Firefox-like tab behavior now in Opera
42 CommentsPublished February 11th, 2008 11:53 AM EST By Daniel Goldman
The Opera desktop team today released a snapshot of Opera 9.5 containing new tab behavior, similar to that found in Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer (IE).
Now, when closing a tab, Opera has the option to activate the tab to the right. Previously (and the default behavior now), the most recent active tab would go back into focus.
To change the tab behavior in Opera, go to Preferences > Advanced > Tabs > ‘When closing a tab’ and choose your desired behavior:
- Activate the last active (default)
- Activate the tab to the right
- Active the first tab opened from closing tab
This has been a major gripe from Firefox users switching over to Opera. I’m very glad to see that we’ve finally added this option to Opera.
It’s never too late to do the right thing.
(The new tab preferences in Opera)
using
Yay! This means more time using Opera for me (surprisingly, one of the most difficult transition issues.)
- A
using
Good. Now they just need “Activate the tab to the left”!
using
The real right thing is that they made this braindead (at least unusable for me) feature an option.
using
That sounds great, wish you would also integrate auto complete, like almost any other browser got it
using
funny, this behavior in FireFox is one of the most annoying things about it
using
mihau, apparently many many people really like it.
using
I prefer the current go back to the last active option. I’m guessing the issue is how you choose to browse the web. I’ll open everything up in a new tab look at it and then close it. For me the last active is the perfect setting.
using
I added an extension so that Firefox would act like opera (last active). I guess giving the choice ain’t bad at all.
using
I like the way it is, but I’ll be glad to have had a choice!
using
I use the normal behaviour of Opera with the default close page mouse gesture and have defined GestureUp with “Close page & Switch to next page” to close the current tab and activate the next to the right. Usage depends on the order of pages opened.
using
Will user defined gestures like “Close Page & Switch to next page” still work the same the new option selected? (I.e., it won’t skip one too many to the right?)
using
I agree with Scott, for me switching to the last active tab is the more practical and inteligent behavior. I’ll never understand how a simple “activate the right tab” could be o use for someone. I guess is about how you get used to use it. But like others say, is good you can choose.
using
“It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Nor, it would seem, the wrong thing.
I’ve always found Opera’s ancient behaviour both predictable and intuitive; I really don’t understand why people dislike it so much.
using
who has already this snapshot?
does it have tab navigation hotkeys fixed (”1″ – left, “2″ – right, “4″ – the most recent etc…)? this the main reason for me not to use beta in everyday browsing…
using
*who has already tried this snapshot?
using
Can’t understand the use of it… It’s nice to have a choice but I’ll never understand people who actually like the FF behaviour =D
using
blech. i hope the option to keep it how it is stays there forever. integrated searching in pages has been removed from the GUI options but is still in opera:config. I hate to see the classic (and better, because im used to them!) options being removed to cater to new users who dont want to get used to it.
I have opera set up just like I did 5 years ago!
using
Yay! This makes it much easier for the way I browse, which is to read a page, middle-click on links that look interesting, then close the tab when I’m done and go to the next new one. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Easy to do with Firefox/Safari, since in this case the tab to the right is always one I haven’t read yet. Incredibly inconvenient with Opera’s default behavior, since that always sends me back to a tab I’ve already seen, forcing me to manually select a new one.
I’m glad to finally have it as an option!
using
I think “the right way” is misused here. I can make a perfectly reasonable argument for the default Opera behavior -”right” is in the eye of the beholder and the mental model of how the user envisions the tab relationships- which is far from universal.
I can appreciate the Firefox (et al) behavior, but I prefer the Opera version since it matches how I use my tabs.
using
I flat out don’t like the Firefox way BUT hey, options are good.
using
I agree with people above comments, this is one of the most annoying aspects of Firefox. It means that they’re not putting any effort into tab behavior or memorization, they just dump you back to whichever. Opera knows what people want or what’s a more natural means of navigation, which is why they went back to previous focus to start with.
