Closed Bug 389658 Opened 17 years ago Closed 16 years ago

[Firefox support] improve instructions on how to create a new profile on Mac

Categories

(support.mozilla.org :: Knowledge Base Articles, task)

PowerPC
macOS
task
Not set
normal

Tracking

(Not tracked)

VERIFIED FIXED

People

(Reporter: dga, Unassigned)

References

()

Details

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.5) Gecko/20070713 Firefox/2.0.0.5
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.5) Gecko/20070713 Firefox/2.0.0.5

Your instructions are to download a new build, set up a new profile, and try to reproduce the mistake. Your instructions to mac users on how to set up a new profile are obscure, and look as if they require use of 'command line' tools.
Most mac users will not know what you are talking about. I knew that much, but the instructions were too sketchy to give me any confidence. I searched the bugs file, didn't find my problem reported, and filed anyway.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.look at instructions on bug filing
2.read section on setting up a new profile
3.fail to find useful instructions for mac users
Actual Results:  
frustration, possible unnecessary bug filing

Expected Results:  
better instructions
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager#Mac_OS_X explains the steps to open the profile manager better.
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Component: Help Documentation → www.mozilla.org
Ever confirmed: true
Product: Firefox → mozilla.org
QA Contact: help.documentation → www-mozilla-org
Summary: bug filing instructions not much use for mac users → [Firefox support] improve instructions on how to create a new profile on Mac
Version: unspecified → other
Dil, our new version of that page is at <http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Managing+profiles>, which is replacing the one on mozilla.org. Do the instructions on the new page satisfy you, with regards to this bug?
Thanks for this. There is now clear mac specific instruction - great.

I went through the procedure, and it works fine, but the instructions are confusing:

   1.  Exit Firefox. To close Firefox, in the menu bar, select the Firefox menu, and then select Quit Firefox.
   2. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities. Open the Terminal application.
   3. Open a Finder window, and navigate to the Firefox application icon.
   4. Drag the Firefox icon from Finder into the Terminal window.
   5. Click the Terminal window, and press Delete.
   6. Enter the following:
      /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager

The purpose of step 4 would appear to be to place the text:   
/Applications/Firefox.app   
onto the command line - helpful, but not really necessary, as, a/ it creates the need for step 5, and b/ it makes for confusion at step 6; if you type exactly what is written, you get 
/Applications/Firefox.app/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager
which doesn't work, of course. Re-writing 6 to make this clear will be tortuous. I suggest a simplification:

   1.  Exit Firefox. To close Firefox, in the menu bar, select the Firefox menu, and then select Quit Firefox.
   2. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities. Open the Terminal application.
   3. Enter the following:
      /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager
 4. Press return

I also suggest there could be a simple applescript application that could do this for users unacquainted with the command line.
Component: www.mozilla.org → Knowledge Base Articles
Product: mozilla.org → Sumo
QA Contact: www-mozilla-org → kb-articles
Version: other → unspecified
Thanks, that's great feedback.

As a non mac user I had problems walking a user through these steps, but again, as a non mac user I had no idea what should be done to simplify.
Okay, I've applied the changes, and am marking this bug as fixed. support.mozilla.com is a wiki; so if there are any further edits you'd like to see made, feel free to make the edits yourself.
<http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Contributor+Home+Page>
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 16 years ago
Resolution: --- → FIXED
Status: RESOLVED → VERIFIED
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