7 ms·

In the graphical browser category, I have tried Qutebrowser and it is neat. However, Firefox remains as my primary web browser. I use the Vimium plugin with Fir

by susam 7y ago

In the graphical browser category, I have tried Qutebrowser and it is neat. However, Firefox remains as my primary web browser. I use the Vimium plugin with Firefox. It provides Vim-like key bindings for many commonly used browsing tasks. My most favourite commands in Vimum are 'f' and 'F'. The 'f' or 'F' command creates key combinations for all the links found in the page. It highlights the key combinations in little yellow boxes above every link. We can then type the lowercase key combination for a link to open that link. While 'f' opens the link in the current tab, 'F' opens it in a new tab. Alternatively, we can type uppercase key combinations to reverse the behaviour of 'f' and 'F', i.e., 'f' with upper case key combination opens the link in a new tab and 'F' with upper case key combination opens it in the current tab. My other favourite commands, in no particular order, are: 'J' (go one tab left), 'K' (go one tab right), 'H' (go back in history), 'L' (go forward in history), 't' (create new tab), 'T' (search through open tabs), 'x' (close tab), and 'r' (reload page). Also, there are the 'h', 'j', 'k', and 'l' commands to scroll left, down, up, and right, respectively. Vimium for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vimium-ff/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vimium-ff/ Vimium for Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogbaibhgnhhndojpepiihcmeb https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogba...

