6 ms·

Also don't mess with scroll bars. Seems to be a more recent trend to make them about 1px wide on everything

bayindirh 2y ago
I love vanishing scrollbars. The moment I move my mouse, they're there. When I stop, they're gone. Want to see progress? Nudge the mouse.
- MrMcCall 2y ago
  I'm glad at least one person likes that "feature". I guess folks who rotate their monitors to portrait mode would appreciate not wasting the entire height on a permanent scroll bar, but I like knowing how far I am into the page (not that that's really a true indication of where the page will end due to how large the modern header and footer regions tend to be nowadays).
  - Philpax 2y ago
    Don't forget lazy-loaded content as a further perversion of the scrollbar :'( Discourse is my mortal enemy.
- wtallis 2y ago
  Most vanishing scrollbars only show up if you mouse over them or use some other means to start scrolling; simply moving the cursor when it's over the content doesn't make them show up.
  - bayindirh 2y ago
    Yes, that’s true for Safari, for example. But Firefox shows it as soon as you move your mouse.
zwnow 2y ago
I usually hide them. I try to not use overflowing content, but when it has to overflow I hide the scrollbar because scrollbars disrupt the design and the standard ones are extremely ugly.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  How can you make an assertion like "they are extremely ugly" when they're different or absent entirely depending on device and browser? Don't make decisions for your users, this breaks expectations and accessibility.
  - zwnow 2y ago
    I dont want users that need handholding anyway. I want my app to look good. Almost all scrollbars on all of my devices and browsers look ugly. Users that need handholding usually also are the more problematic users.
    - TimK65 2y ago
      Way to spit in the faces of disabled people!
      - zwnow 2y ago
        So if i am building my own house i should also spend thousands of dollars more to make it accessible? If my house isnt accessible do i also spit disabled people in the face?
        arkh 2y ago
        > So if i am building my own house i should also spend thousands of dollars more to make it accessible? Well, you don't know what tomorrow you will need. I remember my grandmother needing to make the house accessible after my grandfather lost control of half his body after a stroke. And those accessibility enhancements are not a problem even if they're not directly needed anymore: no steps between rooms, big sliding doors, lot of space for the shower etc. Even able people can appreciate those.
Findecanor 2y ago
I'm OK with them popping up on mouse-over, many web sites have taken the easy route and disabled them completely on one or both axes. Then the only way to scroll on desktop is to highlight text across the frame's edge.
- alt227 2y ago
  Middle click your mouse button then move mouse to the right, thats the best way to do it.
  - badmintonbaseba 2y ago
    shift + mouse scroll for horizontal scroll works too, at least on Firefox.
- bongodongobob 2y ago
  Nah, I hate that. Frequently it gets in my way when I have my screen split with two browsers side by side. I'll try to hover over the scrollbar on the right hand side of the left page, try to click, and end up clicking the right window. Give me the whole damn scrollbar please.
  - CamperBob2 2y ago
    Exactly. I have a 5120-pixel-wide monitor. I can afford the space needed to display a scroll bar.
- Ballas 2y ago
  Yeah, if I'm reading something, I want to have an indication of how long a page is and where I am currently. I don't want to have to move my mouse somewhere to get that information.
analog31 2y ago
Indeed, tiny scroll bars make it impossible to use a touch screen. If you really want your app to be ergonomic, make sure it works with one and two finger gestures, such as dragging a finger to scroll.
- karmakaze 2y ago
  Touch screens should support two-finger drag scrolling which is a much bigger hit-target than any scrollbar.
  - zeta0134 2y ago
    Sure, but I can grab the scroll handle and yank it down to 75% instantly. How much superfluous motion do I have to endure on a long page to even find 75%? Can I see how far along I am on the page with the invisible scroll bar that barely renders anything? Is the rendering of its overall progress consistent between applications, if not completely broken? The boring, "ugly" built-in OS widget works extremely well. Every attempt to replace it with something better for one use case inevitably throws out a dozen others that the designer didn't think about.
    - wtallis 2y ago
      You should be able to click at 75% on the scroll bar and immediately jump there, no grab and drag needed. MacOS still offers this option, but apps that reinvent the scroll bar never respect this system-wide setting.

