Why Internet Explorer version 7 tabs are unusable in any robust environment

[Aluxe]

Below is a simple argument for why I think Microsoft never once tested
Internet Explorer tabs for usability ... or if they had ... uh ... then I
show a very common argument for why IE7 tabs are unusable as compared to
Firefox tabs. Please confirm or deny the points in my argument so we all
benefit.

___ARGUMENT___

I have a very efficient browser-tab use model that has only one flaw with
Firefox yet which is horribly broken in IE7. It is broken so badly, I
wonder if the new Internet Explorer tabs were ever tested for usability.

AN IDIOT's BROWSER TAB USE MODEL:
- Point your browser to a link-intensive web page
(e.g., videos, executables, or, for testing purposes, point to
news.google.com but the point is graphics intensity slows down browsers).
- Control rightclick on a link ... wait for ten or fifteen seconds for the
page to load ...
- Control rightclick on the next link ... wait another ten or fifteen
seconds for the page to load ...
.... and so on ... (point is only an idiot would do this) ...

AN EXCELLENT FIREFOX BROWSER TAB USE MODEL (with only 1 flaw):
- Point Firefox to a link-intensive web page
- Control rightclick on a dozen interesting links in series
- Keep selecting and opening interesting links in the background without
waiting explicitly for the links to actually take the ten or fifteen
(sometimes twenty or more now that you're accomplishing a lot more in the
background)
- When you're good and ready, position your cursor in ONE SPOT
- Position your cursor in the rightmost x in the tab window
- Then, as you skim thru the dozens of now-loaded web pages, you keep your
cursor in the SAME spot as you close pages, one by one.

FIREFOX FLAW (feature?):
The only flaw in this Firefox extremely efficient browser tab use model is
the VERY LAST web page can't be closed with that same X. You have to
frustratingly MOVE your cursor to the top-right browser X (this is probably
by design but I prefer an option to determine whether the last x closes the
very last tab or not).
With Firefox pointed to news.google.com, I simply control-left-click on
perhaps a dozen or two dozen URLs of interest, and allow them to open in a
new tab in the background while I am selecting URLs. Then, I view the web
pages quickly, positioning my cursor on the right-most X and clicking, one
by one to close the tabs as I skim the articles.

AN UNUSABLE IE7 BROWSER TAB USE MODEL (with huge flaws):
- Guess what happens in IE7 tabs?
- If you have, say, two dozen tabs open, you practically have to move your
cursor two dozen times just to close the tabs after reading each item!
- Did Microsoft test their tabs for usability even once?
- I mean, hell, the Firefox model was already there to copy!
- In my opinion, unless you open only one or two tabs, the IE7 tab use
model is wholly unusable!

REQUEST:
Please confirm or deny whether one can close, one by one after reading
them, say a dozen or two dozen tabbed web pages (say videos or other
graphic intensive content) in Internet Explorer 7 without having to move
the mose each and every time?

 

[GO]

REQUEST:
Please confirm or deny whether one can close, one by one after reading
them, say a dozen or two dozen tabbed web pages (say videos or other
graphic intensive content) in Internet Explorer 7 without having to
move the mose each and every time?

I am a huge Firefox fan so I'm not trying to support IE7 in anyway You
may find the one close button ('x') in the upper-right portion of the window
handy but I would think you're in the minority. Most people when visiting
pages will be moving the mouse anyways, either to scroll up and down through
the page or to select various links. From a design perspective the
single-close button for the tabs is a poor decision as it's not always clear
what you're actually going to be closing when pressing it. You're going to
be disappointed with version 2 of Firefox as they've done-away with the
single close button; each tab has their own close button now.

If you don't like moving the mouse around to close tabs you can always use
CTRL-F4.

AN IDIOT's BROWSER TAB USE MODEL:
- Point your browser to a link-intensive web page
(e.g., videos, executables, or, for testing purposes, point to
news.google.com but the point is graphics intensity slows down
browsers). - Control rightclick on a link ... wait for ten or fifteen
seconds for the page to load ...
- Control rightclick on the next link ... wait another ten or fifteen
seconds for the page to load ...
... and so on ... (point is only an idiot would do this) ...

I don't quite follow your point here. Both IE7 and FF's tabs seem to work
pretty much the same. Control-left click (control right click does nothing)
will open a new tab from the selected link and load in the "background"
while you resume on the current page. So I am unsure what you're waiting
the 10-15 seconds for. There could obviously be a delay in the new pages
displaying in their completeness but that would be dependent primarily on
your network speed and somewhat on your computer speed.

 

[Aluxe]

From a design perspective the
single-close button for the tabs is a poor decision as it's not always clear
what you're actually going to be closing when pressing it. You're going to
be disappointed with version 2 of Firefox as they've done-away with the
single close button; each tab has their own close button now.

If you don't like moving the mouse around to close tabs you can always use
CTRL-F4.

Hi GO,
I thank you for your help and suggestions. As you surmised, I am SHOCKED
that Firefox might be doing away with the single location for closing tabs.
I, for one, know exactly which tab it will close (there is only one active
tab at any one time and that is the tab it will close).

I do understand your point that many people have hugely inefficient use
models (i.e., they don't mind moving the mouse needlessly hundreds of times
a day just to hunt for a little X that keeps moving all over the place when
it could just as well have stayed put).

I use Firefox mostly as I LOVE the single spot for closing a tab (and other
things). I was hugely dissapointed with IE7 when I saw that to view and
close dozens of tabs in sequence, I had to constantly hunt for the little x
that kept moving about.

