I recently started using firefox and was very frustrated with how large the UI was, how it autofilled entire URLs while i was trying to search something, and how it changed my system’s titlebar buttons (minimize, maximize, close) to windows ones when I changed the theme from the default. I just found out about about:config and was able to solve every major issue i had with firefox literally within minutes, so why do they hide most of the settings?
it makes way more sense to just put the settings in the settings menu. also, why hide the compact density option? on a 1920x1080 display the default is about an eighth of my screen, my taskbar is only like 60% of that. having tried a couple of firefox-based browsers, i can confidently say the only thing any of them do better (aside from telemetry that can be easily turned off) is their settings. why does firefox hide most of the settings?
As mentioned, about:config, allows you to configure all settings. It provides a minimal UI.
A subset of these settings are also available in the standard settings menu.
Realistically the settings menu can’t contain EVERY setting, at least not giving the current UI. The UI as designed is meant to support the most common options.
Your complaint is that the options you found should be part of the common options.
Mozilla collects telemetry data. So presumably their data doesn’t show them that those settings are so popular that they need to be in the settings menu.
Now that doesn’t mean their data is perfect. Or maybe they’re missing a specific use case. In which case filing a big might be the best option.
the telemetry doesn’t reflect accurate use of ‘advanced’ settings, because those users have already turned that function off.
A subset of “advanced” users might have turned telemetry off so it certainly is skewed somewhat, but I don’t think there a good reason for me to believe that the subset is necessarily that large.