Completely disable the infernal TABS
I began on the Web with the NCSA Mosaic browser. I then progressed through Netscape Navigator and into Mozilla ("Mosaic killa") and the original Firefox betas. O, how I wax nostalgic for the "good old days" back before Satan discovered the Internet and decided to condemn us all to eternal damnation via the advent of tabbed browsing.
I gave tabs a chance. They only caused clutter, confusion and consumption of screen real estate. Anything that could be done in a new tab could be done much better in a new window. I've been biding my time, waiting for the majority of Web users to realize that tabs were useless and foolish, but alas, the majority of Web users are apparently... useless and foolish.
The next great crime to be committed was for the first Firefox option to change from New Window to New Tab. It took me nearly a year to overcome my habitual clicking on the first option, unintentionally opening a new tab, then having to waste time closing it and going back to carefully scroll down to the next option of New Window.
We were given SOME reprieve with the options to uncheck "Always show the tab bar" and "Open new windows in a new tab instead," but what we really needed was an option to "Open new TABS in a new WINDOW instead." Better yet, one that would say, "Completely disable tabbed browsing and remove all 'tab' options from menus and hotkeys."
Now the Apocalypse is upon us, and with Firefox 23, we are forced to have a stupid TAB at the top of our browser window. We should NOT need to use an add-on or manual code to make it go away. I have trodden the path of righteousness for as long as I could muster, but yea, I grow weary, and the Dark Side is calling me to finally click that box that says "Install Google Chrome."
As for my question.... If I were to join a dating site, should I be upfront and admit my shameful browser choice to prospective partners in my profile, or wait until we know each other better so they are more willing to accept such a flaw in my moral character?
All Replies (12)
Hello,
In Firefox 23, as part of an effort to simplify the firefox options set and protect users from unintentially damaging their Firefox, the option to hide the tab bar was removed.
Fortunately, this can easily be resolved if you desire the keep tabs hidden. You can install "Hide tab bar with one tab", an extension hosted on Mozilla's add-ons site, which will restore the ability to hide the tab bar.
Thank you and I hope this helps!
I agree tabkiller. I lost several hours yesterday after installing 23 and then trying to find a way to rid myself of a tab I don't want or need. Especially on my laptop where I try to make as much room as possible only to have the newbs decide for me that I need a tab on a single window. I ended up rolling back my computer to earlier in the day to get rid of it. This is happening more often with Firefox updates, always have to wonder "ok what will be ruined with this one". There is no excuse for removing the option to rid ourselves of a tab we don't need. I saw the download but am always wary of installing more software plugins. Can't help but think what's next, the Windows 8 look for Firefox...how's that working out for Microsoft. I believe the pioneering spirit of those who started Netscape would not approve of dumbing down the browser.
And while I'm at it, the small window that one is forced to scroll through when adding a bookmark to place it where you want is ridiculous. It was much easier when we could make the window as big as we wanted.
So Mozilla is going the way of Internet Explorer -- We know what you need and we don't care what you think. You stupid users must just accept that developers are Gods and will make the program do what is best. If you don't like it, use a different program.
So now we have to install an add-on to get a simple functionallity Firefox has had for YEARS? How stupid is that?
Modified by cybergoofy
So you are installing Google Chrome because it never had this option in the first place and there is no addon for it?
Good luck with the new browser, Mozilla is just trying to keep people from accidentaly destroying their browser.
Tylerdowner & Waka_Flocka_Flame,
Puzzle me this: If the "no tabs" option runs the risk of "users unintentially damaging their Firefox", then how is it that you consider it safe to "install 'Hide tab bar with one tab', an extension hosted on Mozilla's add-ons site"?
If the add-on is safe, why is it not safe to simply include the add-on's feature directly, to be activated with a checkbox in options->tabs? Are you afraid that 7 checkboxes (as apposed to the current 6) will simply overwhelm the user. They are, after all, a pretty simple-minded group.
There are thousands of add-ons on the Mozilla add-on site, we can't include them all in Firefox, which is why they are called "Add-ons", it's for those users who want to customize their Firefox experience.
to: kanata;
Instead of continuing to throw stones at the developers (they don't really care anyway), let me try to be helpful.
While I ABSOLUTELY agree that they should allow US to make the choice between tabs and windows, they will do what they will do.
As with most browser issues, there are a multitude of settings interactions that can cause unexpected results. I have installed the recommended "Hide tab bar with one tab" add-on and it worked fine. So long as I have only ONE tab open in each window, the tabs line is hidden.
Here are the options->tabs settings that I am using. Try this combination and see it it works better for you.
NOT CHECKED: Open new windows in a new tab instead
CHECKED: Warn me when closing multiple tabs
NOT CHECKED: Warn me when opening multiple tabs might slow down Firefox
CHECKED: Don't load tabs until selected
CHECKED: When I open a link in a new tab, switch to it immediately
NOT CHECKED: Show tab previews in the Windows taskbar
I wish I could say that I am so smart that I figured just exactly which combination of settings would get me the results that I want. Unfurtunately I'm just NOT that smart. I made choices that seemed reasonable to me, and they appear to work.
