Originally Posted by
veti
The issue with using the main address bar for search is that if you have that enabled, every keystroke you enter into it gets sent immediately to Google. Even if you paste a complete URL straight into the address bar, Google (or your favoured search provider) gets it within milliseconds.
Some people, me included, find that troubling from a privacy point of view. So Mozilla, wisely I think, gives you the option not to do it. (Unlike Chrome, which is all about sending as much information to Google as humanly possible.)