tabbed browsing - is it really that good?
I'm trying to clarify my own thoughts on this matter and would like some feedback as I seem to be at odds with the majority on this one.
First up, an admission: I no longer use tabbed browsing on the Mac but one of my machines at work runs Win2k and I use Mozilla with tabbed browsing on that and I believe this is because the Windows UI sucks.
My reasoning is that managing multiple windows is what the window manager is for. The MacOS X window manager does a freakin' great job of this - I can cyle through windows and apps, I can minimize windows, I can hide all the windows of an app or all the windows except for one app's, I can access a specific window from either the dock or the window menu etc. I can do all this in a way that applies to not just my browser but to damn near every app I own. So what is the benefit of tabbed browsing that I am missing?
The downsides of tabbed browsing:
When you print a page in Omniweb a sheet attaches to that window patiently awaiting user input, not interupting my use of that app or any other. How does this translate to tabs? Other window/tab confusions are close window/tab, open in new window/tab, open pop-ups in new window/tab etc.
How many tabs can you open before the tab title is unreadable, surely vertical lists make more sense? In fact, can anyone give a good reason why tabs don't extend down the right or left of the screen?
My only explanation for my apparantly perverted dislike of tabs is the fact that I regularly reduce the width of my browser window. This makes text easier to read (especially on pages proofread on 800px wide screens). Am I the only one that thinks that not all web pages should be the same width? Another factor is that I don't mind having a 'cluttered' desktop as I find it easy to block out background windows and very rarely use option-zoom to have a window monopolize my desktop. I can only see these trends becoming stronger as I gain greater areas of screen space and higher resolution.
So tabbed browsers of the world, I know that tabbed browsing 'rulez'. But does anyone care to explain why?
First up, an admission: I no longer use tabbed browsing on the Mac but one of my machines at work runs Win2k and I use Mozilla with tabbed browsing on that and I believe this is because the Windows UI sucks.
My reasoning is that managing multiple windows is what the window manager is for. The MacOS X window manager does a freakin' great job of this - I can cyle through windows and apps, I can minimize windows, I can hide all the windows of an app or all the windows except for one app's, I can access a specific window from either the dock or the window menu etc. I can do all this in a way that applies to not just my browser but to damn near every app I own. So what is the benefit of tabbed browsing that I am missing?
The downsides of tabbed browsing:
When you print a page in Omniweb a sheet attaches to that window patiently awaiting user input, not interupting my use of that app or any other. How does this translate to tabs? Other window/tab confusions are close window/tab, open in new window/tab, open pop-ups in new window/tab etc.
How many tabs can you open before the tab title is unreadable, surely vertical lists make more sense? In fact, can anyone give a good reason why tabs don't extend down the right or left of the screen?
My only explanation for my apparantly perverted dislike of tabs is the fact that I regularly reduce the width of my browser window. This makes text easier to read (especially on pages proofread on 800px wide screens). Am I the only one that thinks that not all web pages should be the same width? Another factor is that I don't mind having a 'cluttered' desktop as I find it easy to block out background windows and very rarely use option-zoom to have a window monopolize my desktop. I can only see these trends becoming stronger as I gain greater areas of screen space and higher resolution.
So tabbed browsers of the world, I know that tabbed browsing 'rulez'. But does anyone care to explain why?
Comments
<strong>When you print a page in Omniweb a sheet attaches to that window patiently awaiting user input, not interupting my use of that app or any other. How does this translate to tabs? Other window/tab confusions are close window/tab, open in new window/tab, open pop-ups in new window/tab etc.</strong><hr></blockquote>
i haven't tried printing, so i don't know how that dialog window behaves when tabs are active. as for the confusion, chimera has (i think) a very intuitive way of handling the closing of windows/tabs. i hvaen't used ow or mozilla in a while, so i can't comment on their tabbing. if a window has a tab, then command-w closes the current tab (and selects another as the current). if no tabs exist, then command-w closes the window. popups tend to go in a new window (tho i hope this will chg). command-n opens a new window (tabless). and command-t (i think it's 't'), opens a new tab (if you already have an open window).
