BrowserDefaults

Differences between revisions 3 and 6 (spanning 3 versions)
⇤ ← Revision 3 as of 2005-10-03 14:33:36 →
Size: 1745
Editor: 200-171-140-32
Comment: correct Opera default page
← Revision 6 as of 2005-11-01 22:20:21 → ⇥
Size: 2038
Editor: 209
Comment: expand to include bookmarks
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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## page was renamed from DefaultHomePage
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 * Launchpad entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/browser-defaults
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 * Priority: NeedsPriority
 * People: NeedsLead, NeedsSecond
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 * Interested:
 * Status: UbzSpecification, BrainDump, DistroSpecification
 * Branch:
 * Malone bug:
 * Packages affected:
 * Depends:
 * Dependents:
 [[FullSearch()]]
 * BoF sessions: none yet 		 * Packages affected: `epiphany-browser`, `firefox`, `ubuntu-artwork`
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 ||<) style="border: none; background-color: #eee; color: #000;">-- [http://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2005-September/010499.html Pete Shinners]||  ||<) style="border: none; background-color: #eee; color: #000;">''-- [http://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2005-September/010499.html Pete Shinners]''||

The default bookmarks should also be (a) useful, and (b) a subtle hint to how to use bookmark folders (Firefox) or topics (Epiphany).
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The default home page should, in approximate order of importance:
 * be useful
 * not steal focus from the URL field
 * not slow people down by discouraging them from the browser's/OS's toolbar Web search
 * be beautiful.

Summary

Rationale

Modern dedicated Web browsers have useful default home pages that let you search the Web.

But when you install Firefox or Epiphany for Ubuntu, its default home page is [file:///usr/share/ubuntu-artwork/home/index.html a local file full of boring text]. We can do better.

  • My only other cosmetic gripe would be the default web browser home page. It is pretty ugly and scary as well since its a solid page of small text text text. In fact more than a single screen of text. You've got to scroll to read all the fine print. Confusing and techinical and fairly ugly text.

    -- [http://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2005-September/010499.html Pete Shinners]

The default bookmarks should also be (a) useful, and (b) a subtle hint to how to use bookmark folders (Firefox) or topics (Epiphany).

Use cases

Scope

Design

The default home page should, in approximate order of importance:

  • be useful
  • not steal focus from the URL field
  • not slow people down by discouraging them from the browser's/OS's toolbar Web search
  • be beautiful.

Implementation

Code

Data preservation and migration

Outstanding issues

BoF agenda and discussion

BrowserDefaults (last edited 2008-08-06 16:29:14 by localhost)