Firefox Finally Delivers Tab Groups Feature (mozilla.org) 47
Firefox has launched its long-awaited tab groups feature, responding to the most upvoted request in Mozilla Connect's three-year history. The feature allows users to organize tabs by name or color through a drag-and-drop interface.
Mozilla is now developing an AI-powered "smart tab groups" feature that automatically suggests organization based on open tabs. Unlike competitors, the company said, Firefox processes this data locally, keeping tab information on the user's device rather than sending it to cloud servers.
Mozilla is now developing an AI-powered "smart tab groups" feature that automatically suggests organization based on open tabs. Unlike competitors, the company said, Firefox processes this data locally, keeping tab information on the user's device rather than sending it to cloud servers.
Long awaited by who...Not me... (Score:2, Insightful)
Hopefully when the 'long awaited feature' is added, it includes a long awaited 'disable this "feature"' option.
Re: (Score:3)
Definitely long awaited by me, and by many who use Firefox for work I suspect.
Re: Long awaited by who...Not me... (Score:3)
Nobody had to wait, unless they were severely Internet impaired. Multiple add-ons implemented tab groups.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure doesn't sound like anything I would have donated money for, nor voted for even without risking any skin off my nose. Near as I can tell I've been grouping and organizing my tabs for a long time. I just use separate browser windows for each group. May help that I have a West Coast mentality and large external displays on my primary machines. (On small screens I just have to think differently. Mostly Android but also that foul Chromebook.)
Mostly I wonder how much this "most desired" feature actually cost
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It is not intrusive. I'm using an updated firefox it I did not notice anything until slashdot told me. It's on the right click on a tab ("add to a new group").
Re: (Score:2)
I didn't know I was awaiting this until I read about it just now. Currently 4,000+ tabs open and curating them just takes too much time. Would be sweet to get some AI help, especially grouping the garbage together, which is most of it.
Re: (Score:2)
>"Currently 4,000+ tabs open and curating them just takes too much time."
^ Why? I don't understand this.
This is why bookmarks exist. Bookmark what you like, place those in a related/descriptively-named folders, even nested if you like. You can even select multiple tabs and bookmark them all at once. If/when you need those open to actually use them, you just click on "open all in tabs" in that folder (or any level).
I typically have three windows and a dozen or so tabs in each, but those are all sites I
Re: (Score:2)
I've always struggled to understand this too, even people with 30 tabs open in one window seems insane. Obviously do whatever works for you, I just can't wrap my head that kind of workflow.
Re: (Score:2)
It stresses me a lot to see those people at work. They became dependent on so many open tabs, and live below the sword of Damocles, one glitch away of losing them all for any reason.
Re: (Score:2)
Spotted the guy who doesn't keep backups.
Re: (Score:2)
Bookmarks predate tabs, and are an extra step. My kid doesn't use bookmarks and relies on Firefox starting with previous session saved.
Bookmarks all the way. Tabs are so cluttered, groups will make it a bit better for them though I suspect.
Re: (Score:2)
Currently 4,000+ tabs open and curating them just takes too much time.
This is why bookmarks exist.
Agreed that 4000 is a bonkers number and definitely a "you" problem and not an issue with the browser.
However I do tend to find myself with ~50 tabs open (thank god for vertical tabs) because I find it much easier to use open tabs instead of bookmarks as a reminder or to-do list since the tabs are a constant visible reminder. This is especially true for work where I have multiple projects/topics in-flight. Most of them are unloaded so they don't really use any resources.
I wish there was something between b
Re: (Score:3)
I would see your preference for always visiting the same small set of sites as your problem. Maybe try to understand that not everybody uses the internet like that.
Re: (Score:3)
Research projects. It is not at all unusual to visit a hundreds sites in a hour or two. And there can be multiple projects on the go simultaneously. Doesn't make sense to close tabs as you go, except for really obvious junk, but some of the earlier opened sites might be the most useful.
It comes down to what you use the internet for.
Re: (Score:2)
Long awaited by me. Now I MIGHT look into possibly moving to Firefox.
Re: Long awaited by who...Not me... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Hopefully when the 'long awaited feature' is added, it includes a long awaited 'disable this "feature"' option.
Do you often criticize things you don't know or haven't experienced?
