8 ms·

One of my favourite things about Chrome is its efficient use of vertical space. Here's Chrome side by side with Firefox on my laptop: http://i.imgur.com/7Sda0.

by SandB0x 16y ago

One of my favourite things about Chrome is its efficient use of vertical space. Here's Chrome side by side with Firefox on my laptop: http://i.imgur.com/7Sda0.png http://i.imgur.com/7Sda0.png (in fact, when Chrome is maximised the space above the tab disappears, saving another 15 or so pixels) Would be very happy with a little more room though. The compact mode looks good, as long as the keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+k or Alt+d) still work. Edit: Thanks, will look into your suggestions. These are the basic installs of Chrome and FF however, so I think it's a fair comparison.

sp332 16y ago
The Firefox 4.0 beta is much better on Windows 7. http://i.imgur.com/iFGU8.png http://i.imgur.com/iFGU8.png But for some reason the menu bar still shows up by default on Linux (you have to press the Alt key to show the menus on Win7).
burgerbrain 16y ago
Try dropping window decorations. I did over a year ago and after the first day haven't missed them at all.
- vijaydev 16y ago
  Dumb qn: What are window decorations?
  - adbge 16y ago
    The borders around a program, including the title bar. Some examples of a desktop without window decorations: http://awesome.naquadah.org/images/screen.png http://awesome.naquadah.org/images/screen.png http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/content/reviews/WindowManagers/Screenshot-Xmonad.png http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/content/reviews/WindowManag...
ElbertF 16y ago
I've customized my Firefox to be more compact than Chrome: http://i.imgur.com/fPG3k.png http://i.imgur.com/fPG3k.png
- kingsidharth 16y ago
  How did you do that?
  - toni 16y ago
    Firefox 4 (Minefield) has the option to stack tabs on top.
    - Groxx 16y ago
      Does it do that always though, or only in full-screen? The 4 betas do it in full screen on Windows, never explored in OSX. I essentially never browse full-screen, there are too many 960px fixed-width websites out there, so it's just wasting 500px where I can have other things open.
      - toni 16y ago
        On Windows, Minefield nightly does it in normal mode. In full-screen mode you don't see any ui element at all. By the way, "Tabs on Top" is an option accessible by main context menu. You can enable/disable it just like menubar and bookmarks toolbar.
        Groxx 16y ago
        sorry, meant "maximized". Full-screen is a bit different, yes. I don't know that I've seen the "tabs on top" preference... they're always on the top, with plugins doing side-tabs. I'll look for it some time though.
        toni 16y ago
        Yes, you can see them also with maximized window. Here is a screenshot to find the option: http://i.imgur.com/6JJcU.jpg http://i.imgur.com/6JJcU.jpg I think they enabled it by default a while back to further match Chrome ui.
nooneelse 16y ago
If you want to reduce the vertical space taken by the interface in Firefox, you can easily turn off the menu bar and use something like the LittleFox theme for smaller icons.
mryall 16y ago
The compact size comes mainly because Chrome has discarded the default window format, title bar and menu bar. An interesting question to ponder is, What if every application did that? Wouldn't your desktop experience be much more confusing due to the inconsistencies in how each application was laid out?
- Groxx 16y ago
  If every one did it that well, I say they're welcome to it. Few do / would, but despite all being capable of it now, few attempt. That probably wouldn't change much.
- code_duck 16y ago
  Personally, I go back and forth between Linux, Mac OS and Windows so I'm used to inconsistency. Also, the applications I use are already highly inconsistent: - Gimp has an interface which discards the patterns present on every platform in existence - Browsers are already all different - Safari, Chrome, FF - Kate, Komodo and Notepad++ are all pretty different - then there's vi.
  - jberryman 16y ago
    > Gimp has an interface which discards the patterns present on every platform in existence Do you say that because of the multiple windows? If so Apple's Interface Builder seems to follow the same convention.
    - code_duck 16y ago
      It is somewhat similar to Mac applications, but where's the menu bar at the top? Gimp doesn't even use the functionality present for that on Mac OS or Linux, instead putting a menu into each image window.
  - MartinCron 16y ago
    Gimp is an example of how much non-standard YX can hurt.
- 16y ago
sliverstorm 16y ago
It's amusing how the switch to widescreen monitors have made vert the limited resource now, rather than horiz. All our UI layout practices were invented on 4:3.
- mcclung 16y ago
  When I finally made the switch from a 4:3 panel to something widescreen, I had to find some that were 16:10.
- usaar333 16y ago
  Aside question: Why is it so hard to get 4:3 or even 16:10 monitors new these days?
  - bad_user 16y ago
    I have a 16:10 monitor, I had no idea it is hard to get one.
  - psadauskas 16y ago
    Because the bulk of LCD panels come in HD-TV scales, which is 16:9 (1920x1080 for 1080p, for example). Its cheaper for the manufacturing plants to only have to deal with one ratio.
    - megablast 16y ago
      I thought it came about because screens are measuered in diagonal distance, and the diagonal distance for 16:9 screens contains less pixels than for 4:3, so they are cheaper to make.
      - psadauskas 16y ago
        4:3 vs widescreen seems to come down to its what most people are used to, and so its what the majority (sadly, not us nerds wanting as much vertical as possible) buy. I was referring to the very few 16:10 monitors available now, almost all of them are 16:9.
Groxx 16y ago
For comparison, Safari vs Chrome (made a while ago, because I found it an interesting phenomenon): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/363028/temporary/height.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/363028/temporary/height.png
- bradleyland 16y ago
  I frequently use Safari with the URL bar collapsed (cmd-shift-| [that last character is a pipe]) and no bookmarks bar (cmd-shift-b). I love the extra space for content and the reduced distraction. It really gives web pages the appearance of floating documents on your desktop.
  - Timothee 16y ago
    I used to do that as well (mostly before switching to Safari), and I would also remove the status bar (Cmd+/ to toggle it). Cmd+L would bring the URL bar when needed. A very zen look overall. The one thing that I missed the most in the status bar was not seeing the URL links were going to. Chrome actually has a good solution for that. (it shows on top of the page at the bottom when hovering a link) An even more minimalistic browser is Plainview. (http://barbariangroup.com/software/plainview http://barbariangroup.com/software/plainview)
    - ptomato 16y ago
      Try the gentle status bar extension. (Available in the Safari extension gallery.)
      - Groxx 16y ago
        There are a fair number that do this. I've been using Invisible Status Bar: http://dbergey.github.com/ http://dbergey.github.com/
code_duck 16y ago
Have you tried FF 4? You're comparing the most recent version of Chrome to an older version of Firefox. That does highlight, of course, why FF is looking to change their release schedule.
jmillikin 16y ago
If space is important, have you considered moving Firefox's menus around so it's more compact? The whole point of using Firefox over a less customizable browser is to make it fit your own needs. For example, this is what I use on my laptop: http://i.imgur.com/hQy42.png http://i.imgur.com/hQy42.png
- immad 16y ago
  Tree style tabs are awesome. Wish Chrome had them
- niels_olson 16y ago
  The most significant improvement I've seen is the ratio of vertical to horizontal pixels introduced by side tabs. I have been using these on my cr-48 for a couple of weeks and I'm completely addicted. My only complaint is that the developer chose a stack metaphor instead of a reading metaphor, so new tabs appear above, instead of below. I and others have complained about it in the bug tracker, so hopefully that gets fixed, but over all, side tabs are a great re-use of all the wasted horizontal pixels on a laptop.
jules 16y ago
Here is my setup with a comparison to yours: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/388822/setup.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/388822/setup.png I put the start bar on the left. My chrome window also seems to be more compact. The vertical space extends all the way to the bottom of the screen (no bars).

