On 11/29/2011 3:12 PM, Joe Btfsplk wrote:
1st, I guess some default settings in Aurora are actually stored in
prefs.js (as in USER set prefs)? If so, meaning the user prefs file
isn't only user prefs - it has prefs set by Aurora devs?
Re: shooting myself in the foot. Maybe there's an issue w/ the
prefs.js file - as mentioned - by copying the old prefs.js file into
the new Aurora, which would be a valid concern.
There may be a good reason to extract newer versions the way you
suggest because of prefs changes, but answering your question, most
prefs I want to preserve are ones made by extensions. I also don't
use NoScript default settings, exactly as they come in Aurora. There
could be a white list of sites in NoScript, (for ex.), which might get
wiped out if I just extract the new TBB over old one??? A few other
similar situations. This is an issue for me because stock Aurora
doesn't block ads, or web trackers, block referrer headers or a # of
other things.
I'm willing to try it your way, if it's not going to wipe out all
extensions prefs / settings. Ignoring the prefs issue you mentioned
for the moment, I still don't see why copying the old profile into the
new TBB profile folder shouldn't work (has in the past). Again, maybe
it's not a good idea because of what you mentioned.
I take it you're saying if users extract a new TBB into the earlier
TBB version's folder, it WON'T wipe out extensions, their prefs,
search plugins, etc., that you've already custom installed? I think
what it'll do is completely replace the previous prefs.js w/ all
custom settings from extension. If it overwrites any extensions'
prefs, they'd have to be uninstalled / reinstalled.
But, as far as copying / restoring an older profile into a new Firefox
(or just setting an older profile as default to use in new FF ver),
that is an acceptable practice - even w/ Mozilla KBs how to do it
(ignoring for the moment any issue w/ Aurora's prefs.js file). It may
be easier to allow a new ver to overwrite the old program files
(assuming it doesn't mess them up as it sometimes does).
Since Aurora is just extracting vs installing, I didn't know how it
would affect extensions, plugins (and user prefs) that were already
installed in the previous TBB version. An upgrade of Firefox
automatically uses the old profile (even if installed to new folder),
unless told otherwise. It doesn't (normally) even touch the old
profile. In Firefox, it's easy just to tell it which profile (an
older one) to use. In Aurora, the profile is self contained w/ prgm
files.
Thanks.
On 11/29/2011 2:09 PM, Mike Perry wrote:
You're still doing it wrong, man.
As I said the last time you shot yourself in the foot doing this
copying the wrong way
(https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2011-October/021772.html):
I would recommend just overwriting your old TBB dir with the new
data.
Sometimes we change prefs+create new ones, which could cause bugs for
you when you copy old-over-new.
If there are a lot of prefs you need to change, you (or we) might
also
be doing it wrong. Might I ask which ones you need to keep?
Mike,
I tried extracting the newer TBB 2.2.34-3 into the folder of the older
version. It didn't wipe out extensions completely, but as I expected,
it over wrote all the extensions' preferences stored in prefs.js. So,
all would need setting their preferences again. On some, this is a
requirement - not personal choice. You must set the prefs - often from
a home page, before using the extensions.
Not sure what all prefs the TBB devs are putting in the prefs.js file,
but I don't really want to reconfigure my / the extensions' prefs every
few weeks, as Mozilla releases new versions, leading to new TBB
versions. I'm not sure why in NoScript, scripts are allowed globally by
default or accept cookies for all sites would be enabled by default, but
those & a few customizations in the browser are * some * other prefs I
want to save. Also don't want to look at ads / waste bandwidth w/ Tor
or have trackers following me around, websites tracking me from one to
another, which is why I install the extensions. I guess TBB devs never
expected anyone to use extensions other than the ones they install in
Aurora.
It may be a standoff between needs of developers & a great deal of
inconvenience, reconfiguring extensions after every TBB release. Seems
maybe there needs to be another file to control the users' actual prefs
& one for TBB devs' prefs to control Aurora to preserve anonymity / make
it work correctly.
BTW, copying an old profile into new TBB profile folder does work, if
you don't accidentally copy it to wrong folder. That doesn't solve the
issue Mike brought up earlier about developers changes being made in the
prefs.js file.
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