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The Chrome OmniBox - Just A Bored Rant
14 years ago
First of all, it is an ADDRESS BAR.
Second, IT DOES NOT DOUBLE AS A SEARCH BAR.
This drives me crazy when I'm comparing browsers and I list Chrome's lack of a search bar as a negative, and someone counters by saying "wut about teh omiebox?1". With the Omnibox, you have to remember the website prefix and then hit tab to launch into a search for that specific website's search engine. It's a hassle, and certainly not an improvement in the tech industry. Firefox, Safari, Konqueror, and Opera allow you to use a search bar that neatly drops down your search engine and allows you to select the appropriate one. It's easy, organized, and useful. Chrome's remembering a prefix is a pain in the ass and, frankly, not having a search bar does not help the layout of the browser, but instead makes the ADDRESS BAR unnecessarily large.
Also, please don't tell me you can launch a search from the address bar without the use of a prefix. That only allows you to search the DEFAULT search engine, and nothing more. The same can be accomplished through Firefox.
Chrome, your use of Webkit is lovely, your Javascript rendering engine is fantastic, and your browser overall is lightweight and sturdy. But you need a search bar, because without it your browser has a very large hole it its functionality. Honestly, the lack of a search bar is the only reason why I don't switch to Chrome as my default browser.
Also, I am aware that there is an add-on for Chrome that adds a drop down search bar, but it is buggy and requires extra steps for its use. I would prefer native functionality that is guaranteed to work at all times.
Anyway, yeah, just a little 3am rant to keep the two or so people who actually read my journal on their toes. :B
Second, IT DOES NOT DOUBLE AS A SEARCH BAR.
This drives me crazy when I'm comparing browsers and I list Chrome's lack of a search bar as a negative, and someone counters by saying "wut about teh omiebox?1". With the Omnibox, you have to remember the website prefix and then hit tab to launch into a search for that specific website's search engine. It's a hassle, and certainly not an improvement in the tech industry. Firefox, Safari, Konqueror, and Opera allow you to use a search bar that neatly drops down your search engine and allows you to select the appropriate one. It's easy, organized, and useful. Chrome's remembering a prefix is a pain in the ass and, frankly, not having a search bar does not help the layout of the browser, but instead makes the ADDRESS BAR unnecessarily large.
Also, please don't tell me you can launch a search from the address bar without the use of a prefix. That only allows you to search the DEFAULT search engine, and nothing more. The same can be accomplished through Firefox.
Chrome, your use of Webkit is lovely, your Javascript rendering engine is fantastic, and your browser overall is lightweight and sturdy. But you need a search bar, because without it your browser has a very large hole it its functionality. Honestly, the lack of a search bar is the only reason why I don't switch to Chrome as my default browser.
Also, I am aware that there is an add-on for Chrome that adds a drop down search bar, but it is buggy and requires extra steps for its use. I would prefer native functionality that is guaranteed to work at all times.
Anyway, yeah, just a little 3am rant to keep the two or so people who actually read my journal on their toes. :B
CLupus
~clupus
I'm probably in the severe minority amongst my fellow compygeeks, since I never bother with ANY kind of search bar functionality. If I need to search for anything, I go to a search engine page, so for me, search bar issues are kind of a moot point.
ArtyBlack
~artyblack
OP
I use a search bar constantly, whether I'm looking something up in a wiki, or looking up a word in a dictionary. I find that it's a lot faster and easier to manage.
