Chrome removes backspace to go back

[Bryf50]

What a ridiculous change. According the their all encompassing analytics only .04% of users used backspace to go back. I don't get it, how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad? Some awkward key combination that require 2 hands. And of course in typical google fashion there's no built in way to re-enable it.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Lame. Then again, lowest common denominator.

Some people actually use the keyboard like God intended.

 

[balloonshark]

I just tried it on Firefox and it still works. I didn't even know about it but I will start using it since I bought a cheap laptop and gigabyte brix as a htpc.

Do people make add-ons for Chrome to add back functionality like Firefox?

Edit: Similar topic here.

 

[Anubis]

mouse gestures? i use them with a trackpad

 

[TheRyuu]

Some awkward key combination that require 2 hands. And of course in typical google fashion there's no built in way to re-enable it.

If they keyboard has a right alt key that's still one hand and is even closer to the trackpad. Do laptop keyboards not have a right alt key, I don't have one in front of me to check atm?

 

[TheGardener]

If they keyboard has a right alt key that's still one hand and is even closer to the trackpad. Do laptop keyboards not have a right alt key, I don't have one in front of me to check atm?

I use this a lot on Firefox. But how many people out of 100, who use a browser, know this? When I occasionally use someone's Mac, I have no idea what the navigation shortcuts are.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm not a chrome user, but I would be happy if Firefox would give me a prefs option to disable "Backspace as back".

When I'm on a laptop, and typing a post, and want to hit the backspace key to erase something I've typed, it's really frustrating when the entire page and textbox disappears, because I've bumped the touchpad, and then hit the backspace key, such that I don't delete the last text I've typed, but instead, it interprets it as me wanted to go "Back".

Thankfully, Firefox caches the typed text in most cases, so I can just hit "Forward" again, but if I accidentally click on something else, before being able to hit "Forward", I'll lose my text.

Before you go thinking that I'm a clutz for not being able to use a trackpad, some laptops, including the one I like to use lately, have some pretty severe trackpad tracking issues. To say nothing about "clickpads", and inaccurate input.

 

[Dude111]

That shouldnt happen........ If you have your cursur IN A FIELD (LIke the reply box for example) and you press backspace,IT SHOULD NOT GO BACK A PAGE!! (If your active in the box)

 

[mikeymikec]

dupe thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2473514

 

[StrangerGuy]

What a ridiculous change. According the their all encompassing analytics only .04% of users used backspace to go back. I don't get it, how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad? Some awkward key combination that require 2 hands. And of course in typical google fashion there's no built in way to re-enable it.

You know, it's like custom key mappings and options didn't exist in computing before.

It's just how ironic moving backwards with less customization is now regarded as actual progress.

 

[Bryf50]

That shouldnt happen........ If you have your cursur IN A FIELD (LIke the reply box for example) and you press backspace,IT SHOULD NOT GO BACK A PAGE!! (If your active in the box)

Yup. Google breaks what should be a convention on their search page and captures your keyboard input. The only time I've had a problem with backspace is on their website.

 

[TheRyuu]

That shouldnt happen........ If you have your cursur IN A FIELD (LIke the reply box for example) and you press backspace,IT SHOULD NOT GO BACK A PAGE!! (If your active in the box)

Yup. Google breaks what should be a convention on their search page and captures your keyboard input. The only time I've had a problem with backspace is on their website.

This was the behavior if you were active in a text box. Have you used Chrome before? It behaved just like the other browsers in this regard.

 

[Chiropteran]

I'm not a chrome user, but I would be happy if Firefox would give me a prefs option to disable "Backspace as back".

When I'm on a laptop, and typing a post, and want to hit the backspace key to erase something I've typed, it's really frustrating when the entire page and textbox disappears, because I've bumped the touchpad, and then hit the backspace key, such that I don't delete the last text I've typed, but instead, it interprets it as me wanted to go "Back".

Thankfully, Firefox caches the typed text in most cases, so I can just hit "Forward" again, but if I accidentally click on something else, before being able to hit "Forward", I'll lose my text.

