8 ms·

Google Chrome's biggest annoyance: Download bar

62 points by electic 14y ago

ronyeh 14y ago
Totally agree with you. :-) I spend so much time every day clicking the little X to kill the download bar. I think Google developers design for 30" monitors or something... I work on a laptop all day and my vertical pixels are very valuable to me.
- resure 14y ago
  You can type Shift-Cmd-J + Cmd-W to hide it.
  - leephillips 14y ago
    <control>-j + <control>-w for me (on Linux). That solves the major annoyance of this, which is not having a keyboard command for closing it.
- Tichy 14y ago
  Just curious, how come you have so many things to download? Is that email attachments in web mail? I can't really think of many things to download - usually PDFs, I suppose.
  - ronyeh 14y ago
    Random cool images I see on the web... I use them as inspirations for apps / sites that I design. Right-click save as... and I'll review them at some point. But now I have this big bar at the bottom that I don't want to see. :-(
    - lovskogen 14y ago
      You could just drag the images right to your desktop.
      - ronyeh 14y ago
        You're right, and sometimes I do do that. But most times I'd rather have it end up in my Downloads folder. Also, on my mac laptop, I'd have to drag, exposé-show-desktop, drop, exit-exposé... :)
        CrazedGeek 14y ago
        On OS X, I just put a "drag stuff here" folder in my Dock. Worked pretty well.
    - monkeypizza 14y ago
      firefox + the download sort addon is super awesome. no popup window at all, the thing just saves (customizable based on extension)
tjoff 14y ago
Firefox biggest annoyance: The download window. I feel like I've taken a time machine to the 90's every time it pops up. Chrome's download bar on the other hand is quite neat and it doesn't distract your workflow.
- electic 14y ago
  I wish it was more like Safari's download feature.
- gsai 14y ago
  Why drag Firefox into this discussion? Firefox has options for customizing everything, and when it doesn't there's always extensions. That's one of it's best features. If you don't like "taking a time machine" Firefox's download window can be disabled using "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file" option.
  - lazugod 14y ago
    It's completely fair to judge Firefox on its default design decisions.
    - simonster 14y ago
      It's fair to judge Firefox's design decisions. It's not completely fair to compare Firefox's default design decisions with Chrome/Safari/IE's design decisions, which are more than just defaults. If Firefox had a download bar, you would be able to download or write an extension to make it auto-hide, because Firefox's interface is entirely XUL and is relatively trivially extensible. With Chrome, you can star an issue and hope someone will listen to you, but you're probably going to be ignored.
      - lovskogen 14y ago
        >It's not completely fair to compare Firefox's default design decisions with Chrome/Safari/IE's design decisions, which are more than just defaults. What do you mean by "more than just defaults"?
autodidakto 14y ago
2 and a half years ago I tried Chrome and was turned off by the download bar. I pleaded, along with a few others, for at least a shortcut that would close the bar. The response was: What's the matter with your mouse? EDIT: Oh wait. This issue was from 2 years ago. Silly me thought something finally changed. And it seems the main discussion isn't in the OPs link, but here: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=27797 http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=27797 and here: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=89922 http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=89922
- mattacular 14y ago
  I've noticed the Chrome team are pretty cavalier and don't seem to appreciate outside recommendations and critiques. If Google ever changes the download bar in Chrome, you can be damn sure it has nothing to do with a snarky Chromium bug tracking thread. And they wouldn't be totally in the wrong because it isn't a bug, obviously.
  - bpatrianakos 14y ago
    But honestly, would you be so quick to respond to a snarky bug tracking thread? I wouldn't. The fact that it's so snarky with such an entitled attitude would push me to give it attention at some point but it definitely wouldn't make my top ten list. There are better ways to go about this stuff and I think reports like this one are counterproductive.
Karunamon 14y ago
There won't be an option to disable the shelf. There are other bugs about making dismissing it easier. Status: WontFix Grr. What's the bloody point of open source if the developers of the project won't accept wanted fixes? There are a number of ways I can think of off the top of my head that don't involve taking up unnecessary screen space like that. Heck, even the Firefox extension for a download status bar isn't that absurdly large.
- Achshar 14y ago
  The point of open source is that if you don't like something, you can fork and make your version which pleases you. Just because a project is open source does not mean it will have to incorporate every user request. Project leads/managers still have their say in that project.
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    >..you can fork and make your version which pleases you. Which is completely unrealistic for 99% of people out there. Nobody's going to fork Chromium based on a single UI facet. And then even if you do, you're in the unenviable position of maintaining a branch for a single UI fix. Not happening in this universe, guys. I just wish project leads/managers would listen a bit more to the community rather than arrogantly dictating "It will be done this way, deal with it". Failure to do that leads to crap like Gnome 3's infamous shutdown option.
    - Achshar 14y ago
      > I just wish project leads/managers would listen a bit more to the community rather than arrogantly dictating "It will be done this way, deal with it". You say that looking at single side of the coin. On the other side, the story is different. The devs receives several feature tweaks every single day. One can give detailed responses for only so much longer. There will be one time when you just cant write a satisfying response because it is not your main job.
      - 14y ago
tzury 14y ago
I personally bless this design everyday at least twice a day. This usually happens when I download a file from one web-service and then switch tab to send that file as an email attachment or upload it to another service (google drive, drop box, etc.) Having the file box at the bottom let me easily drag that file onto the other tab and get it done. Yet, by all means, there should be a checkbox available for those who prefer not seeing it at all.
- mtgx 14y ago
  Completely agree. I love being able to drag the files from the download bar into a WP blog or Gmail. So until Google makes it so you can drag and drop from another tab (if ever, because of the sandbox), they should keep it as it is.
