With the new release of V62.0 .... my beloved Bookmarks DESCRIPTION field is gone !!!

This is like the end of web browsing for me !!!

I have done some quick info looking (Bug 1402890, etc) and the comments of some people who like this change just astounds me

I look in the description box on most of my personal bookmark launches

It is a convenient place to include "self-coded" and "straight-talk" info associated with that site, rather than using 3rd-party password "solutions" with a cloud (that often get hacked, e.g. LastPass)

I need to sync bookmarks with 2 PC, but I do NOT sync saved PWs, which I usually only save locally for low-level accounts.

I do not have faith in saving PWs on cloud servers.

I use key-codes

    that I have developed over the past 10+ years 
    to easily remember my PWs 

I could publicly post them on FB

    and still "sleep well at night" 

By syncing the PW descriptions, I can change a PW on one PC and then convey that chg via the description field using my key-codes when I do a manual sync.

This method works ever so smoothly, and again, I sleep very well at night.

I have what is probably a somewhat unique criteria for logins on many sites

    I use both unique IDs & PWs 

Case in point, when I check on my credit card accounts ..... I put my #CCs tag in a search, then I see all of my "Credit-Card" bookmarks with the different ID-PW-Info nicely listed in the description field.

Then from that one page I can link to new tabs for many of those sites

There are two of us in the household that use Firefox on the family PC and the description box allows me to enter in the different ID-PW-info , as needed

I have been using Firefox for 13 years,

    but with the recent changes, 
    I have be trying out the Chrome-Opera-etc scene, 
    but I still greatly prefer 
    the environment of the "Classic" Firefox. 

However, those "golden" pastures are rapidly disappearing

Also, FF is the only one of the major browsers which has the "Master-PW" feature, which may have some reported weaknesses in cloud usage ......

but offers enhanced security when only used locally.

Besides, all of my moderate & high-level personal PWs are not saved in their entirety, but with my key-codes in the description fields

I'm almost tempted to back-track

    and stick with an older version (V61), 
    despite the vast increase in security risks. 

That's how important the bookmark description field is to me

I am strongly considering using FF V61

    only to view my bookmark descriptions
    while I browse with an alternative.

Of coarse, this would be a maintenance "headache".

I have 4,000+ bookmarks already accumulated

which obviously increases the problems (OK, some duplication and/or obsolescence)

So, it looks like the rest of today (and probably many days thereafter) will be "killed" in trying to recover from this "Progress" !!!

Users who cannot live without this feature could consider switching from the regular release of Firefox to the Extended Support Release of Firefox 60. It will have feature stability and get critical security updates for 10-12 months, so this change won't come until next Fall.

While Firefox ESR was designed for businesses, there's nothing to stop individuals from using it. There is an article about it here: Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for personal use.

If anyone tries this, please make a backup first -- Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles -- and let us know how it works out.

Keep in mind that the next ESR version won't support the description field and won't have the overlap that still has the description data present in places.sqlite for backup. So if you would get updated next year then you only have the compressed JSON backups to be used with an older Firefox version to get access to the descriptions.

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/60.0esr/releasenotes/

I WILL STOP THE UPDATES, NOW THAT THE RIDICULOUS HAS OCCURRED. It simply amazes me how tech disables its own product, removing key features that are important to documentation and reference (in the era of too much information!!)

I appreciate jscher200's suggestion to try using Zotero. I exported my bookmarks, then installed Zotero, then tried importing the bookmarks. The import died with the following error: "An error occurred while trying to import the selected file. Please ensure that the file is valid and try again." Zotero didn't tell me what to fix, so Zotero is not going to work for me. As I said earlier, it will take days for me to get back to being able to use the information in my Firefox bookmarks so that I can continue working. I know that Firefox is not the only company that ignores their users, but it feels especially awful that Firefox is doing this since I stuck with Firefox for years when their browser was second rate, simply because I had all of my notes, etc. in bookmarks. I've made a "suggestion" that Firefox restore the descriptions. However, considering that it seems like they removed this feature with no thought for how this would affect their users, I'm not hopeful that Firefox will care enough to restore this feature.

travllr said

I WILL STOP THE UPDATES, NOW THAT THE RIDICULOUS HAS OCCURRED. It simply amazes me how tech disables its own product, removing key features that are important to documentation and reference (in the era of too much information!!)

Dead_Phish said

With the new release of V62.0 .... my beloved Bookmarks DESCRIPTION field is gone !!! This is like the end of web browsing for me !!! I have done some quick info looking (Bug 1402890, etc) and the comments of some people who like this change just astounds me I look in the description box on most of my personal bookmark launches It is a convenient place to include "self-coded" and "straight-talk" info associated with that site, rather than using 3rd-party password "solutions" with a cloud (that often get hacked, e.g. LastPass) I need to sync bookmarks with 2 PC, but I do NOT sync saved PWs, which I usually only save locally for low-level accounts. I do not have faith in saving PWs on cloud servers. I use key-codes that I have developed over the past 10+ years to easily remember my PWs I could publicly post them on FB and still "sleep well at night" By syncing the PW descriptions, I can change a PW on one PC and then convey that chg via the description field using my key-codes when I do a manual sync. This method works ever so smoothly, and again, I sleep very well at night. I have what is probably a somewhat unique criteria for logins on many sites I use both unique IDs & PWs Case in point, when I check on my credit card accounts ..... I put my #CCs tag in a search, then I see all of my "Credit-Card" bookmarks with the different ID-PW-Info nicely listed in the description field. Then from that one page I can link to new tabs for many of those sites There are two of us in the household that use Firefox on the family PC and the description box allows me to enter in the different ID-PW-info , as needed I have been using Firefox for 13 years, but with the recent changes, I have be trying out the Chrome-Opera-etc scene, but I still greatly prefer the environment of the "Classic" Firefox. However, those "golden" pastures are rapidly disappearing Also, FF is the only one of the major browsers which has the "Master-PW" feature, which may have some reported weaknesses in cloud usage ...... but offers enhanced security when only used locally. Besides, all of my moderate & high-level personal PWs are not saved in their entirety, but with my key-codes in the description fields I'm almost tempted to back-track and stick with an older version (V61), despite the vast increase in security risks. That's how important the bookmark description field is to me I am strongly considering using FF V61 only to view my bookmark descriptions while I browse with an alternative. Of coarse, this would be a maintenance "headache". I have 4,000+ bookmarks already accumulated which obviously increases the problems (OK, some duplication and/or obsolescence) So, it looks like the rest of today (and probably many days thereafter) will be "killed" in trying to recover from this "Progress" !!!

