Firefox 13 Tab Page and cache configuration
So I have a couple of questions about the tab page. First, is the tab page live? (i.e. If you refresh the tab page, does it update the visual content) If not, can it be done? Second, does pinning bookmarks override the "most visited tabs" function? (i.e. If I fill the tab page with my bookmarks and visit a site that is not on it very frequently one day, does it take the place of one of the "bookmarked tab"?) Third, I've always been a "delete everything when closing firefox" guy, but obviously the tab page feature does not work properly doing so. Is there a way in firefox to keep the cache of the 9 "pinned" sites only and clear the rest of the cache when closing firefox?
Thanks for your help
All Replies (3)
Someone knows the definitive answers to these questions, but I can only offer personal observations.
(1) The thumbnails are not live; they appear to be a snapshot captured during your last visit to the page. (In one of mine, a forum topics page, the row is colored yellow when hovered with the mouse, so if I move the mouse down the page for a few seconds as it completes loading then press Ctrl+t, I can get an idea of when the snapshot was captured. A live image of an inactive tab would not have any hovered rows.)
If you prefer live thumbnails, you probably need to look at an add-on.
(2) I haven't tried pinning anything yet.
(3) Does Firefox let you clear cache on a first-in-first-out basis? That likely would spare your thumbnails. In another thread, someone expressed a privacy concern and the desire to selectively delete them, so I suspect there will be an add-on at some point that distinguishes between page thumbnails and other cached content.
The developers are currently experimenting with storing the page thumbnail separately from the cache in future versions of Firefox. But in the end, that might not actually happen.
If you pin a slot with an URL (bookmark) on the about:newtab page then that URL should stay in the position.
Changes are stored in the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder under the pinnedLinks key and blockedLinks key.
Thank you both @jscher2000 and @cor-el for your answers.
Hopefully, someone will come up with a solution for caching the tab page thumbnails separately from "normal" cache.