Firefox is always set to never ask or save anything
Specifically Firefox is always set to "Never remember history"
And Firefox is set to "Delete cookies & site data when Firefox is closed"
Of course, Firefox opens to a blank page, namely "about:blank"
Yet Firefox is saving stuff that it promised it wouldn't be saving.
Worse - Firefox won't say what that stuff it's saving is.
Firefox is just saying that it saved it.
But won't tell me what it is.
To reproduce.
1. Start Firefox 109.0.1 (32-bit) on Windows
2. Go to "about:preferences"
3. Press on "Privacy & security"
4. Scroll to "Cookies & site data"
Invariably, Firefox will tell you how much it saved that it shouldn't
have.
"Your stored cookies, site data, and cache are currently using (some
amount
of bytes) of disk space".
Then it gives a completely useless link saying "learn more", where the
link
isn't useless for what it says, but because it's not telling us the
truth.
Learn more. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/storage?as=u&utm_source=inproduct&redirectslug=permission-store-data&redirectlocale=en-US
When I click on "Manage data", invariably there is nothing.
So where is this "stored cookies, site data, and cache" coming from?
Why does Firefox insist on hiding from me what it's saying it saved?
When I click on the "Clear data" button, it comes up with a form saying "Clearing all cookies and site data stored by Firefox may sign you out of websites and remove offline web content. Clearing cache data will not
affect your logins.
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (some amount of bytes)
Clear.
Clear Now.
Only after all that does Firefox finally clear what it lied about not
saving but what's much worse is I can't FIND what it's storing or where.
Can you?
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (some amount of bytes)
Clear.
Clear Now.
Only after all that does Firefox finally clear what it lied about not
saving but what's much worse is I can't FIND what it's storing or where.
Can you?
Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> wrote
What are you up to that you're so paranoid about being stored?
It's classic for people to blame the victim for privacy flaws in Firefox.
What are you up to that you're so paranoid about being stored?
Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> wrote
What are you up to that you're so paranoid about being stored?
It's classic for people to blame the victim for privacy flaws in Firefox.
You want to see the cache?
about:cache
Mind you, it's still storing session data in memory. So pull the plug out.
On 2023-07-17, Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> wrote:
You want to see the cache?
about:cache
Mind you, it's still storing session data in memory. So pull the plug
out.
Thank you for the suggestion of "about:cache" which contains a lot of gibberish that means something, I'm sure, to Firefox experts, but not to
me.
Why is it saving that gibberish?
Why can't it delete it like it's supposed to when I close Firefox?
All I want is Firefox to start clean upon every invocation.
Why is that so hard to do?
All I want is Firefox to start clean upon every invocation.
Why is that so hard to do?
It is very easy to find. You just didn't look.
Copy this to your Firefox address line:
about:preferences#privacy
Scroll down and check the box that says:
Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed
On 2023-07-20, Mighty Wannabe wrote
All I want is Firefox to start clean upon every invocation.
Why is that so hard to do?
It is very easy to find. You just didn't look.
Copy this to your Firefox address line:
about:preferences#privacy
Scroll down and check the box that says:
Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed
That's a great idea!
But it was done years ago, well before I ever posted this thread.
That's why I said Firefox is lying when it says it will "delete
cookies and
site data when Firefox is closed". That's a lie. It leaves the cache
data.
For some reason, Firefox is lying about deleting _all_ the data.
However, what I've done since though is follow Paul's suggestion.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false
Now the cache will be in RAM instead of on your hard drive.
I haven't fully tested it so I wasn't going to say anything yet, but I'm
just responding to you that it would be great if Firefox told the truth.
But that setting you proposed does not cause Firefox to start clean.
Which, after all, if it did, then this thread would never have been
needed.
On 7/20/2023 7:02 PM, Incubus wrote:
On 2023-07-20, Mighty Wannabe wrote
All I want is Firefox to start clean upon every invocation.
Why is that so hard to do?
It is very easy to find. You just didn't look.
Copy this to your Firefox address line:
about:preferences#privacy
Scroll down and check the box that says:
Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed
That's a great idea!
But it was done years ago, well before I ever posted this thread.
That's why I said Firefox is lying when it says it will "delete
cookies and
site data when Firefox is closed". That's a lie. It leaves the cache
data.
For some reason, Firefox is lying about deleting _all_ the data.
However, what I've done since though is follow Paul's suggestion.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false
Now the cache will be in RAM instead of on your hard drive.
I haven't fully tested it so I wasn't going to say anything yet, but I'm
just responding to you that it would be great if Firefox told the truth.
But that setting you proposed does not cause Firefox to start clean.
Which, after all, if it did, then this thread would never have been
needed.
There might be some antivirus software preventing Firefox from
deleting some files.
I have been using the portable version of Firefox for ages. And I
always use the portable versions ofย all of my favourite software if I
can find them. Some software would offer their own portable version,
usually in a zip file.
Maybe you should give Portable Firefox a shot. This website is very
reliable:
https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable
After you have downloaded the executable file and run it, it will
create a folder with everything required to run Firefox inside the
folder. Nothing is in the Windows Registry. I usually keep all my
portable software in a top-level folder in Drive D. You can make
duplicate copies of the folder. If you want to be extra careful with
your online banking, you can reserve one Portable Firefox folder
exclusively for online banking.
You can tell Firefox to clean up everything after you close Firefox,
but some websites will have a lengthy login when they cannot find
their cookie in your browser. You can figure out how to tell Firefox
to leave those specific cookies alone.
