Browser Ergonomics

Dr Lobster*
Posts: 2104
Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14

i don't have firefox installed any more, but i've just noticed they've pushed out version 10.

is it me, or are the two separate fields (for the address and search) a bit clumsy and anachronistic?

i'm not sure if safari is the same on windows/mac but on the ipad, i find the two separate fields a real pain to use.

maybe i've just got used to the chrome way of doing things but having a single box where i type everything in and it just knows what you want to do much more intuitive.

i've set up search shortcuts, so i type for example "w samsung" to look up samsung on wikipedia and that is much easier than messing around selecting a different search in that little box.

is pretty much everybody using chrome these days?
User avatar
WillPS
Posts: 2456
Joined: Tue 22 Apr, 2008 18.32
Location: Carlton
Contact:

Opera still has both but for many years has also had search shortcuts. I mainly use the search bar for pasting in Google searches.
Image
Philip
Posts: 1133
Joined: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 21.23
Location: Merseyside
Contact:

Still on Firefox, think it's a much better browser than Chrome feature and UI wise.

I prefer the Awesome Bar and the search bar separate. I type in the name of the site i visited recently in the awesome bar and that comes up and it's quick and it's easy. if i'm searching i just use the search bar. simple as that. chrome's bar doesn't compare to the, well, awesomeness of the Awesome Bar.
Image
User avatar
lukey
Posts: 587
Joined: Thu 25 May, 2006 01.11
Location: London
Contact:

Philip wrote:Still on Firefox, think it's a much better browser than Chrome feature and UI wise.

I prefer the Awesome Bar and the search bar separate. I type in the name of the site i visited recently in the awesome bar and that comes up and it's quick and it's easy. if i'm searching i just use the search bar. simple as that. chrome's bar doesn't compare to the, well, awesomeness of the Awesome Bar.
I agree the two fields are archaic - in Firefox I just bash my search terms into the address bar anyway, which works fine, apart from "define:" for unfortunate/obvious reasons....however, I still find Firefox's address bar superior, as said above. The immediacy with which it searches through my entire history when all I can remember is, for example, a word in the middle of a title of a blog post, is very impressive. Chrome doesn't come remotely close to matching it, with its 'domains as first class citizens' history search. Boo, etc.

EDIT: Forgot to mention though, if Chrome adopted Firefox's address bar I'd drop FF in a second though. It's a bloated buggy mess which hangs for the most trivial reasons ('lol you downloaded a pdf. i'mma sit here for a bit. i'm firefox! ^_^')
Dr Lobster*
Posts: 2104
Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14

Your wish might have been granted, there is a hidden option in about:flags which seems to improve things


Image
User avatar
Pete
Posts: 7589
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

lukey wrote:EDIT: Forgot to mention though, if Chrome adopted Firefox's address bar I'd drop FF in a second though. It's a bloated buggy mess which hangs for the most trivial reasons ('lol you downloaded a pdf. i'mma sit here for a bit. i'm firefox! ^_^')
pfft, more like "lol, you opened the window, imma do nothing for ten mins, then open 16 homepages, then hang for another 30 seconds, lol you then tried to open a webpage, imma hang again"

I was not aware of this hidden pref and shall now investigate, I hang out on firefox for the same reason but its performance is simply a joke.
"He has to be larger than bacon"
User avatar
Ebeneezer Scrooge
Posts: 326
Joined: Tue 23 Sep, 2003 13.53
Location: Scrooge Towers

What version of chrome are you running? I don't appear to have that option in about:flags
Snarky
Philip
Posts: 1133
Joined: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 21.23
Location: Merseyside
Contact:

Firefox are also adding powerful new developers tools as well...

http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2012/01/31 ... per-tools/

Goodbye Firebug!

It might be a bit slow but with the new fast-paced update cycle it's definitely getting better and they're catching up. I don't think I'd ever switch to Chrome permanently.
Image
User avatar
Pete
Posts: 7589
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

The ability to inspect your div tags in 3D in firefox 11 is incredible, however the performance is just killing me.
"He has to be larger than bacon"
Dr Lobster*
Posts: 2104
Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14

Ah yes forgot to mention I'm on the Chrome development channel 18.0.1017.2

Turning on that option in about flags does make a difference it seems as though the 'history provider' indexes words from the pages you've visited previously as if remember something that was written on a page, it will find it and this result is given a higher ranking.

indeed, if you look in your chrome profile folder

C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

You'll see some large (30 or so mb) files called "History Index 2012-01" so i guess that's where the info is indexed.
User avatar
WillPS
Posts: 2456
Joined: Tue 22 Apr, 2008 18.32
Location: Carlton
Contact:

It's funny how many features Opera had built-in years ago that people claim to be radical wins for Chrome.
Image
Post Reply