Re: [Usability] Tabs

[Stefan Kost <ensonic hora-obscura de>]

Hi thilo,

> Hi,
>
> what dou think about tabs, especially in web-browsers. I would be 
> interested in how people are using these. My experience is that tabs are 
> more used by geeks and not so much liked by ordinary people. But maybe I 
> am wrong. People seem to love a bookmark-sidebar, although it reduces 
> the size of a browser window. Maybe it would be better to have such 
> sidebar switched on by hover-ing the left side of a browser?
>
> With tabs I know 3 models how to close them
>
> 1. Firefox : always close on the right, one X for every tab. Tabs are 
> resized
> 2. Epiphany: each tab has a X on the right side. Tabs are not resized so 
> some are getting hidden.
> 3. Safari: each tab has a X on the left side. (resizing?)
>
> I personally prefer: each tab has X on right an tabs are being resized. 
> Size does not matter if you get the full title displayed while hover the 
> mouse over a tab.
>
> The Firefox people think that a X for each tab is much too complicated. 
> I don't think so. What do you think? Anybody has done usability studies 
> on that?

Personally I prefer each tab having an 'X' button. This is homogenous to each 
window having a close button and not one e.g. in the panel that closes the 
current window.

Stefan