kace91 7y ago
Ever since I started using vimium, it's become a need for me. It's the reason I don't use safari despite its better performance on a macbook. Weirdly enough, none of the people I've tried to convince to use it has stuck with it - all very tech literate people.
- hibbelig 7y ago
  I have sVim on Safari
- rudedogg 7y ago
  > It's the reason I don't use safari despite its better performance on a MacBook. I've been working on a Safari Vim-inspired Extension for macOS 10.15+ for many months now. It'll be paid, something like $5 or less. I would have liked to open source it, but I don't have a way to get enough eyes on a KickStarter or something to gather donations. It is close to ready, I'm hoping to release it this month. I'll do a Show HN when I do. Here are some screenshots if you'd like to take a look. I'd love some feedback! Preferences UI: https://i.imgur.com/r8WOrHb.png https://i.imgur.com/r8WOrHb.png Follow Link UI: https://i.imgur.com/RpGxdh6.png https://i.imgur.com/RpGxdh6.png Help Menu UI (needs some work!): https://i.imgur.com/OmMe9LK.png https://i.imgur.com/OmMe9LK.png
  - blotter_paper 7y ago
    I'm not telling you how to monetise your project, but here's a thought I've had in the past regarding a hybrid of these schemes: simply make a written commitment to open source the project after X amount of purchases.
    - rudedogg 7y ago
      I was thinking about this too. I just want to recoup some of my time investment. My only concern is that it'll make some people not buy in hopes that they can wait for others to pay - but I suppose those people would probably just use Chrome/Firefox with free plugins anyway. Thanks, I'll think more about this. I think it'd also give people confidence in the security of the code - running browser extensions is a little scary since they technically have access to everything. As a customer, knowing that it'd be open sourced would give me some peace of mind that it's not doing anything malicious.
      - _jal 7y ago
        A different consideration is people's motivation to pay, and longevity is one aspect of that - buyer's confidence. I paid money for an extension that promptly became unsupported and then died in an upgrade. Which is fine, whatever, but it did put a big question mark over the category of "paid browser extension" for me. Knowing the source will be out there would fix that part for me - I may not be able to take over dev, but I could at least try to fix things that break until I find a replacement.
        rudedogg 7y ago
        Thanks for explaining that. I forget the exact history, but I know they've changed up the extension types/APIs multiple times in the past few years. I think a lot of developers/companies gave up on them after being forced to rewrite. To confirm, is the model you and the parent would like: "After x units are sold, or after 12 months (whichever comes first), the project will be open sourced and changed to free in the App Store. It will then be supported with an optional in-app-purchase donation - with no nagging or feature differences."
- nchase 7y ago
  Vimium for Safari exists now, btw.
- dorian-graph 7y ago
  There's Vimari [1] which works well enough. [1] https://github.com/televator-apps/vimari https://github.com/televator-apps/vimari
alpaca128 7y ago
Same here - I used qutebrowser exclusively for a couple months, but in the end I couldn't handle all the annoying popups and autoplaying videos in modern websites - all things that you can block with a single plugin in Firefox, together with ads. Too bad, because Vim plugins never allow full UI control in Firefox(e.g. closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins). Recently I switched from Vimium to Surfingkeys, which is comparable but also offers an actual Vim emulator for text field input. Can definitely recommend it.
- konart 7y ago
  >closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins Well, strictly speaking Tridactyl can do this. They overwrite your empty tab with their own so Tridactyl works there too and you can 'd' the tab.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- pgutfreund 7y ago
  >closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins ctrl+w (is default browser shortcut)
  - alpaca128 7y ago
    Oh well, I guess sometimes reading the manual is a good idea. Thanks for the tip.
- ddevault 7y ago
  I get around this with qutebrowser by whitelisting JavaScript.
  - dijit 7y ago
    How do you do that on a per-domain basis? I suppose looking at javascript sources and whitelisting by domain isn't impossible with the UI tools available in Qute but I don't think anything like that currently exists (I've looked around a little). Still a real ad-blocker would be great, youtube is barely usable these days with three layers of unskippable ads on each video. (although you can work around that /specific/ problem with umpv and a hotkey to launch it: section10 https://qutebrowser.org/FAQ.html https://qutebrowser.org/FAQ.html )
techntoke 7y ago
Just curious, do you use Linux as your main desktop OS?
- susam 7y ago
  That's right. I have been using Debian GNU/Linux as my main laptop OS for about 13 years now. I used to have GNOME 2 desktop environment earlier but once GNOME 3 became the default, I switched to Xfce Desktop Environment. The fact that the Debian project still offers a CD image[1] with Xfce bundled as the default desktop environment is really nice. Having said that, I have to confess that these days I also use macOS a lot. This has happened mainly due to my job. My employer provides MacBook Pro for work and I prefer not having to switch between operating systems too often, so my usage of Debian GNU/Linux as my main laptop OS has been on the decline. Despite that, I always keep a Debian virtual machine as well as a remote Debian system handy, so that I can log into it via SSH whenever I need it. [1]: https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-10.2.0-amd64-xfce-CD-1.iso https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/de...
  - techntoke 7y ago
    The reason I ask is that Firefox is honestly poorly supported on Linux and you lose hardware video decoding, so watching videos in the browser causes horrendous performance. However, it is supported by Chromium and patched in many distros to work properly. I'm using Sway WM btw and run Arch so I get the latest stable releases of pretty much everything.
- intrepidhero 7y ago
  I've been using Debian and KDE | xfce | i3 (depending on machine and task) as my main desktop and laptop operating system for 2+ years. Once I learned how to install wifi firmware I haven't had any hardware issues. And it runs much faster than Win 10 did on my little celeron laptop. I'll add my recommendation for qutebrowser. i3, rxvt, and vim are where I spend most of my time.
Random_ernest 7y ago
To add onto your excellent comment: Another lifesaver for me is the 'gi' command, which focuses your cursor on the first text input. Saves a lot of mouse movements. For me personally the browser was the last application in which I had to use the mouse, vimium solved that. Sounds like a mundane application but after a serious hand injury it made the difference to me for working 4 hours with mouse and being in pain, or working 8 hours pain free.
- dorian-graph 7y ago
  With correct tab indices, pressing the tab key should do this, AFAIK.
- iCarrot 7y ago
  Just tried 'gi' with Firefox Vimium, seems like it will not set focus to inputs not currently in viewport.
orbital-decay 7y ago
For everyone who likes vimium, give surfingkeys a try: https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys (available for both Firefox and Chrome). The defaults are a bit different, but it's quite similar, and much more powerful. Almost like vimperator/pentadactyl were, before WebExtensions.
- Izkata 7y ago
  I tried Surfing Keys way back when I had to give up Vimperator, found it insanely laggy (like, 5 seconds just to open the command prompt; no idea if it's been fixed). I've used Vim Vixen since then [0], which has almost the same defaults as Vimperator did, for the things it supports. [0] https://github.com/ueokande/vim-vixen https://github.com/ueokande/vim-vixen
AdrienLemaire 7y ago
I love Vimium too! (using on chrome) Took me a while to learn all the shortcuts (thanks Anki!), but that was worth it. Wish it was more integrated to the browser though (having to wait for a page to finish loading before I can use a shortcut is sometimes annoying). You're not mentioning my favorite Vimium command! m<key> to save a mark, and `<key> to load it. lowercase chars marks are in-page marks, and uppercase chars are global marks (like bookmarks).
vagab0nd 7y ago
I see why people love the plugin. One thing that stops me from using Vimium is it doesn't support opening links in a new window. I don't like tabs and use my window manager to, well, manage my windows. Not being able to open links with "f" or "F" in a new window is a deal breaker, unfortunately.
RMPR 7y ago
You may want to have a look at vim-vixen but it's only available on firefox, I use vimium on chromium but prefer vim-vixen.

