Since security upgrade yesterday switched to the 38 series, instead of a
nice Gtk based preferences dialog a get a fake webpage :-( And now I
cannot activate any of the widgets on that fake webpage with the
keyboard.  And searching for text on the fake webpage (in order to shift
focus) doesn't work either.  So, reaching for the pointing device is the
only solution.  How are the rodent allergic among us supposed to cope?

That's not true. You still can, but it's not necessarily visible.
Filed https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1194530

There's also the issue that keyboard shortcuts don't work, so you are
kind of stuck with the Tab key.
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1194528

CTRL+F works for me.

You can go to about:config and turn browser.preferences.inContent false,
but I can't guarantee that'll work forever. (at least, that won't change
in a 38.x)

Mike

This is actually what I meant by my report, but since I discovered that
Alt+Shift+<letter> works.  I would note that on the bugzilla but I don't
have an account :-P

Odd, I tried again, still doesn't work.  Slash doesn't either.

Maybe we should close this bug and open a new one just for the search?

Ok, it's weird. It works partially for me. That is, CTRL+F does bring
the find bar, and typing text in there finds it in the preferences
page... in some cases.

On the "General" screen, for example, I can find "when" but not "warn".

Mike

I also had the same problem. inContent preferences use, for several dialogs,
fake windows that cannot be detached, that do not respect the general GTK
style, that use inferior widgets and often do not resize properly (content just
overflows or breaks when shrinked below a certain size).

It is a regression in every sense.

And now, with ff/iceweasel 42, the fallback is gone.

Oh, and meanwhile ff 42 adds a new "settings" icon in the new empty tab page,
with a *new* animation that cannot be disabled.

Way to go Mozilla.