- hellerbarde 14y ago
  I think the problem is that it's obnoxious to get rid of as soon as you don't need it anymore. There should be a Shortcut to dismiss it. (no, the Ctrl-J + Ctrl-W doesn't count. that is a workaround at best and it doesn't work when you're on a pinned tab)
- namzo 14y ago
  I had no idea you could drag a file from the download bar. I usually click on the arrow & "Show in finder". Thanks. Definitely a time-saver.
- joshu 14y ago
  Agreed. It is super useful.
sofa420 14y ago
Looks like someone at Google is working on this actually. Found this in chrome://flags New Downloads UI Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS Disables the download shelf. Will show the new downloads UI as it is implemented.
- Achshar 14y ago
  The only difference, that i was able to make out, is that it disables the bar. But it does say "Will show the new downloads UI as it is implemented." as you point out, so it may still be a work in progress, although i have been seeing it for some time now in about flags. More than a few months actually.
- wut42 14y ago
  This flag exists since chrome://flags exists. I always enabled it (due to the shitty download bar), but never saw a new UI, even 2 years later.
  - hellerbarde 14y ago
    There is some "new UI" insofar as the "Keep"/"Discard" Buttons for "dangerous" files are now in the Download Window. Maybe they were talking about that... Who knows
ElliotH 14y ago
Go to about:flags, enable New Downloads. Bar is disabled. Easy.
- pooriaazimi 14y ago
  OS X, Chrome 22 dev I see no such flag.
  - ElliotH 14y ago
    Strange, I have it on both Windows and Linux, and the flag claims its available on "Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS"
    - pooriaazimi 14y ago
      Yep. I updated my old PC's Chrome (it was on version 6! I thought Chrome auto-updaed itself?) to latest version (21) and it was there. But strangely changing it didn't change anything in the download UI.
TuanaJenn 14y ago
There are hundreds of millions of people all over the world dying of diseases and starvation. And you are complaining about the "download bar"? Are you kidding me?
- Farow 14y ago
  There are hundreds of millions of people all over the world dying of diseases and starvation. And you are complaining about people complaining about the "download bar"? Are you kidding me?
velodrome 14y ago
My biggest annoyance: When I click on downloaded items on the download bar, it takes me to the folder instead of opening the file. Anybody have this same issue?
- ps258 14y ago
  It opens the file for me.
xam 14y ago
I think Safari's download window is the most elegant solution. Chrome's download bar is annoying, but functional for the most part.
aristidesfl 14y ago
The best download UI right now, is Safari's
- bpatrianakos 14y ago
  Why? Come on man, don't leave us hanging. Give us an argument. Start a discussion. You can't just leave that dangling out there like that. That's why these comment threads exist.
klous 14y ago
I've found Google Chrome's downloader stalls out or fails from time to time, so I'm pushed to Firefox for these failed downloads.
bpatrianakos 14y ago
When I read this I was just astounded by the self-righteous, entitled tone as if the person who filed this knows (yes, "knows", not "believes" or "prefers") that the download bar is an annoying, unnecessary, undesirable feature that the Chrome team must fix immediately. It's not the request itself that bothers me but the tone of it. I use Chrome on 4 very different machines. A 10-11" Xubuntu laptop, 11.6" MacBook Air, 20" iMac, and a dual 17" monitor Win7 machine. On each computer I feel a bit differently about the download bar. On the MBA and iMac I love it, on the Win7 machine I'm indifferent to it (I actually have a love/hate relationship with it on that one) and on my Xubuntu "netbook" I consider it a necessary evil. So I feel both ways about the download bar but I would never call for its end because it's far more helpful than not. Its really not difficult or at all time consuming to close it out. And yeah, I totally agree that it would be a good idea to have the option to not show it. Notice I said "it'd be a good idea" and not "there should be that option". If I were the guy on the Chrome team that read this I'd consider it but not make it a priority simply because it sounds like entitled user complaining which the web is so chock full of, especially when users get something free. Sometimes I really hate users. I mean, lots of people like me need them to succeed with our startups but god damn it if they don't just piss you off to no end sometimes. There's a big problem with users not being able to tell the difference between what they'd like to have and what they need to have. Often it's a real fine line. Yes we should give the users what they want within reason (the customer is always right and all that) but at what cost? My web browser needs to allow me to download files. I would like for it not to clutter up my screen with another window made active by default. Solution? Download bar. Great! But now I need the download bar to just go away because it takes up too much screen space. Or do I? Maybe what I really need is a bigger monitor or to close the bar when it shows itself. Is it an annoyance? Yeah. Is my demand more important than the desires of other users if they're happy with the download bar? No. Unless I'm the only user. It really seems like lots of users really believe they're the only users. It's like every user on the web is an only child or something that's been accustomed to being served everything they want all their lives at the expensive of others' needs. To be clear, and to repeat it again, I really do think the option to always hide the download bar would be a great thing for users and it'd even help me! It's just that I've seen so many entitled attitudes from users, my own clients, and others this past year and a half that it gets to me bad and I think a lot of people can relate. There's a way to get attention and there's a way to get the wrong kind of attention. You know, Chromium is open source. Maybe someone who wants it bad enough will fork it, add the functionality mentioned, and submit the changes back to Google. Who knows, maybe the next auto-update will surprise us with this new feature.
mjcohenw 14y ago
No! The biggest annoyances for me are: 1) Not easily switching to a new tab when it is opened (I somehow learned about command-option-shift-click, but, really); 2) Not being able to use ctrl-scroll wheel (on Logitech trackball) to zoom (command +/- not nearly as nice).
endeavor 14y ago
If you look at the screenshot you get a better picture of why it bugs the issue submitter so much: he's downloading torrents. I.e. in Chrome he's downloading a tiny .torrent file, and the real download is happening in uTorrent or some external downloader. So you can probably assume he's also downloading quite a lot of those files. Personally I like the Chrome download bar, but I get why it might get in the way of some uses.