There might be some antivirus software preventing Firefox from deleting
some files.
You can set cache2, to use RAM.
When you exit the browser, the RAM is deallocated and information content is lost.
"Switched browser cache from disk (SSD) to RAM, about:cache still displaying in disk too"
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
On 2023-07-21, Mighty Wannabe wrote:
There might be some antivirus software preventing Firefox from
deleting some files.
I very much appreciate your help - and your kind advice.
I've been using computers as long as anyone, and, while in the olden
days we all used antivirus programs, nowadays we mostly use Windows
Defender.
What's happening to me is exactly what Firefox does so it has nothing
to do with anything other than Firefox doesn't start clean for anyone
even when you set it to do what you had kindly suggested I set Firefox
to do.
a. about:preferences#privacy
b. Scroll down and check the box that says:
c. Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed
My point is that Firefox is lying.
Not only to me.
Firefox is lying to you also.
And to everyone else.
It has nothing to do with the antivirus.
It has nothing to do with administrator privileges.
It has everything to do with how Firefox works.
When you set Firefox to start clean, Firefox will never start clean.
That's why I wrote the original post the way I wrote the original post.
I was exasperated by Firefox not doing what Firefox said it would do.
Firefox lied.
The good news is that the settings by Paul help Firefox make amends.
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
Rest assured I realize Mozilla didn't "lie" but what I mean is that
everyone "thinks" it does what you and I thought it did when you ask
it to.
It didn't.
On 2023-07-20, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
You can set cache2, to use RAM.
When you exit the browser, the RAM is deallocated and information
content is lost.
"Switched browser cache from disk (SSD) to RAM, about:cache still
displaying in disk too"
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
I very much appreciate your help - and your kind advice.
I tested your workaround for two days and it seems to do what is desired.
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
The good news is that Firefox now starts clean.
1. Start Firefox & go to about:preferences#privacy
2. Press on "Clear Data" in the "Cookies and Site Data" section
3. Now it says there are "0 bytes" for all entries listed
BEFORE moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (some number of bytes)
AFTER moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (0 bytes)
I guess the only remaining issue is what is the downside of setting
Firefox to use RAM instead of the hard drive for cache.
Another way of asking that same question is to ask why did the Mozilla developers choose to save their own personal cache on your hard drive?
Why didn't Firefox default to starting clean when we asked it to do that?
On 7/21/2023 2:42 PM, Incubus wrote:
On 2023-07-20, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
You can set cache2, to use RAM.
When you exit the browser, the RAM is deallocated and information content is lost.
"Switched browser cache from disk (SSD) to RAM, about:cache still displaying in disk too"
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
I very much appreciate your help - and your kind advice.
I tested your workaround for two days and it seems to do what is desired.
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
The good news is that Firefox now starts clean.
1. Start Firefox & go to about:preferences#privacy
2. Press on "Clear Data" in the "Cookies and Site Data" section
3. Now it says there are "0 bytes" for all entries listed
BEFORE moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (some number of bytes)
AFTER moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (0 bytes)
I guess the only remaining issue is what is the downside of setting Firefox to use RAM instead of the hard drive for cache.
Another way of asking that same question is to ask why did the Mozilla developers choose to save their own personal cache on your hard drive?
Why didn't Firefox default to starting clean when we asked it to do that?
I don't have that problem, If you are one of the few, maybe the problem is your Windows, not Firefox.
Try Firefox portable and see if your problem persists.
On 7/21/2023 3:19 PM, ๐ Mighty Wannabe โ wrote:
On 7/21/2023 2:42 PM, Incubus wrote:On your Portable, nothing prevents a genius from
On 2023-07-20, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
You can set cache2, to use RAM.I very much appreciate your help - and your kind advice.
When you exit the browser, the RAM is deallocated and information content is lost.
"Switched browser cache from disk (SSD) to RAM, about:cache still displaying in disk too"
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
I tested your workaround for two days and it seems to do what is desired. >>>
1. Start firefox & go to about:config
2. Change "browser.cache.disk.enable" from true to false
3. Change "browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl" from true to false https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1313570
The good news is that Firefox now starts clean.
1. Start Firefox & go to about:preferences#privacy
2. Press on "Clear Data" in the "Cookies and Site Data" section
3. Now it says there are "0 bytes" for all entries listed
BEFORE moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (some number of bytes)
AFTER moving Firefox cache to RAM:
Cookies and Site Data (0 bytes)
Cached Web Content (0 bytes)
I guess the only remaining issue is what is the downside of setting Firefox to use RAM instead of the hard drive for cache.
Another way of asking that same question is to ask why did the Mozilla developers choose to save their own personal cache on your hard drive?
Why didn't Firefox default to starting clean when we asked it to do that? >> I don't have that problem, If you are one of the few, maybe the problem is your Windows, not Firefox.
Try Firefox portable and see if your problem persists.
adjusting prefs.js or userchrome, before packaging your software.
Just because a software is Portable, does not alter the function
set. All the functions are there. But with programming of preferences,
you can achieve some result, just like setting the stuff by hand.
Paul
On your Portable, nothing prevents a genius from
adjusting prefs.js or userchrome, before packaging your software.
Sysop: | Keyop |
---|---|
Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
Users: | 297 |
Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
Uptime: | 08:49:45 |
Calls: | 6,666 |
Files: | 12,213 |
Messages: | 5,336,260 |