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Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
61–70 of 97 posts
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#62Why do people open 100s of tabs when you can easily get back to that page in less than a second in most cases? Seems the clutter and organizational requirement is more of a productivity loss than gain. Never understood this.
I've got a little under 200 tabs open right now in my main browser -- split into ~15 different groups with a plugin. I treat each as a little workspace for a project or subject I'm interested in and flip back and forth as needed. Keeping them open (although not necessarily loaded) is useful for preserving context (e.g. back button history, accounts logged in in the proper container, tabs arranged next to each other in a particular way for spatial memory, etc.) so that jumping back into something later is easy.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't understand "tab hoarders" but I also don't understand why Mac users pollute their desktop with a thousand icons either. I guess some people like clean workspaces, and some don't mind clutter.
> Mac users pollute their desktop with a thousand icons This is a strange generalization to make. I think it's more of a subset of computer users in general, not just Mac users...
> This is a strange generalization to make.
I get it, but 100% of Mac users I've helped in my 25 years of professional computing had messy desktops. That's dozens (maybe close to 100) of Mac users. Not scientific, not conclusive, but it's exactly 100% with no exceptions. This includes fellow IT professionals and college acquaintances. The most recent experience being two days ago, where I assisted a Mac user in changing email settings. It's also very common for these Mac users to not understand file/folder structure. I often guide them to download a file/app, and once downloaded they generally have no idea where it went unless its... on their desktop! Same for "open" applications. For PC user's I'd say it's in the 10-20% range, low enough to be unremarkable.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why not one than 72h = auto close? Maybe add to reading list, close the tab and let it sit in there
He doesn't care, and he won't change his ways. And that's perfectly okay! I'm assuming you are someone who closes tabs sometimes. I am too. What you have to accept is that we are the weird ones. A browser is a tool and just opening new tabs for everything is the easiest way to use it. There is very little downside, because there is no need to ever touch an old tab if you can just open a new one. There is no limit on…
I do close a tab when I've finished reading it, or otherwise don't need it anymore.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Mac users pollute their desktop with a thousand icons This is a strange generalization to make. I think it's more of a subset of computer users in general, not just Mac users...
It happens on Macs I’m sure, but the picture in my head of someone doing this to the extreme is definitely a Windows user. [edit] for my part, as a Mac user, I couldn’t tell you whether my desktop’s full of icons (probably not?) nor what my background image is (… the default? Which I’m guessing is probably a mountain or a wave or something?) because I see my desktop so rarely, and never pay any attention to it.
> the picture in my head
Without first hand experience I would have "imagined" the same, but it's just not the case IRL.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#66“average person has 7400 tabs” factoid actually just statistical error. average person uses bookmarks. Tabs Hazel is an outlier and should not have been counted
You sure? From what I've seen over the years, bookmarks are not a very heavily used browser feature. I think most people don't have more than a few dozen, if they use them at all.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you regularly do the 'bookmark them all in a folder and close them' behavior, you should try Simple Tab Groups.
I’ve tried tab groups in safari, which seemed like the perfect feature for me, but I always forget to switch before opening new, unrelated tabs. Bookmark-all-and-close works pretty well since I’ve literally never gone back and looked at the bookmarks in the 15ish years I’ve been using the approach. Groups would solve a different problem (task-specific tabs get mixed together) but add enough friction that I simply don…
It takes a while to build the habit, but I personally have a 'general' group that serves for my regular browsing. If I find I've got a whole bunch of tabs for a topic I'm working on, I create a new group from them. I clear out the general group regularly.
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#68Why do people open 100s of tabs when you can easily get back to that page in less than a second in most cases? Seems the clutter and organizational requirement is more of a productivity loss than gain. Never understood this.
You can read a paper about it.[1]
Keeping tabs around as a reminder to work on them or keep track of progress
Keeping frequently used tabs for quick access; has a diminishing return
Avoid closing tabs in fear of missing out on valuable information
The hopes to process more info than capable; while aware of the situation
Memory and mental model; Organize tasks with windows, desktops, browsers
Difficulties in judging the current and potential relevance of tabs in the future
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#69Why do people open 100s of tabs when you can easily get back to that page in less than a second in most cases? Seems the clutter and organizational requirement is more of a productivity loss than gain. Never understood this.
It's simple really:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoarding_disorder
Re: Firefox Power User Keeps 7,400 Browser Tabs Open for 2 Years
#70"Power user."