More Details on IE7 Tabs

GraemeDonaldson writes "Another member of the IE dev team, Tony Schreiner, has revealed details of IE7's tabbed browsing implementation including the fact that the user will retain control over how tabs are handled." From the post: "Regarding script, there is no "target='_tab'" feature or any direct access to tabs from script beyond what is available with multiple windows today. We are working on balancing the default behavior for whether a window opened from script opens as in a new frame or a tab. Currently, windows that have been customized, such as hiding a toolbar or making the window non-resizable, will default to opening in their own standalone frame, whereas ordinary pop-up windows will open in a new foreground tab. CTRL-clicking and middle-clicking links will open those links in a background tab."

Tabs in IE7?

[UnknowingFool]

IIRC, didn't MS say that tabs really weren't a useful feature in browsers? It was back when SP2 was being released. People were asking many questions to MS whether SP2 would add tabbed browsing and MS said tabs weren't all that useful in browsers.

Cant run IE 7 even if i wanted too.

[nurb432]

My windows machine is 2000. And since microsoft no longer supports me, i dont get any new features. ( or bugs ).

This isnt a 'me' post, there are a *lot* of people and businesses that have no plans to goto XP ( or server 2003 ) in the near future.

Re:Tabs in IE7?

[LiquidCoooled]

I used to think the same.
Now that I use them, I hate using plain IE.

Slight side issue, I keep on middle clicking on the little program tabs at the bottom of my screen and cursing when they don't open or close as expected.

Do any of the OS's offer middle button support for general things, or is it mainly restricted to browser functionality?

tabbed browsing and window management

[cryptoz]

One of the main reasons I stay away from Windows is the extremely poor window management. Hence the reason I'm using GNOME with six virtual desktops. And I can have dozens of web pages open and still take only one spot on my bottom panel.

My point is that "tabbed browsing" is not a god-like feature. It's just something that helps with a user's window management (the ability to be able to have a bunch of web pages open at one time without making a huge mess is NOT a web browser problem, it's an entire usability issue for the whole machine).

Yes, I know there are attempts at virtual desktops in Windows, but they all suck. I've tried them. They're either too slow, don't work properly (ie, they leave the minimized windows on the task bar the entire time...I don't get how thatworks).

Good ol' M$

[cataclyst]

Glad to see that M$ is taking the time to address the REAL concerns facing it. Like how to emulate the UI of better software without that whole originality concept getting in the way. Maybe it'll even be impressive enough for some of the potential end users to forget why people started switching away from IE in the first place: the security holes bigger than -[insert 'yo mama' joke here]- worst...priorites...EVER...

I'd prefer they fixed their rendering

[bluGill]

I know tabs are the killer that takes users from IE, but I'd prefer they work on their rendering. Their CSS doesn't work.

We make all our sites to work in Konqueror now, and only minor tweaking is needed for Firefox and safari. Easy enough, all are so close to the standard that there is little difficulty. IE doesn't work. We have to spend three times the effort to make it work in IE without breaking the rest. (We have chosen to not detect IE and give you a different page. I'm still not sure about the wisdom of that)

Typical Microsoft though, make it look nice, who cares if it works right so long as the users don't know.

Re:Rip Off!

[The Bungi]

This is totally a rip-off

Wait... are you saying Mozilla invented tabbed browsing? Surely you jest. What exactly is MS "ripping off" here?

Plus, IE will forever have a faster start-up time (by cheating)

Cheating how?

Re:tabbed browsing and window management

[jhoger]

The "desktop" metaphor sucks and deserves to die. Hell, I can't find anything on my *real* desktop why would anyone organize a WM that way? Surely there's something better by now.

There is... tabs should be a feature of the window manager, not the application (unless it's a tabbed dialog).

On my desktop I use Ion WM, a tabbed window manager. Apps open full-screen or within a subdivision of the main window, providing tabs for navigation.

Ion WM works with some applications better than others. It would be nice to see some support built in to X and X applications. Not sure what that means, but basically tab-aware applications would be a good way to go versus trying to make every application implement tabs in its own non-standard way.

-- John.

Re:Boooooooring!

[caluml]

Anyone who wanted tabs on their web browser would be using Firefox/Opera by now.

I didn't want them until I had used them.

Learning from the original?

[Metaphorically]

FTA:

Currently, windows that have been customized, such as hiding a toolbar or making the window non-resizable, will default to opening in their own standalone frame, ... The rationale for opening only customized windows in a new frame is that this seems to correlate with scenarios where showing a window on top of the current window is desirable

The interesting thing is that I read this blog post yesterday, then I also ran across something on the Firefox tips page [mozilla.org]. It basically says that by setting browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction to 2, Firefox will behave the same way. I think this is the default setting nowadays, because Fx already did this for me without my changing any prefs.

I suppose it's a logical conclusion for anyone building tabbed browsing into a web browser, but when I first read the tip I was struck by the similarity in the reasoning.

This should then mean...

[Anonymous Coward]

... that M$ can separate IE completely from the underlying OS given:

"and the solution we settled on was to essentially push a large part of what you see in IE6 into a tab"

and:

"Another example of what makes this challenging is that IE and Explorer windows share the same code for the frame and chrome (toolbars, menus, etc.),"

So now more cribbing from M$ that they can't produce a version of Windoze without IE... now that'll be good because then no-one will use the stupid stinking pile of dung if they have to download it and the browser market will then be an open playing field...

wow! Tabs!

[gnarlin]

Microsoft sure knows how to inovate. If it weren't for them I would have never heard of this "tab" thingie. How many years is it since tabbed browsing for first intruduced? (I can't be bothered to find out right now). Wasn't there an article recently were free software maker about not being inovative? Let us play a game of 'spot the irony' shall we?