Windows 7 Tabbed Explorer?

[Brandon Live Veteran]

Or they could remove them from IE :p Would be a much better option imo. Let Mozilla have the tabtards, and MS can keep the rest :p

Tabs make a lot more sense in a web browser, though. An argument I often hear against them is that the taskbar is all you need for tabbing. I disagree. What makes tabbed browsing useful is the action of opening a new tab in the background. It let's me open several links from one page into background tabs, and then process each of them without going back to the original page. If I were going to open new windows, I would need a way to open a new window but not set focus to it. And I think it would make the ordering much more confusing.

Tabs in a web browser just work very well for most people's browsing habits.

I don't think they'd be useful at all in the shell, though. How often are you browsing / searching several locations simultaneously? You don't have the latency problem of web pages, so there's no need to "pre-load" the folders you're going to want to look at the way you might do with web links. And with a tabbed view, you'd had a harder time drag-and-dropping anything between windows.

I just don't think it would be valuable. In fact, based on my experience with SmartFTP's tabs, I think I'd find it frustrating.

[Malisk]

I use Total Commander with two file panes (and those panes also supporting tabs in addition) and find it very useful to minimize the number of windows to keep open while also not having to use that long folder tree. There are other fun things one can do with the idea too, like saving and restoring tab preferences as favorites. Other ideas could be shortcut keys to copy/move/extract/compress selected files/folders from one tab to another (as defined by the user) so you wouldn't even have to use the mouse, potentially with major efficiency gains for the more experienced users, while still not impacting how novice users are used to things much.

While the feature wouldn't be for everyone, those who used it well could now just end up using one or two explorer windows, even when doing heavy file management. I think it's a good idea for flexibility, having used tabbed file windows myself. It's a bit like tabs in browsers. Not everyone use them, but those who do may be much more efficient with them.

One could ask oneself why MS hasn't done this before if it would be of use to people, but third party explorer replacement software supporting tabs are quite popular anyway and many using such software would far prefer tabs compared to the Windows Explorer method of doing things.

[Linkinfamous]

How often are you browsing / searching several locations simultaneously?

I'd actually say that browsing several locations at once is one of the reasons why tabbed browsing in Explorer doesn't make sense.

When you're browsing multiple locations, you generally want to be able to see both at the same time, and perform operations like moving/copying between them. Adding tabs just complicates that process.

[Angel Blue01]

Well I usually have both windows open at the same time and copy and paste to having two tabs might save space, I hate SDI programs.

[NateB1]

Tabs make a lot more sense in a web browser, though. An argument I often hear against them is that the taskbar is all you need for tabbing. I disagree. What makes tabbed browsing useful is the action of opening a new tab in the background. It let's me open several links from one page into background tabs, and then process each of them without going back to the original page. If I were going to open new windows, I would need a way to open a new window but not set focus to it. And I think it would make the ordering much more confusing.

Tabs in a web browser just work very well for most people's browsing habits.

I don't think they'd be useful at all in the shell, though. How often are you browsing / searching several locations simultaneously? You don't have the latency problem of web pages, so there's no need to "pre-load" the folders you're going to want to look at the way you might do with web links. And with a tabbed view, you'd had a harder time drag-and-dropping anything between windows.

I just don't think it would be valuable. In fact, based on my experience with SmartFTP's tabs, I think I'd find it frustrating.

Another user of QTTask here - I don't know what I would do without it. For my job, I'm constantly copying stuff all over the place - QTTask saves your tabs, so all I have to do is open a single Explorer window, and presto! I have all my locations saved, including a number of internal ftp servers. It makes it really convenient when copying a bunch of files all the time in 7-8 different locations.

Let's see... Right now, I have 16 Explorer tabs open. That would be a nightmare to navigate without tabs.

[.tony]

I agree with it making more sense in a browser.

However, it may suit people's needs, and be put on purely as an option, as some people wouldn't like the look of it.

[EduardValencia]

You should go to the dev team and make the suggestion immediatly,also i recommend to keep them reminded about the features you want,the more you inform them,higher the probability that it comes in windows 7.

I've been suggesting a "Reset default service option" for a while now,i hope they implement it in the next version.

