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One of the contributors states: "Building an extension for this should be very simple." Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference w

One of the contributors states: "Building an extension for this should be very simple." Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference where I can control every possible browser action and its associated keyboard shortcut? In fact, why isn't this available at an OS level? Surely it would remove a lot of unnecessary duplicate code.

guard-of-terra 10y ago
"Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference where I can control every possible browser action and its associated keyboard shortcut? In fact, why isn't this available at an OS level?" There is one, on KDE level. Any KDE app has generic-looking hotkey remapper under settings menu. It just works.
- pflats 10y ago
  It is also available on OS X in the Keyboard prefpane; so long as it's a menu item, it can get a shortcut. System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Application Shortcuts -> [+]
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
mkj 10y ago
Yeah, it is an OS level thing on OSX. "Quit Chrome" mapped to cmd-shift-control-something-Q instead, for example. As long as it has a menu item to match on.
- oneeyedpigeon 10y ago
  Of course it does. For some reason, I always forget about this - maybe it's because it doesn't work in the most-intuitive way (hunt down system prefs pane, enter menu text exactly as it appears), but it's good to know they're trying to make this work. Unfortunately, backspace is one of the keys that can't be used as a shortcut.
davb 10y ago
They really don't like preferences. I remember before Chrome's new preferences page it seemed to have many more options. I called them out on a few important ones disappearing and the answer was always "Not many people use those, and they confuse new users". For a long while it was impossible to view TLS cert information on Chrome Mobile. One day they just disabled the UI for it. Too confusing for new users if they stumble in there.
- optforfon 10y ago
  Same thing with Firefox. It's really frustrating. The options are incredibly sparse. I feel like there is a complete lack of creativity on the part of browser developers are to features that it'd be nice to have
  - kuschku 10y ago
    At least Firefox has about:config, and everything can be changed there.
    - optforfon 10y ago
      woah.. didn't know about that. It's a monster list of exposed internal variables? Talk about inaccessible...
      - cpeterso 10y ago
        MozillaZine has some documentation describing many of the about:config preferences: http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config
      - voiceofreason43 10y ago
        Any user who knows enough to know what he is doing on that page already knows about it.
    - davb 10y ago
      Chrome has chrome:flags but it's not as useful (mostly about turning ON new experimental features than restoring established behaviour). And with both cases, you can't rely on it being there at the next mi or update..
venomsnake 10y ago
It is chrome team we are talking about. They are the only browser that nukes all of your settings when it thinks they are tampered with and it is impossible to move profile between installations just with copying. And there is no way to disable that :( They force you to use their (useless) cloud sync.
coldpie 10y ago
Firefox still has Ctrl-Q to close the current window, which is right next to Ctrl-W to close the current tab on a English keyboard. This is the first extension I install: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disable-ctrl-q-shortcut/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disable-ctrl-... Dumb.
- lstamour 10y ago
  Ah, yes. On OS X, Ctrl+Q and Ctrl+W (well, their CMD equivalents) are system-wide and it drives me crazy if I hit Ctrl+Q by accident, or that devs prompt to quit because of how easy it is to accidentally press it instead of W. I'm so glad that tabs and state reload in pretty much every app I use these days...
  - johns 10y ago
    On OS X, go to the Chrome menu, select "Warn Before Quitting". This makes it so you have to hold Cmd-Q to exit. No more accidental closing.
    - RussianCow 10y ago
      This should really be a global setting in OS X. I find myself accidentally hitting Cmd+Q all the time, not just for the web browser.
      - fixermark 10y ago
        For quite a few users, OSX's entire concept of "quit the currently-active application" is downright archaic.
        oneeyedpigeon 10y ago
        Do you no longer quit applications in [your operating system]? What's the alternative?
snowfield 10y ago
"Do you want to install "backspace for chrome?" This extension can; See all your data on all websites cant wait
- jdelaney 10y ago
  I built an extension that replaces the backspace feature and is open source (so you can install it yourself and check the code). Extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/back-to-backspace/cldokedgmomhbifmiiogjjkgffhcbaec https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/back-to-backspace/... Source: https://github.com/j-delaney/back-to-backspace https://github.com/j-delaney/back-to-backspace
ChrisArgyle 10y ago
> Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference where I can control every possible browser action and its associated keyboard shortcut? It turns out this extension does exist. I just used it to assign "shift+backspace" to "Go Back" and it worked. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/shortkeys-custom-keyboard/ https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/shortkeys-custom-k...
Kadin 10y ago
> "Building an extension for this should be very simple." Which is then followed, amusingly, by a developer who has tried to do it saying that in fact, it's not that simple (without ridiculous permissions). But now it seems to have turned into a face-saving thing where the Chrome developers won't ever reverse the change or put in a configuration option because to do so would be to admit a mistake in public.
- d0ugie 10y ago
  Well, someone figured it out for Linux: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/backspace-as-backforward/aeffggjddcchloadflonilaahpclmbnm https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/backspace-as-backf...

