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User:Broccauley/Fixing TabCandy: Difference between revisions
now called tab groups
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"TabCandy" | "TabCandy" (officially now known as <s>"'''Panorama'''"</s> "'''Tab Groups'''") is a great idea but, unfortunately, I think it is ''fundamentally flawed'' in its current implementation - here is a suggestion on how to fix it. | ||
=tl;dr= | |||
JUST USE WINDOWS instead of "tab groups", let us have a feature whereby we can label the windows, and have a "Tab Groups"-like interface solely to make moving tabs between different windows easier. | |||
=Some Ranting= | =Some Ranting= | ||
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Over the past few weeks I've been trying to integrate TabCandy into my daily browsing. Here's my verdict: overall I think TabCandy is a great idea to solve a definite problem, and has a LOT of potential, but unfortunately its present implementation is not ready for prime-time; IMO it's odd, non-logical, over-complicated, frustrating to use, non-consistent with existing window management paradigms, actually makes me ''less'' productive, and is dangerous. Yes, ''dangerous'' - once you let this mess of a monster out in its current form (spouting its own new tab-management paradigms) it will be difficult to get it back in its cage. Therefore, I'd rather Mozilla thought about all the available options much more carefully before this officially becomes part of Firefox proper. | Over the past few weeks I've been trying to integrate TabCandy into my daily browsing. Here's my verdict: overall I think TabCandy is a great idea to solve a definite problem, and has a LOT of potential, but unfortunately its present implementation is not ready for prime-time; IMO it's odd, non-logical, over-complicated, frustrating to use, non-consistent with existing window management paradigms, actually makes me ''less'' productive, and is dangerous. Yes, ''dangerous'' - once you let this mess of a monster out in its current form (spouting its own new tab-management paradigms) it will be difficult to get it back in its cage. Therefore, I'd rather Mozilla thought about all the available options much more carefully before this officially becomes part of Firefox proper. | ||
Why did I open this post with launching what might appear as a very scathing attack? Well, let me re-emphasise how I recognise that there is a ''VERY'' good idea in here - unfortunately, | Why did I open this post with launching what might appear as a very scathing attack? Well, let me re-emphasise how I recognise that there is a ''VERY'' good idea in here and a *very* nice interface - unfortunately, I feel there is a severe logical flaw in its current form - that would be such a shame, as lost potential like this really annoys me! :) | ||
= So what exactly is wrong with "TabCandy"? = | = So what exactly is wrong with "TabCandy"? = | ||
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Let me try to justify my opinions by looking in detail at exactly what's wrong with the current implementation: | Let me try to justify my opinions by looking in detail at exactly what's wrong with the current implementation: | ||
#Once you create a new partitioning with "TabCandy", the non-selected "tab sets" are '''hidden''' and go into what I shall dub "The Land of Limbo". Are they still running in RAM and consuming resources? Or are they in a weird suspended state? I shouldn't even have to ask or care about this question - a good UI should be obvious - this Limbo state of non-selected "tab sets" just shouldn't exist in the first place, and is confusing by adding an extra paradigm of "hidden pages" and hence an unnecessary extra layer of complexity; it needlessly '''blurs the previously clear and distinct line between a set of pages that you have open and a set of pages that you have closed but stored in your "recent bookmarks"'''.<br> <br> | #Once you create a new partitioning with "TabCandy", the non-selected "tab sets" are '''hidden''' and go into what I shall dub "The Land of Limbo". Are they still running in RAM and consuming resources? Or are they in a weird suspended state? I shouldn't even have to ask or care about this question -- a good UI should be obvious -- this Limbo state of non-selected "tab sets" just shouldn't exist in the first place, and is confusing by adding an extra paradigm of "hidden pages" and hence an unnecessary extra layer of complexity; it needlessly '''blurs the previously clear and distinct line between a set of pages that you have open and a set of pages that you have closed but stored in your "recent bookmarks"'''.<br> <br> I find this concept completely alien -- I like to be in control of what I have open and to be able to see it -- I don't like things being hidden from me -- SHOW ME MY WINDOWS! <br><br> | ||