by susam 7y ago

kace91 7y ago

Ever since I started using vimium, it's become a need for me. It's the reason I don't use safari despite its better performance on a macbook. Weirdly enough, none of the people I've tried to convince to use it has stuck with it - all very tech literate people.

hibbelig 7y ago
I have sVim on Safari
rudedogg 7y ago
> It's the reason I don't use safari despite its better performance on a MacBook. I've been working on a Safari Vim-inspired Extension for macOS 10.15+ for many months now. It'll be paid, something like $5 or less. I would have liked to open source it, but I don't have a way to get enough eyes on a KickStarter or something to gather donations. It is close to ready, I'm hoping to release it this month. I'll do a Show HN when I do. Here are some screenshots if you'd like to take a look. I'd love some feedback! Preferences UI: https://i.imgur.com/r8WOrHb.png https://i.imgur.com/r8WOrHb.png Follow Link UI: https://i.imgur.com/RpGxdh6.png https://i.imgur.com/RpGxdh6.png Help Menu UI (needs some work!): https://i.imgur.com/OmMe9LK.png https://i.imgur.com/OmMe9LK.png
- blotter_paper 7y ago
  I'm not telling you how to monetise your project, but here's a thought I've had in the past regarding a hybrid of these schemes: simply make a written commitment to open source the project after X amount of purchases.
  - rudedogg 7y ago
    I was thinking about this too. I just want to recoup some of my time investment. My only concern is that it'll make some people not buy in hopes that they can wait for others to pay - but I suppose those people would probably just use Chrome/Firefox with free plugins anyway. Thanks, I'll think more about this. I think it'd also give people confidence in the security of the code - running browser extensions is a little scary since they technically have access to everything. As a customer, knowing that it'd be open sourced would give me some peace of mind that it's not doing anything malicious.
    - _jal 7y ago
      A different consideration is people's motivation to pay, and longevity is one aspect of that - buyer's confidence. I paid money for an extension that promptly became unsupported and then died in an upgrade. Which is fine, whatever, but it did put a big question mark over the category of "paid browser extension" for me. Knowing the source will be out there would fix that part for me - I may not be able to take over dev, but I could at least try to fix things that break until I find a replacement.
      - rudedogg 7y ago
        Thanks for explaining that. I forget the exact history, but I know they've changed up the extension types/APIs multiple times in the past few years. I think a lot of developers/companies gave up on them after being forced to rewrite. To confirm, is the model you and the parent would like: "After x units are sold, or after 12 months (whichever comes first), the project will be open sourced and changed to free in the App Store. It will then be supported with an optional in-app-purchase donation - with no nagging or feature differences."
nchase 7y ago
Vimium for Safari exists now, btw.
dorian-graph 7y ago
There's Vimari [1] which works well enough. [1] https://github.com/televator-apps/vimari https://github.com/televator-apps/vimari

alpaca128 7y ago

Same here - I used qutebrowser exclusively for a couple months, but in the end I couldn't handle all the annoying popups and autoplaying videos in modern websites - all things that you can block with a single plugin in Firefox, together with ads. Too bad, because Vim plugins never allow full UI control in Firefox(e.g. closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins). Recently I switched from Vimium to Surfingkeys, which is comparable but also offers an actual Vim emulator for text field input. Can definitely recommend it.

