I wasn't talking about the technical implementation or differences in how they are handled, but more of a personal judgement. To me every Sponsored link is an advertisement, everywhere, not only in Firefox.
This is part of my new setup ritual right along uBlock, DDG, and more. Shame that this is the best choice we have for a browser.
Just turn them off in settings. Lots of options there, no need to sod around with configs and what have you.
For the "just turn it off" folk, you know what's even better than that? Not having ads at all in the first place.
"just turn it off" until they update firefox and add in new spyware/adware tucked away in about:config you won't notice until all your data has been mined
That's a bit slippery, but they sure are abusing our trust in the brand for this one.
then get people to do a monthly donation to mozilla and thunderbird.....
You think I want to financially support Mozilla with that blackmailers logic? Support qtwebengine devs, qtwebkit devs, netsurf devs, or gtkwebkit devs; or anyone that doesn't stick malware in their open source browser for profit.
malware
absolutely bonkers
As is turning Firefox into a subscription service!
I wouldn't mind a paid premium that came with some cool themes or something of that nature, but this path ends with enshittification and nothing else.
Just turn them off?
It has to be one of the easiest things I've ever turned off. It's not like I'm mucking with registry settings, it's literally a toggle
Ot let people opt-in if it is truly something great to have. Why put something on one wants there to "let people turn it off"?
Because they want to make money with that and if it's opt in they might as well not put it in at all.
At Firefox > Settings > Home turn off Sponsored Shortcuts.
Update? Hasn't stuff like this always been there?
It changed my setting from disabled to enabled after the update
That's not cool at all.
Sponsored suggestions in the address bar and advertisement telemetry are upcoming additions, but yeah, this stuff in this post has been here for a while. Every installation requires you remove it again.
I just touched Windows 11 for the first time today.
The Start bar has a Widgets corner, which includes a helpful weather display but is 99% infinite news scroll.
I opened Edge to download something else, and was greeted with more news and crap.
Don't get me wrong, Firefox is better than Edge. But Edge is the worst of the bunch by far.
Despite its reputation, Chrome looks and feels like, and in some ways is, a lighter browser. No news feed. No AI chatbot. I get that they can afford it, but the difference is still painfully palpable.
Right, Chrome exists to ruin the rest of the web. The browser itself can keep its hands clean.
Google and Chrome both, for sure.
And Google's definitely making Chrome worse too, but in a way that the average user won't notice until it's too late, ie once companies figure out how to subvert manifest v3 compatible ad blockers.
omg i cannot state how much i hate the widgets bar, it's like they designed it on purpose to show ads&clickbait
They did. It ibky has weather so you allow location.
Takes 3 seconds to turn all that off, doesn't even make you leave the page. I turn everything off but recents for new hires at my work and disable data sharing.
Sure but we all know that 99% of people don't change defaults.
Also, waiting for those updates that "accidentally" revert to the default
Idk what to say. Internet browsers are a sorry fucken lot right now. Maybe try using Librewolf?
Let them find a better way to finance development than Google search. I'll just go downstream to Librewolf. It's a win/win.
Haha, LibreWolf and Floorp go brrr
Finally some dumb tracked advertising again!
Or you could use mullvad browser which is kind of the same thing. And not need to deal with this.