62 points by electic 14y ago

Totally agree with you. :-) I spend so much time every day clicking the little X to kill the download bar. I think Google developers design for 30" monitors or something... I work on a laptop all day and my vertical pixels are very valuable to me.

resure 14y ago
You can type Shift-Cmd-J + Cmd-W to hide it.
- leephillips 14y ago
  <control>-j + <control>-w for me (on Linux). That solves the major annoyance of this, which is not having a keyboard command for closing it.
Tichy 14y ago
Just curious, how come you have so many things to download? Is that email attachments in web mail? I can't really think of many things to download - usually PDFs, I suppose.
- ronyeh 14y ago
  Random cool images I see on the web... I use them as inspirations for apps / sites that I design. Right-click save as... and I'll review them at some point. But now I have this big bar at the bottom that I don't want to see. :-(
  - lovskogen 14y ago
    You could just drag the images right to your desktop.
    - ronyeh 14y ago
      You're right, and sometimes I do do that. But most times I'd rather have it end up in my Downloads folder. Also, on my mac laptop, I'd have to drag, exposé-show-desktop, drop, exit-exposé... :)
      - CrazedGeek 14y ago
        On OS X, I just put a "drag stuff here" folder in my Dock. Worked pretty well.
  - monkeypizza 14y ago
    firefox + the download sort addon is super awesome. no popup window at all, the thing just saves (customizable based on extension)

tjoff 14y ago

Firefox biggest annoyance: The download window. I feel like I've taken a time machine to the 90's every time it pops up. Chrome's download bar on the other hand is quite neat and it doesn't distract your workflow.

electic 14y ago
I wish it was more like Safari's download feature.
gsai 14y ago
Why drag Firefox into this discussion? Firefox has options for customizing everything, and when it doesn't there's always extensions. That's one of it's best features. If you don't like "taking a time machine" Firefox's download window can be disabled using "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file" option.
- lazugod 14y ago
  It's completely fair to judge Firefox on its default design decisions.
  - simonster 14y ago
    It's fair to judge Firefox's design decisions. It's not completely fair to compare Firefox's default design decisions with Chrome/Safari/IE's design decisions, which are more than just defaults. If Firefox had a download bar, you would be able to download or write an extension to make it auto-hide, because Firefox's interface is entirely XUL and is relatively trivially extensible. With Chrome, you can star an issue and hope someone will listen to you, but you're probably going to be ignored.
    - lovskogen 14y ago
      >It's not completely fair to compare Firefox's default design decisions with Chrome/Safari/IE's design decisions, which are more than just defaults. What do you mean by "more than just defaults"?

