Down-grading from the disastrous v57

[longtalker]

Having been gullible enough to accept Firefox's invitation to upgrade to the "critical" new version, I now find myself with a catastrophic v57 that has so many drawbacks that I am considering to migrate to Chrome, after more than a decade of being with Firefox.

Almost all of my trusted&useful add-ons don't work anymore (due to the code rewrite that makes Ffx much less add-on-friendly), which makes Firefox essentially no better than e.g. IE. Also, the customised search bar is a disaster (dysfunctional grid array), and none of the user feedback that has been repeatedly submitted over the years has been implemented, such as the essential and still-missing feature of showing the (sub)folder location of a searched-for bookmark inside my bookmarks library. What a joke of an upgrade, and what an imposition on users' time - as if we all had nothing better to do now than worry about how to retrieve the basic functionality of the browser back.

I'm sure many other users will now leave Firefox and switch to another browser, so before resorting to this, I'm wondering if anyone has found a way to roll back to a version that spares us of all these "critical improvements"? There seems to be no installer for older versions.

[Kevin McFarlane]

If you want to stay in the Firefox ecosystem then a temporary solution until May/June next year is to rollback to Firefox 52 ESR. After that time it will become Firefox 57+. But in the next few months Firefox 57 might have improved sufficiently to meet your needs. E.g., its WebExtensions API will have improved, more extensions will be available and/or will get improved features.

Or, use one of the Firefox forks such as Pale Moon or Waterfox, neither of which will be dropping the old extensions model (see the Third Party Builds forum here).

Or, use a Chromium-based browser. However, if coming from Firefox, you'd be better off with Opera or Vivaldi, both of which (especially the latter) are more usable and more customisable than Chrome itself. Opera is currently my No. 2 browser and I also have Vivaldi on the system. I just haven't spent too much time with it yet.

[longtalker]

Thanks a lot for your helpful reply Kevin.

[dfoulkes]

Not that it's going to help you much... since you are now on 57 ... and I don't know how much work you will need to do in order to use version ESR 52 'and' attempt to get your data out of 57... know what I mean? ... but I'll say this. As Kevin mentioned ... I use ESR now... I saved my profile just before all the new levels of main-firefox came out (months ago)... where it started destroying the use of many extensions. I use around 30 extensions and did not want my profile-structure destroyed.

For my use, I figure I'll just keep using ESR and when they move to ESR57 I'll just stay with the latest ESR version until various Devs come along and create a majority of my needed extensions... then maybe I'll upgrade either the ESR or just go to the latest Firefox... or, even move to apps like SeaMonkey... I don't know yet but I'm not in panic mode... because hey... it's just a browser.. know what I mean? It is sad though... tons of users went to the orig. Firefox because of all the external tools a person could use in order to make it 'their browser' ... seems to be all gone now.

[RobertJ]

I'm sure many other users will now leave Firefox and switch to another browser, so before resorting to this,

Not happening.

Also most useful/used extensions have either been ported or there are good replacements.

In preparing for FF57 I checked out Chrome, Safari, Opera, Palemoon, and others. There was no comparison.

Using FF57 with tweaks via userChrome.css and my 10 IMPORTANT extensions nothing else can compare.

While there have been some complaints the tsunami that was predicted is more like a ripple.

.

[toolong]

While there have been some complaints the tsunami that was predicted is more like a ripple

Well said and I agree.

[longtalker]

I'm sure many other users will now leave Firefox and switch to another browser, so before resorting to this,

Not happening
...
While there have been some complaints the tsunami that was predicted is more like a ripple.
.

Keep dreaming..

I myself said a resounding "No, thanks!" to the absurd & patronising reduction of features in v57, and went back to v52, where I was glad to see my profile & settings needed no re-setting-up.

I am sure at some point an upgrade will be necessary, but hopefully until then the geniuses who thought that removing the features that made Firefox beloved, plus a few random stupid "features not bugs" here and there, such as the dysfunctional download window, will have had a time to reconsider and/or be pressured into coming back to their senses.

Thanks again to all who contributed useful replies.

[Jimac]

I have downgraded several times to from 57 back to 56.0.1. If I delete my Firefox folder (User Profile), it will update to 57 no matter what previous version I choose, though I haven't yet tried 52 Extended Release. The trick seems to be that once you get the previous version you want to install, VERY QUICKLY open up Options and select "Never check for updates." This seems to slow down 57 from automatically downloading in the background until it is forced through the next restart. At least the 57 downloading message and animation stops when you quickly check that box.

Once the unwanted 57 is installed through the next restart, explore if you want, but eventually delete it through Windows uninstall utility -- be sure to not manually delete your Firefox (User Profile) folder, which now has the setting NEVER check for updates. It will stay on your computer during the uninstall process unless you manually delete it.

Download the FF version you want from https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ Look for the file named Firefox Setup 56.0.2.exe (or the verson you want). Make sure you know if you want [Win] 32 bit or 64. There are a lot of folders and different language versions to search through. Download it to your desktop and click on it to launch the installation wizard. Important, before this make sure you export a copy of your bookmarks to your desktop to import if necessary. Mine always gets deleted. Also you can download any Legacy Add-on to your desktop, a flash drive, etc., for future use by right clicking on the Add to Firefox button on the download page and select "Save link as." It will download to your computer as an .xpi file. You can then install the Add-on yourself by dragging it to the Firefox browser's address field.

MY PROBLEM with pre-57 Firefox versions: A few days after 57 came out I began experiencing a slow startup to the first web page, up to 25 seconds to get to Google, my home page, in both Private Browsing and regular. However, starting Firefox in Safe Mode, it take 3-4 seconds to get to my first page, just like in Chrome. Manually disabling my one Add-on (YesScript) and Hardware Acceleration does not fix the slowness problem, so something else about Safe Mode does.

