A lot of JavaScript functionality was killed off in Firefox 7.0.1 and that includes typing or pasting javascript into the location bar (address bar). You had to jump through hoops for Firefox 6 -- now there are no viable solutions for a lot of what we do.

The alternatives within Firefox that might allow you hobble by are quite inadequate, I would say stick with what works for you for now,

• Javascript command not working from address bar | Firefox Support Forum | Firefox Help

Starting in Firefox 6 javascript in the url-bar runs with a null security principal for security reasons. This means it's almost disabled. You need a bookmarklet or an add-on for a workaround. See question 871828.
Bug 656433 - Disallow javascript: and data: URLs entered into the location bar from inheriting the principal of the currently-loaded page

Starting in Firefox 7 window moving and resizing is no longer allowed with a few exceptions. See question 880032.
Bug 565541 - Web sites shouldn't be allowed to resize main window The great AwesomeBar features of Firefox have been compromised so that searching of bookmarks from sidebar, library, or location bar is unreliable. You could always turn JavaScript off, and had some limitations if you expected or ran into trouble before but now Firefox simply does not perform well and it is all the more exasperating when you find out that most of the troubles result from stripping out code which results in errors slowing things down and now in blocking features that you expect in a browser.

Thank you. I feel better in that I am so 'tech-compromised,' I assumed I messed up. Don't even know what add-ons or bookmarklets are. At the moment, when I hit sites that post messages to say I need to have JavaScript to use the site, I simply switch to the Safari browser.

Again, thanks for your help.

I should have asked what site is telling you that you don't have JavaScript, since JavaScript is builtin or at least included in all browsers. Url please. Message would normally be that you have JavaScript turned off.

JavaScript and Java are not the same thing. Java would have to be installed though few sites and few Firefox extensions actually require it.

You're on a Mac OS X 10.6 and it looks to me like you have Java plugin ("Java Plug-In 2 for NPAPI Browsers"). You can check here by clicking on the "Verify installation" button at http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp

When installing software only install what you needed, many otherwise "reputable" are suggesting and defaulting the installation of additional software categorically referred to as "crapware", and often difficult to remove particularly toolbars. Here is one example of added crapware...

• http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/javainstall.png/