Major changes have been implemented in the Firefox codebase in preparation for the upcoming release of Firefox 147 on January 13. One significant change involves the browser’s utilization of the default directory “~/.config/mozilla” to store profiles, add-ons, settings, and internal databases on UNIX-like systems. Previously, the cache was stored in the directory “~/.cache/mozilla”. These modifications were made to adhere to the specifications outlined in the Freedesktop.org XDG Base Directory, a change that had been requested since 2004.
Although the default directory has been updated, users still have the option to store data in the old “~/.mozilla” directory. This can be activated at startup by setting the environment variable “MOZ_LEGACY_HOME=1”. These changes aim to improve the organization and efficiency of Firefox’s file storage system, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.