4 ms·

In which ways is the Firefox context menu "garbage"? How does it behave differently? I never even noticed that it's not native until I read your comment, and

In which ways is the Firefox context menu "garbage"? How does it behave differently? I never even noticed that it's not native until I read your comment, and looking carefully at it now the only difference I can notice is the corners are square (and that is certainly nothing worth complaining about.) Maybe I'm just an oblivious idiot, but it sure seems to me that a lot of MacOS users on HN love to blow trivial matters completely out of proportion. Application lags for a split second? "Utter garbage, the developers should be shot, I'm going back to Safari." Where is the perspective? If there is something glaringly broken about these context menus, by all means correct me. But to my eye they look damn close to native and they seem to work perfectly fine.

Hamuko 7y ago
They don't close when you release right-click, they don't contain services, they don't select the word you are on. That's the stuff I've noticed in the couple of days I've been using Firefox.
- dkonofalski 7y ago
  One of the things that I use a lot that isn't on there is the "Look up" function/service to get the definitions of words from the dictionary, wiki, etc. Super useful and I miss it so much after switching from Safari.
  - jeremiahlee 7y ago
    If you hover the cursor over the word and hit command control d, you’ll get the definition in Firefox.
    - dkonofalski 7y ago
      That's helpful. Thanks. Would still like for it to be in the context menu, though, but this will do in a pinch.
      - jhatax 7y ago
        Another trick if you have the new "Magic" trackpads: Select the word, place three fingers on the pad, press down (force press), and you can see the definition of the selected word (will be highlighted in yellow).
        mweibel 7y ago
        Only one finger needed
- catalogia 7y ago
  As I expected, petty bullshit. Firefox should do those things if other applications do and it's reasonable to say as much, but to say that it's "garbage" for those reasons is completely out of proportion. Edit: Response to response: Didn't I just say that Firefox should conform to the standards of the platform? Failure to do so might be severe, or it might be petty, in either case it should be fixed. In this instance the examples given are definitely petty, and they should still be fixed. But to call it "garbage" is borderline offensive and definitely out of proportion. > "removing OS functionality" That is a very hyperbolic characterization of the cited issues.
  - Hamuko 7y ago
    Being inconsistent with the operating system and removing OS functionality is petty bullshit? Okay then.
    - albru123 7y ago
      How is that removing if it wasn't there in the first place (AFAIK)?
saagarjha 7y ago
Here's one: try right clicking and dragging out. Firefox's menu will open and stay open.
zapzupnz 7y ago
> it sure seems to me that a lot of MacOS users on HN love to blow trivial matters completely out of proportion Don't be so dismissive. Apart from anything, that breaks one of the HN guidelines for discussion. Not having access to built-in and user-defined (Applescript/Automator) Services is not trivial; these are a powerful part of what makes macOS unique and a major reason why I continue to use macOS. Their lack of availability is entire down to using faked-up menus rather than proper widgets. Having widgets behave improperly is also an accessibility issue. There are multiple accessibility APIs built into the system that practically every macOS app built using Cocoa or Carbon hook into automatically; apps that use non-native widgets that don't take enough care to (a) perfectly emulate the behaviour of native widgets or (b) sufficient expose themselves to the built-in accessibility APIs not only make for an unexpectedly unpleasant experience but also potentially are showstopping for people with disabilities. > But to my eye they look damn close to native and they seem to work perfectly fine In other words, it's not a problem for you, so it shouldn't be a problem for anybody else.
- catalogia 7y ago
  > Not having access to built-in and user-defined (Applescript/Automator) Services is not trivial It's under the Firefox menu. I use it frequently to trigger an Automator service for TTS, which pipes the text through a sed script to fix common mispronunciations. I use this stuff too. Should it be in the right click menu? Yes. Is firefox crippled by it's absence? No, because that functionality still exists, just in a different location (and if you have your services bound to keyboard shortcuts it becomes a complete non-issue.) I stand by what I said. I'm not being unreasonably dismissive. Many mac users on this forum in particular have a habit of blowing the slightest defect completely out of proportion. Maybe they're trying to emulate Steve Jobs' infamously toxic approach to critique. Calling firefox "garbage" because of defects these minor is a prime example.
  - JumpCrisscross 7y ago
    > Is firefox crippled by it's absence? I’ve used Firefox since Chrome started threatening to block ad blockers. I have stopped recommending it. This specific bug confused the hell out of not only my parents, but also multiple nieces and nephews in their teens. (They thought it crashes.) These age groups both spend most of their time on mobile. When a desktop app behaves unusually, it’s a massive burden. Not fixing these bugs seems to be a cultural problem at Mozilla, albeit one that’s getting better.

