Just took the Brave plunge AGAIN in the hopes that a couple of things I mentioned over two years ago might have been implemented. I’m still running Linux Mint, and these two things are still issues for me.
Separate search bar next to the URL bar so I don’t have to open a new tab FIRST before typing in a phrase I want to search for. Not a huge biggie, more of a memory function thing for me.
Here’s the REAL biggie: The ability to open a link in a new tab and have the browser automatically switch to that tab without any further mouse clicks or finger gymnastics on the keyboard. This has been a standard option for years in Firefox, and it’s really disappointing that Brave hasn’t implemented it.
I beg and plead Brave to implement these two things so I don’t wince every time I do basic things I’ve been able to do for years in a competing browser.
People in the community were very helpful when I originally complained over two years ago, but none of the suggestions worked for me. It could be that these simple options aren’t as simple as I think.
Alt+Enter will open the search in a new tab. But to go to the address bar and type the search you need to press Ctrl+L, so it’s more convenient to open a new tab with Ctrl+T, and have the focus be in that tab’s address bar instead. With the mouse, you would click the New Tab button rather than the search box. Either way, I don’t see a benefit in giving UI space over to a search box.
“Open in new window” will open the link in a new foreground tab, albeit in a new window. I think the assumption is that if you open a link in a new tab rather than the current tab it’s because you don’t want to visit it right away, and might want to open several links before moving away from the page you’re on. That’s what I often do, and the functionality is perfect for that.
When you understand the reason one browser might be different to another, it’s easier to accept the choices the developers made.
Having to use what I call ‘finger gymnastics’ is an irritant for me when the developers should be able to add something reasonable to an otherwise excellent browser. It was an issue for me two years ago, and remains an issue today.
There’s a distinct difference between opening a new tab and opening a new window, and assuming I don’t want to visit a new tab right away is a pretty big assumption. I like being able to configure whatever browser I’m using to fit my preferences. Brave still doesn’t allow me to do that.
I tried to give Brave another go, and really wish I could endorse it, but in addition to the two things I’ve pointed out, Brave kept crashing unexpectedly, and I had to keep resetting one of the extensions over and over. Instead of a comfortable, configurable browser, I almost feel like I’m involved in beta testing. Maybe in another two years I’ll have a better experience.