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Multiple tabs in a web browser flat out sucks for multi-tasking. macOS, Windows and many flavors of window managers for Linux provide many ways for switching be

Multiple tabs in a web browser flat out sucks for multi-tasking. macOS, Windows and many flavors of window managers for Linux provide many ways for switching between windows, seeing what's open, hiding things, etc. In a browser they're just straight tabs. Have you ever need to switch between multiple tabs semi regularly while keeping other tabs open? Have you ever wanted two tabs to be side-by-side? It's a usability horror show. Wrapping Slack in its own app let's me use the windowing manager my operating system came with.

abrowne 9y ago
Honest question: Can't you just open a new browser window then?
- BinaryIdiot 9y ago
  Not really. It doesn't function the same. Doing Command + Tab on a Mac shows them as the same application so you can't switch that way, you still have to use Command + ~ which is unlike all other apps in function as well as key combo. Also features like expose show the same framing around each website so if you have enough things open the only visual queue is a very tiny preview of the website which, depending on what you need to use, isn't always clear (at least not for me on my 13" MacBook). It's a workaround that I do use but it's not a substitute I'm afraid. Windows handles this a little better, IMO, but it's still not great and the occasional crash of a web browser tab still sometimes takes the whole thing down.
  - throwaway77662 9y ago
    So basically because MacOS usabillity is not good on multi window desktop apps and the browser doesn't sandbox correctly tabs.
    - BinaryIdiot 9y ago
      I think you missed the part where I said Windows was better but still not great along with the issue of one tab crashing taking them all down (which still happens despite the separate process per tab).
npolet 9y ago
I wouldn't call tabs a usability horror show with the reason you stated. Surely you can just drag a tab off the tab line and then you have it in its own window. Ready for you position however you want, in the full control of the window manager. It's so easy to separate tabs into their own window and utilise the window managers control.
- DaiPlusPlus 9y ago
  Unless you explicitly enable separate tasbar buttons in Windows you still have all of your browser windows accessible only through a single 32px-wide button on your screen. And the default thumbnail preview delay is also equally frustrating.
- BinaryIdiot 9y ago
  You still lose out on multiple features of the OS for Window management when you simply create more windows within an App. I addressed that here if you're interested: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14355971 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14355971
dzhiurgis 9y ago
I pin the most important ones, then switch using cmd+1/2/3 to the one I need (would be nice to have feature to switch to -1,-2,-3 (aka last, second to last, etc) tabs cmd+` to switch between different Chrome profiles/windows option+shift+a/d to snap window to left or right tiptap to switch between tabs when using trackpad when slack notification comes up, just click on it and it takes me to the right Chrome tab I do agree we need a better way to integrate tabs in native windowing
noway421 9y ago
Command+~ as well as Command+1-9 solves this I believe.

abrowne 9y ago

Honest question: Can't you just open a new browser window then?

BinaryIdiot 9y ago
Not really. It doesn't function the same. Doing Command + Tab on a Mac shows them as the same application so you can't switch that way, you still have to use Command + ~ which is unlike all other apps in function as well as key combo. Also features like expose show the same framing around each website so if you have enough things open the only visual queue is a very tiny preview of the website which, depending on what you need to use, isn't always clear (at least not for me on my 13" MacBook). It's a workaround that I do use but it's not a substitute I'm afraid. Windows handles this a little better, IMO, but it's still not great and the occasional crash of a web browser tab still sometimes takes the whole thing down.
- throwaway77662 9y ago
  So basically because MacOS usabillity is not good on multi window desktop apps and the browser doesn't sandbox correctly tabs.
  - BinaryIdiot 9y ago
    I think you missed the part where I said Windows was better but still not great along with the issue of one tab crashing taking them all down (which still happens despite the separate process per tab).

npolet 9y ago

I wouldn't call tabs a usability horror show with the reason you stated. Surely you can just drag a tab off the tab line and then you have it in its own window. Ready for you position however you want, in the full control of the window manager. It's so easy to separate tabs into their own window and utilise the window managers control.

DaiPlusPlus 9y ago
Unless you explicitly enable separate tasbar buttons in Windows you still have all of your browser windows accessible only through a single 32px-wide button on your screen. And the default thumbnail preview delay is also equally frustrating.
BinaryIdiot 9y ago
You still lose out on multiple features of the OS for Window management when you simply create more windows within an App. I addressed that here if you're interested: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14355971 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14355971

dzhiurgis 9y ago

I pin the most important ones, then switch using cmd+1/2/3 to the one I need (would be nice to have feature to switch to -1,-2,-3 (aka last, second to last, etc) tabs cmd+` to switch between different Chrome profiles/windows option+shift+a/d to snap window to left or right tiptap to switch between tabs when using trackpad when slack notification comes up, just click on it and it takes me to the right Chrome tab I do agree we need a better way to integrate tabs in native windowing

noway421 9y ago

Command+~ as well as Command+1-9 solves this I believe.