1437677 - Firefox forgetting user settings for pocket news, and checking if firefox is default on linux.

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Settings UI, defect)

Description

[u611912]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:57.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/57.0
Build ID: 20171016185129

Steps to reproduce:

I report this bug under the assumption mozzilla values users' experience and privacy.
I use linux with the latest version of firefox developer. Whenever I reboot my machine, and load firefox, this bug occurs.


Actual results:

Whenever I reboot my machine, and load firefox, I am always asked: "Should I make firefox my default browser" with the check mark "perform this check every time firefox is loaded... " preloaded to be checked. I uncheck it and choose the "not now" button (for a better user experience there should be an option 'never to ask again'). It always asks me again though every time I reboot.
I also choose not to use pocket: Yet upon boot it always spams my home page / new tab page. It doesn't matter that I've disabled it, it always spams after my machine reboots. The other settings for my home page remain saved and static; only the pocket option suspiciously reverses on me. 


Expected results:

What should have happened is that firefox should have remembered my choice not to see pocket news on a new tab, and my choice not to have it check to be my default browser, the first time I was prompted to adjust those settings.
The fact that this is not the case, and for it not to be the case is in Mozilla's best interests, makes me strongly feel that this is not a bug but an intentional, petty annoyance written into this application much as what one would expect from Microsoft. I feel that the removal of this bug would be better for the user experience for Firefox as a whole, which is why I'm reporting it: but I also understand that this may not qualify as a bug. I hope though that it can be changed.

Comment 1

[Sam Foster [:sfoster] (he/him)]

For the Pocket issue, disabling it through the New Tab Preferences (gear icon on the new tab page) should toggle the 'browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.topstories' preference. You can confirm this in about:config - to remove Pocket stories from that page it should be false. And should stay false across re-boots, browser restarts etc. (You can disable Pocket across the browser (page actions, toolbar etc) with the 'extensions.pocket.enabled' preference in about:config)

I'm not able to reproduce this issue on Ubuntu. Both these issues sound like there may be a problem with persisting changes to your profile. If you check about:support, this will show you where on the filesystem your profile directory is located. It may be worth checking its permissions; it should be owned by your user and writable.