663435 - Offer a "Chrome-Style" Home Page with Bookmark Bars

Status: RESOLVED INACTIVE

(Firefox :: Bookmarks & History, enhancement)

Description

[Nick]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:2.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:2.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0.1

I really like the "Bookmark Bar" that shows on Google Chrome's Homepage: http://i.imgur.com/ow64n.png. It is only present on the homepage and therefore does not take up vertical space when browsing the web. the Bookmark Bar allows the user to add individual bookmarks or folders that dropdown to display contents when opened.

I'd love to see a Startpage/Homepage like this for Firefox users. Basically the same thing that Firefox currently offers with the "Show a blank page" setting. Except, the blank page would display a "Chrome-Style" bookmark bar. This way users would be presented the bar upon starting the browser. And when browsing the web by clicking the HOME button could return to this window from which to select bookmarks. 

An additional option might be to present several Bookmark Bars on the page, not just one. They could run the length of the window. Different bars could be used to help categorize bookmarks based on Tag etc.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
I'd like to see the following options available:
1.Preferences > General > Startup > When Firefox Starts = BOOKMARK-HOMEPAGE
2.Preferences > General > Startup > Home Page = BOOKMARK-HOMEPAGE


Actual Results:  
feature request

Expected Results:  
feature request

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ow64n.png[/IMG]

Comment 1

[Jo Hermans]

If you want bookmarks, then enable the bookmark bar : Firefox Button->Options ->Bookmarks toolbar.

However, If I have disabled the bookmarks toolbar, I do not not want it to appear in the Home Page either.

Comment 2

[Nick]

@ Jo Hermans:  did you read the feature request? Your comments make it sound like you don't understand what I wrote.

I am requesting a bookmarks bar that appears on an otherwise blank Homepage. The user is presented with it at startup and (if they configure it as such) when they click the Home button. Configuration wise, the user can select this Homepage should he/she choose. If the user doesn't want a blank page with a Bookmarks Toolbar, he doesn't have to set Firefox to use such.

The Bookmark Bar I am requesting would only appears ON the Homepage (not in the toolbar). Look at the bookmark bar in the picture of Google Chrome that I linked to. The bookmark bar I am requesting is separate from and not related to the "embedded toolbar bookmark bar" that presently exists in Firefox 4.

Comment 3

[Jo Hermans]

So I can't point out any objections against this idea ? Yes, I understand that you want to bookmarks bar to appear in the home page.

If it's implemented like this, there will be complaints. Lots of people still have the bookmarks toolbar enabled (it used to be default, but not anymore), and they wouldn't want 2 bars on the screen. Likewise, people who have disabled the toolbar on purpose, don't necessarily want it to re-appear on the default home page. And many people have replaced the home page with something else, so they wouldn't see anything.

By the way, the home page might be changed a lot in the future, see bug 551849 and its dependents (see mockups in bug 544819).

Comment 4

[Nick]

Your "objections" strike me as groundless. The objections you are making do not make sense. Again, I don't think you understand the request I submitted.

1.) "If it's implemented like this, there will be complaints."
Why would there be complaints? If the user doesn't want a blank page with a Bookmark Toolbar as their Homepage, the user will simply pick a different home page -- no different than how Firefox works today.

2.) "Lots of people still have the bookmarks toolbar enabled (it used to be default, but not anymore), and they wouldn't want 2 bars on the screen."
Not sure what you are talking about here. Do you mean if the user enables both the Toolbar-Bookmark-Bar and the Blank-Homepage-Bookmark-Bar (like I'm proposing be provided)? Well if the user activated both then obviously he/she wants 2 bookmark bars showing when navigating to the Home Page, else why would the user enable both options?

3.) "Likewise, people who have disabled the toolbar on purpose, don't necessarily want it to re-appear on the default home page."
I would argue that people that disabled the Toolbar-Bookmark-Bar will more than likely approve of having a Bookmark Bar that only appears on the Homepage. the reason they disabled the Toolbar-Bookmark-Bar is likely because they didn't want a Bookmark Bar in their Toolbar. But they will want one on their Homepage.

4.) "And many people have replaced the home page with something else, so they wouldn't see anything." WHAT? The user can put whatever homepage they want. Users that want a blank homepage with a Bookmarks Bar can select that. Users that don't can select something else.

Again, your "objections" don't make any sense.

Comment 5

[Jo Hermans]

Whatever. I'm only doing the triaging here (that's my job), and I know that people will object. They're not mine, but you can expect them from other users.

Comment 6

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

This bug doesn't seem useful for implementation as it is (I'm not arguing on the validity of the points, rather on the form), as said there are various ongoing bugs with new tab page work and this kind of work has a clear workflow that goes from a design part (UX team) to a planning part (Firefox PM), to implementation.

You should rather post your suggestions in mozilla.dev.usability newsgroup, to discuss with the user experience team and they eventually will evaluate it for the ongoing work.
See also this recent article http://jboriss.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/research-spinning-up-on-new-tab-page/

Comment 7

[u428464]

It sound like a good idea to me and it could be implemented with new layout.

Comment 8

[BMO Automation]

Per policy at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Bug_Triage/Projects/Bug_Handling/Bug_Husbandry#Inactive_Bugs. If this bug is not an enhancement request or a bug not present in a supported release of Firefox, then it may be reopened.