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, same here. I have had that "feature" for ages. All it does is annoy me when I accidentally activate it.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
It's a useful feature, particularly on mobile... Which is a shame because it doesn't seem to be supported on Android yet.
For desktop I'm undecided. It is a nice way to group tabs and de-clutter them, but has the very major downside of encouraging you to keep millions of tabs open and collapsed, forever.
Re: (Score:2)
Me neither.
Mozilla really needs to listen to its users (Score:2)
AI Powered Tabs? (Score:2)
Has anyone wondered what "powers" browser tabs. No.
Wow. This is deep stuff.
Re: AI Powered Tabs? (Score:2)
And yet (Score:2)
The checkbox which existed for years which turned off update notifications still isn't put back in place.
Something simple which improve people's lives, and instead we get this.
AI-powered "smart tab groups" (Score:5, Insightful)
I am so tired of AI powered this and AI powered that. It's all BULLSHIT.
I hate Firefox, but... (Score:2)
I still use Firefox over other browsers, because the rest are worse. Mozilla loves to push UI and feature changes that make no sense. I do nothing in Thunderbird that I didn't do 25 years ago in Eudora, other than maybe read html emails with the images not downloaded. Not that I want html in those emails I receive.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird recently borked the reply all, and Firefox reduces privacy every chance they can get.
Re: I hate Firefox, but... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Will look into these.
Wanted feature (Score:3)
Re:Wanted feature (Score:4, Informative)
>"Disable updates completely and stop nagging me about it."
It already has this. But it is not an easy click. You have to set a policy. On linux it means creating a policies.json file in $FFHOME/distribution:
{
"policies": {
"DisableAppUpdate": true
}
}
It works, I have used it for years. I update when I want, and without any nagging whatsoever. Could it be easier/better? Yes. Did it USED to be easier/better? Yes. But it is still possible. Just like tabs-on-bottom, and a lot of other stuff, is still possible with UserChrome.
Re: (Score:2)
Disable updates completely and stop nagging me about it.
If you aren't techy enough to stop the nagging then frankly you are not techy enough to run a not up to date browser without getting yourself in real trouble.
Re: (Score:2)
Install Firefox via apt (or whatever your distro's package manager is) and then set the package on hold.
ITT (Score:3, Insightful)
ITT: people complaining about "features nobody wants" when it's literally the most wanted feature by users.
Re: (Score:2)
This site is so grumpy lol.
The link on this article demonstrates that this was a highly anticipated feature.
I know several people on my team who will be ecstatic to use this. Tabs and bookmarks are so poorly handled by many users, this will help.
Re: (Score:2)
lol yeah man. I really don't think I'll ever use tab groups, but look at my cheeks: completely dry. I still love Firefox.
Not really a new feature in Firefox (Score:2)
Firefox used to have a built-in tab groups feature (Panorama) long time ago. In 2016 Mozilla removed it, because apparently nobody was using it (at least according to the telemetry that most power users disable anyway).
I'll have to see how this native tab groups feature compares to one of the existing extensions that provide Panorama-like functionality (e.g. Simple Tab Groups). Judging by the video, the native tab groups feature seems pretty basic at the moment.
Re: (Score:2)
Ah, dear, sweet Panorama... gone before your time! In the garden of youth, you were known as TabCandy, and you were a delight upon mine eyes, and saviour of many a Mac user, whom you liberated from the depths of taskbarless window management ignorance, up, up, to the dizzy heights of spatial window management! How much duller and greyer the world has been since you last languidly cached all those many tab thumbnails in your round-corner'd groupings... Were it only possible to summon you forth once more, wi
Re: (Score:2)
I wanted to burn mozilla down when they decided to remove tag groups feature, had to scramble to get a add-on to do the same, and had to replace it a couple off times since then because the developers got tired of keeping up with the changes in firefox.
Now I use panorama view add-on which is good enough, still not as good as the original from long ago, but gets the job done.
I've never understood the reasoning form mozilla to remove it, it may not have been a widely used feature, possibly their own fault for
Oh my God (Score:2)
Dude, you need to get out more.
Features I want: No Data Collection or AI (Score:3)
Firefox had tabgroups long ago (Score:2)
And a much better implementation.
https://workona.com/pages/fire... [workona.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Don't install workona without checking what it is yourself. I am neither using nor recommending it, the page was just one of the top results for explanations what Panorama Tab groups were.