Firefox > Preferences > Home > New Windows and Tabs (very first option!) > Homepage and New Windows, New Tabs > Blank Page
I like that Firefox Home is the default option because you as the user are offered something. If you don't like it, you say no, go to the settings page, and are never offered it again. If you do like it or don't mind it, you keep it. Win-win.
If Firefox Home wasn't on by default, those that might have preferred it wouldn't know what they're missing. It seems difficult to think someone would actually prefer ads but if there's some engagement, then that speaks for itself.
The default option should be "show options", letting you choose with one click between Blank, Mozilla Ads, Your Recent/Favorite Pages, and a custom URL or set of URLs.
There are 6 levels to your process above. Imagine being tech-illiterate and asked to navigate that - or, maybe easier, imagine trying to dictate that process to someone you know who is tech-illiterate over the phone. Even if you know exactly what to do, it might go something like this:
> "You saw an ad you don't like on a new tab of The Internet? OK, what you need to do to fix that is set the New Tab preference to Blank. Click the Firefox menu - no, it doesn't have the familiar File/Edit/Help menu bar, it uses a hamburger menu - the stack of three horizontal lines - in the top right. Something about a library? No, that's supposed to be a bookshelf icon, it has vertical lines, you want the horizontal lines to its right. The menu went away? Make sure to single-click the menu, not double-click. Look in that menu for something named Settings ... not Customize, no, that's kind of like settings but different, oh yeah, it was called Preferences. In Preferences, look for the Home section ... shouldn't have to scroll, it's in the menu to the left ... yeah, that's a menu, it's just separated by whitespace instead of a line. On the Home preferences screen, there's a drop-down box for New Tabs, click that dropdown and set it to Blank. Great, you're all set. Talk to you later. Bye!" Ring - "Hey again - it didn't work? You closed and reopened Firefox and the ads were still there? Oh, right, that gives you a new window, not a new tab. Let's go back through the menus one more time, it was just above the New Tabs dropdown, yeah, we were just there. Click the three horizontal lines for the Firefox menu...."
It's disingenuous to say that those who prefer the ads might not know what they're missing, even more disingenuous to say "you're offered something". No, with ad tech, the user is the product being offered to the advertisers, and I expect that more people don't know how to turn it off or that turning it off is a thing you can do than that like being advertised to.
As another user pointed out, this is anti-tracking not anti-advertisement.
I can't help but wonder why you don't just go to the front page of your settings, and select "Blank page" on the "New tab" field though. Unless I am misunderstanding where you are talking about.
You can remove everything from the New Tab page to make it completely blank now, although I do agree I'd prefer if it was blank by default with no ads or anything.
compscistd|5 years ago
I like that Firefox Home is the default option because you as the user are offered something. If you don't like it, you say no, go to the settings page, and are never offered it again. If you do like it or don't mind it, you keep it. Win-win.
If Firefox Home wasn't on by default, those that might have preferred it wouldn't know what they're missing. It seems difficult to think someone would actually prefer ads but if there's some engagement, then that speaks for itself.
LeifCarrotson|5 years ago
There are 6 levels to your process above. Imagine being tech-illiterate and asked to navigate that - or, maybe easier, imagine trying to dictate that process to someone you know who is tech-illiterate over the phone. Even if you know exactly what to do, it might go something like this:
> "You saw an ad you don't like on a new tab of The Internet? OK, what you need to do to fix that is set the New Tab preference to Blank. Click the Firefox menu - no, it doesn't have the familiar File/Edit/Help menu bar, it uses a hamburger menu - the stack of three horizontal lines - in the top right. Something about a library? No, that's supposed to be a bookshelf icon, it has vertical lines, you want the horizontal lines to its right. The menu went away? Make sure to single-click the menu, not double-click. Look in that menu for something named Settings ... not Customize, no, that's kind of like settings but different, oh yeah, it was called Preferences. In Preferences, look for the Home section ... shouldn't have to scroll, it's in the menu to the left ... yeah, that's a menu, it's just separated by whitespace instead of a line. On the Home preferences screen, there's a drop-down box for New Tabs, click that dropdown and set it to Blank. Great, you're all set. Talk to you later. Bye!" Ring - "Hey again - it didn't work? You closed and reopened Firefox and the ads were still there? Oh, right, that gives you a new window, not a new tab. Let's go back through the menus one more time, it was just above the New Tabs dropdown, yeah, we were just there. Click the three horizontal lines for the Firefox menu...."
It's disingenuous to say that those who prefer the ads might not know what they're missing, even more disingenuous to say "you're offered something". No, with ad tech, the user is the product being offered to the advertisers, and I expect that more people don't know how to turn it off or that turning it off is a thing you can do than that like being advertised to.
ziddoap|5 years ago
I can't help but wonder why you don't just go to the front page of your settings, and select "Blank page" on the "New tab" field though. Unless I am misunderstanding where you are talking about.
Wowfunhappy|5 years ago
dkdk8283|5 years ago
bzb3|5 years ago
neilsimp1|5 years ago