My reinstall of a previous version (57 to 56s) works great for about a day, fast startup in 3-4 seconds, but then suspiciously the slow down occurs again. I'm beginning to think that Firefox/Mozilla is downloading a sabotage code to make pre-57 versions perform poorly. I have a newish WIndows 10 laptop. I can't come up with any other explanation. Microsoft is known for sending killer code in updates to ruin prevous operating systems. They did that to me with Vista (when I used Vista) until I stopped updates. Maybe it's unintentional by Firefox, but here's a quote from them: "Firefox does not support downgrades, even though this may have worked in past versions. Users who install Firefox 55+ and later downgrade to an earlier version may experience issues with Firefox."

The same slow startup issue occurred when I installed 56.0.2, 56.0.1, and 56.0. I will try 55 this morning, then give up and go with 52, my last hope. I wish someone would convert my one Add-on, YesScript, to a WebExtension, then I'd use 57. I apologize if I have not explained everything correctly. I'm not an advanced computer wiz, have moderate knowledge I'd say.

[LIMPET235]

Hi,
Well, after all that, , (No offense meant),
I see that you require Yes Script for your v57.
Go here > https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... esscript2/

[James]

blah blah...

I wish someone would convert my one Add-on, YesScript, to a WebExtension, then I'd use 57.

You should take a look on A.M.O as many authors already have or have been updating their Extension to web extension in last while.

The author of YesScript2 has been quite busy with updates for example while the YesScript author has not had a update since Aug. 2, 2016
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... /versions/

[lovemyfoxy]

longtalker and Jimac--

52 will not keep getting security updates, 52ESR will. The current ESR is 52.5.0.

[Jimac]

I should have mentioned that I tried YesScript2 before posting here. The developer, who has no connection to the original YesScript, claims on the current Add-ons page that it will work in 52+. I tried it in 56.0.1 and 52 ESR. It doesn't work as currently advertised in these pre-57 versions. There are no claimed options to set it for half or full blocking. Some reviewers praise the half blocking, so maybe it works only in 57+.

Regarding my slow-on-startup problem, I installed 52 ESR yesterday and it had fast startup for the rest of the day. This morning? Nope, it's taking 17 seconds to load Google every time I open Firefox, even freezes sometimes. In Safe Mode: 2-3 seconds, in Chrome: 2-3 seconds. My Windows 10 computer is pretty light, I only use the built-in Windows Defender for virus protection. Only have the one Add-on.

Since this slowness problem began after 57 launched, which I did not ugrade to, I continue to have the suspicion my pre-57 Firefox in various versions tried so far (32 bit 56.0.2, 56.0.1, 56.0, 55.0, 52ESR) is downloading some kind of bad code into my User Profile with 24 hours to give it a slow startup in order to induce me to upgrade to 57.

Fine, Mozilla, you've succeeded. I'm going to try installing 57 again, add YesScript2, and see if it will work as advertised. I and over 45,000 other users of YesScript love it, though. If #2 doesn't work, I will have to downgrade again and just suffer with a slow startup until someone makes a duplicate to the original YesScript for 57+, maybe call it YesScript3 or YesScript Quantum. I emailed the developer of the original YesScript a month ago and he was willing to let someone take the code and convert it to a WebExtension. Unfortunately, that's beyond my skill.

[mozurkewich]

Also most useful/used extensions have either been ported or there are good replacements..

I have been declining the upgrade because I know that NoScript will stop working and I have been unable to determine if there is a replacement that will allow me to import my white list.

Sounds like I might want to put off the upgrade while the new system stabilizes. I assume that if there are real problems with the new FireFox, they will either get fixed or someone will create add-ons for those who are dissatisfied. But it might take a while.

Is there a NoScript replacement that will import my white list?

[adrenoreceptor]

Agreed, most users are not techs. Why cant developers leave well enough alone or at least warn before a major change to the ecosystem. I had a great setup, easy to browse, remembered my passwords...all that and now I have to open up my file with all my passwords to get in to all the web sites I stopped remembering passwords for because Firefox did it for me. I might as well just do like my wife and keep a notepad instead of using add-ons if developers are going to just arbitrarily strip away everything I have been using to great success and ease and make me start over periodically.

It aggravates me that Firefox just stripped all those extensions/add-ons and doesn't bother to suggest others. Now I have to rebuild all that customization, and the extensions offered...I'm not impressed with at first glance.

Thanks Firefox for making my browsing simple. Then screwing it up for me.

Easy for all you folks who eat, sleep and breathe computers. Most if us just want something that works and doesn't make us do the hokey poky just to retain what we once had working well. This is akin to grocery stores who change up all the isles just when you learn the layout. Aggravating as it can be.

[allande]

This is to jimac:
I do not see the word "profile" mentioned anywhere in your attempts to deal with the slowness. I recommend using Firefox 52ESR or 57, for security, but if you want to stay on any other version and try to get it to work smoothly consider doing this:
It seems you have already made a backup of your bookmarks. If your yesscript addon is the only extension, you may not lose much by using a new profile. However, it is still best to backup your profile.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_ ... _-_Firefox
Download the full (non-stub, larger than 2mb) installer for the version you want.
Disconnect from the internet. Install your preferred version. Make and set as default your new profile. Set options to never update. Uninstall the "mozilla maintenance service" which accidentally updates Firefox regularly. In the new profile, import or restore your bookmarks, then connect to the internet again and install your yesscript addon.