Using Linux Mint 16 with FireFox31 with Yahoo as default search engine.
Why they would include M$ in the works is beyond me.
I did find in gui menus how to change search engines but ixquick is not included? Probly cuz it's harder to spy on ye. Anyone got any idears how to get ixquick set up as a search engine in Firefox31~with~M$Yahoo? Thanxye

In the US, use Startpage. It's the local US brand. Easy enough to find as an addon.

if you want to change the default search engine for urlbar searches, it's possible. type "about:config" in a new tab, and ... i forgot ... maybe you have to google it first (pun intended).

I'm using Iceweasel v. 30.0 (just Firefox rebranded). On the left edge of the search bar I have the Duckduckgo (SSL) icon signifying that I've selected that as my search engine. Clicking on the downward arrow just on the left-side of the icon opens a drop-down menu the last item of which is "Manage Search Engines". Using that I can install any search engine I wish.
jdk

oh, i thought that was in seamonkey only.
i don't like that feature so much, i'd rather like to define a default search engine for the urlbar. which, i think, was the way in earlier versions of FF.
so does anybody know if about:config can still be tweaked accordingly? oh, yeah, like i myself said, i should just google it...

Do you really change default search engines that often? You do define default search engines by this method. You just click on the search engine you want to be the default one (there is a list of them to start with: Ask.com, Google, etc. I have added a bunch: HONsearch, WOT Safe Search, Duckduckgo SSL, etc. If I define my default search engine by this method and then look at about:config, I find this:
So about:config reflects the changes I have made using the method I described above. This seems much simpler than editing the about:config page and achieves identical results. I guess I don't really understand what you want.
jdk

What kind of drugs are you folks on???
Nevermind figgered it out on my own and changed it.

Is that a strange way of saying "thank you"? If so, you're quite welcome. I'm sure it isn't as rude as it sounds.
jdk

some browsers always default to google when you search from the urlbar. this is what i mean by "default search engine". iirc, until recently firefox also worked like this, but i could be wrong.
anyhow it was possible to change that to, say, ixquick or duckduckgo; if not in firefox then in other browsers.

as to why i don't like the current behavior: i use lots of specialised search engines, and it's annoying when i press enter on a search from the urlbar, and it opens the results in, say, youtube search.

You are wrong. I could always change my browser's (Firefox/Iceweasel) default browser for as far back as I can remember. I don't particularly like having any dealings with Google so I was not really keen to trust it to do my searching.
As I said, always was possible and still is (as of version 30.0)

I have never experienced that behaviour. I select my default search engine and it stays with that search engine until I tell it otherwise. When I am looking for results on health issues I change the search engine to HON and a different icon appears to remind me I did this. When I'm done searching for health related issues then I switch back to Duckduckgo SSL. No problem.
jdk

As far back as I can remember, and that's pretty far, you could, and still can, add as many search engines to Firefox as you like. But Firefox has two different search windows - the URL window, and the actual search window, usually to the right of that. On Firefox, you shouldn't be using the URL window for searches, but the actual search window. You can change the search engine you want to use there, at any time. The URL window just keeps your history, not the default search engine.

You're welcome.

do you mean you are using keywords to change search engines for urlbar searches?
or can you actually define a default search engine for searches that are not prepended by a keyword?
and by default i mean, no matter what icon is visible in the search bar?

i'd really like that behavior.

(are we clear on terms? urlbar = where you put the http address; search bar = the smaller bar, usually on the right of the url bar?)

(using seamonkey 2.26.1)

No I am not talking about the urlbar; I'm talking about the search bar which is located to the right of the urlbar. I described how I do it in a previous post. I define a search engine by clicking on the downward arrow just to the right of the icon representing the current default search engine. I probably don't really understand what you are trying to do and why.
jdk

simple

https://ixquick.com/uk/download-ixquick-plugin.html
Edit: just noticed these links have UK in them, edit to suit your preference

or startpage

https://startpage.com/uk/download-startpage-plugin.html

then, tick the "make default" box

Note, if you use noscript addon yo will need to whitelist ( at least temporally ) in order to see the install button.

Also worth noting you can add these to Firefox Android, go to ixquick.com or startpage.com . opt for 'classic' then the install in firefox