Firefox Browser Gets Tab Groups

[bluecoast]

They’re adding profiles soon with browsing data, history, bookmarks etc all separate to each profile - something that safari doesn’t yet do (history, reading list and bookmarks are shared between all profiles).

 

[paulrudy]

So while Firefox still behaves more ethically today, this clause gives them the potential to pivot, making it a serious concern for those valuing privacy not just in practice, but in principle.

Thanks, you perfectly expressed the misgivings I've been having.

 

[splitpea]

What you're talking about is going into the Bookmarks menu, then going to a folder, then picking "Open in New Tabs". OK cool. But what if you want to quickly switch to another set of tabs? You 1) open a new Safari window, 2) go through the Bookmarks > [folder name] > Open in New tabs.

Now try the same thing in Tab Groups. 1) Open the list of Tab Groups in the Safari toolbar and pick the group you want. Done. If you want to switch? Go to the same menu and pick another group. The entire window switches to that other group. You can switch between projects very, very quickly this way. I do it like 20 times a day.

If you're genuinely curious, make a couple Tab Groups from your existing bookmark folders and try switching between them. It's very slick.

I generally just keep different windows open with my tabs for different projects and cmd-~ between them. Is this for people who can’t handle having more than one window per app?

 

[ignatius345]

I generally just keep different windows open with my tabs for different projects and cmd-~ between them. Is this for people who can’t handle having more than one window per app?

Read my post again and see if that clears it up for you.

 

[splitpea]

Read my post again and see if that clears it up for you.

I did. You said it switches which tabs are in the window. To me there's no advantage in that over switching which window -- with tabs already open -- I'm looking at. Which I can do without taking my hands off the keyboard.

Different strokes, I guess.

 

[Digital Dude]

I used to use Fire Fox all the time, but after DuckDuckGo made some appealing improvements, I’ve stuck with them for the past couple of years. I like it way more than any other search engine I’ve tried. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Bustycat]

The best choice on non-Apple environment. Its vertical tabs and tab groups save the space a lot.

 

[Tagbert]

I generally just keep different windows open with my tabs for different projects and cmd-~ between them. Is this for people who can’t handle having more than one window per app?

If you segregate your tabs by window, this is similar but more integrated. I find having a lot of extra windows becomes cumbersome and cluttered which is one of the reasons for having tabs instead of a window for each web page. I would also worry about accidentally closing one of those windows and losing the tabs.

 

[splitpea]

If you segregate your tabs by window, this is similar but more integrated. I find having a lot of extra windows becomes cumbersome and cluttered which is one of the reasons for having tabs instead of a window for each web page. I would also worry about accidentally closing one of those windows and losing the tabs.

I don’t mind the extra windows, but I also use multiple virtual desktops and minimize stuff to the dock if it starts getting cluttered. I can see how that wouldn’t work for everyone.

FF has a feature to reopen a recently closed tab or window, so I haven’t had a problem with that recently. In a pinch, there’s always browser history.

 

[Danilamak]

Is their engine still slower and less power efficient?

It's fast and power efficient. I use it on all old devices. Two features missed: 1. Sharing tab content in meetings 2. PWA (hopefully in development)

 

[paulrudy]

I generally just keep different windows open with my tabs for different projects and cmd-~ between them. Is this for people who can’t handle having more than one window per app?

No, tab groups are like your multiple windows, with the added benefit
that they can be labeled, and that they can be closed and reopened later without losing anything.

 

[ignatius345]

I did. You said it switches which tabs are in the window. To me there's no advantage in that over switching which window -- with tabs already open -- I'm looking at. Which I can do without taking my hands off the keyboard.

No advantage to you, you mean. I can tell you I don't want (or, in your words "can't handle") having six to eight Safari windows full of tabs open at a given moment -- which is what that would mean. Tab Groups solves that issue for me.

Different strokes, I guess.

Yep!

 

[slothinker]

I like the the concept of this feature very much, esp. the ability to color-code a specific tab group. You can "Save" the tab set but I didn't find it easy to find it to reopen it. Instructions refer to the vertical tab option, which I have no interest in using. I'm suggest that the Firefox File menu should add an "Open Tab Group" option which would allow opening a previously saved tab group.

 

[Tagbert]

I like the the concept of this feature very much, esp. the ability to color-code a specific tab group. You can "Save" the tab set but I didn't find it easy to find it to reopen it. Instructions refer to the vertical tab option, which I have no interest in using. I'm suggest that the Firefox File menu should add an "Open Tab Group" option which would allow opening a previously saved tab group.

Tabs in a tab groups are always open in the sense that any tab in a browser window is open once you open the browser and the tabs load. They are not just links like bookmarks. You click on the tab groups label to expose those tabs. You can click on a tab groups label to hide those tabs.

In the browser I use, clicking on a tab group hides all of the others and you only see the tabs in that group. I don’t know, yet, how Firefox handles its groups. It may be like Google where you would have to manually hide the other tab groups if you just want to see one.