569128 - Change bookmark manager shortcut to Command-Option-B

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Camino Graveyard :: Bookmarks, enhancement)

Description

[Stuart Morgan]

I think we should strongly consider changing our boomark manager shortcut. Safari and Chrome both use Command-Option-B, presumably for the same reason: Command-B is a common shortcut for any page doing rich-text editing (e.g., Google Docs), and removing the collision means we don't have to choose between breaking natural editing shortcuts, or having the bookmark manager shortcut blocked on those sites.

(I know one could make the same argument for Command-I, but I don't think that's commonly used enough for it to matter much).

Comment 1

[Smokey Ardisson (offline for a while; not following bugs - do not email)]

When we've changed shortcuts before, we've done so because there have been a significant numer of complaints and a standard OS shortcut emerged ("focus search field").  I don't see either of these as being the case here; we've had *no* complaints that I'm aware of, and there's no OS function for a bookmark manager ;)

Worse, switching a very commonly-used shortcut from a two-key to three-key shortcut seems like a usability regression to me.

I think that just as someone doing Cmd-I on a rich text editor is more likely to want italics that Page Info, someone doing Cmd-B is more likely to want Bold--but also I don't think that rich-text-editing collision is all that common.  I think it's fine for Chrome to privilege Google Docs by moving their app shortcuts to accomodate GD, but I don't think it's something we need to do.

(If this turns out to be a big problem--and we've lived with the flip side, Bookmarks overruling Bold, for how long now with no apparent complaints--I'm open to considering this change, but I don't think we need to preemptively "fix" a problem that doesn't appear to exist.)

Comment 2

[Stuart Morgan]

> we've lived with the flip side, Bookmarks overruling Bold, for how long now with no
> apparent complaints

Well, there was bug 418169. Yes yes, I argued against it then; the brainwashing is apparently working ;) (That and the situation is flipped, assuming we follow my current plan for the menu bug, so now I'm arguing *for* reliable access to UI shortcuts!)

> I think it's fine for Chrome to privilege Google Docs by moving their app shortcuts
> to accomodate GD

That's not really fair; if the only reason to do this is having a vested interest in an online tool, what's Safari's motivation?


I don't personally care, since I almost never use the bookmark manager any more, so I'm fine with WONTFIXing this and seeing what happens. It just occurred to me that it was the most likely shortcut we'd get a complaint about if we do end up using a menu whitelist.

Comment 3

[Smokey Ardisson (offline for a while; not following bugs - do not email)]

(In reply to comment #2)
> > I think it's fine for Chrome to privilege Google Docs by moving their app shortcuts
> > to accomodate GD
> 
> That's not really fair; if the only reason to do this is having a vested
> interest in an online tool, what's Safari's motivation?

Safari's shortcut has been Cmd-Opt-B since at least 1.3.2 (build 312.6) (which predated Google Docs and that sort of thing, IIRC); I'd guess Safari's motivation was "being different, especially from Camino"--as it seems is the motivation for bizarre Safari shortcuts in so many cases.

(Actually, Safari 1.3 has a note in Shortcuts.html that says Cmd-B used to be "Show/Hide Bookmark Bar" in build 152 and earlier.  So presumably it cascaded from there: Cmd-B was taken for the Bookmark Bar, so Bookmark Manager had to be Cmd-Opt-B [I never have understood Safari's predilection for Option first, Shift second], and when Show/Hide Bookmark Bar moved to Cmd-Shift-B, Bookmark Manager didn't move to something sane.)

> I don't personally care, since I almost never use the bookmark manager any

I do use it all the time, thus my antipathy for moving it to a more complex shortcut ;)  I also tend to open it in its own tab, though, so as long as I can still Cmd-T, I'm probably immune from Google Docs interfering.  That, and the fact Sam never seems to update stats anymore, so I don't have much reason to Google Docs ;)

> more, so I'm fine with WONTFIXing this and seeing what happens.

Yeah, let's at least give bug 569130 a chance to play out for a while before making a big switch like this.

Comment 4

[Samuel Sidler (:ss)]

(In reply to comment #3)
> That, and the fact Sam never seems to update stats anymore, so I don't have
> much reason to Google Docs ;)

:(