Is it better to file things like page speed-up hacks in the user.js or User-defind macros? Does it even make a difference?

Thank you.

Charlie

~~If it ain't broke, why screw it up?~~

Uhm, do you mean place it in KM macros folder or in profile macros folder?

In general, macros/extensions in the profile folder only work in this profile, and stuff in other folders works for all profiles. That's usually the only difference, but important to keep in mind if some day something is messed and you may create a new profile to check and try to find the reasons.

And there are a few macros which insist in having themselves and/or additional files in the program folder, or they refuse to work. Guess that's mostly due to the way the author has written the paths into the code.

Otherwise I can't quite imagine any differences for the function, but of course am not a big expert for this ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2010 08:34PM by siria.

@siria

Perhaps tweaking would be a more acurate word to use, though I have at times been called a "hack".:cool:

Refering to page rendering tweaks such as KmmSpeedUp the author's instructions are to place the macro into one of the macro folders. But some i.e. Hacking Firefox: Speed Up Your Browser have suggested placing such tweaks (individually) into the prefs.js or user.js file i.e. Edit > configuration > User Settings. I am just wondering if there is any benefit or disadvantage in using one method over the other.

Charlie

~~If it ain't broke, why screw it up?~~

I don't see the "placing such tweaks (individually) into the prefs.js" as being any different from the method in KmmSpeedUp. Each setpref statement there puts the hack into prefs.js.

Speed tweaks/hacks are prefs so they land in prefs.js in used profile when in use. That is the default place from where they work.

And that is why I did not understand Your first post.

I did not try the macro - so use my comments with some salt.

Applying speed tweaks by hand

Manual editing (U have to know what You want to do & edit the prefs.js while K-Meleon is not active, ) has the advantage that You are not restricted to those settings in the macro. There is a long list of possible settings. Only the most commonly used settings are AFAIK covered in the macro.

The entire list has been published several times. Some of them do not have much effect any more - there are no slow PC like when the tweak list was collected.

So the common ones in the macro are sufficient for most users.

Applying speed tweaks by macro

The macro/settings can be toggled? Iff - this would be good for portable use.
Easy to apply, drop kmm into macro folder & restart. End user friendly.

Maybe also when non experienced additional/secondary users of Your PC want to toggle?

Non portable use & eperienced user: it does not matter much.
You apply the tweaks once and they stay the same.

When You place them in user.js that overrides prefs.js. It can be only changed permanently by editing it. It is a good method/place to transfer from one stationary K-Meleon install to the next. Good also when other users must not fiddle with Your settings



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2010 12:23PM by guenter.

General question, anyone can explain me the function of user.js, compared to prefs.js? If I open it, there's nothing but last window positions in it. Is it meant for such stuff only? And if someone manually writes a pref in the user.js and prefs.js alike, the user.js has priority...? Ist it perhaps some sort of addition to prefs.js, just to have some things in two different files for easier overview or such...? Just curious ;-)

Hmm.... does that mean it's on top of the priority list of all prefs? I know the "default prefs" can be overwritten by the user in about:config / prefs.js. Is the user.js there to prevent accidental overwriting some setting that absolutely is not allowed to change? Neither by user nor by a macro...?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2010 03:35PM by siria.

@ JamesD & guenter. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

@ siria

AFAIK the user.js is profile specific for tweaks/settings that you do not want to be changed or over-written by an update installation where as the prefs.js is global which CAN be affected by an update installation. As you suggested, the user.js does have priority over the prefs.js but only for a specific user's profile. The same goes for the Macro in the KM directory vs. the User-Defined Macro

Charlie

~~If it ain't broke, why screw it up?~~

There are three Mozilla files that start with user:
user.js, usercontent.css, and userchrome.css (not much use in K-Meleon ).

All three are used to override other settings.

User.js can hold any pref that You want. You'd place things there that You do not want to change or that You want to protect against change.

You could e.g. place Your speed tweaks there and copy user.js to every new K-Meleon.

Before kko created the Prefs panel i used the user.js to graft my personal settings from one K-Meleon version or install to the next (some others did so also).

p.s. JamesD, there is no difference - except that the macro does not cover all tweaks / K-Meleon uses mostly the ones listed in this link.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2010 04:04AM by guenter.