Browser back button
By Eddie. Monday, 31. October 2005, 19:59:40
As web applications mature and continue to exploit capabilities allowing more effecient updating of screen information, what is the future of the back button?
Since applets, AJAX, plug-ins, and anything else have been around for awhile- why can't we break this notion that the back button rules all? Haven't we gotten used to applications on the web? Maybe it's the online "undo" that we are looking for. The safety net we need.
Admittedly, I hate web pages that break my back button. If you've ever used Opera, the caching of the history combined with mouse gestures is a killer feature for me*.
That said- I understand that technology marches on. I understand that it often doesn't make sense to update a whole page just for one piece of updated information. I understand that the back button may be antiquated. But can't we grow into the back button instead of take functionality away from it? As web apps continue to pioneer new ways of making themselves more complex and/or effecient, maybe the lines should blur between the browser UI and the application UI? The back button could be an undo. That's basically what we're trying to accomplish. Even in browsing. It's a navigational tool, but we are undoing the page we were looking at trying to get back to the original state (or page).
Anyway- whatever happens in the future- don't break my Opera caching of the history. I will be VERY angry at you internet.
*I hear the new version of Firefox do this- so maybe I'll try it out since that's what kept me away from it. Opera will still be primary though.
Since applets, AJAX, plug-ins, and anything else have been around for awhile- why can't we break this notion that the back button rules all? Haven't we gotten used to applications on the web? Maybe it's the online "undo" that we are looking for. The safety net we need.
Admittedly, I hate web pages that break my back button. If you've ever used Opera, the caching of the history combined with mouse gestures is a killer feature for me*.
That said- I understand that technology marches on. I understand that it often doesn't make sense to update a whole page just for one piece of updated information. I understand that the back button may be antiquated. But can't we grow into the back button instead of take functionality away from it? As web apps continue to pioneer new ways of making themselves more complex and/or effecient, maybe the lines should blur between the browser UI and the application UI? The back button could be an undo. That's basically what we're trying to accomplish. Even in browsing. It's a navigational tool, but we are undoing the page we were looking at trying to get back to the original state (or page).
Anyway- whatever happens in the future- don't break my Opera caching of the history. I will be VERY angry at you internet.
*I hear the new version of Firefox do this- so maybe I'll try it out since that's what kept me away from it. Opera will still be primary though.
WIDGETIZE
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