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Chrome removes Backspace to go back

bugs.chromium.org

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Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#541

Post by Klathmon »

ikeboy wrote: post #361
mstade wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there are better solutions. Comment #35 in that thread actually provides one: > The problem: Moving away from a form can result in data loss. > Your solution: Make it harder to move away. > The correct solution: Cache tab history completely and make it easy to move forward and backward in a tab's history by reusing cache and maintaining form contents. (Source: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id…

Or comment 34: >Why not disable backspace only when some form has data entered? Why remove the feature in all cases when the reason only applies to some?

Because then we have 3 different ways that the same key will work depending on the page (delete text, go back a page, do nothing?).

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#542

Post by Klathmon »

Aldo_MX wrote: post #218
ygra wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're creatures of habit. In this case it's a behaviour that existed for two decades or so. Sure, it doesn't make much sense, but the same goes for various functions of the middle mouse button, depending on context: open new tab, close tab, open new application, close window, scroll, paste. Yet you don't see anyone changing those.

> Yet you don't see anyone changing those. Except for (guess who?) Chromium... https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=255

They aren't removing middle click, they are just making it not fire off an onclick javascript event (to match the behavior of all other browsers).

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#543

Post by spacecowboy_lon »

niels_olson wrote: post #256
mstade wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there are better solutions. Comment #35 in that thread actually provides one: > The problem: Moving away from a form can result in data loss. > Your solution: Make it harder to move away. > The correct solution: Cache tab history completely and make it easy to move forward and backward in a tab's history by reusing cache and maintaining form contents. (Source: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id…

Wait until you're filling out online mortgage documents, or a security clearance application, or some other high-stakes documents. You will not like the backspace to go back function. Your adrenergic nervous system will make sure of it.

So you think filling out a security clearance form online is a good idea

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#544

Post by robynsmith »

klodolph wrote: post #239

I'm going to take a somewhat contrarian view and say, "Thank you, Chrome developers." It's always easy to tell apart the people who know shortcuts from the people who don't, if you watch them use their computers. Someone with a few shortcuts on tap will zoom around their monitors, switching between mouse and keyboard only when necessary. But there are a few shortcuts and user interface quirks that are too outdated an…

Agreed!

I'm one of those people that types "backspace" and goes back unintentionally way too often.

I've lost form data because of this!

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#545

Post by cm2187 »

stouset wrote: post #455
meatcider wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a hotkey that essentially no other software uses for the same behavior Except for Windows Explorer, but who uses that, eh? Your level of empathy is immaterial to the conversation, but thanks for sharing.

Backspace on Windows Explorer goes up one directory, not back in your history. In a not-at-all shocking turn of events, it turns out Alt-Left and Alt-Right are in fact the hotkeys for navigating backward and forward through history, so Chrome aligns perfectly with Windows Explorer in this regard.

No "Backspace" goes back, not up. Up is "ALT Up Arrow".

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#546

Post by cm2187 »

prof_hobart wrote: post #507
Arnavion wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Umm, Backspace in Windows Explorer absolutely does go back in history, unless this changed in Windows 8+ or something (testing on Windows 7 here).

Just tried it on my Windows 7 and it's quite definitely going up one level, not back in history. If I've got a folder structure 1 | |--1.1 | |--1.2 And I click into 1.1 and then into 1.2, if I then press backspace I end up on 1 (the parent), not 1.1 (the previous in the history).

Try going into C:\Folder1\Folder2\Folder3\Folder4\Folder5

Then click on "Folder3" to go directly to Folder3.

Then press BackSpace, you will go back to Folder5, not Folder2.

To go up the shortcut is ALT Arrow Up.

Now when there is nothing to go back to (you opened a sub folder directly), Backspace goes up instead of doing nothing.

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#547

Post by parenthephobia »

jon-wood wrote: post #246
Jedd wrote: post #25

Chrome / Chromium have a habit of making these arbitrary changes that seriously annoy some (arguably small) percentage of their users, while claiming that it makes it simpler / better for everyone else, while explaining impatiently why it's infeasible to make the now missing feature a configuration option. Evidently the kinds of people that can't be bothered going into the Advanced Configuration Settings page would b…

The problem with configuration options is that they need maintaining indefinitely to accommodate a small proportion of the user population. That means testing behaviour with the flag on/off, and taking into account the possibility of that flag being on when dealing with bug reports. In this case it's a minor thing which probably wouldn't require much maintainance, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

It's inconceivable that this should require any maintenance. I don't need a "backspace key goes back" checkbox, I just need to be able to customize the keyboard bindings. Decoupling the actions a program can perform from the key combinations which trigger those actions is basic stuff.

From the maintainer's point-of-view, having the option to bind "backspace" to "window.history.back" shouldn't require any more maintenance than having the option to bind "alt-left" to "window.history.back" does.

It is Google's fault that they didn't make Chrome work this way. It also means I can't unbind "ctrl-shift-q" from "quit_immediately_without_asking", because Google refuse to add an option to make it so that I can't accidentally fat-finger a C-w into something that ends my entire session. All keyboard shortcut problems disappear instantly if key bindings are configurable, however, without adding new options for each command.

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#548

Post by prof_hobart »

cm2187 wrote: post #546
prof_hobart wrote: post #507

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just tried it on my Windows 7 and it's quite definitely going up one level, not back in history. If I've got a folder structure 1 | |--1.1 | |--1.2 And I click into 1.1 and then into 1.2, if I then press backspace I end up on 1 (the parent), not 1.1 (the previous in the history).

Try going into C:\Folder1\Folder2\Folder3\Folder4\Folder5 Then click on "Folder3" to go directly to Folder3. Then press BackSpace, you will go back to Folder5, not Folder2. To go up the shortcut is ALT Arrow Up. Now when there is nothing to go back to (you opened a sub folder directly), Backspace goes up instead of doing nothing.

Nope. Just done that, in a tree view. Took me to folder 2

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#549

Post by saalweachter »

smoothdeveloper wrote: post #538
Nexxxeh wrote: post #528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>lure lenovo to restore the back / forward keys on thinkpads and make that implemented on most keyboards The number of times I've accidentally hit the back-a-page button on my old X201, and wiped my in-progress form entry... They smooshed those keys right around the arrow keys. The arrow keys I use to jumping around text. That's worse than having a dual-use for backspace to me. Backspace is far enough away that it's…

You can hit the other "forward" key to recover everything in a good browser and/or websites which don't do silly things (99.99% of cases). It really feels chromium team should install telemetry: * how many unsubmitted forms edits lost by mistake * how many backspace keystroke to do "history-back" They should also consider alt-gr + left as "back-history", using two hands for this could be avoided this way.

Yes, because "Chrome phones home with all form data/keystrokes" wouldn't hit the top of HN.

Re: Chrome removes Backspace to go back

#550

Post by cm2187 »

prof_hobart wrote: post #548
cm2187 wrote: post #546

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try going into C:\Folder1\Folder2\Folder3\Folder4\Folder5 Then click on "Folder3" to go directly to Folder3. Then press BackSpace, you will go back to Folder5, not Folder2. To go up the shortcut is ALT Arrow Up. Now when there is nothing to go back to (you opened a sub folder directly), Backspace goes up instead of doing nothing.

Nope. Just done that, in a tree view. Took me to folder 2

They must haved changed the behavior. I tried that on Windows 7 with a network drive.
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