What's going on with YouTube?

[Chris Edgell]

Today I typed in "YouTube" in the address box and it no longer takes me to YouTube the way it used to -- it takes me to a regular information page where I would be choosing what site I want to visit.

[What DO you call this type of page?????]

What's going on, have you experienced this too?

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

Nope. I just did it. It took me to YouTube.

If you're using firefox and you don't put in a valid web address, then I think firefox searches for the website using your default search provider (google here).

Try: http://www.youtube.com

[HappinessNow]

Today I typed in "YouTube" in the address box and it no longer takes me to YouTube the way it used to -- it takes me to a regular information page where I would be choosing what site I want to visit.

[What DO you call this type of page?????]

What's going on, have you experienced this too?

not sure what you're talking about, do you have a screen shot?

[pwnst*r]

more details would be a start.

[djmh]

upon initially misspelling youtube...i typed youtune, and it took me to youtube, but after typing youtube it brings me to a google page ...im using firefox, what browsers are you on ?

im sure diffferent browsers handle it differently ?

[djmh]

im thinking hes talking about a google search page like im getting ... at least thats what it sounds like to me ...

[djmh]

regular information page where I would be choosing what site I want to visit.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

That's what I said. Firefox (well really the DNS server) can't resolve an address at youtube (because youtube isn't a valid address). So instead Firefox searches using what I'm assuming is his default search provider.

[pwnst*r]

upon initially misspelling youtube...i typed youtune, and it took me to youtube, but after typing youtube it brings me to a google page ...im using firefox, what browsers are you on ?

im sure diffferent browsers handle it differently ?

Chrome.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

i typed youtune
Haha. I just did the the same thing to test it out. Went to YouTube.
Firefox.

Anyway, @ the OP: YouTube is working just fine. It's a browser issue that is taking you to Google instead of Youtube. Use a full domain name like www.youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com) and you're guaranteed to get there, or just do what you're doing and choose the link from the Google Search.

[Chris Edgell]

In this endeavor, will you PLEASE be so kind as to use the correct terminology, if, in your answer the terminology comes up?

I have "always" been using Mozilla Firefox, I have not dabbled in any changes to my browser.

I have always typed somewhat general terminology for the address I want, like "YouTube" and my browser fills in the rest and takes me there when I hit the little green triangle that serves as a "Go" button. [See screenshot #1]

Today, of all days, the first day of the year, when I do this to listen to a particular song, it doesn't take me to "YouTube" per se, it take me to a Google search page.

I've never even had any other exact URL?

[dryklaice]

just bookmark the yt homepage?

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

You either need to bookmark youtube (go to youtube and click Bookmarks > Bookmark this page) or allow firefox to remember your history. Edit > Preferences > Privacy (not sure what the options here are because I'm using Firefox 3.5.6.

BTW, I suggest you take that second picture down, because it's got your email address in it.

[Chris Edgell]

[Crunchy, I don't know how to do that...]

So is there no one who can say why, what has worked for a year and a half, no longer works?

Although, Crunchy, I can get there by typing YouTube.com.

So I've had my question answered, Nothing going on with YouTube, and I know how to get there. Thanks.

Christine

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

[Crunchy, I don't know how to do that...]

So is there no one who can say why, what has worked for a year and a half, no longer works?

Christine

Is it possible that you received an update to Firefox recently? An update might have changed your privacy policy. Or someone (a husband or child, might have cleared your history). The obvious fix is to allow Firefox to remember your history. In my version of Firefox (3.5.6), you would click:

Edit, then choose preferences.
The Preferences dialogue is open now. Click the Privacy icon and on the privacy tab choose remember my history.

It might be different for your version of Firefox but the idea is the same. Allow Firefox to remember your history.

EDIT: If someone did clear your history then you will need to visit all of those sites again before they will show up automatically. If you always want them to show up regardless of the status of your history then you need to bookmark them as I described earlier.

[a2z]

might I suggest just typing (4) characters before youtube.

Try www.youtube ...... it works for me ;)

[Chris Edgell]

Crunchy, I see that you really answered my question in the first response to my question, yes, Firefox would fill it out by remembering my history.

