Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/browser-defaults

• Created: Date(2005-09-07T20:54:03Z) by MatthewPaulThomas

• Contributors: MatthewPaulThomas

• Packages affected: epiphany-browser, firefox, ubuntu-artwork

Summary

Rationale

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

• mozilla.org Firefox: [http://www.google.com/firefox Firefox Start]

• gnome.org Epiphany: [http://www.google.com/ Google]

• Internet Explorer: [http://www.msn.com/ MSN]

• Safari: [http://apple.netscape.com/ Netscape.com (Apple edition)]

• Opera: [http://portal.opera.com/ Opera Search]

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