1286748 - A preference enable/disable control for restoring previous login session

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Settings UI, enhancement, P5)

Description

[Bobby Chien]

As a user, I would like to have control to enable/disable restoring login session when I launch firefox

Comment 1

[Matthew N. [:MattN]]

Hi Bobby, could you elaborate on what you mean by "login session"? Login cookies, HTTP auth session, something else?

Comment 2

[Benjamin Smedberg]

Based on the relationship to the "eternal session" bug, it seems like Bobby is asking for a way for users to disable the session cookie restoration feature.

I believe this should be WONTFIX: it will be almost impossible to explain to users how this will affect them. If we support this kind of feature at all, I believe it should be through an extension.

Comment 3

[Elizabeth]

I think the users who bother to change their user settings will be able to understand the following options.  The relationship between current behaviour and UI options is really opaque (indeed I still regard it to be a UI bug -- if I choose "delete cookies when I close firefox" I expect that to happen, irrespective other other options I have chosen elsewhere in preferences).  I think these alternatives actually make it clearer.

* Under Privacy: additional option for cookies in "keep until:" so that the options are now
  - they expire
  - I close Firefox: SAVE cookies from saved tabs
  - I close Firefox: ALSO DELETE cookies from saved tabs

* Under Privacy: additional clicky box under "accept cookies from sites" which says "always save cookies from saved browser tabs".  When this is selected (and it can be default for it to be selected) behaviour is the current default; when it is unselected, behaviour is what I expected.

* Under General: "when firefox starts:" options 
  - Show my home page
  - Show a blank page
  - Show my windows and tabs from last time (retain user data)
  - Show my windows and tabs from last time (discard user data).

I agree the 3rd idea here isn't ideal because it forces the issue on users with a very casual interest in their preferences.  I wait to see what you think of the first two.