Fiona

Chat I think I've made it and become a Software-Visionary 🤔

For years it has been obvious to me that a snail-like arrangement of browser tabs would be superior to linear modes. It clearly guides the visual focus to the screen center, and you notice when your tabs spiral out of control.

After years of brainstorming a friend started building it: https://github.com/grubersjoe/tabsnail

Sep 26 at 1:15pmWeb
Show threadFionaSep 26

Credits go out to

@joo for being way more professional than any vibe coding can bring to the table and understanding the need for this in a way I never managed

Junji Ito for letting us aspire to a user experience that we shall not escape.

Show threadFionaSep 26

@joo Uzumaki. The browser we never had.

It should be built in Haskell so that we have an easy way to build infinite lists of tabs. Don't care that we traverse the tabs in only one direction. Everything is in there. Just tab forward. Get closer.

Show threadJoborgSep 27

@mushu @joo Amazing!
I’m craving that classic Turing machine feel: active tab/reading head fixed top center, tabbing left or right makes the spiral move beneath it.

Ooh, there could be a keyboard shortcut to move outwards or inwards one layer in the spiral.

Tab spirals are the future, I see it now!

Show threadFionaSep 27
@joborg @joo oh, having the spiral move sounds lovely 😍 I like that idea :)
Show threadjarkmanSep 26
@mushu attention @jonty
Show threadChristian MeestersSep 26

@mushu how cool is that??? Yes, you are a Software-Visionary. 🎖️

Are you going to release this? It looks like an OSX screenshot. I would really like to try this (Firefox ...)

Show threadFionaSep 26

@rupdecat well, it's in the repo and currently works with chrome.

I think in terms of releasing I think it's also a danger to users because the UI is currently done by putting additional stuff in the DOM of the website you're viewing.

I fear this means the website could also discover and close other tabs then. Not what a browser should do I guess ;)

Show threadChristian MeestersSep 26

@mushu thanks for clarifying. Actually, my favourite browser offer various tab modification add-ons. None like that.

Who knows? Perhaps you will make such an impact, that other pick up the idea for other browser engines?

Show threadHannesSep 26
@mushu Now please make it really spiral-shaped and round. 90-degree angles are so 2000s.
Show threadDaniel ☀Sep 26
@mushu I’m not sure if I like it, but for sure it is better that all that cramped tabs at the top of your very same screenshot!
Show threadNat BuckleySep 26
@mushu I love this so much
Show threadIrenes (many)Sep 26
@mushu "spiral out of control" is chef's kiss
Show threadxianjamSep 26
@mushu I really can't tell if this is genius or bananas
Show threadJustin DerrickSep 27
@xianjam @mushu My first thought was... "Who hurt you?"
Show threadShadSterlingSep 26
@mushu the only thing I would add is a rounded corner that visually connects them in order, so when you have three or four layers you won’t get confused about the order and do things like accidentally read them in a loop
Show threadMisofistSep 27

@mushu Having lots of tabs open already makes me feel claustrophobic. The situations where I open many tabs tend to also be the situations where my vision starts to narrow.

It is most unpleasant to imagine the browser reinforcing these effects. Congratulations.

Show threadHelle 🐈   🔜 39C3 ☎️ HELE (4353)Sep 27
@mushu 318 tabs and counting, we btw used to have non scrolling tabs, when the tabs got too small to quit, we knew we exceeded our limitd
Show threadMorten Hilker-SkaaningSep 27
@mushu lol
Show threadAdrien PlazasSep 27
@mushu It's like falling blocks in Bomberman.
Show threadOlivetreeSep 27
@mushu
I recently changed to side-column of tabs. We have landscape screens and content we want to read in portrait mode. Why do we then fill it with all sorts of lines occupying the precious vertical space?
System bar, window frame, address bar, tabs bar, bookmarks bar, status bar and apps bar... If you're lucky you can get half a dozen lines of content in there!
Show threadFionaSep 27

@olivetree fair argument :)

In favor of spirals I'd like to note: they work the same independently of aspect ratio

Show threadwakest ⁂Sep 27
@mushu this is a genious idea and I must try it
Show threadMia ‘Meetings? I Abstain’ Luna TearmoonSep 27

@mushu I used the old Opera (pre-chromium) and it didn’t do scrolling or compacting tabs

It genuinely forced me to rethink my approach to opening new tabs because it would just add more and more rows until half of the window was just the tab switcher

Show threadFionaSep 27
@mia oh I wasn't aware - thanks for sharing :)