Bring the old style tabs back!!

[Ahriman]

The main, if not the only, reason I like to have the close button NOT on all the tabs, is the same one that led me to the gymnastics with padding above: when tab real estate is at a premium - and the most efficient way for me to work is as I've described in previous posts, with multiple tabs open - then the close button on each tab is a waste of valuable tabspace. That's all.

Not to mention that, having a close button in each tab, you have also a increased posibility of hit it by mistake when changing to a tab.

But, as I have said, it is a configurable thing (yet hidden in the about:config) so we can let it pass.

[richard_leeds]

Having the close button in each tab you need to "chase" it each time that you want to close the active tab, as the active tab, per design, is not always in the same position. This don't seem to me a clever GUI implementation.

Otherwise, having the close button at the right side, you always know where it is, and you always know that it will close the tab that you are seeing -the active tab-. I feel this way a lot more intuitive.

Additionally, you always can close any tab -active or non-active- by right-clicking on it and choosing "Close Tab" in the context menu.

Those solutions require two clicks to close inactive tabs. I like to work with a range of tabs open, then when I've found the answer I need in the active tabs, I get rid of the inactive ones which I no longer need with a single click on each. If you work from right to left, there is no need to "chase".

Your preferred method suits your style, mine suits mine. As far as I am aware, we can have either setting (and more) on FF2.0 to suit the style the user wants.

By the way, I use Tab Mix Plus to get full control without having to delve into config files. <--- version is compatible with FF2.0 though still 'pre-release'.

[richard_leeds]

possibility of hit it by mistake when changing to a tab.

it is a configurable thing (yet hidden in the about:config) so we can let it pass.

This is getting a bit repetitive for me ... refer to my post above, use TabMixPlus!

You can configure the close "x" and it also has "Undo close tab". In fact it lists the last "x" tabs you closed. "x" for me is the last 15, but you can choose to have more or less if you want.

[Lost User 240852]

Okay, this is not immediately helpful since I don't know of any way to do this in 2.0 yet... but!

For those suffering from space issues - You might want to try displaying your tabs verticalls along the left or right hand side of your browser window (that is... when it becomes possible for 2.0). It may take a while to get used to, but if you're used to opening some 20+ tabs, then it will become VERY handy.

...and it does put those close boxes neatly along the right side of the tab tab (or more like a tab sidebar, after the edit ^^) to take some of the varying location issues out. It obviously won't be fixed in ONE place, but at least now you only have consistant 20-some pixes to move, as opposed to however long your tab is.

Only down side is that you will need to sacrifice about 120 pixels of your screen width at all times (that's my setting anyway). That, and as I have mentioned above, I don't think it's possible to do this in 2.0 yet... But I'm hoping a new userChrome edit will come along soon enough... Or Vertigo will be updated for 2.0 ^^

[thescream!]

I like to work with a range of tabs open, then when I've found the answer I need in the active tabs, I get rid of the inactive ones which I no longer need with a single click on each. If you work from right to left, there is no need to "chase".

Quite right. Having a stationary button is less work for the eyes and wrist (wretched RSI). I work from left to right with ctrl-tab with my left hand, click with right.

Older style is much more this-user friendly. If Firefox 2 wasn't supposedly faster and safer I'd switch back to 1.5... I'm in the process of working out whether the trade off is worth it.

[Guest]

Drat. I meant to agree with Ahriman, not with richard_leeds - you prefer a cross on each tab. It seems to me that you (richard_leeds) could have menu-clicked on your active tab and selected "Close Other Tabs" if all you want to do is close your inactive tabs.

(Or does TabMixPlus have a multiple active tabs feature that I yet to experience, since you mentioned "active tabs" plural?)

The ctrl-tab left, cross-click right method I use is for tab pruning, not mass-tab-close.

[dickvl]

I use Ctrl+W to close a bunch of tabs (or middle click in the right tab if there are enough of them).
If you accidentally close too much then Fx 2.0 has Shift+Ctrl+T to undo the close.

[Elman]

There's nothing visible ANYWHERE that indicates the middle click induces such behavior. NOTHING. How should ot occur to an average user that middle clicking would close the tab?

Agreed. There should be something telling new users how to close tabs using middle mouse. Atm there isn't, and a lot of people doesn't know. Which is why they came here whining about it. Which is why they switched to this new system.

Also, I've mentioned that EVERY other browser that currently has any considerable user base has close button on each of its tabs. This means for everyone except the hardcore firefox users, that's "the way it's always been" for tabs - making the switch to firefox is that much easier if they choose to do so. Why should they deny newcomers of familiar interface when old interface was so illogical from UI perspective?