#Because "TabCandy" hides my pages from me, I am actually ''forced'' to go through "TabCandy" to see all my pages; I can't use the more obvious, powerful, ''exposed'', tried-and-tested and consistent methods that I have available to me both from my | #Because "TabCandy" hides my pages from me, I am actually ''forced'' to go through "TabCandy" to see all my pages; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect I can't use the more obvious, powerful, ''exposed'', tried-and-tested and consistent methods that I have available to me both from my window manager and from other more obvious areas of the Firefox UI that have existed since FF2]. I have to click and open "TabCandy" to edit the "page sets" and can't really see or edit these well by just using the tab-strip itself. Once I start using "TabCandy" I am '''locked into "TabCandy"'s "walled garden"''' -- I shouldn't be forced like this to use a separate tool to perform basic page/tab/window management.<br><br> | ||
#"TabCandy" only works on a '''per-window basis''', rather than showing me the bigger picture of ''all'' the web-browsing that I am actually doing. I can't count the number of times that I've had 3 or so windows open and then lose one of these "ghost" tabs into TabCandy's "Land of Limbo" and then have to dig through all the windows to try and find it again (making me actually LESS productive with "TabCandy" than without). This just '''discourages the existing good practice of partitioning your open tabbed pages into windows'''.<br> "TabCandy" is therefore taking the tried, tested, more flexible, powerful, and much more simple method of grouping tabbed pages by window, and completely throwing it "out the window" (if you excuse the recursive pun! :)). | #TabCandy forces upon the user '''unnecessary extra layers of hierarchy''' between them and the actual page content, adding additional '''confusion''' and '''slowing down''' the ability to access page content.<br><br> | ||
#"TabCandy" doesn't really acknowledge or exploit the UI advantages that are now available in '''Windows 7'''. | #"TabCandy" only works on a '''per-window basis''', rather than showing me the bigger picture of ''all'' the web-browsing that I am actually doing. I can't count the number of times that I've had 3 or so windows open and then lose one of these "ghost" tabs into TabCandy's "Land of Limbo" and then have to dig through all the windows to try and find it again (making me actually LESS productive with "TabCandy" than without). This just '''discourages the existing good practice of partitioning your open tabbed pages into windows'''.<br><br>It seems as if "TabCandy" is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist -- i.e. making out that it's somehow a problem to have more than one window open at once -- this is not the case with a modern window manager such as that in Windows 7, KDE 4.5, or Snow Leopard -- therefore there is no reason to hide such windows. "TabCandy" actually makes it ''more difficult'' to work with several windows than before.<br><br>"TabCandy" is therefore taking the tried, tested, more flexible, powerful, and much more simple method of grouping tabbed pages by window, and completely throwing it "out the window" (if you excuse the recursive pun! :)). In summary, '''"Tab sets" != open windows'''.<br><br> | ||
#"TabCandy" doesn't really acknowledge or exploit the UI advantages and APIs that are now available in '''Windows 7'''. Microsoft went to a lot of effort to fix the mess caused by having a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_document_interface MDI/TDI application] in Windows 7 - instead of embracing Microsoft's efforts, Mozilla are now making an even bigger mess with the addition of extra unnecessary MDI hierarchy. Having '''5 or 6 different Firefox windows on Windows 7 is really not a problem for the user''' to deal with, especially if these new APIs are exploited to their full potential.<br><br> | |||
