Is it working? What add-ons?

[FlailAway]

Hi, just found this and have a few problems. First off, I could not find how to use user.js after reading the wiki things and cautions, I am assuming I add it into the .mozilla/firefox/[profile-name] folder?

I deleted all profiles (yes I have backups) except the one that is dated today; on the assumption that is my current default Profile and added user.js into that folder. So, how do I know it is working? I do not have the skills to mess with the contents so I am happy to use whatever is in user.js and work on adjustments if/when something screws up.

I noticed a mention of including uBlock origin and I already have that installed, but several others as well. What add-ons do I need and what can I get rid of? Currently HTTPSEverywhere, Privacy Badger, PureURL and NoScript.

Thanks

[crssi]

Welcome...

Hi, just found this and have a few problems. First off, I could not find how to use user.js after reading the wiki things and cautions, I am assuming I add it into the .mozilla/firefox/[profile-name] folder?

Yes

So, how do I know it is working?

Open about:config
Enter _user.js.parrot (or just user.js, or just parrot) into search field.
If it exists with a value, something like SUCCESS: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'!, then you know its working.
NOTE: user.js is a very very good TEMPLATE. But you might have a need to make some changes for your need.

You can immediatelly ditch Privacy Badger and NoScript.
I do not believe in HTTPSEverywhere... anyway almost none of the pages I visit frequently even exists in HTTPSEverywhere database.
Replace PureURL for Neat URL.
NOTE: This is just my personal opinion and not everyone agrees. Even here we have different approach, since we have different needs. You also can peek into my repository.

[Atavic]

There are some similarities on various privacy repositories, most of them trust gorhill uBo and uM the most. Then many use EFF Privacy Badger and HTTPS everywhere, but the 1st one is surpassed by uBo features while the 2nd one has some lighter alternatives. Noscript (Legacy version) is discussed here. DecentralEyes is a must have IMHO

[FlailAway]

OK, thanks. The parrot lives. :) I will do some research on tweaking it, but for now it is starting up as a smallish window in the screen centre. I would like it to start about 4" wider as the Bookmarks-panel is taking up 1/3rd the opening size.

I just logged into Amazon and got a box open up about allowing data use, "Amazon wants your data canvas," or something like that. It closed before I could read it all. Next time I see it, should I allow it? Amazon seemed to work OK with whatever it snapped closed with as the default.

Thanks.

[nostromov]

SUCCESS: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'!

Open about:config
Enter [..]

BTW., to access about:config settings directly, from the URL bar:

about:config?filter=_user.js.parrot

EDIT: And the other issue is: Canvas image data?? @Firefox 58 warns you if sites use Canvas image data

AKA, How companies use Canvas Fingerprinting to track you online

EDIT: (This is a surprise, unless I'm talking about something that you're not?.. The user.js should automagically eliminate any mention of it; and, yet, you're getting a prompt?? Strange!..:))

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

@FlailAway Have you read the wiki - the link is at the top of this page for future reference? Read 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 - this way you know what a user.js, how to change settings (add an overrides section at the end of your user.js), how to reset settings (because just commented them out in the user.js is not enough), etc,

Section 2 is all about profiles

Section 3 is maintaining it. It's quite simple. If you use the updater scripts we have here, just run it once a release and read our changelog sticky. BUT, you need to use an overrides section rather than editing items individually.

4.1 is all about extensions - we're not saying to use them all. I will give you some guidance.

---

One of the prefs we set is privacy.resistFingerprinting - it does a LOT of stuff - see #7 . One of the things it does is when you open Firefox (or a new window), it will open it at 1000px wide and 1000 or 900px high. It doesn't seem to open any bigger on it's own (but may open smaller if screen resolution is lacking).

If you reposition your browser to the top left top where you want it to be, Firefox will remember the POSITION (unless it can't fit). Your side panel will eat space, but that's OK (kinda) because you can use a couple of prefs in the user js to tell the browser what size to open in.

Open the user.js in a text editor. Scroll to the bottom and add a couple of line spaces and stick in the following (the parrot line is to show you to put it after that)

user_pref("_user.js.parrot", "SUCCESS: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'!");

// OVERRIDES
user_pref("privacy.window.maxInnerWidth", 1600);
user_pref("privacy.window.maxInnerHeight", 900);

Close Firefox. Reopen Firefox for the new prefs to be picked up and applied. You will now have a much larger inner window and at least it's a fairly common screen resolution. The formula dictates that the width must be in 200s and height in 100s. But it will change in the 3 or 4 months and you can use any size, but until then, try that.

---

Another thing privacy.resistFingerprinting (which we call RFP) does is block most canvas calls. That's what amazon is doing. If you see a prompt (but miss it, or click it without thinking), you can always check what it is by looking at the site permissions. To do this, while on the site, you click on the info icon in the address bar, click the arrow to the right where it says "connection" and then click more information = this brings up a new dialog box, and you then click on permissions. And there you can see canvas among others.

The default for canvas (which only shows when using RFP) is to always ask (but a lot of canvas prompts are auto-blocked, it's technical, but it reduces a lot of canvas prompt fatigue). However, you will still get canvas prompts on sites you regularly visit until you build up the site exceptions.

In general, deny the site prompt (and remember it, so you don;t always get asked again on that site). If something on the site won't work, then allowing canvas and refreshing may be the answer: examples in the past include google pictures not showing thumbnails.

---

"I do not believe in HTTPSEverywhere" said crssi. Don't believe his lies - he is but one person. Different people will get different mileage out of it. HTTPS-Everywhere is good for you, costs nothing in terms of memory etc (don't believe the lies and BS on the internet). Maybe down the track you can change it to something else, but for now stick with it.

