Firefox 54: new preferences and Ghacks user.js changes

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This article offers information on changes made to the Firefox 54 preferences, as well as new, deprecated, or removed Ghacks user.js preferences.

Mozilla released Firefox 54.0 this week to the Stable channel. The major change of the release was the enabling of multiple content processes.

You can download the latest version of the Ghacks user.js file from the official repository over on GitHub.

For new users: the user.js file is a configuration file that Firefox may load on start. It modifies browser settings and features based on the configuration, similarly to how you can modify the configuration using Firefox’s settings, or the about:config page of the browser.

My thanks goes to Earthling for creating the changelog, to Pants for keeping the chu chu train running, and for all other contributors for contributing to the project.

Firefox 54.0 Changes to preferences

firefox 54 preferences changes

Note: You find the full changelog listed here. It concentrates on the Ghacks user.js file. If you use it already, you may want to check out the changelog before you download it from GitHub and add it to your Firefox installation. As always, it is suggested that you go through the listing of preferences to adjust the default configuration for your requirements. Read the getting started guide if you are new.

You find discussion on several of the preference on GitHub. You may also ask questions about those here on Ghacks in the comment section below.

  • pref(“browser.formautofill.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“browser.urlbar.usepreloadedtopurls.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“browser.safebrowsing.provider.google.reportMalwareMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.malware-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”);
  • pref(“browser.safebrowsing.provider.google.reportPhishMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.phish-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”);
  • pref(“browser.safebrowsing.provider.google4.reportMalwareMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.malware-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”);
  • pref(“browser.safebrowsing.provider.google4.reportPhishMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.phish-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”);
  • pref(“dom.ipc.processCount.extension”, 1);
  • pref(“extensions.screenshots.system-disabled”, true);
  • pref(“geo.security.allowinsecure”, true);
  • pref(“network.http.referer.hideOnionSource”, false);
  • pref(“privacy.firstparty.isolate.restrict_opener_access”, true);
  • pref(“security.sandbox.logging.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“security.data_uri.inherit_security_context”, true);

Removed, renamed or hidden in Firefox 54.0

  • pref(“browser.safebrowsing.reportMalwareMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.malware-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”);
  • https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/077f42a9964c#l10.1
    pref(“browser.safebrowsing.reportPhishMistakeURL”, “https://%LOCALE%.phish-error.mozilla.com/?hl=%LOCALE%&url=”); https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/077f42a9964c#l10.1
  • pref(“dom.archivereader.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“media.eme.apiVisible”, true);

Changed in Firefox 54.0

  • pref(“extensions.blocklist.url”, “https://blocklists.settings.services.mozilla.com/v1/blocklist/3/%APP_ID%/%APP_VERSION%/%PRODUCT%/%BUILD_ID%/%BUILD_TARGET%/%LOCALE%/%CHANNEL%/%OS_VERSION%/%DISTRIBUTION%/%DISTRIBUTION_VERSION%/%PING_COUNT%/%TOTAL_PING_COUNT%/%DAYS_SINCE_LAST_PING%/”); // prev: “https://blocklist.addons.mozilla.org/blocklist/3/%APP_ID%/%APP_VERSION%/%PRODUCT%/%BUILD_ID%/%BUILD_TARGET%/%LOCALE%/%CHANNEL%/%OS_VERSION%/%DISTRIBUTION%/%DISTRIBUTION_VERSION%/%PING_COUNT%/%TOTAL_PING_COUNT%/%DAYS_SINCE_LAST_PING%/”
    => Migrate the blocklist preferences to new URI
  • pref(“media.peerconnection.ice.tcp”, true); // prev: false – ab7dfb7

New Preferences (ignored by Ghacks user.js)

