Why Tabs Are on Top in Firefox 4

That default makes much more sense to me. The old way shouldn't even be an option, IMO.
 
They make a pretty persuasive argument in favor of tabs on top. And I'm generally not a fan of tabs on top. The fact that they give the user a choice as always is also great. Google should take notes :rolleyes:
 
Well, that was like having Wisdom Teeth pulled.

I like them just the way they are.
 
Sabrewulf165 said:
They make a pretty persuasive argument in favor of tabs on top. And I'm generally not a fan of tabs on top. The fact that they give the user a choice as always is also great. Google should take notes :rolleyes:
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Exactly. I hate them when they are on top. They can argue all they want, but I personally prefer them where they currently are.
 
ElGuapo242 said:
Just curious about why you think that the old way should not be an option?
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Watch the video. It logically flows better. Case closed for me.

Besides, if the old way of doing things was always an option when something new comes along, Windows 7 would have a billion options allowing it to eventually look like the system in your sig, the "Commodore PET 4000 w/40×25 Monochrome Display."

The old way will eventually be dropped completely, like it or not. May as well drop it now?
 
Tolyngee said:
Watch the video. It logically flows better. Case closed for me.

Besides, if the old way of doing things was always an option when something new comes along, Windows 7 would have a billion options allowing it to eventually look like the system in your sig, the "Commodore PET 4000 w/40×25 Monochrome Display."

The old way will eventually be dropped completely, like it or not. May as well drop it now?
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Hey I like my Commodore PET! FU! :p

I did watch the whole video and I do agree that this is probably a better way for you but maybe not for others. If they are willing to give people an option as to how they want to browse I am all for it. Choice is never a bad thing, especially if the developer can easily implement it. YMMV.
 
I use Tree Style Tabs for firefox - having a list works better so I have my tabs on the left and then my favorites across the top.

I also have my start bar on the left side so my icons are in listed form. Main reason I do this is because I control how much text is visible per icon (even though I alt tab anyway) - letting windows resize them at the bottom was a waste of my time. When I'm using multiple monitors I usually have the start bar on the center monitor on the left side so it's "in the middle" of my overall workspace.

This all might be because I usually leave 30+ windows up and 15+ tabs open in firefox. I probably would only leave a fraction of stuff up if I used horizontal tabs.
 
brom42 said:
Exactly. I hate them when they are on top. They can argue all they want, but I personally prefer them where they currently are.
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Well, it's simple - choose to have them on the bottom, then.

Personally, I love tabs being on top. Ever since the idea was really put into play, I've been a fan. I think it's a good movement on Mozilla's part to have the default style "tabs on top".
 
I use Opera, so tabs on top obviously makes sense to me. The extra distance is not a problem at all.
 
Chrome's tabs are truly on top though... Firefox's aren't. Lots of wasted space on FF.
 
I like the look and feel of tabs being on top and adding new windows like library into the same window on a new tab but one thing I hate in chrome is the downloading, I hate the downloading tab. Keep that one separate in its own window...
 
where does the Bookmark Toolbar go when you have Tabs on top? all the way at the top of the window?
 
Tolyngee said:
Watch the video. It logically flows better. Case closed for me.

Besides, if the old way of doing things was always an option when something new comes along, Windows 7 would have a billion options allowing it to eventually look like the system in your sig, the "Commodore PET 4000 w/40×25 Monochrome Display."

The old way will eventually be dropped completely, like it or not. May as well drop it now?
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It's a matter of preference. If somebody wants THEIR browser or O/S to look some way, than so be it. Nobody is stopping you from having something look the way you want it.
 
ElGuapo242 said:
Hey I like my Commodore PET! FU! :p

I did watch the whole video and I do agree that this is probably a better way for you but maybe not for others. If they are willing to give people an option as to how they want to browse I am all for it. Choice is never a bad thing, especially if the developer can easily implement it. YMMV.
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If a developer is so stupid that they find providing users with a lot of options to be a challenge then I don't trust the safety or stability of their product anyhow. Here's a hint:

If xmlPrefs.tabPosition = 1 Then
tabsTop()
Else
tabsBottom()

And then just stick the setting as a check or a list box in a preferences window, or even throw together a kludgy list like about:config if you really feel the need to be a dick and make people work to find the setting. People who need the developer to tell them how they should be wanting to use the application have a whole line of products just waiting for them at the Apple Store, so there's no need to try and fill that niche.
 