guard-of-terra 10y ago

"Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference where I can control every possible browser action and its associated keyboard shortcut? In fact, why isn't this available at an OS level?" There is one, on KDE level. Any KDE app has generic-looking hotkey remapper under settings menu. It just works.

pflats 10y ago
It is also available on OS X in the Keyboard prefpane; so long as it's a menu item, it can get a shortcut. System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Application Shortcuts -> [+]

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

mkj 10y ago

Yeah, it is an OS level thing on OSX. "Quit Chrome" mapped to cmd-shift-control-something-Q instead, for example. As long as it has a menu item to match on.

oneeyedpigeon 10y ago
Of course it does. For some reason, I always forget about this - maybe it's because it doesn't work in the most-intuitive way (hunt down system prefs pane, enter menu text exactly as it appears), but it's good to know they're trying to make this work. Unfortunately, backspace is one of the keys that can't be used as a shortcut.

davb 10y ago

They really don't like preferences. I remember before Chrome's new preferences page it seemed to have many more options. I called them out on a few important ones disappearing and the answer was always "Not many people use those, and they confuse new users". For a long while it was impossible to view TLS cert information on Chrome Mobile. One day they just disabled the UI for it. Too confusing for new users if they stumble in there.

optforfon 10y ago
Same thing with Firefox. It's really frustrating. The options are incredibly sparse. I feel like there is a complete lack of creativity on the part of browser developers are to features that it'd be nice to have
- kuschku 10y ago
  At least Firefox has about:config, and everything can be changed there.
  - optforfon 10y ago
    woah.. didn't know about that. It's a monster list of exposed internal variables? Talk about inaccessible...
    - cpeterso 10y ago
      MozillaZine has some documentation describing many of the about:config preferences: http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config
    - voiceofreason43 10y ago
      Any user who knows enough to know what he is doing on that page already knows about it.
  - davb 10y ago
    Chrome has chrome:flags but it's not as useful (mostly about turning ON new experimental features than restoring established behaviour). And with both cases, you can't rely on it being there at the next mi or update..

venomsnake 10y ago

It is chrome team we are talking about. They are the only browser that nukes all of your settings when it thinks they are tampered with and it is impossible to move profile between installations just with copying. And there is no way to disable that :( They force you to use their (useless) cloud sync.

coldpie 10y ago

Firefox still has Ctrl-Q to close the current window, which is right next to Ctrl-W to close the current tab on a English keyboard. This is the first extension I install: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disable-ctrl-q-shortcut/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disable-ctrl-... Dumb.

lstamour 10y ago
Ah, yes. On OS X, Ctrl+Q and Ctrl+W (well, their CMD equivalents) are system-wide and it drives me crazy if I hit Ctrl+Q by accident, or that devs prompt to quit because of how easy it is to accidentally press it instead of W. I'm so glad that tabs and state reload in pretty much every app I use these days...
- johns 10y ago
  On OS X, go to the Chrome menu, select "Warn Before Quitting". This makes it so you have to hold Cmd-Q to exit. No more accidental closing.
  - RussianCow 10y ago
    This should really be a global setting in OS X. I find myself accidentally hitting Cmd+Q all the time, not just for the web browser.
    - fixermark 10y ago
      For quite a few users, OSX's entire concept of "quit the currently-active application" is downright archaic.
      - oneeyedpigeon 10y ago
        Do you no longer quit applications in [your operating system]? What's the alternative?

snowfield 10y ago

"Do you want to install "backspace for chrome?" This extension can; See all your data on all websites cant wait

jdelaney 10y ago
I built an extension that replaces the backspace feature and is open source (so you can install it yourself and check the code). Extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/back-to-backspace/cldokedgmomhbifmiiogjjkgffhcbaec https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/back-to-backspace/... Source: https://github.com/j-delaney/back-to-backspace https://github.com/j-delaney/back-to-backspace

ChrisArgyle 10y ago

> Why on earth isn't there just a generic keyboard-shortcut preference where I can control every possible browser action and its associated keyboard shortcut? It turns out this extension does exist. I just used it to assign "shift+backspace" to "Go Back" and it worked. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/shortkeys-custom-keyboard/ https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/shortkeys-custom-k...

Kadin 10y ago

> "Building an extension for this should be very simple." Which is then followed, amusingly, by a developer who has tried to do it saying that in fact, it's not that simple (without ridiculous permissions). But now it seems to have turned into a face-saving thing where the Chrome developers won't ever reverse the change or put in a configuration option because to do so would be to admit a mistake in public.

d0ugie 10y ago
Well, someone figured it out for Linux: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/backspace-as-backforward/aeffggjddcchloadflonilaahpclmbnm https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/backspace-as-backf...