1065424 - Feature Request [UX]: Add an option to set the new tab page as homepage

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Settings UI, defect, P5)

Description

[Ricardo Maçãs [:Ricmacas]]

The new tab page right now, to me, feels like the perfect place to start browsing, which is rather the intended purpose given that is the page that opens on each new tab. 

Thus I'd like to propose that an option to set this as the default homepage is given in the UI (instead of typing about:newtab in the field, which cumbersomely does the job).

Given that by default the homepage is only displayed when there is no session restore, the user won't see the homepage much anyway, thus, as a follow up for possibly other bug, I'd like to suggest that the about:home page includes some of the features of about:newtab, however I feel this may require some considerable UX discussion, thus I opted to narrow the scope of this bug to merely contemplate the inclusion of said option.

Possibly related: bug 850284 asks for the "reverse" idea, and it shows how in reality, about:newpage and about:home serve the same purpose: a starting place for browsing, and users may expect coherence between the two.

Comment 1

[Ricardo Maçãs [:Ricmacas]]

I'd like to mention that the option for starting with a blank page seems frankly less useful and is already included, so I believe there is merit in the proposal.

Comment 2

[Mardeg]

(In reply to Ricardo Maçãs [:Ricmacas] from comment #1)
> I'd like to mention that the option for starting with a blank page seems
> frankly less useful and is already included, so I believe there is merit in
> the proposal.

Bug 763259 proposes to replace that blank page entry with the New Tab page.

Comment 3

[Mathew Hodson]

Attachment: Screenshot of Chromium startup settings

Chromium has three options for when it starts: "Open the New Tab page", "Continue where you left off", and "Open a specific page or set of pages."

Comment 5

[Mathew Hodson]

This can be resolved "worksforme" since bug 1433133 was fixed. The default Firefox home page and the new tab page are now the same thing, so choosing Firefox Home shows will show your top sites when Firefox starts.

Could also dupe this to bug 1433133.

Comment 6

[:Gijs (he/him)]

Resolving per the previous comment.