[quote]<strong>How many tabs can you open before the tab title is unreadable, surely vertical lists make more sense? In fact, can anyone give a good reason why tabs don't extend down the right or left of the screen?</strong><hr></blockquote>
chimera starts a single horizontal list, but when it becomes full, it makes the list along several lines (so it looks the kind of liking a filing cabinet, with the tabs sticking out). i think mozilla does this too.
<strong>First up, an admission: I no longer use tabbed browsing on the Mac but one of my machines at work runs Win2k and I use Mozilla with tabbed browsing on that and I believe this is because the Windows UI sucks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I am the same way (I use tabs in Windows and not in OSX.2) and I find the reason to be that because OSX is slower there is no real advantage to using the tabs.
The browsers that use tabs in OSX are slow compared to their Windows counterparts and that really just irritates me so I am far less likely to want to run different windows within a browser.
[quote]<strong>I can cyle through windows and apps,</strong><hr></blockquote>
alt-tab
(alt-F6 for inside a specific app)
[quote]<strong>I can minimize windows,</strong><hr></blockquote>
heh
[quote][qb]I can hide all the windows of an app or all the windows except for one app's,<hr></blockquote>
I like this feature, the closest I can find in Windows is Show Desktop (a button on the taskbar right next to the star menu or WindowsKey+D).
One thing I like about tabbed browsing in Windows is that I can minimized one mozilla app and all the pages I'm viewing are minimized. I still miss the Hide option when I'm in Windows, though.
[quote][qb]I can access a specific window from either the dock or the window menu etc.<hr></blockquote>
Taskbar.
The reason I mention the Windows counterparts to what you describe as the features that make the OSX window manager so good while you say the Windows UI sucks is to show that maybe you just don't know how to use Windows or just don't want to for whatever reason.
I like tabbed browsing because I can get 6 pages going at once and it's easy to switch between them. It's less clutter visually and less windows on my taskbar.
If you like the tabs then some apps take advantage of it... if you don't then you don't have to use it. So it's whatever you like to do, at least the choice is avilable
I use Mozilla.
I actually kinda like Explorer interface and feel more, but I cant stand browsing without Tabs anymore
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alt-tab
</strong>
This is the part of the Windows UI that I think sucks. Alt-tab cycles through all open windows so if i have 12 open browser windows and say 8 other apps with a window apiece then all 20 options are jumbled together with no good way to differentiate between windows of a single app.
With os x, alt-tab switches app (I use LightswitchX) each being easily identifiable and command tilde cyles windows bringing each to the fore for easy identification.
<strong>
(alt-F6 for inside a specific app)
</strong>
I wasn't aware of this shortcut and I thought I knew them all, the function key ones, the windows key ones, the triple key combo's.
<strong>
I like this feature, the closest I can find in Windows is Show Desktop (a button on the taskbar right next to the star menu or WindowsKey+D).
</strong>
I use windows M (Minimize all) to do the same.
<strong>
One thing I like about tabbed browsing in Windows is that I can minimized one mozilla app and all the pages I'm viewing are minimized. I still miss the Hide option when I'm in Windows, though.
</strong>
Yeah, I think that is one of the reasons I use tabs on Windows - not as versatile as hide on mac os x though.
<strong>Taskbar</strong>
This is only functional on XP. If I am using a stable OS (which both 2K and XP are) then I want to multitask. That means never less than 6 windows open at a time so the taskbar is too cramped to be usable. (XP consolidates an apps windows in a dock like manner)
<strong>
The reason I mention the Windows counterparts to what you describe as the features that make the OSX window manager so good while you say the Windows UI sucks is to show that maybe you just don't know how to use Windows or just don't want to for whatever reason.
</strong>
I know my way around PC well enough to use control+shift+escape to bring up the task manager, in fact, the user interface omission that bugs me the most is the lack of tab-completion now that I've move back to 2k from XP. I didn't mean to draw attention to the 'windows ui sucks' comment but it is true that I don't find it to be anything close to mac os x.
point + click && point + click == too much effort
point + click = what can be easier?
I'm addicted to tabbed browsing now...it's also useful in the sense that when I'm loading multiple pages, it's easier to tell which one is done, so if you like info from that page first, no need to switch back 'n forth between windows.
Another reason to stay away from Jag for a bit longer...I don't think the 1.1b built of mozilla works on it for one reason or another...