Ok this is rubish, so when it used to make all windows private when I clicked a link from anther source it would be private (I mean a hyperlink from an email, irc, or other medium) it would open the link in the private mode.

I do this now and it opens it in the non private windows! Way to go now I have that link in my history and can be tracked with any other google cookie already set on my other session!

You either need to fix this or put it back to how it was! Whats the point in a private mode if it opens links in the non private mode?!? I guess chrome or opera look more attractive now!

Look my fire foxy friends its real easy. When we say 'private browsing please' then all activity from that point on should be private until we say 'stop private browsing'. Honestly its that simple - dont make it so hard with all this complicated conceptual stuff. Private should be all or nothing.

You can make this tab private with the Private Tab extension.

• Private Tab: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/private-tab/

The Firefox menu button gets purple or you get a purple PB mask on the menu bar or tab bar (Linux) if you are in a PB tab and all Private Browsing mode tabs get a dashed underlining unless you are in permanent PB mode.

I'm currently using v21)

I think what you need to know about the current Private Browsing is that ALL private windows share the same session (cookies, login, etc ...). The "New Private windows" should be "Open Private Session" and there will be only One private session.

It is going to be messy with private tab ! People wil be confusing windows and tabs. It'd be better if they have an option so that you can choose to have normal and private simultaneously (for those who know what they are doing) and default, not simultaneous private/normal session, as before v19, for people who is afraid to be confused.

For those who just want only private, they have already the "start by default in private" and the option "Never rember history" or "Clear firefox history when Firefox closes"

Not, really. The Private Tab extension will clearly display a purple PB mode mask to indicate that you are in a PB mode tab and you can toggle any tab between Private mode and regular mode, even if you are in permanent PB mode.

right. I'm still like the old way then the new one. new private browsing or new private tab are just make more user confussing. still, I don't get it. In the future after new private browsing there is new private tab. There's no need to bee like that. I most likely is open one window and one tab in one click. Like the old way. That's all I need.

My biggest problem with the new private browsing system is that any links opened from outside of Firefox will automatically open in a NON-PRIVATE window, even if a private window is available. This means that I can no longer click on links in an email, or open an .html file in a private window... now, I'm forced to use "File->Open" from inside of FF, which is far less convenient.

Note that with the Private Tab extension you can make any tab private or normal at any time via the right-click context menu of this tab on the tab bar.

• Bug 829180 - Externally opened urls may open in private browsing windows
• Bug 856839 - External Links Always Open in A New Non-Private Window

Please DO NOT comment in bug reports: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html

After missing the old PB option through an upgrade and coming here to find out why, I have to ask. WHY? There are so many negative responses to this "latest and greatest" feature, would it really be so hard to backup on this one and revert? Or at least make it an option? I liked the way you could toggle between PB and normal without having to shutdown and restart FF. This is one of those things that just makes life more difficult than easy...

Russ

The faithful first began following the prophet 'Mozilla' because it made music to our ears, making promises of helping to protect us from the commercial greed of MS, Big Business and government intrusion. Do recent changes and the difficult process to keep our private matters private indicate that our angel of light has fallen, and has become no different than the forces of evil that we first chose to escape?'

Hi Terrified, if you have a concern about a particular feature, please be specific. This thread started way back in April with Firefox 20's change which allowed you to mix private and non-private windows in the same session rather than having completely different private and non-private sessions. What are you referring to when you refer to "recent changes and the difficult process to keep our private matters private"?

Future Firefox versions will support Private Browsing per tab, this is already available as an extension.

• Private Tab: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/private-tab/

The Firefox menu button gets a purple background or you get a purple PB mask on the menu bar or tab bar (Linux) when you are in a PB tab and all Private Browsing mode tabs get a dashed underlining unless you are in permanent PB mode.

cor-el, thank you for the helpful answer, and for apparently being informed enough to take my comments on the larger picture facing us all in terms of privacy in stride.