I love vanishing scrollbars. The moment I move my mouse, they're there. When I stop, they're gone. Want to see progress? Nudge the mouse.

MrMcCall 2y ago
I'm glad at least one person likes that "feature". I guess folks who rotate their monitors to portrait mode would appreciate not wasting the entire height on a permanent scroll bar, but I like knowing how far I am into the page (not that that's really a true indication of where the page will end due to how large the modern header and footer regions tend to be nowadays).
- Philpax 2y ago
  Don't forget lazy-loaded content as a further perversion of the scrollbar :'( Discourse is my mortal enemy.
wtallis 2y ago
Most vanishing scrollbars only show up if you mouse over them or use some other means to start scrolling; simply moving the cursor when it's over the content doesn't make them show up.
- bayindirh 2y ago
  Yes, that’s true for Safari, for example. But Firefox shows it as soon as you move your mouse.

zwnow 2y ago

I usually hide them. I try to not use overflowing content, but when it has to overflow I hide the scrollbar because scrollbars disrupt the design and the standard ones are extremely ugly.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
How can you make an assertion like "they are extremely ugly" when they're different or absent entirely depending on device and browser? Don't make decisions for your users, this breaks expectations and accessibility.
- zwnow 2y ago
  I dont want users that need handholding anyway. I want my app to look good. Almost all scrollbars on all of my devices and browsers look ugly. Users that need handholding usually also are the more problematic users.
  - TimK65 2y ago
    Way to spit in the faces of disabled people!
    - zwnow 2y ago
      So if i am building my own house i should also spend thousands of dollars more to make it accessible? If my house isnt accessible do i also spit disabled people in the face?
      - arkh 2y ago
        > So if i am building my own house i should also spend thousands of dollars more to make it accessible? Well, you don't know what tomorrow you will need. I remember my grandmother needing to make the house accessible after my grandfather lost control of half his body after a stroke. And those accessibility enhancements are not a problem even if they're not directly needed anymore: no steps between rooms, big sliding doors, lot of space for the shower etc. Even able people can appreciate those.

Findecanor 2y ago

I'm OK with them popping up on mouse-over, many web sites have taken the easy route and disabled them completely on one or both axes. Then the only way to scroll on desktop is to highlight text across the frame's edge.

alt227 2y ago
Middle click your mouse button then move mouse to the right, thats the best way to do it.
- badmintonbaseba 2y ago
  shift + mouse scroll for horizontal scroll works too, at least on Firefox.
bongodongobob 2y ago
Nah, I hate that. Frequently it gets in my way when I have my screen split with two browsers side by side. I'll try to hover over the scrollbar on the right hand side of the left page, try to click, and end up clicking the right window. Give me the whole damn scrollbar please.
- CamperBob2 2y ago
  Exactly. I have a 5120-pixel-wide monitor. I can afford the space needed to display a scroll bar.
Ballas 2y ago
Yeah, if I'm reading something, I want to have an indication of how long a page is and where I am currently. I don't want to have to move my mouse somewhere to get that information.

analog31 2y ago

Indeed, tiny scroll bars make it impossible to use a touch screen. If you really want your app to be ergonomic, make sure it works with one and two finger gestures, such as dragging a finger to scroll.

karmakaze 2y ago
Touch screens should support two-finger drag scrolling which is a much bigger hit-target than any scrollbar.
- zeta0134 2y ago
  Sure, but I can grab the scroll handle and yank it down to 75% instantly. How much superfluous motion do I have to endure on a long page to even find 75%? Can I see how far along I am on the page with the invisible scroll bar that barely renders anything? Is the rendering of its overall progress consistent between applications, if not completely broken? The boring, "ugly" built-in OS widget works extremely well. Every attempt to replace it with something better for one use case inevitably throws out a dozen others that the designer didn't think about.
  - wtallis 2y ago
    You should be able to click at 75% on the scroll bar and immediately jump there, no grab and drag needed. MacOS still offers this option, but apps that reinvent the scroll bar never respect this system-wide setting.