firefox syspref.js not working

[Espen Stefansen]

I'm trying to use /etc/firefox/syspref.js to set system wide firefox-settings for my users. But when they start firefox, the settings are not used.

In /etc/firefox/syspref.js I put the following:
pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.example.com");

But when people start firefox, it's still set to about:startpage, which was the previous default.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: firefox 5.0+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.11.04.2 [modified: usr/lib/firefox-5.0/defaults/pref/vendor.js]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-10-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Jul 14 08:44:56 2011
FirefoxPackages:
 firefox 5.0+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.11.04.2
 flashplugin-installer N/A
 adobe-flashplugin N/A
 icedtea-plugin N/A
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100427.1)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=nb_NO:en
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 LC_MESSAGES=nb_NO.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-28 (76 days ago)

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

This is because the default homepage is set in ubufox, which is loaded after that preference file. TBH, we should just get rid of that file entirely, as it doesn't behave as people expect and you need to understand how the preference system in Firefox works to understand its limitations

[Espen Stefansen (espen-stefansen)]

I had other systemwide changes to make as well...

But yes, that file should be removed. Along with /usr/lib/firefox-5.0/defaults/pref/vendor.js and /usr/lib/firefox-5.0/defaults/pref/syspref.js which doesn't work either.

Actually /usr/lib/firefox-5.0/defaults/pref/syspref.js links to /etc/firefox/syspref.js. Couldn't the solution be to link /etc/xul-ext/ubufox.js from xul-ext-ubufox to /etc/firefox/syspref.js?

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Why would we remove vendor.js? That's where we set some Ubuntu-specific preferences, and is not meant to be altered by the system administrator.

[Espen Stefansen (espen-stefansen)]

Since syspref.js didn't work, i tried vendor.js, but that didn't work either. That's why i said that.

Just disregard what i said about vendor.js. I dug deeper into ubufox and found what I was looking for. Thanx.

[Stanislav German-Evtushenko (giner)]

I think that manual settings (I mean /etc/firefox/syspref.js here) should override any system settings in any case.