konart 7y ago
>closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins Well, strictly speaking Tridactyl can do this. They overwrite your empty tab with their own so Tridactyl works there too and you can 'd' the tab.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
pgutfreund 7y ago
>closing an empty "new tab" is impossible with Vim plugins ctrl+w (is default browser shortcut)
- alpaca128 7y ago
  Oh well, I guess sometimes reading the manual is a good idea. Thanks for the tip.
ddevault 7y ago
I get around this with qutebrowser by whitelisting JavaScript.
- dijit 7y ago
  How do you do that on a per-domain basis? I suppose looking at javascript sources and whitelisting by domain isn't impossible with the UI tools available in Qute but I don't think anything like that currently exists (I've looked around a little). Still a real ad-blocker would be great, youtube is barely usable these days with three layers of unskippable ads on each video. (although you can work around that /specific/ problem with umpv and a hotkey to launch it: section10 https://qutebrowser.org/FAQ.html https://qutebrowser.org/FAQ.html )

techntoke 7y ago

Just curious, do you use Linux as your main desktop OS?

susam 7y ago
That's right. I have been using Debian GNU/Linux as my main laptop OS for about 13 years now. I used to have GNOME 2 desktop environment earlier but once GNOME 3 became the default, I switched to Xfce Desktop Environment. The fact that the Debian project still offers a CD image[1] with Xfce bundled as the default desktop environment is really nice. Having said that, I have to confess that these days I also use macOS a lot. This has happened mainly due to my job. My employer provides MacBook Pro for work and I prefer not having to switch between operating systems too often, so my usage of Debian GNU/Linux as my main laptop OS has been on the decline. Despite that, I always keep a Debian virtual machine as well as a remote Debian system handy, so that I can log into it via SSH whenever I need it. [1]: https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-10.2.0-amd64-xfce-CD-1.iso https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/de...
- techntoke 7y ago
  The reason I ask is that Firefox is honestly poorly supported on Linux and you lose hardware video decoding, so watching videos in the browser causes horrendous performance. However, it is supported by Chromium and patched in many distros to work properly. I'm using Sway WM btw and run Arch so I get the latest stable releases of pretty much everything.
intrepidhero 7y ago
I've been using Debian and KDE | xfce | i3 (depending on machine and task) as my main desktop and laptop operating system for 2+ years. Once I learned how to install wifi firmware I haven't had any hardware issues. And it runs much faster than Win 10 did on my little celeron laptop. I'll add my recommendation for qutebrowser. i3, rxvt, and vim are where I spend most of my time.

Random_ernest 7y ago

To add onto your excellent comment: Another lifesaver for me is the 'gi' command, which focuses your cursor on the first text input. Saves a lot of mouse movements. For me personally the browser was the last application in which I had to use the mouse, vimium solved that. Sounds like a mundane application but after a serious hand injury it made the difference to me for working 4 hours with mouse and being in pain, or working 8 hours pain free.

dorian-graph 7y ago
With correct tab indices, pressing the tab key should do this, AFAIK.
iCarrot 7y ago
Just tried 'gi' with Firefox Vimium, seems like it will not set focus to inputs not currently in viewport.

orbital-decay 7y ago

For everyone who likes vimium, give surfingkeys a try: https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys (available for both Firefox and Chrome). The defaults are a bit different, but it's quite similar, and much more powerful. Almost like vimperator/pentadactyl were, before WebExtensions.

Izkata 7y ago
I tried Surfing Keys way back when I had to give up Vimperator, found it insanely laggy (like, 5 seconds just to open the command prompt; no idea if it's been fixed). I've used Vim Vixen since then [0], which has almost the same defaults as Vimperator did, for the things it supports. [0] https://github.com/ueokande/vim-vixen https://github.com/ueokande/vim-vixen

AdrienLemaire 7y ago

I love Vimium too! (using on chrome) Took me a while to learn all the shortcuts (thanks Anki!), but that was worth it. Wish it was more integrated to the browser though (having to wait for a page to finish loading before I can use a shortcut is sometimes annoying). You're not mentioning my favorite Vimium command! m<key> to save a mark, and `<key> to load it. lowercase chars marks are in-page marks, and uppercase chars are global marks (like bookmarks).

vagab0nd 7y ago

I see why people love the plugin. One thing that stops me from using Vimium is it doesn't support opening links in a new window. I don't like tabs and use my window manager to, well, manage my windows. Not being able to open links with "f" or "F" in a new window is a deal breaker, unfortunately.

RMPR 7y ago

You may want to have a look at vim-vixen but it's only available on firefox, I use vimium on chromium but prefer vim-vixen.