I like tabs on the top. After I switched to chrome, it's something I really liked.
 
Tolyngee said:
Watch the video. It logically flows better. Case closed for me.
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Bingo. Each tab represents an individual 'slice' of the web: each slice has its own address (the address bar), its own navigation functions (back and forward) and what those functions affect is that slice. Those functions don't affect other tabs and other slices. The chrome should properly reflect that. When tabs are on the bottom, you end up with a mismatched association between the chrome and the web.

It seems like a minor difference but it has a major impact on the browser's UI paradigm. The switch doesn't make things perfect, necessarily, but it does strengthen the relationship between the web and the parts of the chrome that need to be best associated with actions that effect the web and not the browser itself.

I have to say, Mozilla's done a better job at distinguishing the focus of functions with their tabs-on-top mockup than Google's done with Chrome, though it's a little heavier because of that. So far I'm impressed.
 
Lots of wasted space on FF.
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firefoxstreamlined.gif


What?

FYI, I cannot see the YouTube video because YouTube is blocked on my network; no pix no clix.
 
Memitim said:
If a developer is so stupid that they find providing users with a lot of options to be a challenge then I don't trust the safety or stability of their product anyhow. Here's a hint:

If xmlPrefs.tabPosition = 1 Then
tabsTop()
Else
tabsBottom()

And then just stick the setting as a check or a list box in a preferences window, or even throw together a kludgy list like about:config if you really feel the need to be a dick and make people work to find the setting. People who need the developer to tell them how they should be wanting to use the application have a whole line of products just waiting for them at the Apple Store, so there's no need to try and fill that niche.
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Are we agreeing that choice is good? That's what I said, choice is good. maybe you meant to reply to someone else?
 
Tolyngee said:
Watch the video. It logically flows better. Case closed for me.

Besides, if the old way of doing things was always an option when something new comes along, Windows 7 would have a billion options allowing it to eventually look like the system in your sig, the "Commodore PET 4000 w/40×25 Monochrome Display."

The old way will eventually be dropped completely, like it or not. May as well drop it now?
Click to expand...

I disagree with your assessment, primarily because logical flow doesn't necessarily mean the most efficient flow for these types of programs. For example, take a smart phone. If we're grouping items by how they relate to each other, you could say it's logical to have all similar app icons near each other on the page. But that doesn't make a whole lot of sense because you have to switch pages or scroll down a list before you can access your frequently-used apps. Yes, the grouping makes sense, but it's not efficient.

In this case, I don't use the URL bar much throughout the day, but I use it enough where it's a hassle to hide it from the screen. I want it easily accessible, but the point of mouse distance (as mentioned in the video) is critical for me because I am constantly changing tabs, whereas I adjust the URL probably 1/5th as much.

I would probably side with tabs on top as a way to introduce the casual user to the browser, but I disagree with tabs on top as being the best and most efficient way of working.

Regarding the old way of doing things being an option, your example is not very accurate. One goal for our computing community has been to make computing easier and more user-friendly. One criteria for this is the ability to customize things to suit your needs. In this example, the tabs on top vs tabs on bottom question is not one of features, but on how you interact with a given feature. If I want tabs on the bottom of the screen, that should be an option. If I want them on the side, that should be an option. Is such customization a top priority now? Probably not. But we shouldn't want to go in the other direction.
 
Memitim said:
If a developer is so stupid that they find providing users with a lot of options to be a challenge then I don't trust the safety or stability of their product anyhow.
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It's not about the number of options but the manner in which they're organized and the effect that organization has on the association of functions that affect the web page and those that only affect the browser (on an application level) and its chrome.
 
I'm not sure why anyone would want anything but the website itself in the tab. It's not like the functionality of the URL bar or the file, edit, etc menus are going to change depending on what tab is open so im not sure why it should be grouped around with it.