Hamuko 7y ago

They don't close when you release right-click, they don't contain services, they don't select the word you are on. That's the stuff I've noticed in the couple of days I've been using Firefox.

dkonofalski 7y ago
One of the things that I use a lot that isn't on there is the "Look up" function/service to get the definitions of words from the dictionary, wiki, etc. Super useful and I miss it so much after switching from Safari.
- jeremiahlee 7y ago
  If you hover the cursor over the word and hit command control d, you’ll get the definition in Firefox.
  - dkonofalski 7y ago
    That's helpful. Thanks. Would still like for it to be in the context menu, though, but this will do in a pinch.
    - jhatax 7y ago
      Another trick if you have the new "Magic" trackpads: Select the word, place three fingers on the pad, press down (force press), and you can see the definition of the selected word (will be highlighted in yellow).
      - mweibel 7y ago
        Only one finger needed
catalogia 7y ago
As I expected, petty bullshit. Firefox should do those things if other applications do and it's reasonable to say as much, but to say that it's "garbage" for those reasons is completely out of proportion. Edit: Response to response: Didn't I just say that Firefox should conform to the standards of the platform? Failure to do so might be severe, or it might be petty, in either case it should be fixed. In this instance the examples given are definitely petty, and they should still be fixed. But to call it "garbage" is borderline offensive and definitely out of proportion. > "removing OS functionality" That is a very hyperbolic characterization of the cited issues.
- Hamuko 7y ago
  Being inconsistent with the operating system and removing OS functionality is petty bullshit? Okay then.
  - albru123 7y ago
    How is that removing if it wasn't there in the first place (AFAIK)?

saagarjha 7y ago

Here's one: try right clicking and dragging out. Firefox's menu will open and stay open.

zapzupnz 7y ago

> it sure seems to me that a lot of MacOS users on HN love to blow trivial matters completely out of proportion Don't be so dismissive. Apart from anything, that breaks one of the HN guidelines for discussion. Not having access to built-in and user-defined (Applescript/Automator) Services is not trivial; these are a powerful part of what makes macOS unique and a major reason why I continue to use macOS. Their lack of availability is entire down to using faked-up menus rather than proper widgets. Having widgets behave improperly is also an accessibility issue. There are multiple accessibility APIs built into the system that practically every macOS app built using Cocoa or Carbon hook into automatically; apps that use non-native widgets that don't take enough care to (a) perfectly emulate the behaviour of native widgets or (b) sufficient expose themselves to the built-in accessibility APIs not only make for an unexpectedly unpleasant experience but also potentially are showstopping for people with disabilities. > But to my eye they look damn close to native and they seem to work perfectly fine In other words, it's not a problem for you, so it shouldn't be a problem for anybody else.

catalogia 7y ago
> Not having access to built-in and user-defined (Applescript/Automator) Services is not trivial It's under the Firefox menu. I use it frequently to trigger an Automator service for TTS, which pipes the text through a sed script to fix common mispronunciations. I use this stuff too. Should it be in the right click menu? Yes. Is firefox crippled by it's absence? No, because that functionality still exists, just in a different location (and if you have your services bound to keyboard shortcuts it becomes a complete non-issue.) I stand by what I said. I'm not being unreasonably dismissive. Many mac users on this forum in particular have a habit of blowing the slightest defect completely out of proportion. Maybe they're trying to emulate Steve Jobs' infamously toxic approach to critique. Calling firefox "garbage" because of defects these minor is a prime example.
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago
  > Is firefox crippled by it's absence? I’ve used Firefox since Chrome started threatening to block ad blockers. I have stopped recommending it. This specific bug confused the hell out of not only my parents, but also multiple nieces and nephews in their teens. (They thought it crashes.) These age groups both spend most of their time on mobile. When a desktop app behaves unusually, it’s a massive burden. Not fixing these bugs seems to be a cultural problem at Mozilla, albeit one that’s getting better.