#"TabCandy" (and modern web-browsers in general) doesn't really acknowledge the fact that users shouldn't actually care about small inflexible UI elements for showing fixed-sized pages called "tabs". The user should care only about the web '''CONTENT '''or '''"pages"''' that they are browsing. <s>The new name of "Tab Sets" (whilst better than "Tab Candy") misguidedly still '''focuses its name on a small inflexible UI control called a "tab"'''.</s> ''(Edit: This has now been fixed with the excellent new name of "Panorama", however, the Firefox-UI and TabCandy/Panorama instruction video still over-use the word "tab".)<br><br> | #"TabCandy" (and modern web-browsers in general) doesn't really acknowledge the fact that users shouldn't actually care about small inflexible UI elements for showing fixed-sized pages called "tabs". The user should care only about the web '''CONTENT '''or '''"pages"''' that they are browsing. <s>The new name of "Tab Sets" (whilst better than "Tab Candy") misguidedly still '''focuses its name on a small inflexible UI control called a "tab"'''.</s> ''(Edit: This has now been fixed with the excellent new name of "Panorama", however, the Firefox-UI and TabCandy/Panorama instruction video still over-use the word "tab".)<br><br> | ||
#"TabCandy" completely ignores the advances made in '''Internet Explorer 8''' with its introduction of the simple and ''automatic'' '''coloured tab group''' indication. | #"TabCandy" completely ignores the advances made in '''Internet Explorer 8''' with its introduction of the simple and ''automatic'' '''coloured tab group''' indication.<br><br> | ||
= What should be done differently? = | = What should be done differently? = | ||
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<br> | <br> | ||
== Specification for "Visualize Pages" | == Specification for "Visualize Pages" aka "Pages Panorama" == | ||
So let's look at how a "Visualize Pages" alone could address each of the faults mentioned above: | So let's look at how a "Visualize Pages" alone could address each of the faults mentioned above: | ||
#The mission statement of "Visualize Pages" is: "''to provide a visual way to help you view your open pages, and to help you organize your '''open''' pages between tabs and '''windows'''''".<br> "Visualize Pages" will show you a matrix of '''''all'' pages that are open''': i.e. all open tabbed pages in the current window, together with all other Firefox windows that you have open and all pages that are open within each of these other windows. '''No windows will ever be hidden'''. This could also be thought of as Mac | #The mission statement of "Visualize Pages" is: "''to provide a visual way to help you view your open pages, and to help you organize your '''open''' pages between tabs and '''windows'''''".<br> "Visualize Pages" will show you a matrix of '''''all'' pages that are open''': i.e. all open tabbed pages in the current window, together with all other Firefox windows that you have open and all pages that are open within each of these other windows. '''No windows will ever be hidden'''. This could also be thought of as Mac OS X "Exposé" in its application-specific mode, except that it will also show tabbed pages, allow you to re-organize pages between tabs and windows, and remember a virtual spatial organization of your groups/windows.<br><br> | ||
#The user will '''not be forced to use the "Visualize Pages" view''' to see the logical partitioning - it will be evident on both the tab strip and by the fact that what is currently known as "tab sets" will simply be standard and more flexible '''windows'''. Since windows are a the standard way to display programs, all standard OS interactions will be able to be performed on each window. The hierarchy will also be able to be edited from directly in the tab strip, without the user requiring to enter the "Visualize Pages" view at all.<br> <br> | #The user will '''not be forced to use the "Visualize Pages" view''' to see the logical partitioning - it will be evident on both the tab strip and by the fact that what is currently known as "tab sets" will simply be standard and more flexible '''windows'''. Since windows are a the standard way to display programs, all standard OS interactions will be able to be performed on each window. The hierarchy will also be able to be edited from directly in the tab strip, without the user requiring to enter the "Visualize Pages" view at all.<br><br> | ||
#'''No ''forced'' extra layers of hierarchy''' will be added between the user and their content. Content will be able to be reached with the exact same levels of hierarchy as present in FF3.<br><br> | |||
#Any large '''grey rectangles''' (currently called "tab sets") that are shown in the "Visualize Pages" view will '''correspond 1:1 with ''open windows'''''. Using '''windows '''will be the main method that is encouraged to partition tabbed pages.<br> <br> | #Any large '''grey rectangles''' (currently called "tab sets") that are shown in the "Visualize Pages" view will '''correspond 1:1 with ''open windows'''''. Using '''windows '''will be the main method that is encouraged to partition tabbed pages.<br> <br> | ||
