I do not recall such an option in prior versions. The default is and has been to open a blank page in Firefox 3.0.x, 3.6.x, and Firefox 4 and later. I do not recall much about Firefox 2, as that has been some time ago (last release version 20.0.0.20, December 18, 2008).

You can install the following Add-on to have new tabs open in the page you desire. After install, go to the settings: Add-ons > Extensions, click Options at New TabURL.

• New TabURL: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/newtaburl/

If this reply solves your problem, please click "Solved It" next to this reply when signed-in to the forum.

NOTE: check for a new version of Adobe Reader on Tuesday, 09-13-2011

• Plug-in check: https://www-trunk.stage.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
• Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape: Installing/Updating Adobe Reader in Firefox

It was in previous versions. The default "is and has been to open a blank page" only since they got rid of the option to set it to your homepage. Installing another addon that could interfere with other addons and takes up additional resources isn't a fix in the least.

If you look here- https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=269664

You'll see that it was first suggested to be reimplemented in 2004.... So it was actually taken out 7 years ago and hasn't been put back in for whatever reason. Pretty absurd if you ask me, especially considering other browsers have this feature, and clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Edit- If I remember correctly there is a variable in Firefox 5 in about:config that a user can set to make new tabs go to wherever they specify, which is how I had it set until I upgraded to 6.

Here is the newest iteration of an addon that "fixes" this missing feature-

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/my-homepage/

Of course, just like all the others before it, it will eventually break the functionality of itself or another addon in some way or form and we will once again have to find a replacement that restores this very basic feature which other browsers have implemented but Firefox has taken away.

I never gave Chrome or any other browser the time of day because I never needed to, but since Mozilla devs are removing basic features that people want and continually refusing to re-implement them (due to stubbornness or stupidity, 7 years in the making) it's beginning to sound like a better alternative every second.

If you quote someone, always be complete. Do do twist someone's words or leave out part of what was said so that it fits your needs/argument. I said:

• The default is and has been to open a blank page in Firefox 3.0.x, 3.6.x, and Firefox 4 and later.

We are all unpaid volunteers, users helping other users. We are not developers. Suggestions for changes carry no weight on this forum. Use Help > Submit Feedback (limit about 140 characters).

Firefox 0.10, the first Firefox, was released in September 2004. The bug report that you listed involved Firefox 1.0. Most of the posts in that bug report since 2004 are by a few dozen Firefox users (out of millions).

Brady_ said: "If I remember correctly there is a variable in Firefox 5 in about:config that a user can set to make new tabs go to wherever they specify, which is how I had it set until I upgraded to 6."

I would be interested in knowing that preference; I have a copy of the Firefox installers from Firefox 3.0-current in safekeeping and would like to test what you remember. If you installed Firefox 6 over the top of Firefox 5, the pref will still be in your about:config. Can you find it?

The Add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/my-homepage/ is compatible with Firefox 1.5 - 8*. I wonder why the developer would bother to design and test with all the old versions if such an option was available in Firefox prefs; seems a waste of time and resources.

You asked for a solution; I gave you a solution. Take it or leave it. If you want features that another browser has built-in, maybe you should be using that other browser.

If you find the pref, post it in a reply. I will not respond to arguments, only facts. Good luck.

Oh my...

• If you quote someone, always be complete. Do do twist someone's words or leave out part of what was said so that it fits your needs/argument.

What I quoted was exactly what was written before you modified it. Perhaps I left something off or forgot to include the rest of the sentence (which I don't think I did), but it wasn't intentional. The fact that you think we were "arguing" and that I deliberately misquoted you to "fit my argument" is humorous to me. It's not my intention to argue over the internet with anyone, I legitimately want an answer.

• I would be interested in knowing that preference; I have a copy of the Firefox installers from Firefox 3.0-current in safekeeping and would like to test what you remember. If you installed Firefox 6 over the top of Firefox 5, the pref will still be in your about:config. Can you find it?

This was a fresh install on an updated system. If you Google a bit you'll find the variable I'm speaking of very easily, as there are numerous topics on this. Believe me when I say that this was a previous feature of Firefox that was removed for whatever reason, and the variable that was once used to define the URL location of new tabs was removed entirely at some point.

• The Add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/my-homepage/ is compatible with Firefox 1.5 - 8*. I wonder why the developer would bother to design and test with all the old versions if such an option was available in Firefox prefs; seems a waste of time and resources.

