Messing with about:config
Aug. 22nd, 2025 08:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
writerkitI am always excessively pleased with myself when I successfully go beyond the instructions while messing with computers. It's just something about the fact that I figured a thing out by myself, even if it's a small thing. I messed with my settings and it worked! (This is how I justify my use of Linux. I don't do a lot of messing around with its scripts--but I have the option, when something annoys me enough.)
In this case, the problem was actually my browser, not my operating system. I updated Firefox and disabling the AI chatbot was no longer sufficient; I had to disable a new integrated AI summary pop-up. (A profoundly annoying one. I am very disappointed in you, Firefox.)
Now, the thing I originally set to false was browser.ml.chat.enabled. This disabled the AI chatbot.
New update added the AI summary pop-up every time I clicked on a link. The internet suggested that the thing I needed to disable to deactivate the entire integrated AI was browser.ml.enable, so I set that to false.
This did not get rid of the AI summary pop-up.
Rather than go hunting for more precise instructions, I went "hey, browser.ml seems to be common thread here; I wonder what else is under browser.ml?" As it turns out, a lot of things, some of which are bolded and all of which are named descriptively enough that you can tell what their deal is. One of these things is browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled, which seemed like it might be thing I was trying to get rid of. So I set that to false and went back to click on some links.
No pop-up.
I am cautiously optimistic that this has fixed the problem.
(Yes, this is extremely basic problem-solving. But it's unusual for me to actively problem-solve my computer rather than go find a ready-made solution on Reddit.)
In this case, the problem was actually my browser, not my operating system. I updated Firefox and disabling the AI chatbot was no longer sufficient; I had to disable a new integrated AI summary pop-up. (A profoundly annoying one. I am very disappointed in you, Firefox.)
Now, the thing I originally set to false was browser.ml.chat.enabled. This disabled the AI chatbot.
New update added the AI summary pop-up every time I clicked on a link. The internet suggested that the thing I needed to disable to deactivate the entire integrated AI was browser.ml.enable, so I set that to false.
This did not get rid of the AI summary pop-up.
Rather than go hunting for more precise instructions, I went "hey, browser.ml seems to be common thread here; I wonder what else is under browser.ml?" As it turns out, a lot of things, some of which are bolded and all of which are named descriptively enough that you can tell what their deal is. One of these things is browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled, which seemed like it might be thing I was trying to get rid of. So I set that to false and went back to click on some links.
No pop-up.
I am cautiously optimistic that this has fixed the problem.
(Yes, this is extremely basic problem-solving. But it's unusual for me to actively problem-solve my computer rather than go find a ready-made solution on Reddit.)
