BrowserDefaults

Revision 19 as of 2005-12-01 05:25:31

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Summary

Ubuntu's default home page for Firefox and Epiphany will be changed to http://start.ubuntu.com/, and the default bookmarks will be altered to include information accurate for Ubuntu.

Rationale

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]:

  • 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 technical and fairly ugly text.

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

Epiphany's default bookmarks are confusing:

And Firefox's default bookmarks link to plugins that don't actually work in Ubuntu.

We can do better.

Use cases

  • Sally, an ex-windows user, is greeted by a giant page of text upon opening her browser. She doesn't understand this.
  • Corey wants let more people know about help.ubuntu.com and get more docteam members.
  • Jeff wants more people to know about the cool things happening in Ubuntu.

Scope

  • Home page
  • Bookmarks menu
  • Bookmarks Bar

Out of scope:

  • CA certificates
  • default browser chrome

Design

Home page

Comparisons

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

Ubuntu

The default home page for Firefox and Epiphany will be http://start.ubuntu.com/. If we decide to change the effective default later on, we can do that by setting up a redirect.

What is presented on this site is yet to be decided, but it should:

  • be useful
  • not steal focus from the URL field
  • provide links to local (GeoIP-detected) Ubuntu resources
  • not slow people down by discouraging them from the browser's/OS's toolbar Web search.

Possible elements include:

  • a feed from the fridge
  • a link to help
  • a link to participate.

Bookmarks

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

Comparisions

Vanilla Firefox has "Quick Searches" and "Firefox & Mozilla Links" folders in its Bookmarks menu, including links to pages of plugins that don't work in Ubuntu. In its Bookmarks Toolbar it has "Firefox Help", "Firefox Support", and "Plug-in FAQ".

Vanilla Epiphany defaults to six empty topics in its Bookmarks menu, which looks broken, and a search field in its Bookmarks Bar, which is confusing:

Ubuntu

The Bookmarks Bar should include these items:

Implementation

Do these things early in the cycle to get good feedback.

Bookmarks

  • Remove existing FF bookmarks
  • On the FF quick launch bar, remove the current buttons and add the above.

Start.ubuntu.com

  • Look to community to get a good layout, possibly including a design contest.

Outstanding issues

  • Can the bookmarks be localized?

Comments

The spec doesn't make it clear whether this page will be online or offline. Ideally it would be offline for those without net connections, and online for those with, HOWEVER please remember that opening a new tab in epiphany takes you to the default home page on the new tab (unlike the behaviour in firefox): therefore the use of an online page as default home page in any situation will make the browsing experience heavier, especially for those with slow connections who open new tabs and go straight to the address bar to type where they want to go. (["mdke"])

I don't agree with mdke because :

  • You don't open a browser if you don't need to go online (in rare times, ppl use a browser for browsing without the net, and they can change their home page easily),

  • Epiphany, by opening a new tab, doesn't download a page a second time, it just goes inside it's cache to reopen the page, which is usually faster than opening a "file:///".

Instead, I do think that the home page should be online, because it will make it more useful, and easily customizable every day. I don't think an home page should stay the same for weeks. --PascalPotvin