Disable new tab page activity-stream ads by default

[averms]

Taken from ghacks-user.js (https://github.com/ghacksuserjs/ghacks-user.js/blob/9d78e050ee69aa5326bbac5205da840e1ed29678/user.js#L109):

user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.asrouter.providers.snippets", "");
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.discoverystreamfeed", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.topstories", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.snippets", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.telemetry", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includePocket", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includePocket", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.showSponsored", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.telemetry", false);

This removes the annoying stuff in the new tab page. Should we add a GUI option for this or just add it silently into the final user.js file?

[allo-]

We already have some options, but they may need to be extended. Can you check:

• How much is already covered in the newtab* files and possibly the telemetry settings in https://github.com/allo-/firefox-profilemaker/tree/master/settings?
• What is already covered in the settings page? At least some options are quite visible there.
• What lines are actually needed? Usually some of the boolean settings are the kill switch and doing things like settings the providers URL to "" is overkill and only leads to harder to understand results.

[averms]

Will do and get back to you

[allo-]

For the privacy related things (telemetry, pocket) some settings that are exposed in the settings dialog may be included nevertheless because you may want to disable them before the first run.

I guess the options can be merged into the different existing settings for the new tab page, when they are not redundant.

[averms]

I have not tested this but I think the option 'empty' for newtabpage.json just disables the new tab page and doesn't show anything. If you are okay with adding a new choice we can merge everything into a new choice for that config called 'search only' and it will include the following:

user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.highlights", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.section.topstories", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.snippets", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.topsites", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includeBookmarks", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includeDownloads", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.section.highlights.includeVisited", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.showSponsored", false);

I got these from changing the settings in the GUI and then diffing prefs.js so I don't think any of them are overkill. It will also include "browser.newtabpage.enhanced": false which is already in one of the choices.

There is also

user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.feeds.telemetry", false);
user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.telemetry", false);

But I don't know what they do and where they fit in (I got them from the famous user.js: https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/blob/f591a8adf84346797704f683b76e6a582ecf6fcb/user.js#L112).

[averms]

Also just a misc. suggestion but it would be cool if the GitHub README or description linked to ffprofile.com.

[allo-]

Recent Firefox versions allow a real "blank page" again. Maybe this would be the best option.

Show Sponsored = Off would always be a good idea. Otherwise I would prefer using the master switch, so the user can turn it on again without having to turn on again every option again.

Also just a misc. suggestion but it would be cool if the GitHub README or description linked to ffprofile.com.

In principle is the idea, that ffprofile is just one installation of the software so it is not linked as everyone could install it. On the other hand, people just use this site, so maybe it can be added. It may be confusing when somebody forks the repo and his fork deviates from the main site.