[Handycam]

• The browser drawer (I try not to call it "tabbed browsing")

I would love to see this go away, become a pane, or a preference for different ways

• Site-specific preferences

While it's true that OW's site preferences are well-implemented, it still need some things you can actually get in SafariStand namely ability to disable plugins per site

• Useful ad blocking, especially combined with site-specific CSS

I am currently enjoying the implementation of Glimmer Blocker. It is a prixy, so it works with OW too

• Keyword shortcuts in the location bar
• Custom searches

You can get both of these in Safari in several ways: Glimmer Blocker, Glims, SafariStand to name 3. And it is built into Firefox.

[MinutiaeMan]

Originally Posted by Handycam

IYou can get both of these in Safari in several ways: Glimmer Blocker, Glims, SafariStand to name 3. And it is built into Firefox.

As several other people have pointed out, SafariStand and co. are hacks. I won't accept those. And Firefox on the Mac is the GUI equivalent of wearing one of those tuxedo-print t-shirts to a wedding. (That is, it's incredibly ugly and doesn't fit in at all.)

That being said, I do have the ClickToFlashplugin installed, in part because it's a legitimate plugin using the established, official architecture. I do find that incredibly useful.

OmniWeb is now my favorite browser. I initially scoffed at the idea of a tab drawer, but it makes perfect sense on a widescreen display where no browser real estate is sacrificed. Contrast this with browsers like Safari, where you've got the tab bar, status bar, and favorites bar. So much vertical real estate is lost. It's about time someone designed a browser that took advantage of a widescreen display and didn't require hacks to make it functional.

The more plug-ins you add to Safari 4, the slower it gets.

[Handycam]

Originally Posted by rabidkoala

Contrast this with browsers like Safari, where you've got the tab bar, status bar, and favorites bar. So much vertical real estate is lost.

Not any more. In Safari 4 the tabs are at the top, in the title bar. And I never show the status bar or favorites bar. I get your point about their being more horizontal space, but OW takes up more horizontal space than even Safari 3 does vertical space, even with all the bars on. I size my window so I can click on desktop items or watch other apps in the background. The tab drawer hogs the screen for OW, plus it doesn't close when you are down to one tab which is worse.

The more plug-ins you add to Safari 4, the slower it gets

Based on what, exactly? Data? I haven't seen any, and in my used this is not so. I use Glims, SafariSource, and SafariTidy and it's still faster than 5.9.

[zottel]

Same for me, here: I loved OmniWeb and used it for many years as my standard browser, but over the last year I became more and more frustrated and began looking for a replacement.

The most important features for me are:
• Good, user definable handling of cookies, site-specific preferences.
• User definable ad blocking, including complete blocking of flash.
• Workspaces.
• Vertical tabs. The thumbnails are not important for me, but I often work with 20+ tabs, which makes horizontal tabs unbearable.

I think I have found my OmniWeb replacement now: iCab. The handling of cookies and plugins is even better than with OmniWeb (e.g. session cookies can be seperately activated, plugins can be deactivated for certain pages), filters are ex- and importable, and the iCab homepage features a default adblocking filter for download. The filter manager is a bit tricky to understand at first, and OW's site-specific prefs are a lot easier to handle, but it works and does so well.

Sadly missing:
• Easy workpaces switching. If you enable the session functions in the prefs, you can save a session which is just the same as an OW workspace. You have to chose a file to switch to another session, though, which makes the usage experience really different from what OW gives you.
• Vertical tabs. Hmpf.

I have proposed both functions in a mail to the author. Let's see what he thinks of it.

Best regards,

Christian

P.S.: I didn't add a link as this post may be already quite inappropriate in an Omni forum. Help yourself and use Google. ;-)

[Ken Case]

Originally Posted by Handycam

The tab drawer hogs the screen for OW, plus it doesn't close when you are down to one tab which is worse.

You can resize the tab drawer to be more narrow if you want it to use less space.

And today's sneaky peek builds of OmniWeb 5.9.1 automatically close the tab drawer when you return to a single tab.

[Ken Case]

Originally Posted by zottel

Same for me, here: I loved OmniWeb and used it for many years as my standard browser, but over the last year I became more and more frustrated and began looking for a replacement.

What's been making you more and more frustrated?

[Handycam]

Originally Posted by Ken Case

And today's sneaky peek builds of OmniWeb 5.9.1 automatically close the tab drawer when you return to a single tab.

Thanks! At long last!

[Handycam]

I also have to say, the BEST thing about OW to me is the site preferences. I'd love to see that expanded to more things about a site, especially blocking Flash (or all plug-in content) as a check-box item in that dialog.

So either users could globally block flash and allow it for sites they care about, or the other way around.

I have been using Click2Flash as a Safari plugin, and surfing is so much more pleasant and speedy since I only watch the Flash content I really want to.

And I am a Flash developer by trade....

[Handycam]

Originally Posted by Handycam

I have been using Click2Flash as a Safari plugin, and surfing is so much more pleasant and speedy since I only watch the Flash content I really want to.

And this plugin works great in OW, too! Awesome.