#Since each "TabCandy tab set" is now just a window, the new '''Windows 7 Taskbar API''' will be used to indicate the contents of each window, and show the label given to each window (the label entered in the "Visualize Pages" view).<br> <br> | #Since each "TabCandy tab set" is now just a window, the new '''Windows 7 Taskbar API''' will be used to indicate the contents of each window, and show the label given to each window (the label entered in the "Visualize Pages" view).<br> <br> | ||
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#'''Internet Explorer 8''' 's coloured "tab groups" and "quick tabs" features will be integrated.<br> <br> | #'''Internet Explorer 8''' 's coloured "tab groups" and "quick tabs" features will be integrated.<br> <br> | ||
== Specification for "Visualize History" | == Specification for "Visualize History" aka "History Panorama" == | ||
"Visualize History" will be a new view that can be added to the History library and also possibly linked-to from the "Visualize Pages" view. It will not only show you the name, location, and time of individual pages that you have accessed, but will also '''show you exactly how ''several'' pages were viewed in-relation to each other, exactly as you browsed them'''. "Visualize History" would show your historical browsing exactly in the same 2D matrix as "Visualize Pages", except with a timeline bar across the top showing the exact time of when the pages had the particular arrangement on display. It would also allow you to look-up an ''exact'' time and be able to see how ''exactly'' your ''complete'' browsing session may have looked, including a visualization of ''all'' FF windows that you had open at that time).<br><br> | "Visualize History" will be a new view that can be added to the History library and also possibly linked-to from the "Visualize Pages" view. It will not only show you the name, location, and time of individual pages that you have accessed, but will also '''show you exactly how ''several'' pages were viewed in-relation to each other, exactly as you browsed them'''. "Visualize History" would show your historical browsing exactly in the same 2D matrix as "Visualize Pages", except with a timeline bar across the top showing the exact time of when the pages had the particular arrangement on display. It would also allow you to look-up an ''exact'' time and be able to see how ''exactly'' your ''complete'' browsing session may have looked, including a visualization of ''all'' FF windows that you had open at that time).<br><br> | ||
== Specification for "Visualize Bookmarks" | == Specification for "Visualize Bookmarks" aka "Bookmarks Panorama" == | ||
"Visualize Bookmarks" will be a new matrix view that is added to the Bookmarks Organizer and maybe also to the Home Tab (with recently bookmarked pages shown on the Home Tab). It will allow you to not only see the title of a bookmark, but also a fully scalable thumbnail of the bookmark. | "Visualize Bookmarks" will be a new matrix view that is added to the Bookmarks Organizer and maybe also to the Home Tab (with recently bookmarked pages shown on the Home Tab). It will allow you to not only see the title of a bookmark, but also a fully scalable thumbnail of the bookmark. | ||
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Bookmarks may also be grouped into sets that may then be opened into a new window. Pages from this newly opened window may be then integrated into your open browsing session by using the "Visualize Pages" view. | Bookmarks may also be grouped into sets that may then be opened into a new window. Pages from this newly opened window may be then integrated into your open browsing session by using the "Visualize Pages" view. | ||
Bookmarking a set of pages should be possible directly from the "Visualize Pages" view. A set of visual bookmarks may be re-arranged and organized in the same desktop-style as in "Visualize Pages". | Bookmarking a set of pages should be possible directly from the "Visualize Pages" view. A set of visual bookmarks may be re-arranged and organized in the same desktop-style as in "Visualize Pages". Perhaps their could be a bookmarks "star" icon in a corner of "visualize Pages" where you could drag a window group, or a selection of various pages, in order to add these pages to your bookmarks; viewing these newly added bookmarks in "Visualize Bookmarks" would show the exact same grouping as was present in "Visualize Pages". | ||
<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
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== "Visualize Pages" Basics == | == "Visualize Pages" Basics == | ||
The main difference between TabCandy and this "Visualize Pages" proposal is that in "Visualize Pages" we simplify everything by making a '''SET = WINDOW''' and not window = "a view of a set" as in TabCandy. | |||
