Firefox introduces Split View: Two tabs side by side, right where you need them
42 points by nateb2022 8 hours ago | 20 comments
  • gnabgib 8 hours ago |
    Looks like default-off (phew), unlike Chrome. A feature no-one asked for. Especially in FF where memory is well managed.
    • fgonzag 7 hours ago |
      I might not have asked for it (because it never occurred to me) but I'm actually interested in trying it.
    • The_suffocated 7 hours ago |
      I have longed for this feature. For me, it is useful in many scenarios, such as:

        * reading two distantly separated sections of a long article on two split tabs;
  * reading a research paper on one tab and typing a question to StackExchange on the other;
  * reading a scanned book written in French on one tab and using a dictionary on the other.
    • tomwheeler 5 hours ago |
      I never thought I'd say something nice about Google Chrome, but this feature was the only reason that I sometimes used that browser instead of Firefox. The split view is incredibly handy when you're looking at a web application and an observability tool for that web application at the same time.
  • pimlottc 8 hours ago |
    What makes this better than having two full browser windows side by side?
    • st3fan 8 hours ago |
      Try it out. It is ok to not like it.
    • montroser 7 hours ago |
      If you want to switch back and forth between "these two web things side-by-side" and "something else" over and over, then in that case it's better than two full browser windows side-by-side because they come into the foreground and vice versa as a unit.
      • rcxdude 5 hours ago |
        It is a bit of a continuation of the somewhat annoying trend of integrating features into apps that should be part of the window manager (tabs, in the first place, for example). This one is extra awkward because even windows (which has spent a lot of time behind on window management) can do two things side by side as the same unit now.
    • garciansmith 6 hours ago |
      It means the content of two tabs is side by side but nothing else like the browser chrome. Haven't used this in Firefox yet, but I certainly find it useful for other apps like file browsers.
      • hollandheese 5 hours ago |
        Huh? There's actually more stuff in the way than if you used two windows since the divider is actually larger than the gap between windows is.

        The only way this saves on space is if you're using vertical tabs.

    • huhkerrf 36 minutes ago |
      The only place I've found it useful is when screen sharing and I have to show two tabs side by side, but I don't want to share my entire desktop.
  • vfclists 7 hours ago |
    Firefox introducing a feature which addons handled quite easily and much better in previous versions.
    • altairprime 4 hours ago |
      Which addons? Better how? Are they still available? Do you have experience with them? Have you used the new feature as well?
  • slau 7 hours ago |
    I’m actually glad to see this. We have been asking Firefox to build features, instead of AI garbage, and this may be something I didn’t know I wanted.
  • 27bstroke6 7 hours ago |
    This is great news! I am forced to use Chrone for work and this is the best new feature they’ve shipped in a while. So handy for video meetings where I also want to take notes or have have some other reference doc handy.
  • stubish 7 hours ago |
    I hope that isn't a simple drop down selector listing all tabs... feature might be a complete non-starter for some of us with a few too many open tabs.
  • stnvh 7 hours ago |
    I've always wondered why Firefox don't grab hold of the "renegade" space they already occupy, with confidence through their existing users, an alternative and genuinely independent browser down to the engine. They are the market leaders of non-webkit, a huge strength among chromium copycat popup shops with identical wins and failures... or do I have to write the TV ad as well?

    I feel confident to assume the majority of dedicated Firefox users will read and think of this feature release, et al most new features as of late, as trivial. The true benefit of using Firefox in itself isn't "ease of planning camping trips" but something much more.

  • leephillips 4 hours ago |
    I get this with any browser, with DWM + fullscreen mode.
  • lofaszvanitt 4 hours ago |
    It's completely useless. Chrome had it first, and I already hated it there. Now when you rightclick, it takes the place of the "open in new tab" option that people have been using for ages.

    Who comes up with these fooken bad decisions? And why does Firefox feel the need to copy every questionable idea that Chrome's dev team pushes out?

    At this point, it would be better to just let users customize their own browser UI. The current situation is a complete mess.

    And the new YouTube player... What a disaster. There are endless articles about performance metrics, first paint times, and how high the hiring bar is, but the end result just feels bad. All that hard work gets overshadowed by strange UI and UX choices that make the experience worse.

    Meanwhile, regulators don't seem to step in, and companies like Google just keep going without much resistance.

    Honestly, it feels like everything is moving in the wrong direction. So it's time to summon Godzilla or the aliens from The Abyss and let them rip.

  • spankalee 3 hours ago |
    I find this handy in Chrome occasionally. Just confirms that BeOS had the right windowing features all along.

    Two more OS-level windowing features I'd like to see in browsers:

    - OS X like Expose that shows a preview of all tabs for a window. That would help me find a tab visually.

    - A command to override the meaning of fullscreen to take over the whole tab, rather than be truly fullscreen. That would let me use other window management features with maximum video size within the window.