I have not been to YouTube for some time, there may have been some kind of update that I didn't think about.

Will you be kind enough to tell me how to delete a screenshot in a former post?

[chriswyatt]

No that is strange. I also get sent to the Google search page, I assume maybe Google might've changed something on their side. Any changes to your DNS server or have you turned internet keywords on by accident?

http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/internet-keywords.html

I read here and if internet keywords is off it does domain checking, and it sends me straight to the YouTube page.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

Crunchy, I see that you really answered my question in the first response to my question, yes, Firefox would fill it out by remembering my history.

I have not been to YouTube for some time, there may have been some kind of update that I didn't think about.

Will you be kind enough to tell me how to delete a screenshot in a former post?
Go up to the post and click edit. Next, choose the button that says "Go Advanced." Near the bottom of the page should be a box that shows your attachments or you may need to choose the button that says manage attachments. Choose the file name of the picture you wish to delete and select remove from post.

This may not be the exact wording. It's been a while since I've deleted a picture from the ubuntu forums because I usually link to an offsite hosting service.

[Chris Edgell]

Chriswyatt, now I don't feel so bad, knowing that something different DID happen... and not just to me.

And Crunchy, thanks for the delete information!

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

No that is strange. I also get sent to the Google search page, I assume maybe Google might've changed something on their side. Any changes to your DNS server or have you turned internet keywords on by accident?

http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/internet-keywords.html

I read here and if internet keywords is off it does domain checking, and it sends me straight to the YouTube page.
I think it is on by default. I get the same behavior. We found that for whatever reason if you type Youtune then it takes you to youtube. That probably means that Firefox's database of keywords is messed up, because both google and the DNS take you to Youtube (if you use a proper address).

[chriswyatt]

By the way, OpenDNS has got a nifty feature where you can define your own 'shortcuts' as it calls them e.g. youtube can send you to www.youtube.com, mail can send you to mail.google.com etc. Something you might find quite useful.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

By the way, OpenDNS has got a nifty feature where you can define your own 'shortcuts' as it calls them e.g. youtube can send you to www.youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com), mail can send you to mail.google.com etc. Something you might find quite useful.
You can do that by editing your /etc/hosts file also. :) The easiest solution as far as Firefox is concerned though is to just bookmark stuff.

[Chris Edgell]

I have never thought of bookmark as doing anything but the way I use them.
That is: when I go to history and see all those file folders that I have chosen to name; blogs, newspapers, books, Ubuntu, reread, etc. wherein are kept all these bookmarked pages.

Do you care to elaborate upon what you are proposing in the way of bookmarks, how it would work; would it be in the dropdown for me to select as soon as I started typing the URL or something?

I do thank you all, especially you, Crunchy, for hanging in while it unfolded for me.

And a happy new year.

[zaksworld]

I have experienced this too, and it drove me nuts.

It happened when I switched internet carriers. Sometimes when I type in a site I want to go to without the .com or www. it takes me to an information page too.

It doesn't happen with youtube, but it does happen with other sites. This hasn't been a huge problem, so I've never looked into it. Sorry.

[Chris Edgell]

Thank you for putting in your experience also.

[Exodist]

Thank you for putting in your experience also.
I had an issue where I could get on the web, but not HTML websites. FTP and everything else worked. It drove me crazy. So removed firefox and re installed it. Didnt fix it.
2nd time a purged firefox and then reinstalled it and worked like a charm.

sudo apt-get purge firefox
sudo apt-get install firefox

Try that, it may be a corrupted file somewhere or a bad entry screwing with something. Best help I can offer without seeing whats going on for myself.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

@ Christine, yes items that are bookmarked appear in the list of recommended sites when you begin typing their names (the name you assigned them when you bookmarked them). They also appear in the bookmarks dropdown menu if you click that. History is different than a bookmark because your history is constantly changing. Every site you visit is automatically added to your history and your history is usually regularly deleted by your browser (every couple of weeks or so) but there are settings that let you set the amount of time before your history is deleted, if at all. Bookmarks are permanent. You could think of them as an address book that firefox uses to find your favorite sites.