In order to see how this would work in detail, let's take as an example the situation that we are trying to organize our finances, but instead procrastinate by going to bored.com. We then decide that we need to stop procrastinating and come back to our bored.com game later, so want to split off the tabbed bored.com pages into a different window. Our Firefox window looks as follows:<br><br> [[Image:FF example for fixing tabcandy.png|1000px|FF example for fixing tabcandy.png]] | |||
<br> | <br> | ||
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The "Visualize Pages" view shows ''all'' pages that we have open. The current window is represented virtually by a grey rectangle with thick drop-shadow, and the tabbed pages within are represented by thumbnails of each page. | The "Visualize Pages" view shows ''all'' pages that we have open. The current window is represented virtually by a grey rectangle with thick drop-shadow, and the tabbed pages within are represented by thumbnails of each page. | ||
In our example we only have one window open, but should we have more than one Firefox window open then ''all'' open Firefox windows would also be represented virtually in "Visualize Pages" as grey rectangles (albeit without the thick drop shadow of the virtual current window representation); clicking on a page in another window would ''switch'' to that window and display the corresponding tab. | In our example we only have one window open, but should we have more than one Firefox window open then '''''all'' open Firefox windows would also be represented virtually in "Visualize Pages" as grey rectangles''' (albeit without the thick drop shadow of the virtual current window representation); clicking on a page in another window would '''''switch'' to that window''' ([http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms632599.aspx#foreground possible]) and display the corresponding tab. | ||
In our example we now wish to organize the two bored.com pages into a separate window - we therefore drag them out of the virtual representation of the current window, and into their own rectangle representing another virtual window as follows: | In our example we now wish to organize the two bored.com pages into a separate window - we therefore drag them out of the virtual representation of the current window, and into their own rectangle representing another virtual window as follows: | ||
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#Assigns the "Procrastination" label to the initial window (now in background). | #Assigns the "Procrastination" label to the initial window (now in background). | ||
Note that when the "Visualize Pages" tool creates new windows, then the window which contains the page that the user wants to view should be the ''last'' window that is composed in order to obtain the correct window focus. | Note that when the "Visualize Pages" tool creates new windows, then the window which contains the page that the user wants to view should be the ''last'' window that is composed in order to obtain the correct window focus (Edit: after looking at the [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms632599.aspx#foreground win32 APIs] this ordering might not be necessary). | ||
Our two newly realized windows would now look as follows when we hover over the Firefox/Minefield Windows 7 Taskbar icon: | Our two newly realized windows would now look as follows when we hover over the Firefox/Minefield Windows 7 Taskbar icon: | ||
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[[Image:FF Organized Window Previews per window stretched with labels.png|1000px|FF Organized Window Previews per window stretched with labels.png]] | [[Image:FF Organized Window Previews per window stretched with labels.png|1000px|FF Organized Window Previews per window stretched with labels.png]] | ||
=== Windows 7 Taskbar Integration === | |||
The labels that we gave our windows now show at the bottom of the Windows 7 Taskbar Live Previews for each Firefox/Minefield window. The label can also be edited directly within each Taskbar Live Preview. If no label is specified by the user, then by default windows should be given the label "Window n" where "n" is the number of open Firefox windows. Alternatively, instead of "Window n", the pencil icon could be shown by default. | The labels that we gave our windows now show at the bottom of the Windows 7 Taskbar Live Previews for each Firefox/Minefield window. The label can also be edited directly within each Taskbar Live Preview. If no label is specified by the user, then by default windows should be given the label "Window n" where "n" is the number of open Firefox windows. Alternatively, instead of "Window n", the pencil icon could be shown by default. | ||