But, kudos to Opera for trying to appeal to a wider audience.
using
Would be better if it is the default behavior.
using
Activate the tab to the right, Active the first tab opened from closing tab… Stupid ****! For what? It is unusuable and unintelligence behavior, imho.
using
Gealdin
To you, maybe these new choices seem to be “unusuable and unintelligence behavior” , but I definitly see situations where one could find these useful. If you wanted to browse through a lot of tabs, without forgetting about something you opened a while ago, or you opened a new tab to read about something, and wanted to check several details on that topic before returning to your original tabs, these new options would make sense.
using
Like other Opera users here, I’m surprised to learn this is a big deal for Firefox users… if it helps transitions, then it’s a great option, but no way I’m using it.
using
Funny… This is the exact reason that I can’t stand using Firefox. Oh well, more choice is always better.
using
Earlier today I changed my tab behavior to open the one on the right, and suprisingly I actually like it. I guess I’ll have to use it a bit more to fully make up my mind.
using
The Firefox way makes some sense if you only have a small number of tabs. I tend to have 25-30 open at any one time, some of which may have sat there for days. However, the ones to the right are the most used, e.g. bbc.co.uk etc., The Firefox way keeps taking you back to the “waiting” tabs not the active tabs – you tend to want to go back to where you came from!
using
minghong: No! I guess Opera had been downgraded enough to Firefox’s level
.
Glex: Did you take a look at Preferences, Advanced, Shortcuts to see, that there is a “Opera 9.2 Compatible” setting with an option for “Enable single-key shortcuts” (an other good example how to make Opera Firefox-fan-proof)? They are there for a while now, you should use them like I do.
using
But I really don’t know, why they left out the “activate tab on the left” option. I don’t think that was too difficult to implement.
I also miss the expansion of the syncronisation feature (to sync Searches, Notes and some settings from opera:config). I think even Firefox fans could agree: that would be more welcomed than these actual changes.
using
I suppose this is good news for the Firefox users (the ones that open New tabs with Ctrl+T
).
Please don’t remove the “Activate the last active tab” option, though. I find it the easiest to understand, and it is consistent with the way Alt+Tab works in Windows.
using
Both modes have clear and identifiable useage patterns, neither is *better*; functionality depends on the needs of the user in this case. Moving to the tab on the right, as Kelson describes, is great when you are going through a stack of child tabs one by one. In this case Opera’s old behaviour was inefficient. But “tab on right” was inefficient when simply having many tabs open and your viewing pattern matters.
BUT WAIT — Opera have done something even better!!! If you use the third option you get a combination mode where when you just have a bunch of tabs open, Opera will use the “last-active” method. However, if within your page mix you have a parent->child, then closing the parent will give preference to its child over the last active tab. This gives you Opera-mode efficiency where viewing history is taken into account while at the same time allowing tab parent->child relationships to keep a special place. Mode 3 rocks!
using
I just posted more details on how Mode 3 works:
http://my.opera.com/non-troppo/blog/2008/02/12/does-it-blend-combining-the-best-of-both-tab-activation-modes
using
Hmm, my only concern here is that if the Firefox-y behaviour isn’t enabled by default, the average switching user won’t find it. Unless installation will have an option like “I’m used to Firefox, make it use Firefox-style settings”
using
Funny, I also have the LastTab add-on for Firefox to make it act like the default/old Opera behavior. It seems more intuitive and less annoying.
using
Opera has no tabs! Long live MDI! Heh I dont know how many people remember but Opera was about the first browser with “tabs” but it was called multi-document interface. The philosophy was that the browser was a platform and that you werent supposed to ever create more than one instance of it, because it handled all the windowing.
using
I’m not sure the wording in the drop down box is the best. It makes no sense at all when you have all your tabs in a vertical column on the right or left side of your browser.
But I don’t care much about that since I’ll be sticking to the default behaviour, that is the only thing that works for me. Since I have about 30-50 tabs open at all time I would have to spend a lot of time to find the tab I was at previously if that isn’t activated when I close the tab I’m at.
using
@Nicklas
I agree that the wording should be “next” tab and “previous” tab instead of right and left. Also, what’s with “Classic Tab Options”? What’s so “classic” about them? It’s just a dump of options that didn’t fit in the window anymore… It should say “Additional Tab Options” instead, because they have as much value as the new options.
using
@Ben, that sounds like a good idea. Anyone else remember when Microsoft Word had a WordPerfect compatibility mode to make it easier for people to switch?
using
probably my biggest prob with opera.
yyay!
using
Didn’t that used to be default until Opera 7? I remember Opera used used to have it the good (this) way.
using
Decided I would try Lispels hypothesis. So opened Opera 5 …………….NO TABS!!!!!!!!
At least Tabs, whichever way they default, are a great blessing to humanity.