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Guy Incognito · 07:40 PM

Millenium and I have a little disagreement about how and why people use tabs. I'd like to know what aspect of 'Tabbed Browsing' is the most appealing.

You might say "But Guy, it's a combination of these things, not just one thing." For sure! But one of them has a greater value to you. Which one is it? Once the majority has spoken, we can begin to understand what aspect of it people value the most and improve it.

I'll explain them all right here...these choices were made on observations:

Some say they love tabs because they're one-click away. These people are obviously concerned about speed. And I haven't really seen them interested in organization or the 1-window interface idea. They just want to quickly switch between pages.

Others say they like the organization. Millenium brings this up often; how he likes grouping some pages together and other pages together. He obviously values organization over a 1-window interface or speed.

Yet others just like the idea of a 1-window interface. They don't want to be bothered having multiple windows open. They believe everything should be in the same window. They don't necessarly value speed or organization. They just want all the windows to be displayed visually in a single-window set up.

Then there's a very funny group (don't be shy, I know who you are) that just love the looks of tabs. To them it really reminds them of a stack of pages with little tabs sticking out. They think this is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Cipher13 · 07:21 PM

Probably the one window interface ("no digging through windows"), but also, the speed ("no digging through windows").

Your options are somewhat redundant...

Guy Incognito · Jan 14, 2003, 07:18 PM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Probably the one window interface ("no digging through windows", but also, the speed ("no digging through windows").

Your options are somewhat redundant...

Like I said...there's got to be an aspect you value more than another.

Of course all of them are redundant in a global sense...but one aspect is certainly more appealing than another.

Cipher13 · Jan 14, 2003, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by Guy Incognito:
Like I said...

I posted before you had edited your post.

Yes, there's always one that stands out; I never said there wasn't. However, redundancy has nothing to do with that...

I voted for the very general "Appeal of a one window interface". Note that I'm not a fan of one window interfaces, generally; the Finder, for example. I use it because I'm used to it now, and does seem better, but in most instances I'd pass on that.

jasong · Jan 14, 2003, 07:27 PM

I like them because they piss Guy Incognito off so much

-- Jason

Guy Incognito · Jan 14, 2003, 07:29 PM

Originally posted by jasong:
I like them because they piss Guy Incognito off so much

-- Jason

Hehe...should I have included that? I know it might be side-reason why some like tabs.

AKcrab · Jan 14, 2003, 07:36 PM

I'm with Mill on this one.

sideus · Jan 14, 2003, 07:38 PM

One of the options should have been "tabs allow me to view yet another tabs thread"

mrtew · Jan 15, 2003, 12:24 AM

Originally posted by jasong:
I like them because they piss Guy Incognito off so much

You stole my answer! I am so sick of all the bitching about tabs from mainly one person on thread after thread that I hope that EVERY application spontaneously grows tabs tomorrow which cannot be turned off so that Guy will finally jump!

Guy Incognito · Jan 15, 2003, 12:26 AM

Originally posted by mrtew:
You stole my answer! I am so sick of all the bitching about tabs from mainly one person on thread after thread that I hope that EVERY application spontaneously grows tabs tomorrow which cannot be turned off so that Guy will finally jump!

I'm crazy enough to think I can change the Mac.

Developer · Jan 15, 2003, 12:31 AM

I don't like them, but the thread where I explained why was locked by a moderator.

kman42 · Jan 15, 2003, 12:35 AM

You didn't include my reason for falling in love with tabs. I have found the ability to group pages into a single bookmark indispensable. I can put all of my news pages into one bookmark and open them simultaneously. I can then flip through them incredibly quickly (this is where I guess I fall into the first 'speed' category) because access to each page is just one centimeter from where my mouse is. I can rifle through them with incredible efficiency.

Opening a bunch of pages simultaneously and perusing them in this manner also means that I won't forget to check a page. I love to check out slashdot and macosxhints, but I will usually forget unless they pop up with my other 'Mac' pages.

I also have a research bookmark that has all of the various databases and analysis tools lumped together so that I can double-click the bookmark and have the browser ready for whatever I need, whether it be a pubmed search or a Biology Workbench session (and most of the time a combination).

So, I guess my reasons are categorization, organization, speed, efficiency, and forgetfulness.

BTW, I don't care about tabs, per se. It's functionality that I miss most when using a non-tabbed browser. For instance, I think the drawer with thumbnails or a textual list is a thought provoking one and more in line with the Apple way of doing things.

kman

neilw · Jan 15, 2003, 12:58 AM

Well I voted for the 1-window interface, but that's because digging through windows is slow. So it's really a speed issue, and therefore I too think options 1 and 3 are a little hard to distinguish.

I am also not necessarily a fan of 1-window interfaces in other types of apps, but in web browsing it seems to make life much easier.

Gul Banana · Jan 15, 2003, 01:26 AM

I voted for the one window interface too, but that's not really the full story... I'm quite happily switching between multiple windows in Safari now. The one thing that I really like about tabs is actually the ability to look at them and see immediately what pages are open, without having to click on the Window menu or perform _any_ action - it's always there on the screen.

Judge_Fire · Jan 15, 2003, 01:59 AM

I'm with kman42 and Gul Banana,

Bookmark Sets are really great, I have a set for all the MacNN forums categories I follow in one bookmark. Fast. Convenient. A pleasure.

Visible Window Titles, although they can shrink to a very small size, they still function as an overview just by glancing - no clicking involved.

and

Reload All Tabs (not in Chimera, only Mozilla) is great in development work, or when I'm engaging in interaction on multiple pages simultaneously. Fast. Convenient. A small pleasure.

Additionally, I'm advocating the inclusion of 'Open form result in new Window/Tab when CMD- entering'. This is an IE only feature, but it's a lifesaver .

J