This is for Firefox 7.0 and up.

The 'http://' URL prefix is now hidden by default.

Want to keep it visible? Do this:

• about:config in the address bar
  
• Search for: browser.urlbar.trimURLs
  
• Change the value from True to False and restart Firefox.
  

This really should be an option in the options dialog.

IMO they only did this to copy Chrome and look like other browsers.

Incidentally, it's only for http:// not for https:// i.e. not for "secure" connections.

The good point is that Firefox is so much more configurable than anything else available, once you find out the "magic" option name buried in about:config.

(OffTopic) I say "secure" (in quotes) because with DigiNotar-gate and with the latest MitM (Man-in-the-Middle) attack on TLS (Transport Layer Security) is anything really secure any more?

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The 'http://' URL prefix is now hidden by default..This really should be an option in the options dialog.

+1 Definitely!

Also, if you want to get right to the line you need - browser.urlbar.trimURLs - typing trim, at most trimURLs should get to the line straight away.

Double-clicking browser.urlbar.trimURLs should toggle the line between default / true and user set / false.

I forgot to ask, for those of us who use about:config to tweak Firefox, is there a way to get the configuration page into the Edit menu, not just this tweak but the configuration page altogether?

I've resorted to using a bookmark - http://www.kwikpiks....bout-config.png - I'd prefer to have a link within the menu system.

The Personal Menu extension can do something close to that:

Now you can edit the Firefox Menu and change it to your personal and powerful one!

Personal Menu provides you a couple of new helpful items that available to be put into Firefox Menu: Bookmark Items, History Items, Configuration(about:config), Restart.

In addition, you may create toolbar-box (let you put toolbar-buttons inside), sub-menus and split-menus to organize your Firefox Menu!

Will that do?

Thanks greenknight for the link, appreciated.

I might continue to use bookmarks though, since bookmarks are native to Firefox and within the menu system already - no extensions necessary :)

I've long used a bookmark, myself. After posting that, however, I did get the extension to try out. It's not bad, but I probably won't keep it.

Also, if you don't like the previous change, made in Firefox 6, which was to have only the base domain in black and white and the rest of the URL in the address bar in a rather weedy pale grey, then you can modify browser.urlbar.formatting.enabled to false as well.

So, setting browser.urlbar.formatting.enabled to false will put everything back to black and white

and setting browser.urlbar.trimURLs to false will show http:// again, which is doubly useful because there is a bug with cutting and pasting URLs when it is missing. That bug is marked WONTFIX for Firefox 7.

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Thanks for this info !!

Unpinning this topic as I no longer see it really being a necessary or beneficial tweak. The address bar now shows clearly if it's https or not, even if the protocol is not displayed.