Ask HN: What does your New Tab page look like?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28848712

by vladstudio • 5 years ago

1 11 5 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

So I'm working on a New Tab replacement extension for Chrome, and it already works for me personally, but I'm curious - what do hackers use New Tab for? Did you settle with your browser's defaults? Did you customize it? Do you use any URL as a start page? What is it made of?

WalterGR• 5 years ago

Defaults.

Do you use any URL as a start page?

Tabs from previous session, with no additional start page.

vladstudio6• 5 years ago

to start, here is what I currently have: https://postimg.cc/SjZ2YhW1

themodelplumber• 5 years ago

I have a few different pages of convenient links and tools I use as start pages depending on the current set of start page needs or interests. Some pages are more about news from specific fields, while others are more about enjoyment or relaxation. Still others are about making the browser feel like home, because I've never used it before and am trying it out.

It's amazing to me how many iterations these pages may need before they become reliably useful. The tech is all over the place, from boilerplate html to LOffice and other exports to simple experiments that turned into a layout somehow.

I used a start page extension for my browser for a while, some years ago. I think it would have been smart for the dev to build in customizable export tools. I likely would have kept the one I liked, and then returned to the software more often for tweaks. But in a lot of cases I end up using different browsers or disabling extensions, so the tool itself isn't able to persist.

Good luck with your project, I hope it goes well.

vladstudio6• 5 years ago

Thank you so much for the detailed comment. I do agree the tool itself will likely be just another in the endless row of experiments!

pndy• 5 years ago

Nowadays it's about:blank for years on desktop, entered manually. I've tried some speed-dial extension in Chromium once but I figured it was gathering too much data.

I like the bookmarks style new tab page in iOS.

vladstudio6• 5 years ago

Thank you! about:blank is as extreme as it can get, hehe.

wruza2• 5 years ago

It’s opera:speeddial. A grid of thumbnails 5xN that I use daily: searches, gmails, translate, youtube, docs, tv series bookmarks, links for what I’m working on right now, links for remembering to educate/research myself on.

If someone asked me how to change it, I’d say that I want not that stupid grid, but a surface with smaller (but varying) tiles organized into groups (which are bookmark folders). E.g. the top row for services I use often with medium icons and titles below them. Below that, to the left, a column of non-tall (hierarchical) rows with links to various documentation (~15 of them which right now live in a folder on a bookmarks bar), like node fs, express {index, {request, response}}, bulma {index, {buttons, forms}}. Small icon and text to the right, offset for subitems, you get the idea. To the right of that a column of address box and various search boxes for npm, google, images, wiki, etc. No need for the address bar at the top, just focus on it in the tab area and allow to <tab> my way to other searches. Below that: few other categories like “attic”, “work”, “to read”, also placed/layouted by myself (but not with css, give me easy structure and mouse-way to do it). I actually want this in file explorers too. These grid/table interfaces are nice for a naive user, but are stupid as hell for those who want to organize their “start area”.

vladstudio6• 5 years ago

Ahh, thank you! I _think_ my extension does things almost exactly the way you described. Alas, it is, for now, for Chrome only. https://new-tab.vlad.studio

Thanks again - the idea to "<tab> my way to other searches" is inspiring. I'll give it a thought.

wruza2• 5 years ago

Holy. This could be a reason to try switch to chrome for me again, thanks for sharing! And btw I think it’s completely worth hitting the frontpage.

Ask HN: What does your New Tab page look like?

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