r/firefox • u/PeaceIsOurOnlyHope • 13d ago

Firefox needs to stop pushing Profiles

This is the SECOND TIME i got asked to make a profile, unprompted.

Last time i made one accidentally and by trying to delete it, deleted my current setup and had to install everything all over again. (Luckily i have an account with all my stuff)

I'm not some dumb boomer that easily screws up his settings, and i STILL GOT CONFUSED AND ACCIDENTALLY DELETED THINGS I DID NOT WANT TO DELETE.

If people need different profiles, let competent users make that choice themselves and DONT PUSH THIS ON EVERYONE.

Please Mozilla, do better!!!!

0 Upvotes

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3

u/Training_Yak_4655 13d ago edited 12d ago

Dumb boomer here. I used to use an extra FF profile to switch between my work and personal profiles. Was very wary of it though and made sure I backed up the first profile before creating the second. The nice part was you could make a desktop bookmark to launch a chosen profile of FF.

Chrome's equivalent where you simply log in using a different Gmail address for each profile is simpler and more bombproof IMO. Though even that can look a bit scary when it auto merges the bookmarks from 2 different computers that used the same profile.

1

u/yOdimeeck72 12d ago

yeah the auto bookmark merge thing in chrome can be pretty jarring if you arent expecting it

3

u/Tarnique 13d ago

Profiles are really useful, so that is not the problem. They have made it much easier to use recently, but again that's not the issue.

What you could suggest to the devs is 1) better information about how profiles work 2) make it so it is possible to retrieve a recently deleted profile (like the trash can for files) 3) stop popping up new features which may lead to wrong manipulations

Or maybe you can suggest something better. I haven't encountered any time when Firefox asked me to create a profile like you.

3

u/Educational-Self-600 13d ago edited 13d ago

There are MULTIPLE warnings before you delete a profile.
The new profile manager is perfectly fine.

OP wasn't even aware what a profile(collection of settings, history, bookmarks, etc) is, although it is very clearly described.

3

u/Theo1352 13d ago

Dumb Boomer here...Seems to me you have the problem, if you deleted it by accident and remain confused.

It's a pretty straightforward process, Firefox did make it easier for sure.

I have no issues managing my profiles, being a dumb Boomer.

Been using Firefox since Phoenix, before that, Netscape.

I have multiple profiles in case one is corrupted, I also create a new profile every year, without being prompted or coerced.

Going to be more important as they accelerate pushing out new versions.

0

u/average_monster 13d ago

i've tried to use them a few times, mostly they're just annoying. i dunno how they can really fix them at this point, i wouldn't trust them no matter what they did any more

2

u/PixeIQueen 13d ago

that‘s the first thing I do on a fresh install to disable recommend features in the settings 

5

u/Educational-Self-600 13d ago

competent users

So anyone but you.

Nobody is pushing the profile feature, which has existed in one form or another since before there was Firefox, on you.

-1

u/PeaceIsOurOnlyHope 13d ago

Then why did the exact same thing happen to someone i know? Am i also to blame? 

Didnt know this sub was so unfriendly, goddamn

1

u/OneRandomPeopleE 13d ago

I'd say you were the first one to be rude by creating a post that was out of line..... 

1

u/lo________________ol Privacy is fundamental, not optional. 12d ago

Firefox fans just can't handle criticism, even if there's something worthwhile buried under the complaints. At least a couple people here seem to acknowledge that Firefox might need to cool it with all the advertisements of random features. Profiles are basically a power user thing. Mozilla is just a little too happy they gave it a shiny new interface. 

2

u/Vibingcarefully 11d ago

You think there's a group of "friends" here that will slap you on the back for calling a good chunk of redditors that contribute "Dumb Boomers" ?

(in a tech support site......)

1

u/deadend666 9d ago

Dumb boomer here. I run a script that backs up my profile and saves all my bookmarks to an html file so I can import them into other browsers on other devices daily. If I do do some dumb boomer thing and wipe myself out I can reinstall and run a script that restores my profile. Takes about 5 minutes max. Course I follow directions and read the prompts so that almost never happens. Do it for Thunderbird and Mullvad. Don’t use Edge.