Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

Google, I"m looking at you. Google.com changes the behavior of the cursor keys in input boxes to a behavior inconsistent with the rest of the Web and the rest of host operating systems.

Moreso, Google will capture and change the expected behavior of the arrow keys for scrolling.

Today I noticed that Google.com has overrided backspace, a shortcut for "Back" on every browser, including Chrome.

This is not cool. I use a laptop and rely on consistent behaviors of keyboard navigation on the web. I don't want to have to have to learn different (shoddily) implemented navigation patterns every time someone decides to change something.

This is a bad trend in my opinion. What does HN think?

Google isn't the only culprit. When Gawker introduced their much-maligned redesign, their sites also rebinded arrow keys to customized interactions like Advance to Next Story. A few months on, and luckily most of these "features" have been removed.

When UX interactions behave consistently at the OS and browser level across 99% of the web, why would I want to see an unpredictable custom behavior on a certain site? I hold Google to an even higher level of responsibility because their actions set precedents that other sites may emulate.

IMO backspace as a shortcut key deserves to be overridden. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally left a page while typing backspace after losing focus in a form I thought I was editing.

If I were Google, I'd rather reduce the potential for negative experiences from shortcuts for my customers, most of whom I'm guessing rarely use them.

Also, how are the cursor keys being overridden in a non-standard way? Every input box on Google Search feels intuitive to me.

Completely agreed on backspace; Alt/Cmd+Left already covers it well enough. (I've been having a similar problem with two-finger swipe pageback in Chrome anytime I need to scroll horizontally.)

1. I hate, hate, hate that the backspace key is a shortcut for "back". I have never, not once hit the backspace key wanting to go back to the previous page.

2. I'll generally give the bigger players like Google some lee-way in trying out new functionality like this. It's the smaller sites that should generally stick to familiarity (except for the handful who are making a point of exploring behaviors).