about:robots: The Firefox Easter Egg Where Robots Welcome Humans
Type about:robots into the Firefox address bar and the browser shows a hidden page where robots welcome humans. I first found this Firefox easter egg in Firefox 3 back in 2008. This article explains what the page shows, where its jokes come from, and a few other hidden Firefox pages to try.
Quick answer: about:robots is a hidden Firefox page added in Firefox 3. Its tab title reads “Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!” and the page greets you with “Welcome Humans!” plus a list of robot jokes from science fiction. It is still part of Firefox’s code today, so you can open it by typing about:robots in the address bar.
Table of Contents
What the about:robots page shows
The page looks like a Firefox error page, but with a robot twist. It says “Welcome Humans!” and that the robots have come in peace and with goodwill. Below that is a short list of robot facts, each a nod to famous science fiction, followed by “And they have a plan.” There is even a “Try Again” button that asks you not to press it again.
The movie and book references in about:robots
- “Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!”: the page title. In the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still, the phrase Klaatu barada nikto stops the robot Gort from destroying the Earth.
- Robots may not injure a human being: Isaac Asimov’s First Law of Robotics.
- Robots have seen things you people wouldn’t believe: a nod to Roy Batty’s speech in Blade Runner.
- Your Plastic Pal Who’s Fun To Be With: the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation slogan from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
- Shiny metal posteriors which should not be bitten: a joke on Bender’s catchphrase in Futurama.
- And they have a plan: the tagline of the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica.
When I first saw the title, I wondered what it meant. Google and Wikipedia had the answer, as always.
How to open about:robots in Firefox
- Open Firefox on your computer.
- Click the address bar, type
about:robotsand press Enter. - The robot welcome page opens in the current tab.
It is a harmless page and changes nothing in your browser.
More Firefox easter eggs and hidden pages
- about:mozilla: shows a verse from the fictional Book of Mozilla.
- about:credits: lists people who have contributed to Mozilla projects.
- about:config: the advanced settings page. Accept the warning first, and only change settings you understand. Our guide to speeding up Firefox uses a few safe tweaks.
Also see how to customize the Firefox toolbar. If you enjoy hidden fun like this, try our list of Google easter eggs that still work. You can also read what easter eggs are in software and media.
FAQ
Does about:robots still work in Firefox?
Yes. The about:robots page is still in Firefox’s code, so typing it in the address bar opens the robot welcome page.
Does about:robots work in Chrome?
No. It is a Firefox page. Chrome has its own internal pages, which start with chrome://.
What does Klaatu barada nikto mean?
It is a made-up phrase from the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still, used to stop the robot Gort from destroying the Earth.
When was about:robots added to Firefox?
It appeared in Firefox 3, released in 2008.
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You really should click the ‘Try Again’ button!
This is a useful blog, I located your blog page researching yahoo for a similar subject and came to this. I couldnt discover to much alternative material on this write-up, so it was great to discover this one. I will certainly be back to look at some other posts that you have another time.
hilarious indeed..
Wow.. I just upgrade to Firefox 3.. and now I learn new trick.. haha.. thanks a lot