Deploy customized Firefox to new users [SOLVED]

[John Hupp]

On 1/10/2015 11:20 AM, John Hupp wrote:
> On 1/7/2015 5:27 PM, John Hupp wrote:
>> Hello, all.
>>
>> In Firefox for the initial user on a system, I want to customize it 
>> (settings, add-ons, etc) and then propagate that setup to any new 
>> users created.
>>
>> I was reading https://wiki.mozilla.org/Deployment:Deploying_Firefox, 
>> but several of the add-ons and links of interest (e.g. 
>> firefox.dbltree.com <http://firefox.dbltree.com> and CCK add-on 
>> <https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/cck/>) no longer exist.
>>
>> Anyone know a way?
>>
>> --John
>>
>> P.S. Next on my to-do list is a close look at SystemBack, which will 
>> perhaps handle this chore, but for the moment I was looking at 
>> application-native methods of doing such things.  For instance, for 
>> certain purposes I can modify the files installed by 
>> lubuntu-default-settings.  I have also had a little look at /etc/skel 
>> and /etc/profile.d, though those two seem to have limited use in Lubuntu.
>
> The above article from wiki.mozilla.org would seem to be the 
> definitive info but in fact is obsolete.  My search questions must not 
> have been well-formed enough and I got sidetracked on the interesting 
> but also dated Mike Kaply articles.
>
> Here's the good stuff: 
> http://kb.mozillazine.org/Installing_extensions. For all the 
> extensions I wanted, pasting the ID-named XPI's into <installation 
> directory>/browser/extensions for a Global Installation does the 
> trick, both for existing and new users.
>
> SOME DETAILS:
>
> In Lubuntu, <installation directory>/browser/extensions symlinks to 
> usr/lib/firefox-addons/extensions.
>
> -----------------
> How-To:
> At http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ and http://eff.org, 
> right-click the Add to Firefox button or the HTTPS Everywhere link, 
> choose Save Link As, and save the XPI somewhere e.g. ~/Downloads.
>
> $ gksudo pcmanfm /usr/lib/firefox-addons/extensions &
>
> Open a second tab to ~/Downloads and cut/paste the XPI’s to the 
> extensions folder.  For each, R-click: Archive Manager, open 
> install.rdf with leafpad and copy the <em:id> tag contents (the 
> extension ID).  Close leafpad and Archive Manager and rename the XPI 
> with the ID.
> -----------------
>
> This will install the extensions for existing and new users.  It does 
> not prompt to install as the KB indicates (Do you want to install 
> them?), but simply installs them.
>
> However, it does display the same welcome/newly-installed page that 
> installation of each extension produces for a single-user 
> installation.  There are probably configurations that would disable 
> these, but I don't currently know what they are.
>
> LEFTOVERS:
>
> My original question also covered global settings, and I don't have a 
> final answer on that yet, but it is likely something like 
> http://mike.kaply.com/2012/03/15/customizing-firefox-default-preference-files/ 
> + 
> http://mike.kaply.com/2013/05/13/more-major-changes-coming-in-firefox-21/ 
> (for which I probably want to find a current reference at mozilla.org 
> or mozillazine.org).

I called this substantially solved, but concerning one of the leftovers 
issues:

There is a lot of conflicting and obsolete info out there, including the 
locations of the Default Preferences Files given in 
http://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Preferences/A_brief_guide_to_Mozilla_preferences

But that article is correct in what it says about Changing Defaults, 
option #1.  And following that I created 
/usr/lib/firefox/browser/defaults/preferences/all-nameofyourchoice.js 
with content (make sure to terminate with an end-of-line e.g. hit Return):

pref("browser.newtabpage.enabled", false);

This has the same effect as clicking the gear tool on a new tab and 
choosing Blank rather than Enhanced or Classic.

So now I know how to propogate extensions and default preferences to new 
users.  The only thing I have not been able to accomplish is adding 
Print, History and Tab Groups to the default Firefox toolbar.

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