Firefox’s test function loads a page from the Internet Archive instead of 404 error

In May of this code, Mozilla updated its service Test Pilot Program. This service, according to the developers of the browser Firefox, helps to "run in" the new features of the browser. Any user who wants to try out these functions can do this by joining the team of “pioneers” on the appropriate page . You can enable or disable any test feature at any time.

Representatives of the company warned that the new products presented on the Test Pilot page may not work perfectly. But for this you need a “run-in” - the company needs to know about the problem in advance in order to eliminate it in the final release. Now on the Test Pilot page there is information about Firefox No More 404s. If you enable this feature, the browser will show not a 404 error in place of the page missing from the server, but a version of this page from the Internet Archive. This will only work if the page ever existed at all and if its copy is saved by the “spiders” of the Wayback Machine.

The principle of operation of Firefox No More 404s is simple. The browser with the enabled function analyzes the response codes for the error "404 not found". And if the situation allows, Firefox will show the page saved in the archive, which the server hosting the site you are searching for cannot be shown for some reason. Very part of the error "404 not found" appears due to the fact that the page was simply deleted. At the same time, the entire site may be deleted.
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If instead of "404 not found" another error is detected or the site redirects the user instead of the missing or non-existent page to another place, the new function will not work. If No More 404s has determined that the missing page or site is in the archive, the user will be shown the following message in the browser window: “This page does not seem to be available. Show saved copy in Wayback Machine. ” This message is simultaneously a link to the desired resource or page.

Now the function does not always work correctly. In some cases, despite the message with the suggestion to show the archive page, it turns out that there is nothing in the Wayback Machine. By the way, there is an excellent analogue of No More 404s in the form of the Resurrect Pages extension. This extension supports the Internet Archive, works with the search engine cache and other archival resources.

In order to get started with Firefox No More 404s, you need to start installing the Test Pilot extension. Installation will allow to work with other innovations. This is an Activity Stream, Teb Center, Universal Search.



Activity Stream makes browsing the visited pages more efficient, saving users time. The function helps to find the site that was visited, seemed important to the user, but the address of the resource was forgotten. When you open a new tab, the user is shown a list of the most frequently visited sites and tips on the journal of visited pages.

Tab Center displays tabs vertically, not horizontally. Many users like this tabbed display mode more than the traditional one.

Universal Search combines the Awesome Bar story with the Firefox Search drop down menu. This is done so that the user can quickly find the information he needs.