421749 - Mac Firefox doesn't use native window tiling

Status: NEW

(Core :: Widget: Cocoa, defect)

Description

[Amir Caspi]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12

Per bug #218214, comment #74 (and follow-ups)... Firefox v2.x on Mac OS X does not use the native window tiling.  Specifically, if a window is at the right edge of the screen and I create a new window, the new window will STILL be at the right edge of the screen... subsequent new windows will begin tiling back to the left.

Native tiling on Mac OS X, however, specifies that if the current window is at the right edge of the screen, the next new window should cycle back to the left side of the screen.  Native tiling occurs only left-to-right and cycles back to the left once the right edge is hit.  Firefox v2.x does not respect this and instead tiles right-to-left once the right edge is hit.

Native tiling is used on Linux; it should be used on Mac OS X, as well (or, at least, there should be a preference to use native tiling).  Camino does use native tiling on Mac OS X, on the other hand; it is only Firefox that does not.

I can attach a screenshot if desired.

This is really pretty much the ONLY thing keeping me from using Firefox as my main browser... I currently use Camino because of its (IMHO) superior window handling, but it has a bunch of other problems (namely, major slowdowns that Firefox does not experience - Firefox is actually quite a lot faster than Camino).

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1) On Mac OS X, open a single window and place it at the right edge of the screen.
2) Open a new window - it will still be flush with the right edge.
3) Open another new window - it will tile to the left (as will all subsequent new windows until the window is moved, allowing tiling to the right again).
Actual Results:  
Once hitting the right edge, the next new window will also be at the right edge; subsequent new windows will tile right-to-left.

Expected Results:  
Firefox should obey native window tiling, which specifies that tiling is only left-to-right and window positions should cycle back to the left edge after hitting the right edge.  (This is how Firefox currently behaves on Linux.)

Comment 1

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

The Apple HIG states a slightly different thing which even Safari doesn't follow. Or did I over-read something?

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGWindows/chapter_18_section_5.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000961-BACFHDHE

"If there is sufficient room on the screen, display subsequent windows to the lower right of the frontmost window. If there isn’t enough room on the screen, display subsequent windows starting in the original visually centered position, and then continue to display additional windows slightly offset to the lower right."

Comment 2

[Amir Caspi]

(In reply to comment #1)
> The Apple HIG states a slightly different thing which even Safari doesn't
> follow.

That passage is a bit confusing since "if there isn't enough room on the screen" could be interpreted a few ways.  Apple has certainly seemed to violate the HIG before, so it wouldn't surprise me if Safari doesn't follow it either.

Regardless, IMHO the current native tiling method (e.g. Safari, Camino) actually is the intuitive and "correct" way to do it.  Firefox under Linux uses native window tiling, and Gnome seems to agree with this cyclic positioning as well.  I see no specific problem with Firefox using its own window tiling but for consistency with the windowing experience across other apps, using native tiling should at least be an option, IMHO.