505236 - With the middle click, open the tab on mouse button down

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Firefox :: Tabbed Browser, enhancement)

Description

[Alex R.]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.11) Gecko/2009060215 Firefox/3.0.11
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.11) Gecko/2009060215 Firefox/3.0.11

I suggest to make background tab open on middle mouse button down, instead of mouse up. This is Opera's behavior, and it makes browser feel faster.

This would eliminate user's ability to move the mouse away from link holding the button (if he pressed it accidentally), but notice that accidental opening of background tab isn't really dangerous - it doesn't interrupt reading, just this extra tab will need to be closed later with another middle click on it.

It can be also made an option, to allow using old behaviour.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Tyler Downer [He/Him]]

Well, sometimes I middle click on a link, and then move away, as I don't want to open it. So I think this is WONTFIX.

Comment 2

[Alex R.]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Well, sometimes I middle click on a link, and then move away, as I don't want
> to open it. So I think this is WONTFIX.

I wrote about it, but user much more often just opens link, instead of moving away, so opening speed is more important (in my opinion).

I also did not mean to force anyone to any behaviour, I suggested adding this as option (but better default one).

Notice that many apps today perform actions with as few confirmations as possible, providing an easy way to undo actions instead. I think this is exactly the right behaviour - opening tab can be easily undone if not wanted.

Comment 3

[fawer]

I'll note that I have the same experience as Tyler. However, this is completely a consequence of the current behavior and does not mean the current behavior is advantageous.

As an approximation suitable for our purposes, the human reaction is 0.25 seconds. The time for a person to middle click down, then middle click up, is significantly less than 0.25 seconds (if you really wanted, you could probably test it to something like 0.05 seconds). You gain no options from delaying the action because there is no time to react. If you initiate the middle click down to open a link, then decide you don't want to open it after all, there is not enough time to react and move the mouse away.

The reason you hold down the middle button on a link is to eliminate the 0.05 seconds of waiting time. That way, there will be only a 0.25s delay between the time you decide "I want to open this" and the time the browser receives the message. If you didn't hold down the middle button, it would be 0.25s reaction + 0.05s middle click down+up = 0.3s, which is slower.

If you changed the behavior to open on middle click down, it would be 0.25 seconds from decision to action if you didn't hold down the middle button. That would improve every possible situation. If you were wavering on a link, you would already have the optimal 0.25s behavior without holding down the middle button. If you saw a new link, you could move over and click it in 0.05s less than currently possible.

Of course, there is the problem of surprising users who are used to the old behavior. But closing the opened tab will eliminate problems in most cases, after which people will get used to the new behavior. Then there will be superior behavior all the time.

tl;dr The proposal is good.

Comment 4

[fawer]

A note - this behavior is also possible for left click, but there are other factors to consider so open link on left click down is not a strict benefit.

Comment 5

[Dão Gottwald [::dao]]

How would this interact with scrolling by holding the middle mouse button?

Comment 6

[fawer]

(In reply to Dão Gottwald [:dao] from comment #5)
> How would this interact with scrolling by holding the middle mouse button?

Currently, middle click down over a link doesn't initiate scroll mode.
If you're already in scroll mode and middle click over a link to get out of scroll mode, you get out of scroll mode and no link is opened.

The proposed behavior doesn't seem to change anything regarding scrolling, but I am not sure I understand your question.

Comment 7

[fawer]

I was testing other programs that had action-on-middle-click-down (mostly text editors such as SciTE and AkelPad). Their perceived responsiveness is much better, even though the real benefit is only fractions of a second.

I don't see that the proposed change creates any conflicts with other features on Windows; do there exist any conflicts on Linux, Mac, etc.?

Comment 8

[Dão Gottwald [::dao]]

(In reply to differcookie from comment #6)
> The proposed behavior doesn't seem to change anything regarding scrolling,

It does; right now if you want to scroll and accidentally hit a link, nothing happens, whereas you'd accidentally open that link with the proposed behavior.