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Tree-Style tabs: Why I CANT switch to Safari (though I wish I could!)

L

lowepg

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 19, 2014
67
1
I love the smooth connectivity between my iPads, macbook and iMac with Safari... and its only gotten better with ios8 and Yosemite.

However... I just can't switch!

I customarily have 40-ish tabs open in my browser (iMac)

With vertical tabs, this is super easy to keep organized and instantly switch to any tab I want. There's nothing even close with Safari for 1-click instant tab access :-(

Especially with todays great wide screen displays, using the side tabs is a far better use of otherwise unused website real estate-


Also, besides just being able to see all the tabs ALL the time, they are easier to identify. Each tab has an icon displayed for easier recognition. Conversely, Safari tabs may or may not have anything useful displayed depending on the page displayed... it MIGHT be the website title, but it might also be an obscure few words from the link.

Im dying to use Safaris OTHER features, but this BIG lacking one is killing me... is there another way?
 
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btw- this is not a SLAM on Safari, I truly want to find a way to use it... firefox has crappy memory management and lacks the connectivity I want, but this is a big issue for me.

Here's 50 tabs open (its actually more like 60, don't even get me started on how i can collapse related tabs tree-style)....


15540368936_c31e0fde3a_b.jpg
 
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aimbdd said:
So why I can understand what you mean, why in the world do you "need" 60 tabs open at one time?
Click to expand...

Need?

Well, I don't NEED it, but I find it a super efficient way to move back and forth between many websites... realistically, probably more like 20.

Do you NEED more than 4GB of Ram?
Do you NEED a SSD over a perfectly usable 5400rpm hard drive
Do you NEED [insert anything other than food, shelter, water]?
 
poobear said:
Do you Currently read 60 tabs, or are you actively not trying to use RSS/bookmarks/ReadingList?
Click to expand...

Im not "actively" trying to avoid anything!

If theres anther way to accomplish what Im doing, I really would like to understand it!

For reference, I've recently converted from Windows (after DECADES) to a macbook and an iMac. Ive been using Safari for like 6 years and this feature specifically.... so maybe thats part of my problem/ignorance for a "better" way to browse.

What I want:
A way to quickly navigate between a few dozen frequently used websites WITHOUT a bunch of nested clicks (bookmark dropdown menu).

If there's a better way- i WANT IT! Thats why I posted here.

So, I will be thrilled for someone to say, "Hey dummy, there's a MUCH better way to do that, all you need to do is ____________'
 
Well if you're just talking about accessing websites and not necessarily active tabs, use the sidebar.

View>Show Sidebar>Edit>New Folder>then add all the sites you want to access
 
mainer4101 said:
Well if you're just talking about accessing websites and not necessarily active tabs, use the sidebar.

View>Show Sidebar>Edit>New Folder>then add all the sites you want to access
Click to expand...

Yes, I get that, but then Im RELOADING every page I want to visit. And, worse than that, many times having to re-login into them.... granted its automated with lastpass, but still FAR slower than switching to an active tab.

Perhaps no one else finds the need to manage multiple open tabs? Are you all just clicking bookmarks on 1 active tab? (for snappiness)? :)
 
lowepg said:
Yes, I get that, but then Im RELOADING every page I want to visit. And, worse than that, many times having to re-login into them.... granted its automated with lastpass, but still FAR slower than switching to an active tab.

Perhaps no one else finds the need to manage multiple open tabs? Are you all just clicking bookmarks on 1 active tab? (for snappiness)? :)
Click to expand...

Well for me, I have a trackpad. So if I have 10+ tabs open I just pinch out and they are all there for me to choose from. Moving your mouse to each one takes as much time as it would if they were on the side of the screen, you just lose the half a second it takes to pinch out. I'm never in that much of a rush to switch tabs. I'm not sure if there is a command for the magic mouse.
 
Maybe a real-life example will help explain what Im trying to accomplish:

Let's say Im researching several companies to build a report, proposal, competitive brief, whatever.

I've got 10 company websites "open".... For some, I'm looking at 3-4 different subpages within their homepage (about us, history, management team, etc)

So now I have 25-30 tabs loaded and I can quickly switch between any of these pages for information as I build out my report.

Oh, and tomorrow, I may have 25 different pages Im looking at, so bookmarking them all is pretty useless- I may never come back to them again.

In firefox (a feature they've had for like 6 years), I simply click the tab I need, and BAM, Im there. No reloading (unless I want to ) and no logins.