Good luck.
Modified by cybergoofy
Tylerdowner
You miss the point entirely.
You made the statement that option was not included in order to "protect users from unintentially damaging their Firefox". And yet you feel that the add-on is perfectly safe to install.
It's either SAFE or it's NOT. If it's included in the base program or it's brought in as an add-on doesn't change the "is it safe" question. If it's safe, then it's safe. If it's NOT safe, then Mozilla most certainly would not include it in their add-on suite.
The "unintentially damaging their Firefox" comment is pure BS. What we have here is a development staff choice to include a certain feature, or remove it from the basic program and relegate it to add-on status.
You think that the exclusion of the option was a good choice and I think it was a bad choice.
You are misunderstanding "Safe". We removed the option from Firefox y default to help protect those users who don't understand the Firefox options from accidentally disabling something they really want. That's why it was removed, because most users actually do want tabs, and when they accidentally disable them they come here looking for support. we tried to remove the foot gun and help these users who just want Firefox to work (because most users want tabs).
Add-ons are not developed by Mozilla, they are developed by a third party. We check them to make sure they aren't malware, don't violate privacy, etc. but we don't develop them. They are there as an option for if you want to customize Firefox. We know that if you really want to disable tabs, and you go to install an add-on to disable them, you really want to disable them and didn't do it by accident.
We can't include every add-on in Firefox, or else Firefox would look something like http://www.productsthathateyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ie-toolbar-bloat1.jpg (that's Internet Explorer, but the same thing can happen in firefox if you install a ton of add-ons). Obviously this isn't ideal, and including over ten thousand add-ons in Firefox by default would be ridiculous.
To Tylerdowner, "We removed the option from Firefox y default to help protect those users who don't understand the Firefox options from accidentally disabling something they really want."
This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read.
Where is there any evidence not showing the tab bar when only one tab is opened has damaged Firefox? Ever??
"That's why it was removed, because most users actually do want tabs, and when they accidentally disable them they come here looking for support."
Wrong! The deselected "Always show the tab bar" does not disable tabs. It only gets rid of the absolutely USELESS and UGLY giant space waster of the one open tab.
We ran multiple user studies and tests and viewed overall usage of tabs. Hiding the tab makes makes it difficult for users to discover their existence. Regardless, this discussion has turned beyond discussion. If you have input to give on Firefox, please go to https://input.mozilla.org/feedback. But I'm locking this thread. Above is all the information needed to restore or hide the tab bar.
Tylerdowner said:
"You are misunderstanding "Safe". We removed the option from Firefox y default to help protect those users who don't understand the Firefox options from accidentally disabling something they really want. That's why it was removed, because most users actually do want tabs, and when they accidentally disable them they come here looking for support. we tried to remove the foot gun and help these users who just want Firefox to work (because most users want tabs). "
Most children don't understand that heat can burn them or how to use an iphone either, yet they learn over a VERY short time about both.
This Add-On that you've been wasting our time with DOES NOT ...I'll repeat this because it's very important... NOT NOT NOT NOT N-O-T!!! NOT stop the tabs from opening ever. If I click a link, open a new WINDOW (not tab) it still opens a TAB!
NO, you programers have failed terrible at explaining that TABS are just minimized windows at the top of the screen while we've already got the space allocated below and it does not recede away just because we use TABS! The majority of people still open a WINDOW first, not a tab. They will always understand and use a WINDOW but not everyone will use a TAB! You're killing the user base who are smarter than the average 12 year old with a tablet that just wants to post useless crap and surf quizzes and funny pictures. Some of us still use our head and understand that the on screen space is limited and TABS double the use of a WINDOW! Do the math:
1 WINDOW with 1 TAB = the bar below and the bar above stating the same thing! Just because I'm not stupid enough to forget this fact means that I'm wrong by being a minority? IF you spent as much time informing these misguided people DESTROYING their browsers by a check mark out of place, as you do tell US who know what we are doing how to download a broken addon, you would have cured the problem!
DESTROYING??? DAMAGING??? (hardly! more like they are whining asses who want everyone to do everything for them! If they could figure out how to install FF23, they can figure out how to re-check a freaking box to replace their precious TABS back in place!!!!)...
Where was the R&D on this Add-On? It's flaw of opening a new tab for everything you click is glaring and yet FF team members keep referring us to it like it's a Golden Fleece or something special. YOU made this issue, YOU should fix the issue! Hell, give me a link to a paid version of FF that has the horribly complex version of check if you want TABS, uncheck if you don't want TABS, and I'll buy it!
HELL this browser is going to suck as badly as Google Chrome did with their stupid ideas! THAT'S WHY I NEVER LIKED, USED, OR WASTED MY EFFORTS ON GOOGLE CHROME!!!! Because the stupid fools made a TABS only version and nothing else! It could have been the best browser around, and I hated the TABS issue and layout/customizeability issues from it's inception. Now FF23 is getting added to that group by it's own programmers and developers.
Short version. On screen space is limited. TABS double the used screen space, leaving a bar at the bottom (part of Windows Explorer) and now a useless TAB bar across the top. The developers suck and really screwed Firefox users this time.