Open Bug 577769 Opened 14 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Bookmarks toolbar should be above tabs with tabs on top

Categories

(Firefox :: Tabbed Browser, defect)

x86
All
defect

Tracking

()

People

(Reporter: aguertin+bugzilla, Unassigned)

References

Details

Attachments

(3 files)

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; en-US; rv:2.0b2pre) Gecko/20100709 Minefield/4.0b2pre

With the new tabs on top option, the bookmarks toolbar is underneath the tabs and the URL bar. It shouldn't be. Instead, it should be below the menu bar (or whatever the equivalent on non-linux platforms) but above the tabs.

Reasoning:
From a conceptual standpoint, the bookmarks toolbar is not intimately tied to the page in the way the URL bar is, and should be associated by position more with the chrome than the page.
From a personal experience standpoint, even though I use it all the time I've been turning the toolbar off (and back on only when I need it) because it feels misplaced and in the way where it is now.
God is my witness that I'm trying to control myself...
1. If the BB would be above tabs on top, from that point they wouldn't be tabs on TOP anymore.
2. BB would be connected to nothing. Therefore...
3. UI would be broken (inconsistent).
4. SERIOUS issues with other UI elements.
5. Not going to happen.

Conclusion: WONTFIX.
This would work horribly with App Tabs, not to mention Aero. Technically, the bookmarks toolbar is tied to the current tab, in a way. I vote for WONTFIXing this bug as well.
Attached image Current view on linux
Since clearly this isn't as cut-and-dried as I thought, I've started a thread in mozilla.dev.apps.firefox (http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.apps.firefox/browse_thread/thread/0b8db1e62c553c6e#), the appropriate place for design discussion. Once a decision is reached there, any implementation (or none) can take place here.
(In reply to comment #1)
> 2. BB would be connected to nothing. Therefore...
> 3. UI would be broken (inconsistent).

I don't know how you use the BB, but I use it to LAUNCH new tabs, since the bookmarks usually represent NEW tasks, not some modification of a current one. Therefore it makes no sense to me to have the BB attached to the current tab.

> 4. SERIOUS issues with other UI elements.

What are these SERIOUS issues??
(In reply to comment #4)
> Created attachment 456658 [details]
> View on linux with bookmarks toolbar moved up

Where do you see on that screenshot Tabs On Top? I don't.

(In reply to comment #6)
> (In reply to comment #1)
> > 2. BB would be connected to nothing. Therefore...
> > 3. UI would be broken (inconsistent).
> 
> I don't know how you use the BB, but I use it to LAUNCH new tabs, since the
> bookmarks usually represent NEW tasks, not some modification of a current one.
> Therefore it makes no sense to me to have the BB attached to the current tab.

Don't like it? Don't use it. There are Tabs At Bottom, you know.

> > 4. SERIOUS issues with other UI elements.
> 
> What are these SERIOUS issues??

1. If the BB would be above tabs on top, from that point they wouldn't be tabs
on TOP anymore.
2. You can't use background for BB. Otherweis, it would be background-aero-background.
3. In-Content UI would be useless.
4. AppTabs would be useless.
5. You wouldn't be able to put tabs into title bar.

Opera has this and it's stupid idea.
(In reply to comment #7)
> (In reply to comment #6)
> > I don't know how you use the BB, but I use it to LAUNCH new tabs, since the
> > bookmarks usually represent NEW tasks, not some modification of a current one.
> > Therefore it makes no sense to me to have the BB attached to the current tab.
> 
> Don't like it? Don't use it. There are Tabs At Bottom, you know.
> 
> > > 4. SERIOUS issues with other UI elements.
> > 
> > What are these SERIOUS issues??
> 
> 1. If the BB would be above tabs on top, from that point they wouldn't be tabs
> on TOP anymore.
> 2. You can't use background for BB. Otherweis, it would be
> background-aero-background.
> 3. In-Content UI would be useless.
> 4. AppTabs would be useless.
> 5. You wouldn't be able to put tabs into title bar.
> 
> Opera has this and it's stupid idea.

I happen to like Tabs-On-Top and just use the BB differently than you.  The issues you noted are valid but I don't think they are insurmountable. 

Despite the reasonableness of the your arguments, your tone in this bug and others has been quite unpleasant.  These are public comments and a level of professionalism and civility would not only be appropriate but also much appreciated.
Even if UX team want to implement this, which they won't, half of the things would be to be redone. Aside the fact that is too late for that, it would be also unefficient to do this just for few people.

What, do you want from me to add sugar to my comments, so you can like it?
(In reply to comment #9)
> What, do you want from me to add sugar to my comments, so you can like it?

I'm perfectly capable of accepting differing opinions without resorting to condescension and would be embarrassed to have comments like your last available for current and future employers to find.
OS: Linux → All
The bookmarks menu is going to be in the Firefox button (bug 580235)

hence this suggestion does make sense.
Though App Tabs will greatly reduce my need for quick-access bookmarks, there are still a number of sites that I visit regularly but would not want to keep open permanently like my banking site or Facebook.

I'm hoping that in Firefox 4 I will be able to utilize the unused space beside the Firefox button for the personal-bookmark widget as I have done with the menu bar in Firefox 3.
(In reply to comment #12)
> I'm hoping that in Firefox 4 I will be able to utilize the unused space beside
> the Firefox button for the personal-bookmark widget as I have done with the
> menu bar in Firefox 3.

Bug 572160, hence no unused space beside the Firefox Button.
(In reply to comment #13)

> Bug 572160, hence no unused space beside the Firefox Button.


if Bug 583959 lands, we can put the bookmarks toolbar there instead.
That will be upon user, it doesn't need bug.
This appears to be related to/dupe of bug 558110
Marking as dependant on bug 583959, given comment 14.
Depends on: 583959
To some out there, Peter Henkel for example: "tabs on top" doesn't mean "tabs on FF window's top", it means "tabs on top the navigation bar".
By that idea, with "tabs on bottom" enabled, the tab bar would be in the bottom of FF's window...
So, get your ideas straight before arguing stubbornly and stupidly.

As to the "bug" itself (I think it's more a missing feature/option - just like "tabs on top" was in the past), there is a "fix"/workaround for it.

Install the add-on "Stylish" (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/stylish/) and then these styles/scripts:
http://userstyles.org/styles/45565/firefox-4-bookmarks-toolbar-above-tabs
http://userstyles.org/styles/46274/firefox-4-bookmarks-toolbar-above-tabs-enhanced

Some screenshots:
http://static.userstyles.org/style_screenshots/46274_after.png
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5373/bar02.jpg
(last one, taken by myself a while back - FF4 w/ multi-rows and with Redshift theme)
I personally think that the tabs on top is a bit of a two edged sword, for people who use more than one row of tabs the arguments about moving it on top of everything aren't as strong as the ones for "moving the toolbar closer to the browser window". (so I always felt "tabs on top" was really a badly implemented and named "address below tabs")

IMO doing just that would have been a better solution from the usability point of view.
And there are still lots of users who like to use the app menu (also on top of the tabs) - also think of the Mac users / unified menu - they do not benefit from tabs on absolutetop. But even without the menu enabled, I think this makes for a very clean layout:

https://bug634560.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=512773

Note that (in order of frequency of use) the most frequently used elements (page navigation / address / reload - then tabs - then bookmarks) are the closest to the page.

Also note that the most page related items (current adress / active addresses = tabs / bookmarks (saved addresses)) again are in the same order, what's most recent and most relevant is closest to the browser area.

I had raised a similar Bug 634560 - should I mark it as duplicate of this one ? Or should I maybe mark this as duplicate of 634560?
Severity: normal → S3
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