This is huge actually I’ve been wishing Firefox had groups since chrome added them. Groups combined with container tabs is going to be lifesaving!!
this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2024
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Pleased they are back - however, the back and forth decisions by firefox is giving me whiplash.
https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/432s5m/tab_groups_to_be_removed_why/
8 years ago they deleted working tab groups and claimed like a fraction of a percent used them. Now they are back...
They are making and killing stuff so fast. Lockwise, send, vpn, etc
I change my mind all the time after 8 years. Im glad Firefox does this as well.
Corporations aren't people
People work for corporations.
Not all the people laid off by Mozilla Corporation thanks to their indecisiveness.
Exactly, like I dont think it should have been removed. I had been using it daily. I'm just wondering how they concluded that a big enough chunk of the community wanted tab groups (back) to justify the investment. Or indeed, have they learned from their mistakes just ripping stuff out.
Don't get me wrong, they aren't the only one. Ie chrome being insane and ripping out jpegxl etc.
To be fair, the original Panorama implantation wasn't the best. A lot has changed in eight years and it's a lot easier to build and maintain.
Well, they removed it because telemetry showed not everyone used them and now it was the most requested feature on their forum for years, so it makes sense I think?
Aye.
Have developed the habit of unblocking telemetry every so often, so that the settings I value show up as in use by someone.
I mean, the real reason is that Chrome added them four years ago. Like it or not, when Chrome adds something, it becomes a de facto standard for browsers.
Nice. I didn't know this was a thing in Firefox. This can be already enabled in Firefox stable manually: https://www.ghacks.net/2024/12/03/how-to-enable-tab-groups-in-firefox/
- Open
about:config - Set
browser.tabs.groups.enabledtotrue - Restart
- Right mouse click on a Tab and click
Add Tab to New Group
I don't understand what tab groups are from the description in the article. How are they different from keeping groups of tabs in separate browser windows? Is this just something I don't understand because I don't keep tabs open forever?
They are mostly the same as keeping them in separate browser windows, but with the advantage of being in one browser window. They also have the advantage of being label-able.
I don't keep tabs open forever, but back when I used Chrome I regularly used tab groups when I was working on multiple projects simultaneously; the Jira ticket, the PRD, the API documentation, the necessary AWS consoles, and the GitHub PR for one project go in a tab group. Name that group and collapse it, and now you can easily reopen it again when you're ready to switch contexts.
"Why not just put them in a separate window?" Sometimes that's preferable. Sometimes both solutions together are better. On a single monitor, having everything in one window is usually preferable for my workflow. In any case, you can't name a separate window. And if you use a sidebar extension, they aren't persistent across multiple windows.
"Why not just use bookmarks?" Bookmarks are a long term solution. Tab groups solve the short term problem. They're ephemeral.
"Why not just close the tabs until you need them again?" I do that as much as I can. But it's not practical in all cases. One project is in active development, one is in PR Review, one is in QA, and I have a support escalation I need to work on in the meantime. Each of those tabs might be needed at any time during the week.
yes
Yey
Sorry but this tab groups implementation is weak. I have used many tab groups add-ons for years and so far the best one to my liking is on Sidebery, and tab groups isn't even its main functionality.
it is in beta tbf, i'm sure theyll make it more powerful later
I have no doubt about that. However I also don't think it will surpass what Sidebery offers.
Will this replace the Simple Tabs Group add-on?
I used Simple Tabs Group before, but its been a while. And with my quick testings of the new Tab Groups, its not quite the same. For one the Tab Groups are integrated into the Tabs itself and not a separate menu. You may like it or not. Overall Simple Tabs Group has much more configuration and options.
But overall it does the basic job of this addon. The biggest plus for me is, that I do not have to install and configure a third party addon, and trust it. I predict most people would not need such an addon anymore, if they don't want to deep dive too much.
Ah, I see.
What you are describing is similar to me of how Chrome handles it on desktop, not a fan (I prefer STG, or Safari), but definitely better than nothing for a stock experience.