by SandB0x 16y ago

sp332 16y ago

The Firefox 4.0 beta is much better on Windows 7. http://i.imgur.com/iFGU8.png http://i.imgur.com/iFGU8.png But for some reason the menu bar still shows up by default on Linux (you have to press the Alt key to show the menus on Win7).

burgerbrain 16y ago

Try dropping window decorations. I did over a year ago and after the first day haven't missed them at all.

vijaydev 16y ago
Dumb qn: What are window decorations?
- adbge 16y ago
  The borders around a program, including the title bar. Some examples of a desktop without window decorations: http://awesome.naquadah.org/images/screen.png http://awesome.naquadah.org/images/screen.png http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/content/reviews/WindowManagers/Screenshot-Xmonad.png http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/content/reviews/WindowManag...

ElbertF 16y ago

I've customized my Firefox to be more compact than Chrome: http://i.imgur.com/fPG3k.png http://i.imgur.com/fPG3k.png

kingsidharth 16y ago
How did you do that?
- toni 16y ago
  Firefox 4 (Minefield) has the option to stack tabs on top.
  - Groxx 16y ago
    Does it do that always though, or only in full-screen? The 4 betas do it in full screen on Windows, never explored in OSX. I essentially never browse full-screen, there are too many 960px fixed-width websites out there, so it's just wasting 500px where I can have other things open.
    - toni 16y ago
      On Windows, Minefield nightly does it in normal mode. In full-screen mode you don't see any ui element at all. By the way, "Tabs on Top" is an option accessible by main context menu. You can enable/disable it just like menubar and bookmarks toolbar.
      - Groxx 16y ago
        sorry, meant "maximized". Full-screen is a bit different, yes. I don't know that I've seen the "tabs on top" preference... they're always on the top, with plugins doing side-tabs. I'll look for it some time though.
        toni 16y ago
        Yes, you can see them also with maximized window. Here is a screenshot to find the option: http://i.imgur.com/6JJcU.jpg http://i.imgur.com/6JJcU.jpg I think they enabled it by default a while back to further match Chrome ui.

nooneelse 16y ago

If you want to reduce the vertical space taken by the interface in Firefox, you can easily turn off the menu bar and use something like the LittleFox theme for smaller icons.

mryall 16y ago

The compact size comes mainly because Chrome has discarded the default window format, title bar and menu bar. An interesting question to ponder is, What if every application did that? Wouldn't your desktop experience be much more confusing due to the inconsistencies in how each application was laid out?

