Position of bookmarks toolbar with tabs-on-top
dolphinling
above the tabs with tabs-on-top. I got some pushback in the bug, so since
clearly it's not the obvious change that I thought it was, this seems like a
better place for design discussion.
In my opinion, the bookmarks toolbar should be above the tabs. Conceptually, it
feels like a part of the browser that is removed from the page--specifically, it
can force changes on the page, but the page can't affect it at all; contrast
with back, forward, reload/stop, and the url field (i.e. most of the url
toolbar) that are intimately tied to the current page and the page can affect to
some degree. Also, having used the current setup, I like the tabs being above
the url bar, but the bookmarks toolbar feels awkward and out of place, so much
so that I have been turning it off when it's not actively in use.
I've taken a screenshot of the current view (in Linux, which is what I use), and
edited it to show my proposal.
Current: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=456657
Proposal: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=456658
The people in the bug who disagreed seem (though they didn't say) to be using
Windows. I don't have access to Windows (and when I do, it's XP), so I've never
used the new "Firefox button" or whatever it's called on Vista/7, only seen
mockups of it. Thus I'm willing to defer to the judgment of people who have for
which way makes sense and is easiest to use in that interface, and how to deal
with the different environment created by the Firefox button.
Thoughts, anyone?
[1] https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=577769
--
dolphinling
<http://dolphinling.net/>
Ron Hunter
I may be the only Firefox user who uses the Bookmarks Toolbar almost
exclusively as my main navigation mode, but I would not like it moved
above the other elements because I have many folders on the toolbar with
dropdowns, and cascades, which would not look very good if put above the
window.
In short, I wouldn't like it moved.
Soufian Jaouani
The Bookmarks Toolbar should stay easily accessible. Especially since
it's use is promoted in a new profile.
I'd rather keep the Bookmarks Toolbar and the navigation toolbar on
top of each other. Because clicking a bookmark navigates away, as do
the navigation toolbar items.
So only move the tabs on top and keep everything else the same.
Ron Hunter
I prefer the tabs on bottom, but then I seldom use them. At least there
is a choice.
sabret00the
toolbar, but it doesn't seem like it's coming any time soon. It was
mentioned that there were thoughts of putting the bookmarks in a panel
and I really liked that idea, but it doesn't seem to have gained
traction.
Here's a bug that I filed on the matter a while back:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=558110
Sandwich
> Thoughts, anyone?
I completely agree. Googling for a solution to this inconsistency is what brought me to this thread in the first place.
Firstly, "Tabs on Top" is a misleading name to begin with. The motivating concept, for those who saw the preview video Mozilla released, was to visually place everything that changes from tab to tab "inside" that tab's scope - the current URL, the back/forward/refresh/stop/home buttons, etc.
Unfortunately, the solution that was reached (placing the tabs at the very top of the browser window) also meant that the bookmarks bar was included "inside" the tabs as well. This makes no hierarchical sense - the bookmark bar's contents do not change from one tab to the next.
I understand there are many who like things the way they are currently, so one simple solution comes to mind. Allow the user to reposition toolbars themselves, not just the buttons on the toolbars (it's actually somewhat surprising that Firefox doesn't allow toolbar repositioning, as this is something that even Internet Explorer had at least as far back as version 4). Of course, retain the current toolbar layout as default, but please rework the Customize... dialog box's features to allow the user to have drag-and-drop control over the toolbar positioning. The old Mozilla suite's browser had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mozilla_1.7.png">nice little widgets at the edge of toolbars</a>; I think something similar would work quite well.
Bonus points for allowing the user to control if a toolbar has a background drawn behind it, or if the window chrome is the only thing behind the buttons (not sure about my terminology; in Windows 7, what I refer to as the window chrome is the part of the window that has a semi-transparent blurred background).