Category talk:Firefox

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Profiles

I think we should include a reference in the text to Profiles - we have it as a category. However, I am confused about the future of Profiles, see here (http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=374519).

I don't see how more than one user can use the same installation without profiles - and you have to install Firefox before you can create Profiles! --Joe1011010 12:56, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Most users will never touch profiles. That's the reason there's no link to the Profile Manager anywhere in Firefox any more.--Np 23:00, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Specific suggestions for reorganization

Moved from [1] and edited for context. For background information see that section and surrounding sections.

I don't think it is at all obvious that some of those entries are subject headings and that others are single entries. If there are one or two special articles that should not be in categories, those could go above the categories. The title "Articles in category Firefox" is superfluous and misleading (doesn't show all articles), so it should be eliminated. If there are no single articles, then the title "Subcategories" is also superfluous.

Looking at the subject (i.e., "category") titles: "Configuration" could be "Configuring Firefox". "Location bar" is too specific. I suggest "Menus and controls (Firefox)". "Visual customizaton (Firefox)" could be "Customizing Firefox" or "Customization (Firefox)", which is more general and has the advantage of starting with "C".

Looking at the list of articles, "Accessibility" is listed as both a category and a single article. "Autoconnect" should be "Autoconnecting" (a noun, not a verb), and it could be in a new? category on connecting to the Internet (there may be other articles that belong there). "Blocking sites" should go in "Privacy and security". "Codenames" should be "Mozilla codenames" or better yet, "Version numbers", and maybe it could go in a new category for Mozilla stuff, if there happens to be enough other stuff for this category. "Command line arguments" and "Creating a shortcut to a Website" could be part of "Installing, updating, and running Firefox". "Firefox:Send:Link" ??? could be "Spreading Firefox". "Increasing startup speed" belongs in both "Issues" and "Customizing Firefox" (maybe it should be split). "Menu differences..." could go into category "Menus and controls (Firefox)". Etc. If there really are minor subjects that don't fit anywhere, they could go temporarily into a new category "Other subjects".

Those are some suggestions for a start, anyway.--AnotherGuest.

Well I wanted them split up, so let's try this:

  • "Configuration" could be "Configuring Firefox"
    Configuration is shared among all products. --Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Too bad. That's a mistake, since it is a subcategory under "Firefox". It creates difficulties. Oh, well.--AnotherGuest.
    I can no longer remember why this is shared. It would be better if it weren't. --Mozcerize
  • "Location bar" is too specific.
    Location bar has enough articles in it to warrant its own category - it just looks specific because other UI elements don't.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    "Menus and controls" could also include "Keyboard and mouse shortcuts", "Menu differences", etc. Sooner or later someone might want an article on menus, another one on the search bar, and another one on the tool bars, another one on the status bar.... And you can't include anything in this category that has to do with anything else. Better to be general from the beginning.--AnotherGuest.
    I don't see what would be so bad about having categories for toolbars or the status bar if there is enough articles for them.--Np 20:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    I did not want this Location Bar category, precisely because it looks out of place. However, it won't look out of place if other UI elements get articles. This is exactly the sort of practical problem which arises all the time. I originally proposed the "general from the beginning" approach, but it was unpopular: people did not like having near-empty subcategories. --Mozcerize
  • "Visual customizaton (Firefox)" could be "Customizing Firefox" or "Customization (Firefox)", which is more general and has the advantage of starting with "C"
    Losing the word "visual" in Visual customization would make it the same as Configuration (combine them? subcategorize?).--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Good point. One less category. Maybe a subcategory "Customizing and configuring Firefox" or something like that. It's a little difficult because of the mistake in "Configuration" that I noted above. It could get lost.--AnotherGuest.
    But these things are different; visual customization contains very different articles from configuration. -Mozcerize
    How about changing "Visual customizing (Firefox)" to "Customization (Firefox)". I don't believe people are going to look under "V" to customize Fx. That also puts configuring and customizing next to each other, so they won't be confused. --AnotherGuest.
  • "Accessibility" is listed as both a category and a single article.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Accessibility the category has VFD on it. I think it defeats the purpose of categorization if they only have one page in them.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Currently there are two entries for this on the same page.--AnotherGuest.
    I give up. What's VFD?--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
    Vote for deletion.--Np 15:05, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
  • "Autoconnect" should be "Autoconnecting" (a noun, not a verb), and it could be in a new? category on connecting to the Internet (there may be other articles that belong there).
    Autoconnect describes a feature, not an action. I like the idea of the category though, it could include the firewall stuff.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    "Connecting to the Internet" it is, then.--AnotherGuest.
  • "Blocking sites" should go in "Privacy and security"
    I don't really see what Blocking sites has to do with security or privacy.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Now that you mention it, hmm.... Although that's where it is in the FAQ.--AnotherGuest.
    Where do you suggest?--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
  • "Codenames" should be "Mozilla codenames" or better yet, "Version numbers", and maybe it could go in a new category for Mozilla stuff, if there happens to be enough other stuff for this category.
    Mozilla codenames is fine. Version numbers, no, because it's not describing numbers. Maybe Category:General concepts would be good?--Np 17:27, 16

August 2006 (UTC)

