755147 - When accessing preferences through the about:home icon it should default to 'general' section

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Settings UI, enhancement)

Description

[Matt Brandt [:mbrandt]]

When accessing settings via the about:home icon the previously viewed section is what is shown - I expected the general section to be in-focus. 

This could easily cause confusion when a user is exploring Firefox, clicks the sync icon first, closes the preferences window and then clicks the settings icon. They may expect a different feature to be presented to them than the previously viewed section.

Steps to reproduce:
1. in FF nightly go to about:home
2. click on the sync icon in the lower portion of the browser
3. close the preferences window
4. click on the settings icon in the lower right-hand portion of the browser

Actual:
Preferences window returns the previously viewed preferences tab - not the 'general' section as user would expect. 
http://screencast.com/t/xATJO7Lcfz

Suggested:
Clicking on the settings icon opens the general section in the preferences window.

Comment 1

[Matt Brandt [:mbrandt]]

I apologize in comment 0 I posted only a partial screen capture of the behavior. Here is an additional video.

http://screencast.com/t/NElCr8TWoS

Comment 2

[Jim Jeffery not reading bug-mail 1/2/11]

No opening to the General Tab is not what users expect.  Many users when using Options Panel tend to stick with a tab or two, especially when testing, i.e. clearing history, cookies, changing setting in a particular tab.  

Closing and testing, the reopening to the General Tab and not the last used/accessed tab would be extra frustrating work on the power user doing testing.  Extra clicks to return to the area your working in would not be well accepted.  

I strongly suggest this be a WONTFIX.

Comment 3

[Matt Brandt [:mbrandt]]

(In reply to Jim Jeffery not reading bug-mail 1/2/11 from comment #2)
> Extra clicks to return to the area your working in would not be
> well accepted.  
> 
> I strongly suggest this be a WONTFIX.

I am ok with bumping this to WONTFIX if the assumption is we're primary targeting power users - it is just an observation that non-power users may expect a different behavior. The accessibility of the about:home icons means that more people will be accessing preferences. 

If a user clicks on the sync icon and then the settings icon and sees the same preferences tab it won't be the behavior that they are expecting.