Interestingly, if there are VERY FEW TABS open in IE7, the mouse can stay
put (try it) like it should as you close them ... but this only works for
about 3 or 4 or so tabs (I could test again if folks are interested).

And, of course, I use the control keys to kill windows, but that takes MUCH
MORE EFFORT (remember, I look at dozens of news articles a day ... why
should I have to hunt and peck for control keys when my mouse can be left
in one spot and I can close a tab with a single click).

If this feature goes away, we will be moving BACKWARD in usability.
Thank you though for your advice!

 

[Aluxe]

I don't quite follow your point here. Both IE7 and FF's tabs seem to work
pretty much the same. Control-left click (control right click does nothing)
will open a new tab from the selected link and load in the "background"
while you resume on the current page. So I am unsure what you're waiting
the 10-15 seconds for.

Hi GO,

Thanks again for your questions. It was a mistake on my part to say control
right, it is indeed control left (I don't use a mouse actually, as I have a
laptop so it's really control plus a button with my index finger so I
forgot which button it was when I posted).

The 15 seconds is, as you surmised, the time it takes for a heavily loaded
graphics page to load. The point is that TABS ARE WONDERFUL for the kind of
fast informaiton surfing one does where they need to load a lot of pages
(dozens) to skim them manually for details and then to close them when they
are not needed. I do research and I get about one good hit out of twenty,
so, basically I'm opening a LOT of tabs.

For any worthwhile research, IE6 was unusable! It opened a new browser for
every page. That's scores of browsers on your desktop. What a mess!

When Firefox came out with tabs, I was sold. Especially loading tabs in the
background (any other way is sheer folly) so I could continue on to look at
interesting links. And, the single spot for closing tabs makes Firefox VERY
USABLE.

IE7, by contrast, keeps moving the spot to close the tabs all over the
place so you have to hunt for the little x each time you close a tab. That
makes IE7 unusable for any serious kind of research in my humble opinion.
Yes, one could use control keys to kill tabs but that also means
repositioning your hands every time as you don't generally hover over a
control combo like you hover over a mouse button.

Sadly, this makes IE7 unusable for anyone with serious web surfing needs.
Sigh.

 

[jim]

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:15:47 GMT, in netscape.public.mozilla.general Aluxe

FIREFOX FLAW (feature?):
The only flaw in this Firefox extremely efficient browser tab use model is
the VERY LAST web page can't be closed with that same X. You have to
frustratingly MOVE your cursor to the top-right browser X (this is probably
by design but I prefer an option to determine whether the last x closes the
very last tab or not).

You have the option to do so. It is a feature.

jim

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

REQUEST:

Please confirm or deny whether one can close, one by one after reading
them, say a dozen or two dozen tabbed web pages (say videos or other
graphic intensive content) in Internet Explorer 7 without having to move
the mose each and every time?

Of course. As "GO" said, use Ctrl-F4.

 

[Aluxe]

You have the option to do so. It is a feature.

Hi Jim,
I love the fact that Firefox is extensible ... but where is that feature to
close even the last window with the same x that individually closes each
tab?

 

[Aluxe]

REQUEST:
Please confirm or deny whether one can close, one by one after reading
them, say a dozen or two dozen tabbed web pages (say videos or other
graphic intensive content) in Internet Explorer 7 without having to move
the mouse [or your hand] each and every time?

Of course. As "GO" said, use Ctrl-F4.

Hi Homer,
I'm confused. The original request is to use the left mouse button only.
I stated pretty clearly that I knew all about "Ctrl-w".
Obviously, if you restate it, I must have missed something.
Please tell me how "Ctrl-F4" is any different than "Ctrl-w"???
Please clarify,

 

[jim]

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:24:55 GMT, in netscape.public.mozilla.general Aluxe

Hi Jim,
I love the fact that Firefox is extensible ... but where is that feature to
close even the last window with the same x that individually closes each
tab?

Tool>Options>Advanced>Tabbed Browsing

Untick the box which says "Hide Tab Bar when only one web site is open".

That should do it for you.

Personally, I would prefer the "X" to appear on each tab as it does with
Opera (Also an option), but we can't have everything.

jim

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

REQUEST:

Please confirm or deny whether one can close, one by one after reading
them, say a dozen or two dozen tabbed web pages (say videos or other
graphic intensive content) in Internet Explorer 7 without having to move
the mouse [or your hand] each and every time?

Of course. As "GO" said, use Ctrl-F4.

Hi Homer,
I'm confused. The original request is to use the left mouse button only.
I stated pretty clearly that I knew all about "Ctrl-w".
Obviously, if you restate it, I must have missed something.
Please tell me how "Ctrl-F4" is any different than "Ctrl-w"???
Please clarify,

I see nothing there about Ctrl-W or Ctrl-F4 being disqualified from the
criteria you've established in the "REQUEST" part of your original message
(which is still quoted above). You don't have to move the mouse or your
hand. Unless, that is, you think moving your hand once into position to
press Ctrl-F4 repeatedly is somehow more laborious than clicking the left
mouse button repeatedly. And as a bonus, you can just hold down the keys
until all the tabs are closed--that's even less effort than having to
left-click the mouse for each tab you have opened.

Where's your other hand anyway when you're mousing around?



Bottom line is, you don't have to move the mouse to reach the 'x' on each
tab to close it.

Anyway, my prediction is that if you would like to carry this discussion
much further, my response will be limited to "whatever".

 

[PA Bear]

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