P.S. You're very welcome. I've been working on the PC all day, so it's nice to have a little breather now and then and help out on the forums.

[mechro]

Typing "youtube" in address bar I get...

Opera Browser using openDNS = openDNS Google page.

Opera Browser using my ISP's DNS = regular YouTube page.

Firefox Browser using openDNS = openDNS Google page.

Firefox Browser using my ISP's DNS = regular Google page.

[Chris Edgell]

Oh, yes, I knew that distinction, I had just had some problem with transferring my bookmarks from another machine and now I click "History" when I am going to get that list of the file folders under bookmarks.

Is there something I'm missing if I say that the only way I know how to bookmark is to click that star on the address box?

[mechro]

You can create a bookmark by clicking the star or by choosing Bookmarks > Bookmark This Page on the top line of your Firefox Browser.

Also you should see all your Bookmarks and Bookmark Folders by choosing Bookmarks on the top line of your Firefox Browser.

[Chris Edgell]

Oh, yeah, that IS how it would be, it WOULD have to be a URL to mark a site as a bookmark or favorite. I get it...(sometimes it takes a while...)

Thank you too mechro

Happy new year

[papangul]

I am using google's DNS and I made the following observations:

Opera: Typing just 'youtube' and pressing enter takes me to the normal youtube page.

Firefox: It takes me to the normal google search page and I find myself logged into my google account.

Chrome: Chrome autofills the '.com' part and takes me to the normal youtube page. If I deliberately delete the '.com' part, it takes me to the normal google search page.

[Chris Edgell]

Okay, papagul, Now what I'm saying is that, what you're sayin' about Opera -- that's what Firefox was doin' for me...until today!

You did put it into words so well...exactly...what I'm sayin'!!

[papangul]

-- that's what Firefox was doin' for me...until today!

The change in behaviour could be either due to:

1.Some update that changed firefox's settings, or

2.Some change in the configurations of the domain name server you use.

I haven't updated my system for weeks, so my guess is that the administrator of the domain-name-servers you use has changed some of it's settings, so that it has ceased to behave 'smartly'.

[Nixie Pixel]

In this endeavor, will you PLEASE be so kind as to use the correct terminology, if, in your answer the terminology comes up?

I have "always" been using Mozilla Firefox, I have not dabbled in any changes to my browser.

I have always typed somewhat general terminology for the address I want, like "YouTube" and my browser fills in the rest and takes me there when I hit the little green triangle that serves as a "Go" button. [See screenshot #1]

Today, of all days, the first day of the year, when I do this to listen to a particular song, it doesn't take me to "YouTube" per se, it take me to a Google search page.

I've never even had any other exact URL?
I think, reading the thread, that you're referring to FireFox's auto-complete, yes? What this does is bring up a list of bookmarked and recently visited sites as you begin typing.

This list will change based on how often and how recently you visited sites, and what bookmarks you have created.

I have noticed that sometimes FireFox can be very slow in Ubuntu, and when it is slow, certain functions won't be as responsive as they once were. So instead of your browser completing youtube.com for you as you type youtube, you will hit "enter" before the browser catches up to you, and you are taken to a search page (or in my case OpenDNS).

Maybe that is what is happening here?

[Chris Edgell]

Ah, Nixie Pixel...THAT is exactly what it is! I didn't even realize I was doing that until I read your post..And that's it!

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'd have been clicking around, looking for the complete address every time I put in an old and familiar address, I'd have been combing my history, trying to cobble an address book.

I can go on doing what I've been doing. I am SO glad you caught this, it's like wrapping this all up with a great big red bow...what a perfect big finish.

So one more time I thank you and have a great new year!

[Chris Edgell]

But, darn it, I have confessed to this before...getting carried away before I actually go see about it.

Nixie Pixel, you DID get it right, about auto-finish...that IS how it was; I say was, because it NO LONGER finishes the address automatically as before, although the complete address IS listed in the drop-down menu, and so is totally handy...but there has been some change to the way the partial address is handled by FireFox.