Before you go thinking that I'm a clutz for not being able to use a trackpad, some laptops, including the one I like to use lately, have some pretty severe trackpad tracking issues. To say nothing about "clickpads", and inaccurate input.

This, 100%. I hate backspace to go back. I've never used it on purpose, only accidentally.

>how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad?

You can mouse over to the back arrow and click, as intended.

 

[Chapbass]

This, 100%. I hate backspace to go back. I've never used it on purpose, only accidentally.

>how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad?

You can mouse over to the back arrow and click, as intended.

Or alt + left arrow, which is how I always do it. It baffles me that backspace to go back is not a simple checkbox in an options screen somewhere, this seems so incredibly easy.

 

[TeknoBug]

Which Chrome version? I just now accidentally hit backspace and it worked using Chrome 51.

 

[sweenish]

Is there where I post about being superior for never having problems with backspace to go back?

Disabling hurts laptop users more than any other group, I would think, but you should never be using Chrome on a laptop anyway.

 

[ninaholic37]

>how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad?

You can mouse over to the back arrow and click, as intended.

exactly, that's why the GUI was made. OP would be better off browsing from one of those green dumb terminals from the 70s

 

[sweenish]

Not "exactly." That was an ignorant response to an answer that was nothing more than technically correct.

Imagine Ctrl+s being taken away to save. The correct answer is not to just rely on the GUI.

Pretending that using the trackpad to mouse over the back button every, single, time you want to go back in a browser is perfectly acceptable is bonkers. Sure, it IS the answer to "how else," but you pretending that keyboard shortcuts are just for no GUI situations is absolutely absurd.

 

[ninaholic37]

haha true enough sweenish. you are the epitome of logical accuracy, as always! I'm using the trackpoint on my laptop instead of the trackpad, almost forgot about how much more annoying doing that "finger slide to the button" thing on the trackpad really is in comparison. My sentiments go out to Bryf50 and co.

 

[nerp]

People aren't idiots for accidentally hitting backspace. It's incredibly easy to move out of a text box when you're busy and have tons of things happening all at once. Many people are employees using Slack, have dozens of tabs and browser windows open, Outlook, etc, etc, and there are constant interruptions and things. If you get a meeting reminder, click snooze in the middle of your input into a CMS, it's incredibly easy to end up hitting backspace without clicking back in the text box to remind the browser that you are editing text, not navigating with keys that are used 99.9 percent of the time for editing text.

 

[lupi]

Never used it, can't say I knew about it.

 

[Red Storm]

What a ridiculous change. According the their all encompassing analytics only .04% of users used backspace to go back. I don't get it, how else do you go back on a laptop with a trackpad? Some awkward key combination that require 2 hands. And of course in typical google fashion there's no built in way to re-enable it.

I go back by swiping two fingers to the left. How has nobody else mentioned this yet?

Edit: Woops, I'm thinking about Chrome OS.

 

[Raduque]

Chrome also doesn't prompt you to close if you accidentally hit the X, quite easy to do on tablets. They seem to think nobody accidentally clicks things, and that the only time the X ever gets pressed is when you want to close everything, full stop.

More I read about how Google is messing up Chrome, the more I'm glass I switched to Edge - now I just need those ad-block extensions and tab synching and it'll be perfect!

Edit: Does newest Chrome still respond to the Forward and Back commands the mouse buttons issue? Or did they remove that too?

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not a chrome user, but I would be happy if Firefox would give me a prefs option to disable "Backspace as back".

You should be able to do it in about:config.

Try setting "browser.backspace_action" to "2". alt left will then be Back.

 

[Dude111]

Chrome also doesn't prompt you to close if you accidentally hit the X, quite easy to do on tablets. They seem to think nobody accidentally clicks things, and that the only time the X ever gets pressed is when you want to close everything, full stop.

Yea... I have MyIE2 and I can have it ask me for confirmation if I click the X but right now I only have it ask if I close ALL TABS.. (Sometimes I accidently close ALL TABS and its nice to get a prompt asking if I really wanna do that)

The confirmation DOESNT WORK however if I close MyIE2 with multiple tabs open which I think is strange!! (It should)