Ubuntu
firefox-3.5 package

  1. Bug #402767 (imnotfeelinglucky)
  2. Comment #33

Comment 33 for bug 402767

Revision history for this message
Ralf Nieuwenhuijsen (ralf-nieuwenhuijsen) wrote : Re: multisearch add on blocks the functionality of firefox location bar

I'll be watching this bug report closely, because this a show-stopper for me.
I can fix it on my setup, but I don't feel like supporting this fix or these sort of intense changes to the default firefox.

Some notes:

 - this "feels" like spyware/adware. The biggest (and almost only) selling point of linux in my community is lack of commercial 'annoyances'. I understand that needs differ and that canonical is trying to look at a way to make money. I am not condemning it. I'm just saying it would make the decision to choose Ubuntu much much harder. It would be very less sympathetic.

 - opening default homepage on new tabs is fine. Although, if this is really about improving the experience, I would vote for a chrome-like start-tab: with the favorite sites listed. I've never really quite understood why I have two search fields when I launch firefox. One in the browser, one in the top-right.

- If you want to make money from advertisement, the default homepage would be the place where it's non-obtrusive. Show my favorite sites and based on that show a google-ads-box on the right or something. Show them in a place where I click around when i'm bored, not when I am trying to get work done.

 - urlbar should be google-i-feel-lucky. That is the killer feature of firefox and chrome. Don't mess with that please. If we want to search, we will use the search box. Everybody that I know that uses firefox loves that part more than anything.

 - the default search should not contain MORE ads than google does by default. If that's not possible without making money on it: be creative and find another way. (Like putting the ads on my default homepage together with my most visisted sites and most recently visited sites .. chrome style)

 - the default search should not have less functionality or break integration with the rest of google. If the default search is going to be different from a normal google search, dont' call it google, don't use the google icon. Just add a 'ubuntu-search' with an ubuntu logo and make the default. That way we can still choose to use google easily, yet we can also choose to support Canonical.