I appreciate the fact that they are leaving it an option up to the end user but even with their video i dont see any good reason to put it on top.
 
i am getting used to tabs on top, it is less for me to move my mouse in the sense of i wont move over tabs and then have to move back down to get to the tab cause i over shot it.
 
Top is better after looking at the video. Easier to locate and everything looks contained within the tab.
 
Once again... lets just copy what Opera is doing... as they are always right.
- Norwegian law :D
 
Top is better. I've always wondered why Windows 7 doesn't use tabs for the file explorer. Kinda like how Chrome has it where you just drag the tab to a new window if you need it.

Hell, Office could be done in tabs (multiple documents).
 
ferrisnox said:
Once again... lets just copy what Opera is doing... as they are always right.
- Norwegian law :D
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Now if only we could get lazy webcoders to stop thinking that the only people who use Opera do so from a cell phone, things would be better.

And since I only use FF on the rare happenstance that some lazy webcoder or coders created a borked site that just will not work properly in Opera, I didn't even realize where the tabs were in FF. Kinda figured that FF tabs were on top, too. They're supposed to be on top; that's where they belong.
 
Do we really want Mozilla building another layer of OS GUI? Cause if they plan on integrating apps and whatnot into the tab "experience", thenhow is that different from what windows does now if you move the taskbar to the top of your desktop?

Also, they present a whole series of "logical" reasons why their layout is better, but the HMI (human machine interface) schema doesn't use logic when arranging elements. Eg: Grouping a series of buttons or shortcuts on the desktop along the left hand side, when logic should dictate that they be placed in the upper right hand side of the interface (in positional relation to your hand/mouse on your physical desk).

Same thing for the Microsoft Start Button - It's primary function is to access programs quickly and efficiently. However, logically, it is the furthest point from your natural mouse resting place on the physical desk. Why is access to your shorcuts located the furthest from the source point?

My point is, that, Mozilla may think they have found the evolution in browsing, but all they are doing is making change for the sake of making change. It's providing marketing "shock factor" to get people to believe that they will improve the way they use a PC, when it's all driven by leaching marketshare (read: $$$).

Marketing has been doing this for eons. Your box of cereal isn't selling like hotcakes anymore, so you re-engineer it into "easy-to-open" smaller packages. But guess what! All those new smaller easy-to-open packages come in packs of 10 which have to be opened itself!

Mozilla's browser is no different. They are marketing "easy-to-open", but are adding another layer to the basic interface which Windows is already doing.
 
I welcome this feature in the next Firefox. My biggest problem with having multiple tabs open is whenever I want to select another tab sometimes I'll overshoot and accidentally click on an item on the bookmarks toolbar causing the current tab to change.
 
ferrisnox said:
Once again... lets just copy what Opera is doing... as they are always right.
- Norwegian law :D
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In a way, this is true. Opera seems to pioneer most browser features. It's sad their engine still has compatibility issues with so many websites though.

Cerulean said:
firefoxstreamlined.gif


What?

FYI, I cannot see the YouTube video because YouTube is blocked on my network; no pix no clix.
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WASTED SPACE, that loud enough?
Even tried my best to "Chromize" Firefox and can't get it to work right.
Look:
ffchrome.png

Titlebar = Wasted Space = Chrome does it better

Faster you Firefox fanboys would realize this the faster Mozilla could actually release something better. I don't want to use Chrome because of Google, but damn- it sure bests it.
 
I don't even like tabs any more. I prefer individual windows and Aero peek.

With win7 stacking I don't get the appeal of tabs any more.
 
friedchicken said:
Also, they present a whole series of "logical" reasons why their layout is better, but the HMI (human machine interface) schema doesn't use logic when arranging elements. Eg: Grouping a series of buttons or shortcuts on the desktop along the left hand side, when logic should dictate that they be placed in the upper right hand side of the interface (in positional relation to your hand/mouse on your physical desk).
Click to expand...
My hand and mouse are on the LEFT side of the desk. There are left-handed people, you know.
 
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