Cannot browse support forum without an account
How do I browse the support forum without logging into an account? The answer, apparently, is that I don't. It's not possible to click my way in there if I'm not logged in. I can search for specific threads, but I'll never know what the search function might have missed.
Is there a sensible reason for this?
And where, exactly, should I post this question?
According to this page: support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/other "This site is [sic] only provides support for some of our products. For other support, please find your product below." The Mozilla website itself is apparently unsupported, whatever that means. The "Contact Us" link in the footer leads to regional offices and social media, it seems no "traditional" contact options are offered.
Modified by Jens Lyn IV
Chosen solution
Epicaleb, of course the link works; the page is public. My point is that there is no link in the first place until you create an account. The link you posted doesn't count since unregistered users can't get to this thread without first searching for it.
Yes, jscher2000, my point exactly. But if a relevant support thread lacks the keywords most likely to be used to find it, no amount of searching will reveal it. Browsing is the only workaround for that.
That said: one thing I don't see much in this support forum, unlike many other such places, is third parties "spamming" existing threads with related-but-different support requests. The more I ponder that, the more I tend to agree with the current procedure, even if I find it annoyingly limiting; anything that improves the chance of a support request being met with a helpful response seems to take priority over not having to answer the same questions ad nauseam.
(I still think the "contact us" page should offer a way to report problems with the website itself, even if this isn't one.)
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Hi!
The Support Forum home for all Mozilla products and services can be found here. Once you're there, you can click on the links for specific product (Firefox, etc) support.
I hope that solved your problem!
If it did, would you please choose this answer as your solution? It would help other Firefox users to find help on the forums faster and more efficiently. Thanks!
And of course, feel free to post back if you need more help!
Happy browsing!
Modified by Epicaleb
This forum's search engine is very limited. You can use Google to search the forum by targeting it with the site: operator. For example,
remove conduit
would be:
https://www.google.com/search?q=remove+conduit+site%3Asupport.mozilla.org
You can use Google's search tools bar to limit results to a particular period (e.g., last month, last year) and you can use quotation marks and connections (e.g., "firefox 29" or firefox-30) and... well, you get the idea.
Epicaleb, where other than in the 'contributor tools' menu did you find that link? Keep in mind that this menu does not appear unless you're signed in.
jscher2000, I'm aware of the utility of site-specific Google searches, my point is that searching the support forum is fundamentally different from browsing it, and that the latter is only possible for registered users even though the support threads are public.
Is the forum home page really intended to be an orphan page for unregistered users?
Hmmm...the link works for me even when I'm signed out. It should look like the attached image below. To reach the Firefox Support Forum (the one your thread is on), you'd click the Firefox Support Forum button, and so on for each product's forum.
I hope that solved your problem!
If it did, would you please choose this answer as your solution? It would help other Firefox users to find help on the forums faster and more efficiently. Thanks!
And of course, feel free to post back if you need more help!
Happy browsing!
The support home page does have a search box that is available if you are not logged in.
Edit: I see what you're saying now. You would like to simply read the latest Q&A. The site is not designed for general browsing, but for answering specific questions.
Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
Chosen Solution
Epicaleb, of course the link works; the page is public. My point is that there is no link in the first place until you create an account. The link you posted doesn't count since unregistered users can't get to this thread without first searching for it.
Yes, jscher2000, my point exactly. But if a relevant support thread lacks the keywords most likely to be used to find it, no amount of searching will reveal it. Browsing is the only workaround for that.
That said: one thing I don't see much in this support forum, unlike many other such places, is third parties "spamming" existing threads with related-but-different support requests. The more I ponder that, the more I tend to agree with the current procedure, even if I find it annoyingly limiting; anything that improves the chance of a support request being met with a helpful response seems to take priority over not having to answer the same questions ad nauseam.
(I still think the "contact us" page should offer a way to report problems with the website itself, even if this isn't one.)
Modified by Jens Lyn IV