autodidakto 14y ago

2 and a half years ago I tried Chrome and was turned off by the download bar. I pleaded, along with a few others, for at least a shortcut that would close the bar. The response was: What's the matter with your mouse? EDIT: Oh wait. This issue was from 2 years ago. Silly me thought something finally changed. And it seems the main discussion isn't in the OPs link, but here: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=27797 http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=27797 and here: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=89922 http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=89922

mattacular 14y ago
I've noticed the Chrome team are pretty cavalier and don't seem to appreciate outside recommendations and critiques. If Google ever changes the download bar in Chrome, you can be damn sure it has nothing to do with a snarky Chromium bug tracking thread. And they wouldn't be totally in the wrong because it isn't a bug, obviously.
- bpatrianakos 14y ago
  But honestly, would you be so quick to respond to a snarky bug tracking thread? I wouldn't. The fact that it's so snarky with such an entitled attitude would push me to give it attention at some point but it definitely wouldn't make my top ten list. There are better ways to go about this stuff and I think reports like this one are counterproductive.

Karunamon 14y ago

There won't be an option to disable the shelf. There are other bugs about making dismissing it easier. Status: WontFix Grr. What's the bloody point of open source if the developers of the project won't accept wanted fixes? There are a number of ways I can think of off the top of my head that don't involve taking up unnecessary screen space like that. Heck, even the Firefox extension for a download status bar isn't that absurdly large.

Achshar 14y ago
The point of open source is that if you don't like something, you can fork and make your version which pleases you. Just because a project is open source does not mean it will have to incorporate every user request. Project leads/managers still have their say in that project.
- Karunamon 14y ago
  >..you can fork and make your version which pleases you. Which is completely unrealistic for 99% of people out there. Nobody's going to fork Chromium based on a single UI facet. And then even if you do, you're in the unenviable position of maintaining a branch for a single UI fix. Not happening in this universe, guys. I just wish project leads/managers would listen a bit more to the community rather than arrogantly dictating "It will be done this way, deal with it". Failure to do that leads to crap like Gnome 3's infamous shutdown option.
  - Achshar 14y ago
    > I just wish project leads/managers would listen a bit more to the community rather than arrogantly dictating "It will be done this way, deal with it". You say that looking at single side of the coin. On the other side, the story is different. The devs receives several feature tweaks every single day. One can give detailed responses for only so much longer. There will be one time when you just cant write a satisfying response because it is not your main job.
    - 14y ago

tzury 14y ago

I personally bless this design everyday at least twice a day. This usually happens when I download a file from one web-service and then switch tab to send that file as an email attachment or upload it to another service (google drive, drop box, etc.) Having the file box at the bottom let me easily drag that file onto the other tab and get it done. Yet, by all means, there should be a checkbox available for those who prefer not seeing it at all.

mtgx 14y ago
Completely agree. I love being able to drag the files from the download bar into a WP blog or Gmail. So until Google makes it so you can drag and drop from another tab (if ever, because of the sandbox), they should keep it as it is.
hellerbarde 14y ago
I think the problem is that it's obnoxious to get rid of as soon as you don't need it anymore. There should be a Shortcut to dismiss it. (no, the Ctrl-J + Ctrl-W doesn't count. that is a workaround at best and it doesn't work when you're on a pinned tab)
namzo 14y ago
I had no idea you could drag a file from the download bar. I usually click on the arrow & "Show in finder". Thanks. Definitely a time-saver.
joshu 14y ago
Agreed. It is super useful.

sofa420 14y ago

Looks like someone at Google is working on this actually. Found this in chrome://flags New Downloads UI Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS Disables the download shelf. Will show the new downloads UI as it is implemented.

Achshar 14y ago
The only difference, that i was able to make out, is that it disables the bar. But it does say "Will show the new downloads UI as it is implemented." as you point out, so it may still be a work in progress, although i have been seeing it for some time now in about flags. More than a few months actually.
wut42 14y ago
This flag exists since chrome://flags exists. I always enabled it (due to the shitty download bar), but never saw a new UI, even 2 years later.
- hellerbarde 14y ago
  There is some "new UI" insofar as the "Keep"/"Discard" Buttons for "dangerous" files are now in the Download Window. Maybe they were talking about that... Who knows

ElliotH 14y ago

Go to about:flags, enable New Downloads. Bar is disabled. Easy.

pooriaazimi 14y ago
OS X, Chrome 22 dev I see no such flag.
- ElliotH 14y ago
  Strange, I have it on both Windows and Linux, and the flag claims its available on "Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS"
  - pooriaazimi 14y ago
    Yep. I updated my old PC's Chrome (it was on version 6! I thought Chrome auto-updaed itself?) to latest version (21) and it was there. But strangely changing it didn't change anything in the download UI.