In safari:
Option 1: I open 25 tabs... now Im scrolling back and forth since only about 12 fit on my iMac 27 screen. AND, I may or may not be able to identify what that page even is as the tab labels get more obscured.
option 2: I click the "open all tabs" button (which is very nice), but now Im still scrolling up/down, finding tab, selecting, rise and repeat if I want to flip around 5 tabs quickly....

Maybe Im stuck. Maybe my needs are so obscure that its never occurred to Safari to account for wanting to see more than 12 tabs?
 
lowepg said:
Maybe a real-life example will help explain what Im trying to accomplish:

Let's say Im researching several companies to build a report, proposal, competitive brief, whatever.

I've got 10 company websites "open".... For some, I'm looking at 3-4 different subpages within their homepage (about us, history, management team, etc)

So now I have 25-30 tabs loaded and I can quickly switch between any of these pages for information as I build out my report.

Oh, and tomorrow, I may have 25 different pages Im looking at, so bookmarking them all is pretty useless- I may never come back to them again.

In firefox (a feature they've had for like 6 years), I simply click the tab I need, and BAM, Im there. No reloading (unless I want to ) and no logins.

In safari:
Option 1: I open 25 tabs... now Im scrolling back and forth since only about 12 fit on my iMac 27 screen. AND, I may or may not be able to identify what that page even is as the tab labels get more obscured.
option 2: I click the "open all tabs" button (which is very nice), but now Im still scrolling up/down, finding tab, selecting, rise and repeat if I want to flip around 5 tabs quickly....

Maybe Im stuck. Maybe my needs are so obscure that its never occurred to Safari to account for wanting to see more than 12 tabs?
Click to expand...

I think it did, and that is why they created this tab snap-shot view by pinching out. The command for not using a trackpad is shift+command+\

Give it a try, just open a ton of tabs and use this command, see if that will work for you. I think it may be your only option to fit your needs.
 
mainer4101 said:
I think it did, and that is why they created this tab snap-shot view by pinching out. The command for not using a trackpad is shift+command+\

Give it a try, just open a ton of tabs and use this command, see if that will work for you. I think it may be your only option to fit your needs.
Click to expand...

Thanks... but realistically, that's horribly slow (via keyboard command) vs 1-click.... I do that that option on my macbook though- so thank you sharing it.

Im starting to think I need to go back into my firefox cave and just bail on safari again.... Im not seeing anything CLOSE to that functionality. I guess if they didnt add it 5 years ago - i shouldn't be holding my breath.

However, for those that scoff at the idea... if you're using an imac or ext montor, just LOOK at all the wasted space on the vertical columns... it really is an effective way to look at tabs.... :-(

----------
Lachhh said:
I'll admit right here I posted without actually reading much of the thread, just saw the picture and went 'ooh'.

I just now read the thread and subsequently spluttercoughed hard at the irony.
Click to expand...

lol...

but, actually it does illustrate the point (even though that screenshot was an extreme example) that the vertical tabs are a really clean way to browse.

Honestly, once you've tried it, i guarantee you'd want this functionality. Perhaps theres just not many firefox folks here (which is understandable).
 
lowepg said:
lol...

but, actually it does illustrate the point (even though that screenshot was an extreme example) that the vertical tabs are a really clean way to browse.

Honestly, once you've tried it, i guarantee you'd want this functionality. Perhaps theres just not many firefox folks here (which is understandable).
Click to expand...

I'd love tabs like that, and I'd also agree that it would probably make for a nicer experience, seeing how our screens are wider than they are tall. I'm not going to start using Firefox over Safari for this feature (I don't usually have more than 10 tabs open, so the regular way suffices for me) but I'd sure like it.
 
Lachhh said:
I'd love tabs like that, and I'd also agree that it would probably make for a nicer experience, seeing how our screens are wider than they are tall. I'm not going to start using Firefox over Safari for this feature (I don't usually have more than 10 tabs open, so the regular way suffices for me) but I'd sure like it.
Click to expand...

Do NOT even try it.... you'll be ruined forever :-(
 
Lachhh said:
Yeah, I can easily see that happening, those really do look sweet.
*must resist temptation lest it makes me a tab junkie like you*
Click to expand...

"Just try it once.... you can always uninstall it.." MUWAHAHAHA
 
Have you tried SafariStand? I used it for vertical tabs for a while but haven't desired that feature for a few years.

I also browse with hundreds of tabs open over tens of windows, and get by fine with the normal tabs, using command-shift-{ or } to switch tabs and command-tilde (~) to switch windows.
 
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