Groxx 16y ago
If every one did it that well, I say they're welcome to it. Few do / would, but despite all being capable of it now, few attempt. That probably wouldn't change much.
code_duck 16y ago
Personally, I go back and forth between Linux, Mac OS and Windows so I'm used to inconsistency. Also, the applications I use are already highly inconsistent: - Gimp has an interface which discards the patterns present on every platform in existence - Browsers are already all different - Safari, Chrome, FF - Kate, Komodo and Notepad++ are all pretty different - then there's vi.
- jberryman 16y ago
  > Gimp has an interface which discards the patterns present on every platform in existence Do you say that because of the multiple windows? If so Apple's Interface Builder seems to follow the same convention.
  - code_duck 16y ago
    It is somewhat similar to Mac applications, but where's the menu bar at the top? Gimp doesn't even use the functionality present for that on Mac OS or Linux, instead putting a menu into each image window.
- MartinCron 16y ago
  Gimp is an example of how much non-standard YX can hurt.
16y ago

sliverstorm 16y ago

It's amusing how the switch to widescreen monitors have made vert the limited resource now, rather than horiz. All our UI layout practices were invented on 4:3.

mcclung 16y ago
When I finally made the switch from a 4:3 panel to something widescreen, I had to find some that were 16:10.
usaar333 16y ago
Aside question: Why is it so hard to get 4:3 or even 16:10 monitors new these days?
- bad_user 16y ago
  I have a 16:10 monitor, I had no idea it is hard to get one.
- psadauskas 16y ago
  Because the bulk of LCD panels come in HD-TV scales, which is 16:9 (1920x1080 for 1080p, for example). Its cheaper for the manufacturing plants to only have to deal with one ratio.
  - megablast 16y ago
    I thought it came about because screens are measuered in diagonal distance, and the diagonal distance for 16:9 screens contains less pixels than for 4:3, so they are cheaper to make.
    - psadauskas 16y ago
      4:3 vs widescreen seems to come down to its what most people are used to, and so its what the majority (sadly, not us nerds wanting as much vertical as possible) buy. I was referring to the very few 16:10 monitors available now, almost all of them are 16:9.

Groxx 16y ago

For comparison, Safari vs Chrome (made a while ago, because I found it an interesting phenomenon): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/363028/temporary/height.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/363028/temporary/height.png

bradleyland 16y ago
I frequently use Safari with the URL bar collapsed (cmd-shift-| [that last character is a pipe]) and no bookmarks bar (cmd-shift-b). I love the extra space for content and the reduced distraction. It really gives web pages the appearance of floating documents on your desktop.
- Timothee 16y ago
  I used to do that as well (mostly before switching to Safari), and I would also remove the status bar (Cmd+/ to toggle it). Cmd+L would bring the URL bar when needed. A very zen look overall. The one thing that I missed the most in the status bar was not seeing the URL links were going to. Chrome actually has a good solution for that. (it shows on top of the page at the bottom when hovering a link) An even more minimalistic browser is Plainview. (http://barbariangroup.com/software/plainview http://barbariangroup.com/software/plainview)
  - ptomato 16y ago
    Try the gentle status bar extension. (Available in the Safari extension gallery.)
    - Groxx 16y ago
      There are a fair number that do this. I've been using Invisible Status Bar: http://dbergey.github.com/ http://dbergey.github.com/

code_duck 16y ago

Have you tried FF 4? You're comparing the most recent version of Chrome to an older version of Firefox. That does highlight, of course, why FF is looking to change their release schedule.

jmillikin 16y ago

If space is important, have you considered moving Firefox's menus around so it's more compact? The whole point of using Firefox over a less customizable browser is to make it fit your own needs. For example, this is what I use on my laptop: http://i.imgur.com/hQy42.png http://i.imgur.com/hQy42.png

immad 16y ago
Tree style tabs are awesome. Wish Chrome had them
niels_olson 16y ago
The most significant improvement I've seen is the ratio of vertical to horizontal pixels introduced by side tabs. I have been using these on my cr-48 for a couple of weeks and I'm completely addicted. My only complaint is that the developer chose a stack metaphor instead of a reading metaphor, so new tabs appear above, instead of below. I and others have complained about it in the bug tracker, so hopefully that gets fixed, but over all, side tabs are a great re-use of all the wasted horizontal pixels on a laptop.

jules 16y ago

Here is my setup with a comparison to yours: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/388822/setup.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/388822/setup.png I put the start bar on the left. My chrome window also seems to be more compact. The vertical space extends all the way to the bottom of the screen (no bars).