Firefox 4 tidies up tabs with Panorama
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By Barry Collins
Posted on 25 Aug 2010 at 07:44
Mozilla has introduced a new feature with the latest beta of Firefox 4 that could bring an end to the chaos of juggling multiple browser tabs.
Panorama is Mozilla's attempt to prevent tabs from running out of control at the top of the browser window, by grouping them into related topics. The Panorama windows allows users to drag and drop open tabs into groups and give them a name, allowing you to create a cluster of news sites, for example, or a specific group for web apps such as Gmail and Twitter.
When a user views a website, the only other tabs that appear in the browser window are the members of the same group. This helps avoid situations where you have a dozen or more open tabs and struggle to determine between them, because the tabs are getting skinnier and skinnier, or have run into an overflow list.
Firefox 4 users can dip in and out of Panorama view by clicking the icon in the top right-hand corner of the browser window, or by using the Ctrl + spacebar keyboard shortcut.
Panorama isn't the only feature that attempts to tidy up tabs in Firefox 4. An earlier beta of the browser introduced App Tabs, which shrinks tabs for web apps such as Gmail into discrete favicons, which
are permanently docked on the far left-hand side of the browser window for easy access.
Firefox Sync
Another new feature that's been integrated into beta 4 of Firefox 4 is Sync. Previously available as a browser add-on, Firefox Sync allows you to synchronise bookmarks, passwords and browser settings across multiple computers.
Sync has been integrated with Panorama, so that users can grab a group of open tabs from another computer.
Sync also works with Mozilla's recently released iPhone app, Firefox Home, which provides access to your bookmarks and allows you to continue a browsing session from the smartphone.
From around the web
Panorama Palava?
Not sure if people will have time to group tabs. I suggest Firefox concentrates on maximising memory efficiency.
By grumpycrabuk on 25 Aug 2010 
I agree
What s/he said.
By mviracca on 25 Aug 2010
Why not be disciplined, finish off what you're doing and then close down the tab?!
By AdrianB on 25 Aug 2010
I usually open about 15 to 20 tabs, which I want to read through, then close each as I finish with it.
I can't see Panorama being of much use, in the way I work...
By big_D on 25 Aug 2010
Great!
Great for me!
By mcmpro1 on 25 Aug 2010
Add bloat and remove simplicity.
Talk about double standards. Introduce a fancy feature to manage tabs (Which I know I personally won't use) but disable permanently the about:config setting of browser.tabs.tabMinWidth which you could easily adjust so more tabs would fit across your screen and you wouldn't have to scroll.
Now I have to create a .css file in the correct directory with code I don't understand to achieve the same effect.
By shmaun on 25 Aug 2010
Tab previews
Tab previews when hovering over the tab with your cursor (as per the windows taskbar) would be more useful - although I wouldn't want to add to the bloat.
By C64C128 on 25 Aug 2010
@shmaun - try tab mix plus?
HAve you tried Tab Mix Plus. I believe that lets you specify tab width, all from a GUI. There's a dev build which is compatible with Firefox 4 beta 4:
http://tmp.garyr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10888
By pbryanw on 25 Aug 2010
Vertical Tab
Built-in vertical tabs (optional or default) is probably the best way forward. Horizontal space is bountiful on the net, not vertical.
By zeevro on 25 Aug 2010
You're kidding, right?
@shmaun
I can't understand why they would do that, what possible reason could they have?
@pbryanw
I'm sure it can but why should I have to install an extension to do something I could already do by changing one number?
Bloody annoying if true.
By mviracca on 25 Aug 2010
Prefer better Memory and Bookmark management
It does seem a trivial issue. I agree with grumpycrabuk and would prefer they controlled the hogging of memory, particularly during downloads.
Also, the sorting and general management of Bookmarks is one area where IE still leads.
By Walsallian on 26 Aug 2010
How is this different to separate windows?
I don't get the point of this. Why not just open a new Firefox window if you want to create a separate browsing context?
By HappyDog on 26 Aug 2010
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