Get rid of Privacy Badger: it is at odds with RFP, and it's not even a proper solution. There are massive holes in it re fingerprinting.

If you need help, we have a resident cat 🐈 .. just @claustromaniac (just type @c and you'll see his name) and say the magic words "here kitty kitty" and he will comes running and help you

Other than that - have fun, ask questions, but read the wiki

[nostromov]

@FlailAway Have you read the wiki?

That's a great question (lolz)! xD

BTW., https://addons.cdn.mozilla.net/user-media/previews/thumbs/137/137406.png

DecentralEyes is a must have IMHO

.. Decentraleyes runs beautifully (!?) on Android, FTW @(https://i.ibb.co/ZH8CJRm/Screenshot-20190205-031921.png

EDIT:

But we don;t need giant pics of it :)

Argh, dang it!.. Alright, removed images; BUT - just a second, please - adding a gallery of what I had looked like: no display issues, with gaint images!! Just a sec! *Accesing /and editing via mobile takes a bit of time Pfft. ;$

EDIT: I, just, can't win!.. My goodness, https://ibb.co/MNYMXFn *guess I'll just keep tryin'

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

BTW., to access about:config settings directly, from the URL bar:

about:config?filter=_user.js.parrot

@kgbm3 : I believe that is no longer possible when the about:config drop XML/XBL or whatever it is - slated for FF67

edit: @kgbm3 .. what's your decentraleyes count? Mine cruised past 300,000 the other week

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

Yup, decentraleyes is awesome. But we don;t need giant pics of it :)

Edit: @FlailAway did you add the exceptions to uBlock Origin for decentraleyes - it's in the wiki 4.1

• Decentraleyes ✔ Privacy | GitLab | GitHub Archive
  • ❗ uBlock Origin users should add the following rules

[nostromov]

[..] slated for FF67

OMG., no, say it ain't so!.. You know, I'm willing to bet right now that it's just the beginning (of the end!) of Mozilla going to shut-off half of the things we need!!

Gonna check up on it, but literally just going on intuition (LOL), wouldn't be scared to guess - how since they're messing with that - that Mozilla are planning to unleash some user-unfavorable (corporate?!) agenda, which will totally ruin our day.

^^ Not to say life, bah (!), but it'll destroy the browser. It has already gotten SO shaky - for example, with the atrocious factory, built-in, Add-ons - which they've tried to slip-in with the move to WebExtensions - and it can't take much moar...

Still on F-Droid Fennec here and it's brain: 64.0.2, btw

@Thorin-Oakenpants Geez ^^ forgot what I was, even, going to write; that's how upsetting it is!! WOW! xD

EDIT:

[..] decentraleyes count? Mine cruised past 300,000 the other week

Hah!! That's impressive!..:) Dunno about where I'm at; atm., typing in these, little, Android text-boxes, blah! ;$

[KOLANICH]

anyway almost none of the pages I visit frequently even exists in HTTPSEverywhere database.

I usually add own rules in these cases. The bigger problem is that some sites don't support https at all.

[crssi]

@FlailAway

but for now it is starting up as a smallish window in the screen centre

That is because of resistFingerprinting.

On Windows... To overcome fixed size Firefox window annoyance at Firefox start, right-click on Firefox shortcut -> Properties -> "Shortcut" tab -> select "Maximized" under "Run" property

Cheers

[FlailAway]

@FlailAway Have you read the wiki

Thanks for the detail, yes, I did, well, some of it, but not all of it. But I had read 1.1 and 1.3. How to setup my preferences was not obvious but I will try messing with the //OVERRIDES

But, it is a little out of my scope of knowledge this deep into the workings of firefox javascript. I was looking for a simple fix to protect privacy. I am not so concerned about tracking beyond what firefox already offers. In a new installation I always set "Custom History" and clear History, Cookies etc on closing.

I do need Netflix and Amazon movies to run and it seems difficult to attain that at this stage. Is there a trimmed version that allows that or some boilerplate "//OVERRIDES" that I can just attach?

I appreciate all the effort you have invested in this project, but I cannot see me spending weeks learning the technicalities of javascript and firefox. If that means I do not deserve your user.js then I guess so be it. But, for this to be useful to me and I am sure many other newbies, major options like widevine inclusion is a must.

The wiki seems comprehensive and you have done a lot of work and are to be lauded for it. But, it is way too complex to understand for non technical people. We dunces need a user.js that protects us from ourselves, but still allows for simple adjustments.

Try as I might I am still not able to get Netflix and Amazon videos to run. So, I guess it is back the the word of tracking and abuse of our privacy. :)

Thanks anyway.

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

from crrsi

On Windows... To overcome fixed size Firefox window annoyance at Firefox start, right-click on Firefox shortcut -> Properties -> "Shortcut" tab -> select "Maximized" under "Run" property

I told you not to believe his lies

Don't do that. The whole reason your browser sizes itself under RFP is to make your screen + available screen + browser + inner window measurements the same, and to use a standard size. If you want to maximize or go full screen (e.g to view a netflix show or movie) then that's fine, you are already logged into netflix. Just restore the window size afterwards.

If you want a bigger browser size, then use the two prefs I already outlined - which is not ideal, but at least the example I gave you is a common screen res. Otherwise, do not use RFP if you can't live with some changes - timezone spoofing is the other one that can affect things unexpectedly. In which case you would want to enable section 4600

Or you could wait for https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1407366 to land and it's the viewport that gets resized, not the browser