[Kev_B]

I think it'd be great. I usually have about 3 different explorer windows open at a time. Tabbing would be nice. :)

[Menge]

i'm also with Brandon on this one. tabs make sense when you have LOTS of documents that don't interact a lot with each other... if you need interaction, then windows are best because you can show them all on the screen (Flip3D or Expos?) and drop then:))

hence... i don't think it'd be useful in a file browser.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

Another user of QTTask here - I don't know what I would do without it. For my job, I'm constantly copying stuff all over the place - QTTask saves your tabs, so all I have to do is open a single Explorer window, and presto! I have all my locations saved, including a number of internal ftp servers. It makes it really convenient when copying a bunch of files all the time in 7-8 different locations.

Let's see... Right now, I have 16 Explorer tabs open. That would be a nightmare to navigate without tabs.

Couldn't you just put those locations into the "Favorite Links" bar in the nav pane on the left side of the Explorer window?

[kiwi89]

Tabbing would be ok, but I dont think it suites use in an explorer like it does in a web browser. I think it would make the explorer too bloted.

[redfish]

I once made a suggestion that any document-type windows be natively allowed by Windows to be grouped together by a tabbed interface. For instance if you have a bunch of Notepad windows shown in a taskbar group, you would be able to right click and select 'Group by tabs'

[Linkinfamous]

I once made a suggestion that any document-type windows be natively allowed by Windows to be grouped together by a tabbed interface. For instance if you have a bunch of Notepad windows shown in a taskbar group, you would be able to right click and select 'Group by tabs'

That would be virtually impossible to implement properly for the OS. It'd have to intrude a great deal into the non-client area of the window.

Any app is capable of implementing such a thing itself without too much, though.

[Crazysah]

It would be good but I doubt Microsoft will do it... Maybe they will!

[PGHammer]

i'm also with Brandon on this one. tabs make sense when you have LOTS of documents that don't interact a lot with each other... if you need interaction, then windows are best because you can show them all on the screen (Flip3D or Expos?) and drop then:))

hence... i don't think it'd be useful in a file browser.

The same argument applies in a Web browser (as opposed to a file browser).

Make it optional as it is even in Firefox (just because it supports tabs doesn't mean you have to use them) or IE.

I use Vista and IE7, which supports browser tabs; however, when I am aware I will be opening multiple related browser tabs (in essence, building a tab *group*, which will be an IE8 feature), I'll open a new browser window instead, and then open subsidiary related tabs. That way, each browser window will be separated by subject (only tabs that are directly related will share the same browser window).

The same sort of tactic would work with a file browser that supports tabs (such as the ancient Norton Desktop, back in the days of Windows 3.x).

I spoke about tab groups being supported in IE 8; however, I went back to IE 7 due to incompatibilities between IE 8 and the Rhapsody music service (which I use, and use heavily) and other browser-based sites and services.

[redfish]

That would be virtually impossible to implement properly for the OS. It'd have to intrude a great deal into the non-client area of the window.

Any app is capable of implementing such a thing itself without too much, though.

You mean intrude into the client area?

It wouldn't have to use the client area, and applications could also self-handle it, if they wanted.

I'm not saying that its the best solution, but there is something to say for not making each application rebuild the same functionality

Edited May 5, 2008 by brianshapiro

[Linkinfamous]

You mean intrude into the client area?

It wouldn't have to use the client area, and applications could also self-handle it, if they wanted.

I'm not saying that its the best solution, but there is something to say for not making each application rebuild the same functionality

Yeah. That's what I meant.

Typically an app will have a menu bar above the tabs, and in some cases, even draw a little above that (See: Word). I don't see how you could do anything to put tabs in an app that wouldn't look like crap and cause problems.

[master2k27]

it would have been a cool idea

bring threads from the past back into life

[Growled Member]

i'm also with Brandon on this one. tabs make sense when you have LOTS of documents that don't interact a lot with each other... if you need interaction, then windows are best because you can show them all on the screen (Flip3D or Expos?) and drop then:))

hence... i don't think it'd be useful in a file browser.

I use tabs all the time in Dolphin in KDE 4 and I find it very useful. I think it would be useful in Windows as well. To get the same function in Windows I have to use a third party solution. Of course, at work I access a lot of documents and I don't at home. Still, I find it useful from time to time.

[goji]

They did provide "tabs" with previews in the superbar.

[carmatic]

the same way you would do it now ? open two windows of windows explorer, maximize both, to drag&drop from one to the other, drag the file to task bar (the item on the taskbar of the other window), wait until the focus is on the other window and drop it

the same could work with tabs

although it'd be a bit unpractical :p

i have an idea... how about dragging and dropping it right onto the tab itself?