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Unified menu coming to Google Chrome
You may not use the page menu a heck of a lot in Google Chrome. Most of the functions listed there are easily accessed via a hotkey or aimed at developers, so the average user isn't likely to utilize the menu all that often. The wrench menu, on the other hand, is where all our configuration options lie -- as well as things like the history, download, and extensions pages.
In truth, I barely notice the page menu is there. Why, they might as well just figure out some way to roll it in to the wrench menu and be done with it... And that's precisely what might happen.
In the Chromium nightly source code, a command line switch has been added to enable a new iteration of the wrench menu. When turned on (on Linux only right now), the page menu disappears and the additional options are rolled into the wrench menu.
The code revision ends with "Note how long the unified menu is." It's longer, obviously, but not distractingly so -- and I think it's a good trade-off. Visually, you're only looking at a couple pixels difference -- but the subtraction makes perfect sense for Google Chrome's minimal UI.
Hey, if your browser is going to boast the simplicity and intuitiveness of a unified address and search bar, why muck about with two separate application menus?
In truth, I barely notice the page menu is there. Why, they might as well just figure out some way to roll it in to the wrench menu and be done with it... And that's precisely what might happen.
In the Chromium nightly source code, a command line switch has been added to enable a new iteration of the wrench menu. When turned on (on Linux only right now), the page menu disappears and the additional options are rolled into the wrench menu.
The code revision ends with "Note how long the unified menu is." It's longer, obviously, but not distractingly so -- and I think it's a good trade-off. Visually, you're only looking at a couple pixels difference -- but the subtraction makes perfect sense for Google Chrome's minimal UI.
Hey, if your browser is going to boast the simplicity and intuitiveness of a unified address and search bar, why muck about with two separate application menus?
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentsNoahJun 8th 2010 11:57AM
Why don't they roll the page menu items into a sub-menu under the wrench?
Wrench
- New Tab
- New Window
- New Privacy Window
- Page Submenu >
--- Cut
--- Copy
--- Paste
etc...
ProlornJun 8th 2010 7:08PM
I'd guess it's because that'd make it harder to find stuff. You have to mouse over sub-menus to see what's in them, which take longer than a single glance through a menu.
And the Page menu already has a few sub-menus for more esoteric functions (unlike the Wrench menu), so you'd end up with sub-sub-menus.
I imagine that it's partly similar to why the Ribbon interface in Office works so well (for users not already accustomed to the old system): it exposes most all the functions to you at one glance.
I'd suggest a double-column menu to alleviate the length issue, if they care to figure a way to make that work.
NoahJun 8th 2010 7:21PM
But I will say this... not ONCE have I used any functions from the Page menu. I don't need a menu item for Cut, Copy, and Paste.
BuggerJun 9th 2010 12:32PM
The next evolution would be move the wrench button to the top-left corner, changed the icon, & give it an attractive name...
No, it won't look like they're copying the big red Opera Menu button, not at all.