Don't be stupid. It's ok if you don't like the 1.5 tabs, but don't say we're just hardcore users that don't want to change. I love v2.0, but those new tabs are stupid. Scrolling to see new tabs is pointless (It was fine as it was). And having 1 button per tab ISN'T a good idea. Mid-clicking on a tab is a lot easier than clicking on a tiny closing button. And there are about 40 closing buttons in the screen while you're browsing. I just keep hitting them by mistake when I try to select a new tab... And that's not nice at all.

they obviously did it since they felt a lot of people like it the other way

Yeah, but a lot of people felt like it because they didn't know they could close tabs using the mousewheel. Telling them to use it would be easier than adding a ton of closing buttons to the screen.

I personally think that one of the biggest advantage of Firefox is its expandability - to be able to shape it into almost any way you want. But I also think that the base core should remain simple and if at all possible, cater to the masses and/or would-be-customers. I'm afraid that the masses are more used to the close on each tab.

Yeah, let's dumb down programs (http://static.flickr.com/45/151250154_eee4ce34e8_o.jpg xD) just because people's too dumb to learn they can use the mousewheel as a button instead of having a lot of closing buttons crowding the screen.

What I'm trying to say is that since this "new" (to Firefox, anyway) behavior of tabs will make it easier for people who's introduced to tabs for the first time, AND will provide familiar environment for people who switched from other tab-enabled browsers, it's better that the default, factory setting be this new behavior.

Fine. Just let people choose. Seriously, if I hadn't found a way to fix it, I'd be using v1.5 right now. Hell, if I had just started using Firefox when I installed the v2.0, I'd be back to IE right now! Why? Because those tabs just suck: there are a lot of unneeded closing buttons and you often close one or two by mistake. And there's no way to fix them in the options menu. Let us enable the 1.5 tab system if we want, in the options menu, and we'll be alright

[dickvl]

"There's nothing visible ANYWHERE that indicates the middle click induces such behavior. NOTHING. How should ot occur to an average user that middle clicking would close the tab?"

Did you ever concider to look in the Help Window (yes, you will find it there):
Help > Help Contents > Keyboard Shortcuts
Help > Help Contents > Mouse Shortcuts

[Sloma]

My problem is slightly different, i tried looking using search but no luck. Anyway what happend to closing tabs with middle click? Depens on which part of active tab i middleclick (left/right), the browser should close it and change focus to left or right tab that was neighbouring with tab i closed. Instead it always change focus to next tab on the right after closing. Any ideas how to bring feature back?

[rahul_does]

This was TOO easy, if only one knew, HOW and What...

I was at my wit's end moving the mouse all over the screen, trying to close the windows...

I open 45 Bookmarked Pages, in one go and then, as I am done reading one, I close it... With 2.0, I was using the middle button or the individual X's. Now, it is Cool...

Otherwise, I JUST love this one...

Regards.

Ra.

..... I like the close tab button to be at the end, not specific to each tab. If I want to close a tab by going to it, I'll just middle click it thank you very much. Bring the right end close button back!! And the active tab highlight is really hard to see on my lcd. This is the same problem with some of the windows xp themes in my opinion, and I'd much rather the look of the old one where it's crystal clear on lcd's which it is.

Got this from the FF 2.0 Announcement message:

-How to I get rid of the close buttons on tabs (go back to how Firefox 1.x was)? Type about:config in the address bar, press enter, and set browser.tabs.closeButtons to 3.

[skal]

1. There are people who don't have a scroll wheeled mouse. Heck, over in Mac platform, many users don't even have a right button.
2. The wheel itself doesn't look like a button at all. I've met dozens of people who didn't know that the wheel had such a function.

I myself have a scroll wheel mouse, but despise any application that forces me to click on it. Wheel's function is to scroll, and it usually has MUCH more resistance than the other buttons on the mouse to prevent accidental clicking while scrolling- making for a very unnatural clicking experience.

Thank you Blackwizard,
I was going to post a message asking what the poor mid-button impaired people could do and you gave me the answer. I have been scrolling around with my wheel and now I feel like a kid at christmas with a new toy.

[skal]

My other question is how do I get Firefox to open a new tab when I left-click on a bookmark? I'm not really a middle-click kind of guy, having a scroll wheel and all. A left click on a link opens a new tab, but if I left click on a bookmark, the page overwrites my current tab.
Jamie

Now, after Balckwizard taught me you make me even happier. This wheel is amazing! Is there anyone who can tell me if it holds any more secrets?

[dickvl]

Try the scroll wheel with the Shift key pressed and with the Ctrl key pressed

[skwij]

I've added the "close tab" extension, but it's taking up a tonne of real estate in my address area.

Is there any way to add it to the tab bar rather than the address bar?

Intel Mac OS10.4.7

BTW I'm here in Safari, as I'm still experiencing random, PITA crashes with 2.0 on multiple sites, including here.