ZDNet blogger: Who in the modern world uses middle click to close tabs?
Published May 3rd, 2007 11:00 PM EDT By Daniel GoldmanWhile mentioning the changes to Google Gadget Designer, Garett Rogers, a Google blogger for ZDNet, seemed startled about Google’s new choice for closing tabs in the application.
Here is what he said:
For example, one of the “improvements” they made was the ability to close a tab using — get this — middle click. Who in the modern world uses middle click? Is this intuitive for anybody?
Huh? Who in the modern world uses middle click?
I do all the time. And I’m sure millions of other Opera users too. And so do Firefox and IE7 users.
Closing tabs with the mouse wheel click has been around in Opera for as long as I can remember – for years.
Mr. Garett, I challenge you to use Opera for a week. Get used to closing tabs with the middle click (you could undo a closed tab with CTRL+Z); it will become intuitive to you too, I hope. And hey, maybe you’ll notice the better browsing experience with Opera.
(Hat tip to d3bruts1d)
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using
Agreed- middle click is the bee’s knees.
And it looks like the author as already realized that.
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I used Shift+Click to close tabs in Opera, but this shortcut didn’t work in other applications like my code editor. I read program’s manual and found the mentioned above way to close a tab. Then a realized that many other applications provide exactly the same method (wheel-click) to close tabs. So I believe that this is de-facto a standard now. By the way, popup messages are usually closed by right-click, and this behavior is also widely used.
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Never used the ’scroll’-click much. My problem is that i find it all to easy to scroll just at the moment of click. Does said program support ctrl+f4/w? If so then i dont see the problem. I have more off a problem with opera not supporting ctrl+1..0 to jump directly to a ‘tab’… That reminds me, i need to figure out why opera is messing up the font of the menu bar… And find myself a new copy of the theme that shows the systems own colors. I managed to delete it…
using
Sadly, I haven’t used X-Windows for years, but doesn’t that use middle-click to close (and therefore, has done for many years)? I know X-Windows prefers three-button mice for some reason, but I can’t remember the details…
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Usually on X11 you copy something by hilighting it, and then paste it by middle clicking where you want to paste it.
In modern apps (besides console apps as CTRL-C has a totally different meaning there), CTRL-C and CTRL-V work, too.
Xterm uses CTRL-(left|right|middle) click to access different menus, and the scroll bar uses left click to scroll down by a certain amount depending on where you click, right click to scroll up in the same way, and middle click to scroll to the position you’re pointing to.
using
I use middle click to open links in the background and close tabs. I can’t stand having those nasty close buttons taking up space on my tabs.
And yes, I need to upgrade my Opera. I keep forgetting.
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I use it for both - opening and closing tabs.
I have the New tab button removed and open tabs by middle-clicking on an empty space on the Tab bar. I am so used to it that when I have to use Firefox, I miss this ability (yes, I know there possibly are extensions that would do the job).
using
I used to use middle click alot previously. But, I have small fingers, and the middle click button is unconfortable to use in my new mouse. So I just use Mouse Gestures now.
using
I use it.
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At least under X11, you can also open links using middle-click: Just highlight an URL in any app, and then middle-click on free space on the tab bar. It will open that URL in a new tab. Really cool!
For closing tabs, though, I mostly use the mouse gesture.
using
I use the middle click to close tabs.
I use the middle click to scroll pages.
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I love middle-clicking. I use it for lots of things including closing tabs.
I used to use middle-click on the tab bar to open a new tab, but got out of that habit after spending some time with linux and getting annoyed with it submitting the clipbrd content as well. So, now I use ctrl+t for that.
using
I removed the close buttons on the tabs and use middle click to close tabs all the time.
Also most of the programs I use that support tabs, have the ability to close the tabs with middle click so indeed it seems this has become a standard.
using
I never use middle click to close pages. I use CTRL+W or mouse gesture.
I also have the close button (X) on each tab, but never use them… and now I wonder why i haven’t disabled them
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I didn’t know about the center button close >.> I just stick to mouse gestures for closing tabs and ****, much faster in my opinion.
using
no idea you could close tabs that way thanks
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Middle click to close tab? I’ll have to go with mr Rogers and ask who uses that. I had no idea it was possible to close tabs with mid button, and now that I’ve discovered how I see no reason to do so. Down-right mouse gesture is so much faster and easier. If you feel the need to close tabs from the tab bar, then there already is a close button on every tab.
Additionally, the middle button was the first thing that stopped working on my last mouse, so that’s another reason not to overuse it.
using
I almost always use mouse gestures or ctrl+w for closing, it’s a lot faster than middle-clicking most of the time (especially when I have above 50 tabs in the window).
using
I use Cmd+W or Shift-click to close tabs.
using
The only thing I use middle click for is opening a link in the background. To close tabs in Opera, I use the default mouse gesture.
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I’m with Vasil above on this one - one thing I miss is the middle click to open a tab (by middle clicking on an empty space in the tab bar).
Not to mention mouse gestures…
But, FF still works for me - extensions, Exntensions, EXTENSIONS.
using
Didn’t know that we can use the middle click for closing tabs… I usually use right click - bottom - right, or the close button…
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I use Mouse Gestures as well. My scroll wheel is not easy to press straight down.
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I use middle click to close tabs and open links in a background tab and couldn’t live without it!
Why don’t laptops come with scroll wheels built-in!?
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I use middle click to open links in new tabs and middle click to close tabs. It’s second nature I’ve done it so long…
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EC: Middle click on the tsb bar over empty space still does create a new tab.
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I do, on a Mac!
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I usually use Ctrl+w or the mouse gesture (down, then right) to close tabs.
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I’ve mapped ctrl-w to the § (left of the 1-button). Keeps anything I need at my fingertips
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Yeah, let him use Opera for a while, maybe he can convince Google to finally stop ignoring Opera and pretend it does not exist!
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Yeah, let him use Opera for a while, maybe he can convince Google to finally stop ignoring Opera and pretending it does not exist!
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I use it all the time. Middle clicking links for opening in background, then middle clicking their tab to close them once read
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i EVER use it.
but i’m open to changes, there are 10000 ways to close a tab (ctrl+w, shift-click, mouse gesture, click on cross…)
i don’t mind to see it removen, if it can bring 1% of internet users to opera. As i don’t bid on it, i think the debate is kind of useless.
Those who are disturbed can remove that from the keyboard settings.
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I use these options ~100/Day. It is very fast…