I can't answer that as I'm not the developer and really it has very little to do with what I'm asking. But for the sake of "argument", developers will test compatibility with as many versions as possible just because they can, and so they can say it works with such-and-such through such-and-such versions for the sake of marketing or simply to show that their code is stable, regardless of whether or not the code applies to one of those previous versions. That's just common sense.

• You asked for a solution; I gave you a solution. Take it or leave it. If you want features that another browser has built-in, maybe you should be using that other browser.

I asked why there isn't an option that allows new tabs to be opened to your homepage automatically. You didn't give me an answer for that. Instead you gave me a link to an addon when I specifically said I didn't want to use an addon for a feature that should be included by default. I can't "take or leave" your solution because your "solution" isn't a solution at all when it pertains to my original question.

I apologize if my tone comes off as condescending or if it shows that I'm irritated, which I am. Ultimately though your answer did not help me.

Brady_ you likely had a extension to do this as I cannot recall this being default in the browser you know as Firefox for over eight years now. If you used a tab related extension like the long running Tab Mix Plus or Tab Browser Extension for example that could explain it.

I just went through the release notes http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ and the feature lists on http://www.squarefree.com/burningedge/releases/ and the find bar barely found any mention of "home' anywhere.

Firefox never had that feature.
The bug 269664 that you mentioned is about removing the no longer supported browser.tabs.loadOnNewTab pref from Firefox that the Mozilla Suite had and SeaMonkey still supports.

If you do not want to use an extension then your only option is to Ctrl left-click or middle-click the toolbar home button.
The extension will also open a new tab with the home page with the Ctrl+T keyboard shortcut.

Look at the modified dates and times.

I will search for nothing. If it is easy to find on Google, you find it and post the pref.

Looking through the change logs James posted right now. It seems that https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=304469 is vaguely related. It's entirely possible, and looking more and more likely, that a plugin was responsible for the feature I'm talking about.

• The bug 269664 that you mentioned is about removing the no longer supported browser.tabs.loadOnNewTab pref from Firefox that the Mozilla Suite had and SeaMonkey still supports.

I'm confused about this though. Why did the feature become unsupported, and why was it never added to Firefox?

On this page- http://dmcritchie.mvps.org/firefox/tabs_config.htm the author implies, (I think?), that the "browser.tabs.loadOnNewTab" pref was once found in about:config.

• Look at the modified dates and times.

Implying that my original response couldn't have been posted before you modified yours.

The 269664 was about the "browser.tabs.loadOnNewTab" that was in about:config even though there was no backend for that preference in Firefox.

You can have that option: Simply install the NewTabURL extension, and then set it to open whatever website you want (or none) upon starting a new tab.

Hmmm... Guys I am not a programmer just an advanced user of computers. In regards to setting a specific page for new tabs, despite all what is being said above, I had my version 6 reliably opening google australia homepage ever since the "tab browsing" novelty. So what is all this gibberish above about it was never an option or you need to apply such and such in the config lines to do it? I do have an idea about why it has always worked in my previous Firefox versions and you guys have a think about this one: there was a time when whilst installing Firefox, you were asked during the setup if you wanted to import Internet Explorer settings, I believe that's all it was, the tab settings were then automatically imported along with favorites, etc... and it all worked fine until this version 7 release. I am a little disappointed now, knowing that I have had that feature for a long time with Firefox (which I still have in IE9) and for losing it with a new upgraded version. I wonder if anyone can corroborate the fact that opening the homepage in new tabs worked for them with previous versions of Firefox and that the feature has been inadvertently removed (so easy to remove a line whilst writing code... amongst thousands of little code lines). Whatever the reasons, I can assure you that it did work in previous versions without me doing any magics and I go along with those saying that it still should be in version 7! Cheers

I have been using this browser since Phoenix 0.4 in 2002, and it has never had a new tab open with the user's homepage feature, but there have been many extensions over the last 9 years which added that feature.

julesy, you very likely had a Tab related Extension in use and forgot about it. Maybe you have or had a extension like Tab Mix Plus or NewTabURL to name a couple of examples.

Look in "Tools->Add-ons->Extensions" as you may still have a Tab related extension installed but disabled in 7.0.1 due to being a older version.

The opening homepage in a new tab feature never existed in first place so it was never removed. The only way you can open homepage in a new tab without use of a extension that added the feature, is by placing the Home button on toolbar and then use the Middle-click (scroll wheel) on mouse to open a new tab with homepage.