336462 - document new backspace behavior on Linux (page up instead of history back)

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox Graveyard :: Help Documentation, defect)

Description

[Steffen Wilberg]

I'm filing this bug now so we don't forget it. But 325541 might very well be reverted later in the release cycle.

We don't have Page Up in the keyboards doc, so we'd just have to remove Backspace from Back on Unix.

Comment 1

[Steffen Wilberg]

...and Shift+Backspace from Forward.

Patch is in bug 339485.

Comment 2

[Steffen Wilberg]

Fixed as part of bug 339485.

Comment 3

[Steffen Wilberg]

Cool, bug 358764 just changed the backspace action on Linux from Page Up to nothing. So nothing to do :-)

Comment 4

[Ryan Hayle]

I believe you should add the following disclaimer to the documentation:

"We feel that Linux users (especially GNOME users) are completely incompetent and we can't let them risk hitting the backspace key and moving back in their history, like they have grown accustomed to doing over the last 10 years, because they might lose their precious form submissions.  As a result, we are going to make this key doing nothing.  We feel Linux users already have too many keys to remember what they all do.  Windows and Macintosh users are smart enough to not do this, so we will keep the keyboard shortcut consistent on those platforms."

Comment 5

[Scott Grayban]

(In reply to comment #4)
> I believe you should add the following disclaimer to the documentation:
> 
> "We feel that Linux users (especially GNOME users) are completely incompetent
> and we can't let them risk hitting the backspace key and moving back in their
> history, like they have grown accustomed to doing over the last 10 years,
> because they might lose their precious form submissions.  As a result, we are
> going to make this key doing nothing.  We feel Linux users already have too
> many keys to remember what they all do.  Windows and Macintosh users are smart
> enough to not do this, so we will keep the keyboard shortcut consistent on
> those platforms."
> 

I vote that we remove the ability to go back in history all together.

Remove the back button, make sure no history can be saved since we can't go back, remove the forward button since we can't go back and delete the caching ability. After all non of those are needed since going back in history may corrupt a form submission. It will also reduce the requirement for memory and disk storage.

There, problems solved for many useful functions and the ability for users to choose what they want or need.