ghacks-user.js

• This is a rough draft, please read the old intro currently at the start of the user.js in the meantime.
• Paragraph here about not jumping in without reading first, and backing up, and understanding the changes

Origins

• yada yada

Purpose

• discuss why use a js (enforcement on startup, migration)
• outline trade-offs between security vs privacy etc
• explain expectations and site breakage
• explain this version is a "compromise" or balance that aims (with addons eg you WILL need uBlock Origin or turn safe browsing and tracking protection back on) to provide as much privacy and enhanced security as possible, and to reduce the fingerpritning attack surface as much as possible - while putting up with some incoveniences and as little site breakage as possible (but it will happen). It's only a starting point.
• provide troubleshooting: site breakage will happen. 90=% of the preferences cause no issues. It is only a small core of settings that people may or may not need to look at, depending on their objective.
• no one size fits all, this is a template, fork it! Customize it! (see goals, we won't set you wrong)

Goals & Standards

To be THE template and resource all other user.js' come to for news, links, information and more, which means it needs to be:

• comprehensive (eg some prefs are included at default for completeness/enforcement, a lot are included and changed for future-proofing, etc)
• current and available and change-trackable (hey, we're on github now)
• easy to understand (good, simple, less-technincal descriptions)
• accountable and a resource (lots of links to authorative authors and tech papers, also repo wiki)
• correct and to dispell myths and bad advise (see accountable)
• eassy to follow and report and discuss (logical and numbered structure)
• give good advise (see trade-offs)
• expanded on with more information, such as FF version numbering for introduction and deprecation of preferences, hidden pref tags etc
• archived for each stable release (starting with 51)
• to provide illustrated wiki topics to help (help wanted please!)
• to make it as easy as possible for anyone to use a user.js and get it right for them
• to provide two or three future forks with differnent settings from "painless no-breakage no-addons" thru to a "super-hardened" version: for use with multiple profiles

Implementation

• expectations of the user
• link to wiki on testing and tweaking in a portable FF first
• backup first: link to wiki article on backup & restore methods
• changing, resetting preferences: user.js and about:config

Troubleshooting

• wiki links

Help & Resources

• wiki links, appendices etc

Acknowledgements

• yada yada