Idiots Have Ruined Google Chrome

[Greenday]

So because too many idiots whined about losing everything they've typed because they've clicked away from text boxes and hit backspace, Google has decided to remove the backspace shortcut to go back a page and replace it with alt + left key. And no, they didn't leave us an option to continue to use backspace if we choose it. They've removed the option completely.

[Aragarthiel]

For me it wasn't always a matter of clicking away from the text box, so I'm actually really glad it's gone. I've had problems with it on Facebook where I'd be typing something, hold backspace a bit too long, and it would ask me if I wanted to leave the page because I wasn't done with my message. It would glitch and no matter how many times I hit either "Stay" or "Leave" the little box wouldn't go away. There's another site I'm on regularly where if you click in a text box, occasionally it'll deselect the text box without any outside interference and the backspace thing caused problems there too.

I know these are more problems with the sites than with Chrome but personally, I'm glad the feature's gone.

[TheHuckster]

I've never felt the need to use the backspace to go back in history. When I'm browsing the web, the only time my hands are even on the keyboard is when I'm typing something, and when I'm just reading stuff, my hand is on the mouse the entire time, since that's really the best way to access links, so it's just natural for me to mouse up to the back button on the screen rather than the backspace.

I'd imagine having to hit Alt+Left is something to merely get used to. Just like it was for me when I had to retrain myself to hit "Shift Enter" to add a newline into a multiline text field in places where just hitting Enter would rather submit the form.

[Greenday]

I've never felt the need to use the backspace to go back in history. When I'm browsing the web, the only time my hands are even on the keyboard is when I'm typing something, and when I'm just reading stuff, my hand is on the mouse the entire time, since that's really the best way to access links, so it's just natural for me to mouse up to the back button on the screen rather than the backspace.

I'd imagine having to hit Alt+Left is something to merely get used to. Just like it was for me when I had to retrain myself to hit "Shift Enter" to add a newline into a multiline text field in places where just hitting Enter would rather submit the form.

The whole point is that it's supposed to be a shortcut. If you have to use two hands, it's no longer a shortcut.

[Aragarthiel]

I don't know about you but my rightmost Alt key and my left arrow are only separated by two keys, the Ctrl key and one that's equivalent to right-clicking (does that key have a name? I've never heard it referenced before). My toddler's hands are big enough to hit both keys at once. I understand some keyboards may be different but I've never encountered one without two Alt keys on either side of the space bar.

[KabeRinnaul]

one that's equivalent to right-clicking (does that key have a name? I've never heard it referenced before)

Either "Menu Key" or "Application Key".

[TheHuckster]

I will agree that software should always have options for key binds if they offer these kinds of shortcuts. Just like any computer game, if you have a non-standard keyboard or just want to make things more accessible to you, having keyboard assignments customized is always good.

[HYHYBT]

There never should have been such a shortcut. The only idiots involved would be whoever thought using a key you routinely use while typing on a page as a shortcut to leave the same page without even adding a modifier key to it.

No, you don't have to use two hands to use the new shortcut. Yes, it would still be a shortcut if you did have to use two hands. The point of a keyboard shortcut is that you can keep your handS, plural, on the keyboard rather than moving one of them to the mouse. Does pressing two keys require you to remove either hand from the keyboard? NO.

[Bloodsoul]

I've grown quite accustomed to using Alt-Left/Alt-Right for going through a series of pages; Hell, I grew up with using DeskMate on the Tandy 1000, no mouse, so I'm likewise used to using Shift-Tab/Shift-Enter for navigating around a web page or spreadsheet.

…granted, my PC is still using Vista, so I won't be getting anymore updates (yet it keeps reminding to update). Likewise anytime I plug in my tablet's keyboard it'll reset my pages whilst using Chrome, and now it won't even display small caps correctly.

Maybe it's time to switch back to Internet Explorer?

[KabeRinnaul]

my PC is still using Vista

You poor soul.

[Bloodsoul]

Eh, I'm cheap, and it still works for what I need it to do. Guess I am getting old. When it's finally kaput, though, I'm getting a desktop.

…and I suppose I owe Chrome some apology; turns out every browser on my tablet will refresh the pages/tabs when I plug/unplug the keyboard. Why?!

[Tanasi]

I don't use very many keyboard short cuts mostly because I keep the keyboard off my desktop. I mostly use my logitech track-ball M570. It's a five button device and I've programmed three of the buttons. The left-most forward is double-click, button behind it is back-space and the wheel-click is refresh.
I do like the incognito feature in Chrome for one reason. The local fish-wrapper now has a pay wall but first allows you to view 10 pages. I refuse to pay for it so I start incognito and then view my 10 pages and if I want to look at more then I close that version and start another secession.

[jackfaire]

Sometimes it pops you out

Except it's not me popping out of the text box. Usually when I hit backspace and it goes back a page it's not because I clicked out of the text box it's because I was typing it refreshed some ad on the page and decided that meant I was no longer typing into the text box so I have to reselect the text box and if I hit backspace after that happens before I notice I am no longer in the text box then I lose everything I just wrote.

I agree it would be nice if they made it an option you could turn on if you really still wanted it but at the same time that might not be possible. It might be more expensive to program it into an option rather than just swapping out which key the backpage programming is attached to.