Betterfox/README.md

BetterFox /v.74

about:config tweaks to enhance Firefox. Updated every stable release for your user.js file.

Three simple goals:

1. Minimalism: get what isn't needed out of the way
2. Efficiency: configuring your browser should be simple
3. Security: upgrade security and privacy without causing website breakage

Three simple configs:

1. FastFox: immensely increase Firefox's browsing speed. Give Chrome a run for its money!
2. PeskyFox: unclutter the new tab page. Remove Pocket and form autofill. Prevent Firefox from randomly going offline, and from serving annoying webpage notifications.
3. SecureFox: remove Telemetry, Mozilla experiments, Google Safe Browsing, and search engine suggestions in URL bar. Auto-upgrade mixed content to HTTPS. Add various privacy enhancements — all without breaking webpages. You read that right. No breakage 😁

Required Reading

BetterFox user.js is intended for at least mid-range machines (6GB of RAM, give or take) running Firefox Stable. Needing modern architecture applies strictly to the first set of preferences, all of which are found in FastFox. Even if you don't read the other two branches thoroughly (PeskyFox and SecureFox), and you're simply downloading and inserting BetterFox user.js as it is, you still need to read through and adjust FastFox to what is appropriate for your machine.

The rest of the prefs in user.js (found in PeskyFox and SecureFox) can be applied universally on any machine.

Who is this setup for?

If you want a secure, blazing fast browsing experience, and don't want to deal with breakage, this setup is for you. My objective is to make the defaults sufficient enough for the average privacy-minded user, but remain trouble-free enough that my grandmother could use it. (That puts a whole new twist on being a foxy grandma!) Edit: Sorry for the dad joke 😓

about:Privacy

My note to super, SUPER privacy-concious users: I made Firefox as private as I could up to the point of breakage. So things like WebGL and DRM are still enabled, and you won't find settings like <privacy.firstparty.isolate> or <network.http.referer.XOriginPolicy> mentioned here. BetterFox is designed to set-and-forget, not to troubleshoot and tinker. If your threat level calls for not just privacy but anonymity, please use the TOR browser. Or if you want to use my configs as a baseline to tinker with Firefox further, then have at it! 👍

Recommended Extensions

uBlock Origin: lightweight content blocker
Add the custom list dbl.oisd.nl for the best in-browser protection. It's most comprehensive, unified domain blocklist available, actively maintained to prevent false positives and to keep the web usable! Use it alongside your usual lists. [DNS format | ABP format] Read More

Bitwarden: encrypted password manager.

ClearURLs: clean tracking parameters from URLs, Google searches, etc.

Tap to Tab: double-click (double tap) on a link to open it in a new tab. Designed with tablets and laptop trackpads in mind.

Credit

Hours spent reviewing, condensing, and testing ghacks user.js, about:config suggestions from websites and blogs, and keeping up with Mozilla updates. (Where there is similiarity to ghacks or other authors, credit goes to them.)