TuanaJenn 14y ago

There are hundreds of millions of people all over the world dying of diseases and starvation. And you are complaining about the "download bar"? Are you kidding me?

Farow 14y ago
There are hundreds of millions of people all over the world dying of diseases and starvation. And you are complaining about people complaining about the "download bar"? Are you kidding me?

velodrome 14y ago

My biggest annoyance: When I click on downloaded items on the download bar, it takes me to the folder instead of opening the file. Anybody have this same issue?

ps258 14y ago
It opens the file for me.

xam 14y ago

I think Safari's download window is the most elegant solution. Chrome's download bar is annoying, but functional for the most part.

aristidesfl 14y ago

The best download UI right now, is Safari's

bpatrianakos 14y ago
Why? Come on man, don't leave us hanging. Give us an argument. Start a discussion. You can't just leave that dangling out there like that. That's why these comment threads exist.

klous 14y ago

I've found Google Chrome's downloader stalls out or fails from time to time, so I'm pushed to Firefox for these failed downloads.

bpatrianakos 14y ago

When I read this I was just astounded by the self-righteous, entitled tone as if the person who filed this knows (yes, "knows", not "believes" or "prefers") that the download bar is an annoying, unnecessary, undesirable feature that the Chrome team must fix immediately. It's not the request itself that bothers me but the tone of it. I use Chrome on 4 very different machines. A 10-11" Xubuntu laptop, 11.6" MacBook Air, 20" iMac, and a dual 17" monitor Win7 machine. On each computer I feel a bit differently about the download bar. On the MBA and iMac I love it, on the Win7 machine I'm indifferent to it (I actually have a love/hate relationship with it on that one) and on my Xubuntu "netbook" I consider it a necessary evil. So I feel both ways about the download bar but I would never call for its end because it's far more helpful than not. Its really not difficult or at all time consuming to close it out. And yeah, I totally agree that it would be a good idea to have the option to not show it. Notice I said "it'd be a good idea" and not "there should be that option". If I were the guy on the Chrome team that read this I'd consider it but not make it a priority simply because it sounds like entitled user complaining which the web is so chock full of, especially when users get something free. Sometimes I really hate users. I mean, lots of people like me need them to succeed with our startups but god damn it if they don't just piss you off to no end sometimes. There's a big problem with users not being able to tell the difference between what they'd like to have and what they need to have. Often it's a real fine line. Yes we should give the users what they want within reason (the customer is always right and all that) but at what cost? My web browser needs to allow me to download files. I would like for it not to clutter up my screen with another window made active by default. Solution? Download bar. Great! But now I need the download bar to just go away because it takes up too much screen space. Or do I? Maybe what I really need is a bigger monitor or to close the bar when it shows itself. Is it an annoyance? Yeah. Is my demand more important than the desires of other users if they're happy with the download bar? No. Unless I'm the only user. It really seems like lots of users really believe they're the only users. It's like every user on the web is an only child or something that's been accustomed to being served everything they want all their lives at the expensive of others' needs. To be clear, and to repeat it again, I really do think the option to always hide the download bar would be a great thing for users and it'd even help me! It's just that I've seen so many entitled attitudes from users, my own clients, and others this past year and a half that it gets to me bad and I think a lot of people can relate. There's a way to get attention and there's a way to get the wrong kind of attention. You know, Chromium is open source. Maybe someone who wants it bad enough will fork it, add the functionality mentioned, and submit the changes back to Google. Who knows, maybe the next auto-update will surprise us with this new feature.

mjcohenw 14y ago

No! The biggest annoyances for me are: 1) Not easily switching to a new tab when it is opened (I somehow learned about command-option-shift-click, but, really); 2) Not being able to use ctrl-scroll wheel (on Logitech trackball) to zoom (command +/- not nearly as nice).

endeavor 14y ago

If you look at the screenshot you get a better picture of why it bugs the issue submitter so much: he's downloading torrents. I.e. in Chrome he's downloading a tiny .torrent file, and the real download is happening in uTorrent or some external downloader. So you can probably assume he's also downloading quite a lot of those files. Personally I like the Chrome download bar, but I get why it might get in the way of some uses.