Sure.--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
  • "Command line arguments" and "Creating a shortcut to a Website" could be part of "Installing, updating, and running Firefox".
    That seems wayyy to broad to me. How many articles don't have to do with installing, updating, or running Firefox?--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    OK, how about "Installing, updating, and starting Firefox"?--AnotherGuest.
    Starting Firefox is much different than installing or updating. I'm not opposed to starting getting its own category, seeing as how I can already think of a few articles that could go in it (command line, startup speed, safe mode, won't start).--Np 20:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Sounds good. "Starting Firefox" it is. "Increasing startup speed" can go there too.--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
  • "Firefox:Send:Link" ??? could be "Spreading Firefox".--Np 20:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    I think it should just be deleted.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    Yes. Or at least moved to Links.--AnotherGuest.
  • "Increasing startup speed" belongs in both "Issues" and "Customizing Firefox" (maybe it should be split).
    I don't see it as either an issue or a customization. Perhaps we need a new category for performance.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    First sentence talks about solutions for a problem. That's an issue. Second section talks about Quick Launch. That's a customization (which sould be trash canned, if you ask me).--AnotherGuest.
    The way the title is, it's not an issue. It's "Reducing memory usage", not "Firefox uses too much memory". People could want to reduce the memory used even if it's not causing them a problem. I see how Quick Launch could be considered a customization, but as noted earlier I'm opposed to a Customization category.--Np 20:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    ??? This doesn't even mention memory use. I'm trying to categorize this. However the categories shake out -- Performance or whatever, it belongs in a category.--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
    Never mind. It can go in "Starting Firefox".--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
  • "Menu differences..." could go into category "Menus and controls (Firefox)".
    Since I disagree with that category, I'd put it in General concepts.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
Sure.--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06
Please, Please can we avoid "General concepts". It is completely meaningless! This would be a move back to the "Firefox Basics" category discussed in Talk:Rules/Categories--Mozcerize 16:24, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
The idea that I'm seeing as that people don't arrive at these articles directly, but rather when linked to from another article. For example, Plain text e-mail (Thunderbird) mentions HTML in passing and provides a link so that those unfamiliar with it can get a basic understanding of what it is. A bunch of articles want to point out the menu differences between platforms, so we have a common article in General concepts that describes them.--Np 16:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
  • If there really are minor subjects that don't fit anywhere, they could go temporarily into a new category "Other subjects".
    I'm afraid that would hide them because no one would think to look there.--Np 17:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    OK, then General Concepts if you prefer. This page is supposed to be arranged by subject, but there are still more articles that are not arranged by subject than are.--AnotherGuest. 16 Aug 06
    No there aren't. Configuration by itself has more articles than are directly in Firefox.--Np 20:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
    There are more single entries than subcategories.--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06

I hope we're agreed on a few things. The point of all this is that the page is advertised as "Firefox articles arranged by subject". It just doesn't make sense to have a small list of (hopefully important, hopefully orthogonal) main categories and a bunch of odds and ends that don't fit anywhere. And all the entries on the page should be orthogonal, so I don't have to look in multiple places to see if I have found all the entries. However the categories shake out, every one of those articles should fit into a category, unless you want one or two (and no more) special ones. Too many entries on the page is a a problem, nonorthogonal entries is a problem, and entries at different heirarchical levels is a problem. Does this make sense?--AnotherGuest. 17 Aug 06

I totally agree---that was how the category system was supposed to work at the start: orthogonal subcategories of equal inportance. In practice it is not that simple!!!! Please take a look at Talk:Rules/Categories. --Mozcerize 16:24, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Another round of suggestions for reorganization

Wow, this is great. I was about to implement the above suggestions and many of them are already done! Articles are getting move into categories. Thanks.

  • "Talkback" could be renamed "Crash reports -- Talkback". This would both explain it and file it under "c". Then it should be filed under "Issues with Firefox".
  • I'd rather name this "Quality Feedback Agent" because that's what it's actually called now.--Np 20:33, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
  • "Creating desktop shortcut to a Web page" has been moved to "Startup - Firefox".
  • Sounds good. If we get a category for webpages in general, we could put it there too.--Np 20:33, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
  • "Page display" could be renamed "Page display and printing" (printing is a page display, after all, but it needs to be explicit). Then "PostScript Module" would fit in that category.
  • "Product comparison matrix" could go in "Category:Mozilla versions and internal project names" (which doesn't exist), along with "Codenames" (now "Internal project names" or some such).
  • I think it's fine as general concepts.--Np 20:33, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
  • "Issues (Firefox)" maybe should be called "Problems and issues (Firefox)".
  • Should "Register protocols" go into Category:Configuration or the new Category:Connecting to the Internet? --AnotherGuest. 24 Aug 06
  • There's nothing saying it couldn't go in both... I don't see what it has to do with connection, though. I've put it in configuration and migration (see Category talk:Migration (browser) for a note on that category)--Np 20:33, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Intro text

I think the intro text is a bit too long currently (from the looks of it, it takes up 1/2 the first screen on an average resolution). A couple of suggestions to shorten it up:

  • Remove references to the Help menu and "this tutorial". This information is provided by the official support page.
  • Remove the "we welcome contributors" part. I think that anyone who would want to contribute would notice from the layout and the links on the right that this is indeed a wiki.
  • If we feel it's necessary to include the fact that all can contribute, just link to MozillaZine Knowledge Base:About which goes into the subject in depth. The link and short sentence could be added to one of the other paragraphs.

--Np 21:30, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Whoops, I was logged in as someone else when I edited it.--Np 01:15, 19 September 2006 (UTC)