  • pref(“apz.allow_with_webrender”, false);
  • pref(“browser.formautofill.loglevel”, “Warn”); // see master switch to disable
  • pref(“browser.urlbar.usepreloadedtopurls.expire_days”, 14); // see master switch to disable
  • pref(“browser.storageManager.pressureNotification.minIntervalMS”, 1200000);
  • pref(“browser.storageManager.pressureNotification.usageThresholdGB”, 5);
  • pref(“devtools.gridinspector.showGridOutline”, false);
  • pref(“devtools.source-map.locations.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“dom.forms.select.customstyling”, true); // https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1339966
  • pref(“dom.ipc.plugins.forcedirect.enabled”, true); // we do not support flash
  • pref(“dom.moduleScripts.enabled”, false); // ECMAScripts
  • pref(“dom.timeout.max_consecutive_callbacks”, 5);
  • pref(“dom.vr.puppet.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“dom.vr.test.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“extensions.e10sMultiBlocksEnabling”, true); // leave e10s experimental staging alone
  • pref(“gfx.downloadable_fonts.keep_variation_tables”, false);
  • pref(“gfx.downloadable_fonts.otl_validation”, false);
  • pref(“gfx.webrender.enabled”, true);
  • pref(“image.mem.animated.discardable”, false);
  • pref(“image.mem.shared”, false);
  • // ^^ https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1331944
  • // ^^ https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1339202
  • pref(“intl.tsf.associate_imc_only_when_imm_ime_is_active”, false);
  • pref(“intl.tsf.hack.ms_japanese_ime.do_not_associate_imc_on_win10”, true);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection”, -1);
  • pref(“layers.advanced.border-layers”, false);
  • pref(“layers.advanced.caret-layers”, false);
  • pref(“layout.css.text-justify.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“layout.scrollbars.always-layerize-track”, false);
  • /* https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/QA/Marionette ***/
  • pref(“marionette.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“marionette.forcelocal”, true);
  • pref(“marionette.log.level”, “info”);
  • pref(“marionette.port”, 2828);
  • pref(“marionette.prefs.recommended”, true);
  • pref(“media.eme.vp9-in-mp4.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“media.ffmpeg.low-latency.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“services.sync.engine.bookmarks.validation.interval”, 86400);
  • pref(“services.sync.engine.bookmarks.validation.maxRecords”, 1000);
  • pref(“services.sync.engine.bookmarks.validation.percentageChance”, 10);
  • pref(“signon.masterPasswordReprompt.timeout_ms”, 900000);
  • pref(“network.throttle.enable”, true);
  • pref(“network.throttle.resume-for”, 2000);
  • pref(“network.throttle.suspend-for”, 2000);

Removed or hidden preferences in Firefox 54.0

  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.remote”, false);
  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.remote.content-signing-test”, false);
  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.remote.keys”, “”);
  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.remote.mode”, “production”);
  • pref(“browser.newtabpage.remote.version”, “1”);
  • pref(“devtools.sourcemap.locations.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“devtools.toolbox.toolbarSpec”, ‘[“splitconsole”, “paintflashing toggle”,”scratchpad”,”resize toggle”,”screenshot –fullpage –file”, “rulers”, “measure”]’);
  • pref(“gfx.font_rendering.cleartype.always_use_for_content”, false);
  • pref(“gfx.font_rendering.cleartype.use_for_downloadable_fonts”, true);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection.ar”, “rtl”);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection.fa”, “rtl”);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection.he”, “rtl”);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection.ug”, “rtl”);
  • pref(“intl.uidirection.ur”, “rtl”); // https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1343941
  • pref(“layers.allow-d3d9-fallback”, false);
  • pref(“layers.prefer-d3d9”, false);
  • pref(“layout.css.object-fit-and-position.enabled”, true);
  • pref(“layout.css.unprefixing-service.enabled”, true); // remove HTTP1 Pipeline Support: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1340655
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining”, false);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.abtest”, false);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.aggressive”, false);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.max-optimistic-requests”, 4);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.maxrequests”, 32);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.maxsize”, 300000);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.read-timeout”, 30000);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.reschedule-on-timeout”, true);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.reschedule-timeout”, 1500);
  • pref(“network.http.pipelining.ssl”, false);
  • pref(“network.http.proxy.pipelining”, false);
  • pref(“pointer-lock-api.prefixed.enabled”, false);
  • pref(“security.sandbox.windows.log”, false); // https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1296767#c125
  • pref(“services.sync.jpake.firstMsgMaxTries”, 300);
  • pref(“services.sync.jpake.lastMsgMaxTries”, 300);
  • pref(“services.sync.jpake.maxTries”, 10);
  • pref(“services.sync.jpake.pollInterval”, 1000);
  • pref(“services.sync.jpake.serverURL”, “https://setup.services.mozilla.com/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.log.logger.service.jpakeclient”, “Debug”);
  • pref(“services.sync.log.logger.userapi”, “Debug”);
  • pref(“services.sync.miscURL”, “misc/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.privacyURL”, “https://services.mozilla.com/privacy-policy/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.scheduler.sync11.singleDeviceInterval”, 86400);
  • pref(“services.sync.serverURL”, “https://auth.services.mozilla.com/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.statusURL”, “https://services.mozilla.com/status/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.syncKeyHelpURL”, “https://services.mozilla.com/help/synckey”);
  • pref(“services.sync.termsURL”, “https://services.mozilla.com/tos/”);
  • pref(“services.sync.userURL”, “user/”);  // renamed to ‘services.sync.engine.bookmarks.validation.*’
  • pref(“services.sync.validation.interval”, 86400);
  • pref(“services.sync.validation.maxRecords”, 100);
  • pref(“services.sync.validation.percentageChance”, 10); // https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1313045
  • pref(“toolkit.identity.debug”, false);
  • pref(“toolkit.identity.enabled”, false);