hello, please refer to the following help article in order to turn off the new feature: Customize your Firefox New Tab page

Thanks!

Dear FF developers,

Please don't add new features without explaining them or letting users have a simple way to get back to Firefox the way they like it. I upgraded to FF14 and suddenly when I create a new tab I get 9 thumbnails of past visited sites instead of my regular new tab containing my homepage. I scoured the Options tabs and yet there's no way to turn off this unwanted new feature you foisted onto us.

So I spent the next 30 mins Googling trying to guess the phrase that would lead me to the solution and then I found the page above where I have to hack the about:config settings.

What were you thinking? Why not let people turn this (IMHO totally unhelpful 'feature') off in the basic settings. Spare a thought for those elderly or unused to computers. They can manage a tick box but this???

   In the Location bar, type about:config and press Enter.

       The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page. 
   Type browser.newtab.url in the search box.
   Double-click the browser.newtab.url preference and change the url from about:newtab to about:blank. Alternately, you can change it to about:home for the Firefox Google home page, or type in your preferred home page, example google.com.
   Click OK and close the about:config tab. 

I take it we're all going to have to do this hack every time we upgrade FF? This is nuts. You need to build in a far easier way VIA THE GUI to turn this off.

Oh, and it would have been helpful to actually mention the "cure" on the page that gives info and help on tabs. There's nothing there at all about the "new feature":

I love FF but this latest move has really hacked me off.

Thank you Jaybee 101. I too hate the new previous pages feature. I almost went back to IE! But, instead, I turned it off in the way you suggest. Unfortunately it also stops Tab Mix giving the home page when a new tab is selected. However, if 'about:url' is replaced by 'www.google.com' (or whatever your preferred home page is) selecting a new tab brings up the home page and you don't need Tab Mix. Furthermore, if you don't like the new "previous pages" thumbnails, you can replace 'about:url' by 'www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en' and you get the best of all possible worlds!

so instead of about:home you can put the URL of the desired page and you wont get the flame no more.

Thanks, jingarelho, I was working that out while you were posting your hint. I've modified my advice accordingly.

This type of feature should be by default "OFF." There are way too many security concerns and other potential pitfalls that are hazardous. Turning it off is just NOT reliable enough for me - unless there is an easier and more fool-proof method.