1729834 - L doesn't-- and actually *can't*-- function as an accelerator key. The accelerator key for Copy Link must be returned to a functioning and human-usable hotkey on the left of the keyboard.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1701324

(Firefox :: Menus, defect)

Description

[feartmp+spebx]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/84.0.4147.89 Safari/537.36 Edg/82.17763

Steps to reproduce:

Right-click a link. Press A to copy link address to keyboard.

Actual results:

Nothing. There is no usable hotkey that does that function either. Firefox has no functioning accelerator key for Copy Link from 88 to current.

Expected results:

L doesn't-- and actually can't-- function as an accelerator key.

It is not a poor accelerator key-- it actually does not and cannot function as one.

The purpose of an accelerator key is to make something faster or more convenient. That is its only purpose, because the user could simply finish the command with the mouse. It has already been started with the mouse, by right-clicking. The option is in the menu where they just clicked, so they don't need help locating it. An accelerator key simply allows them to do it a little faster, which is helpful if it's a thing they do many times a day.

If you make an accelerator key take longer, you have removed its only function. You have not made it a poor accelerator key: you have literally made it not an accelerator key.

Some people are confused when I say that Firefox accelerator key for Copy Link has been removed. This is what I mean. It literally has. There is no key that serves the function of accelerator key for Copy Link anymore. It has not been moved-- it has been REmoved.

What makes L so bad? It's on the right of the keyboard, but the user's left hand is on the left. That's why common hotkeys are always on the left, including the Copy Link key for all major browsers (Chrome, Opera, Edge, and Firefox itself historically). Other familiar hotkeys are WASD, Q E, ZXC. These 9 keys and control keys form the "hotkey area", used by nearly every application that has the user's right hand on the mouse.

So there is precedent among all major browsers (including Firefox historically) and indeed nearly all applications.

Since this setup is so common, users expect it, so we're also meeting user expectations. Excellent. We are practicing good design in every way.

But what specifically makes L so much worse as an accelerator key?

The user's hand is resting on the left. To reach L they have to make a 5-inch reach across blind space, which most people cannot do without looking down. They must look down, reach across, press L, then reset the hand on the left of the keyboard, and finally, reset their eyes on the screen. This is a much longer and inconvenient process than simply selecting the option with the mouse. Removing the user's eyes from the screen is especially bad.

Some people claim they can do it reliably without looking down, but these people are either outliers or lying. A simple experiment will prove it.

Use a hotkey from the hotkey area to copy a link 10 times. A or C are good (Firefox's previous keys), or E (Chrome's key). Right click, then press the key. Pretend you're copying a link. Your eyes should be on the screen.

Now do the same thing 10 times with L. Notice anything? Most people cannot locate it without looking down. Our perception of distances when we cannot see something is simply very poor. If you ask people to close their eyes and hold their index fingers 6 inches apart, many cannot do it accurately. And you have to be accurate: keys are small. A half inch one way or another puts you on a different key.

There is nothing to distinguish it from the surrounding keys by touch, either. It really is a blind reach. Most users will give up long before reaching 10 and conclude that the proper hotkeys are better.

This is not my wacky idea. There is precedent in 20 years of applications of all kinds, and specifically in web browsers.