4 ms·

Firefox still doesn't render native OS elements like select boxes and right-click menus, so I have little faith overflow scrolling will ever be fixed.

Klonoar 7y ago
Yeah... Firefox is probably the biggest example of why you shouldn't reinvent the wheel in terms of cross-platform GUI. It just looks and feels so out of place, whether it's macOS or some niche setup like running it under KDE. If you're in Gnome or Windows it can look fine, but I still question much of the iconography and general layout. Any time you bring it up, though, you get batted away and beaten over the head with privacy, browser monoculture, or open source arguments. It's really frustrating; if you want open source to succeed, you have to also want it to compete on the same level. It's like expecting people to eat vegan food when you call it the same as the non-vegan option... and then they don't want to, because it tastes nothing like what they expect. In fact (I can't believe I'm saying this) I almost wish they were a Qt shell.
- roca 7y ago
  Every browser reimplements the native platform widgets. Even Safari! You have to, because the native platform widgets never support all the features a browser needs (CSS styling, JS event interception, etc etc). Unfortunately, copying the look and feel of the native platform is an endless treadmill as those platforms evolve, and for obvious reasons Safari is always going to be better at keeping up with that on Mac than Firefox is.
  - Klonoar 7y ago
    Dude, I know - read my original comment, I'm clearly aware that Chrome had to implement their side of things. Firefox goes out of their way to draw controls that don't fit in. Chrome, for all their faults, tries very hard to emulate the proper look/feel/functionality.
    - roca 7y ago
      AFAIK Firefox does not "go out of their way to draw controls that don't fit in". On Mac and other platforms, the policy is that the controls look and feel like their native counterparts (unless overidden by Web authors) ... unless it's changed since I left Mozilla, and I don't think it has. In some cases, however, that has not been achieved. I haven't had a Mac for long time so I can't speak to the details of what works and what doesn't. FWIW I use Linux and on Linux, Chrome makes no attempt at all to use the native platform theme, while Firefox does a pretty good job.
      - Klonoar 7y ago
        It's pretty off on Mac, sadly. I will, however, apologize for saying they "go out of their way". I fired that bit of text off without thinking, but it's needlessly assuming (and likely outright wrong) on my part. Thanks for the correction.
    - jimbo1qaz 7y ago
      On Windows and Linux, Firefox draws native-like (win32 or gtk) controls. On Windows (possibly Linux), Chrome draws custom controls (for <button>, sliders, and right-click menus).
- Klonoar 7y ago
  Since I can't edit my above comment, I want to be clear: I'm talking about the browser chrome, not the widgets (select, input, etc) inside a page.

Klonoar 7y ago

Yeah... Firefox is probably the biggest example of why you shouldn't reinvent the wheel in terms of cross-platform GUI. It just looks and feels so out of place, whether it's macOS or some niche setup like running it under KDE. If you're in Gnome or Windows it can look fine, but I still question much of the iconography and general layout. Any time you bring it up, though, you get batted away and beaten over the head with privacy, browser monoculture, or open source arguments. It's really frustrating; if you want open source to succeed, you have to also want it to compete on the same level. It's like expecting people to eat vegan food when you call it the same as the non-vegan option... and then they don't want to, because it tastes nothing like what they expect. In fact (I can't believe I'm saying this) I almost wish they were a Qt shell.

roca 7y ago
Every browser reimplements the native platform widgets. Even Safari! You have to, because the native platform widgets never support all the features a browser needs (CSS styling, JS event interception, etc etc). Unfortunately, copying the look and feel of the native platform is an endless treadmill as those platforms evolve, and for obvious reasons Safari is always going to be better at keeping up with that on Mac than Firefox is.
- Klonoar 7y ago
  Dude, I know - read my original comment, I'm clearly aware that Chrome had to implement their side of things. Firefox goes out of their way to draw controls that don't fit in. Chrome, for all their faults, tries very hard to emulate the proper look/feel/functionality.
  - roca 7y ago
    AFAIK Firefox does not "go out of their way to draw controls that don't fit in". On Mac and other platforms, the policy is that the controls look and feel like their native counterparts (unless overidden by Web authors) ... unless it's changed since I left Mozilla, and I don't think it has. In some cases, however, that has not been achieved. I haven't had a Mac for long time so I can't speak to the details of what works and what doesn't. FWIW I use Linux and on Linux, Chrome makes no attempt at all to use the native platform theme, while Firefox does a pretty good job.
    - Klonoar 7y ago
      It's pretty off on Mac, sadly. I will, however, apologize for saying they "go out of their way". I fired that bit of text off without thinking, but it's needlessly assuming (and likely outright wrong) on my part. Thanks for the correction.
  - jimbo1qaz 7y ago
    On Windows and Linux, Firefox draws native-like (win32 or gtk) controls. On Windows (possibly Linux), Chrome draws custom controls (for <button>, sliders, and right-click menus).
Klonoar 7y ago
Since I can't edit my above comment, I want to be clear: I'm talking about the browser chrome, not the widgets (select, input, etc) inside a page.