144851 - "load links in the background" should default to true

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: Tabbed Browser, defect)

Description

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

I think "load links in the background" should default to true.

reason's pro:

1)  usually I'm reading a document with links, and the link I open in a tab is
not something I want to start reading right then, I just want the tab to be
there so I don't forget to read that document, too.

2)  the new page has to load anyways, so why show the user a blank tab. 
instead, let them keep reading the original document (they can see when the tab
is done loading).

reason's con:

1)  opening a new tab is similar to opening a new window, which always comes up
in front.  defaulting to loading links in the background is like defaulting new
windows to come up below (in z order) the current window.

But I'll leave it to the UE people to decide if this is a good suggestion, or a
bad one.

Comment 1

[jglick]

I think I have to say that the current behavior (focus to new tab) is more 
expected as the default (sorry Seth):

"Opening a new tab is similar to opening a new window, which always comes up
in front."

I think its great that we allow users the option to load new tabs in the 
background for the reasons Seth mentions, but its probably more expected 
behavior to give the New Tab focus by default.

Side issue, the wording of this pref could maybe use some tweaking to help users 
understand what it does a little better. Maybe "Load new tab pages in the 
background".

Comment 2

[Peter Trudelle]

I agree, novice and intermediate users are likely to expect to see immediate
results; advanced users (like Seth and I) are savvy enough to get the behavior
they want.  I also suspect (based on only hearsay and casual observation) that
preponderance of breadth-first clicking (which lends itself to background
loading) is also associated more with advanced usage.  

Comment 3

[Pierre Chanial]

-> tabbed browser

Comment 4

[rbs]

I am with sspitzer on this one. Nominating for re-consideration in m1.0.
It is worth keeping in mind that people who are going to use tabs are likely 
going to be non-novice users to begin with. And even for novice users who try 
things out of curiosity, they will quickly associate this "new tab thing" with 
this "new way of loading", and they will quickly get used to it once they see 
how good it is. Currently, the _best_ experience of the tabbed browsing comes 
with background loading of tabs, and it took me a while to discover that (and I 
am not a novice!). Let's consider making that the default, thanks!

Comment 5

[Peter Trudelle]

I agree with you and Seth that background loading rocks, I use it all the time.
 However, novice and intermediate users would likely be confused because the
result of the gesture is not apparent.  When this happens, they usually think
the program is broken, and will probably *never* figure out how to make it work.
 In cases like this, it is almost always better to design for the less
experienced user, and allow for more advanced users to get what they want by
other means, if possible.  We've already discovered how to configure this the
way we like it, which indicates that it is possible for other advanced users to
do so too.
->wontfix

Comment 6

[R.K.Aa.]

*** Bug 198873 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 7

[Pham]

You have silly arguments that novice users would find "Load Links in the
Background" confusing. 

My argument: If they downloaded Mozilla, would they be novice? If Phoenix is the
novice version of Mozilla, then they must, according to you, be confused that
"Load Links in the Background" is turned on by default, but no one over at
Phoenix complains about it.

Please reopen this.

Comment 8

[Prognathous]

Loading links in the background is the default on both Firebird and Safari and I
haven't read nor heard any complaints from newbies anywhere.

Here's what David Hyatt had to say about the issue of Background vs. Foreground:

"Despite the inconsistency with opening links in new windows, I strongly support
the default in Phoenix, which is to open links in new tabs in the background by
default. This option should be overridable with a modifier key (SHIFT in
Phoenix) and also the default should be controllable via a pref. Phoenix, Moz
and Chimera all have the same pref and modifier key, but only Phoenix defaults
to background loading by default."

http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/hyatt/archives/2003_03.html#002603

Please re-open this bug. There is no reason to keep this great feature to
ourselves (i.e. "those in the know").

Prog.