travllr said

I WILL STOP THE UPDATES, NOW THAT THE RIDICULOUS HAS OCCURRED. It simply amazes me how tech disables its own product, removing key features that are important to documentation and reference (in the era of too much information!!)

RonD01 said

I appreciate jscher200's suggestion to try using Zotero. I exported my bookmarks, then installed Zotero, then tried importing the bookmarks. The import died with the following error: "An error occurred while trying to import the selected file. Please ensure that the file is valid and try again." Zotero didn't tell me what to fix, so Zotero is not going to work for me. As I said earlier, it will take days for me to get back to being able to use the information in my Firefox bookmarks so that I can continue working. I know that Firefox is not the only company that ignores their users, but it feels especially awful that Firefox is doing this since I stuck with Firefox for years when their browser was second rate, simply because I had all of my notes, etc. in bookmarks. I've made a "suggestion" that Firefox restore the descriptions. However, considering that it seems like they removed this feature with no thought for how this would affect their users, I'm not hopeful that Firefox will care enough to restore this feature.

I had the same error when I tried to import my bookmarks (HTML file) into Zotero. Then I tried a different approach with Zotero, which gave no error, but I wasn't sure that what really occurred.

Basically, there is somewhat of an "Learning-curve" coming into Zotero "cold", as I'm not sure what some of the terminology really means. I'm just quessing about every other term. I tried to quickly skim through the stratup guide, but I've already wasted a few days as a result of this firefox V62 "improvement". I've been trying this and trying that and I am very hestitant of spending more time on something like Zotero that I'm not sure if I will be happy with the results.

Even after the release of V62, I am constantly going to my other PC which still has V61, so that I can read some of my notes in the Description field.

I'm pretty certain that I will now use Opera (with Chrome Install extension) from now on with my personal PC and keep my wife's PC stuck at V61 so that I have somewhat easy access to my description notes.

I imported ny bookmark file into Opera, but the description field did not transfer. Yes, the Bookmark file still has the "Description" field, as the bookmark file opened correctly in Opera with the "Description" fields shown (albeit in HTML format and not the slick format of "classic" Firefox)

rbir said

WHY would Mozilla do this? I cannot believe that the bookmarks description field was deleted on version 62.0 (64 bit). Worse yet, it was deleted WITHOUT ANY NOTICE! I have about 200 HOURS of time invested in adding the extremely important information into nearly every bookmark description field over many, many years. Now it is gone! All gone! Deleted WITHOUT ANY NOTICE! POOF! It will take me at least 3 X 200 hours to figure out WHAT I am missing and recreate it somewhere else! Where? In a spiral notebook? The more i think about this, the more I shudder!

I too am against the removal of the bookmark description field.....to remedy it I went to an older version of firefox and turned off auto update!

Have any of you who are having problems learning to use or don't understand how to use Zotero considered asking for help in the Zotero support forum? https://forums.zotero.org/ It looks like a quite active forum, as forums go.

Or read the Getting Help page? https://www.zotero.org/support/getting_help

I feel for you all, I have lost more features that I used in Firefox over the years that I cared about as passionately about as you all care about that Description feature, but aiming your ire at the volunteer support contributors does nothing to solve your problem.

Please aim your anger at Mozilla by providing Feedback to Mozilla here: https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/

Why is this marked solved? This isn't solved until it comes back, or we find another browser.

Dockate said

Why is this marked solved? This isn't solved until it comes back, or we find another browser.

With all due respect, this is not your thread. The original poster decides whether to mark a solution, not those who reply. If you want to start your own thread and not marked it solved, you are free to do that.

RonD01 said

It's hard for me to believe that there is so much value in removing this field, value that is bigger than all of the pain that you are causing users, and the ill will that this will generate.

I definitely agree with you. This steps of Mozilla shows their unresponsibility of product mangement. Even if they want to remove such feature they should provide an option, eg. extension to manage this feature.

Such new "features" can be an unexpected blow :/. I had such surprises in the past. Just as an addition I'll drop some ideas how to be prepared or aleviate such pains in the future:

- regular full bookmarks backup to JSON (HTML is sufficient only for basic aplication) - get familiar with basic SQL and fetch data straight from sqlite.places - http://sqlitebrowser.org/ might be helpful - create another mozilla profile with copied content of your updated firefox and use it with legacy firefox - that's what I did with some legacy plugins

marked as solved by the OP almost2 months ago - locking this thread as it has fallen off the rails