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<br> Perhaps there could also even be an option where Firefox could intelligently decide whether to show you live previews on a per-tab basis or a per-window basis depending upon the number of windows + tabs that you have open. This would be possible as the label on the Live Preview makes it obvious whether you are viewing the contents of a tab or of a window. | <br> Perhaps there could also even be an option where Firefox could intelligently decide whether to show you live previews on a per-tab basis or a per-window basis depending upon the number of windows + tabs that you have open. This would be possible as the label on the Live Preview makes it obvious whether you are viewing the contents of a tab or of a window. | ||
The same window labelling behaviour could be implemented in Windows XP by showing the "Visualize Pages" label as the window title in the taskbar, rather than showing the title of the active tabbed page. Alternatively, the window title could be shown in the following format: "<Visualize Pages Label>: <Active tabbed Page Title>". | |||
== Automatic Display of Related Pages == | == Automatic Display of Related Pages == | ||
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= Conclusion = | = Conclusion = | ||
I have presented here an improvement upon "TabCandy" which allows users to sort out the mess of having lots of unrelated tabbed pages open at once, yet does so in a way that won't introduce any new and confusing window management paradigms*. | I have presented here an improvement upon "TabCandy" which allows users to spatially sort out the mess of having lots of unrelated tabbed pages open at once, yet does so in a way that won't introduce any new and confusing window management paradigms*. | ||
If "TabCandy" is released as it is at present it will become one of the most controversial Mozilla features ever. When "TabCandy" went into the mainstream IT press a few weeks ago, reaction was far from overwhelmingly positive. Take, for example, the [http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/2/2010/07/23/firefox_tab_candy/ comments over at The Register]. | If "TabCandy" is released as it is at present it will become one of the most controversial Mozilla features ever. When "TabCandy" went into the mainstream IT press a few weeks ago, reaction was far from overwhelmingly positive. Take, for example, the [http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/2/2010/07/23/firefox_tab_candy/ comments over at The Register]. | ||
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It doesn't have to be this way. I want Firefox 4 to succeed and so spent the time to write this. I only hope you at Mozilla will pay some attention to this and all the details that I have presented here. | It doesn't have to be this way. I want Firefox 4 to succeed and so spent the time to write this. I only hope you at Mozilla will pay some attention to this and all the details that I have presented here. | ||
*No extra layers of confusion! | *No extra layers of confusion!: | ||
:::::{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0" border="1" width="600" class="wikitable" | |||
|+Number of levels of hierarchy which the user is ''forced'' to wade through before reaching the actual open page content of interest. | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col" | With ''TabCandy''<br> | |||
! scope="col" | With ''Visualize Pages'' View<br> | |||
|- valign="top" | |||
| | |||
#Additional TabCandy Interface; | |||
#Set; | |||
#Window; | |||
#Tab; | |||
#Page. | |||
| | |||
#Window; | |||
#Tab; | |||
#Page. | |||
|} | |||
*No "ghost pages" in "limbo"! | *No "ghost pages" in "limbo"! | ||
*No hunting for such "ghosts"! | *No hunting for such "ghosts"! | ||
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#drag out your pages to propose to create a new window; | #drag out your pages to propose to create a new window; | ||
#select the page that you want to view. | #select the page that you want to view. | ||
|} | |||
*Faster to switch to another "tab set"/window from another application: | |||
:::::{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0" border="1" width="600" class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col" | With ''TabCandy''<br> | |||
! scope="col" | With ''Visualize Pages'' View<br> | |||
|- valign="top" | |||
| | |||
#click on the Firefox taskbar button, making sure that is ok to hide again the current tabs in view; | |||
#open TabCandy; | |||
#choose the set you want to see. | |||
| | |||
#hover over the Firefox taskbar icon and choose the window that you want to view. | |||
|} | |} | ||
*Organize that tab mess! | *Organize that tab mess! | ||