Mozilla continues to tweak its user interface by removing unnecessary UI elements, using heatmap data they now able to analyze which UI elements are most used and which not, and they removing less used elements. Lately in Firefox 16 Aurora Context Menu got some UI changes- Send Link has been removed and Reload and Stop buttons have been combined.
We’ve showed both context menus of Firefox 15 and 16 in the screenshot below. Left one represents context menu in Firefox 15 with Reload, Stop, Save Link and other options. Where right one is of Firefox 16 you can see “Send Link” button missing and only Reload appears since the page was already loaded.
Firefox 16: Send Link Removed, Reload and Stop buttons combined for Context Menu
Mozilla found “Send Link” less important (which normally opens desktop email client outlook), because link can easily be found on location bar. They removed the Reload and Stop buttons, but only one action either Reload or Stop button appears on right-click menu for e.g if page is loading Stop element appears and once the page is loaded Reload button appears instead of Stop. This is something similar we found to combo of Stop and Reload buttons on location bar.
You can find these changes in Firefox Aurora and nightly builds.
What do you think about these changes?are they necessary?share with us in comments.
Update: Have covered a post to add Send Link feature to Context menu, let me know your opinions there.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I normally use userChrome.css to hide menu items I don’t use and the list isn’t exactly short. As such I am definitely in favor of these changes. Send link is definitely an item I had no use for ever.
I don’t get it. Remove something because it is redundant? Why not have in more than one place. It’s damned convenient to just right-click and click on send. I would think in most cases the mouse cursor is on the page, not on location bar, so right-clicking makes send, not moving the mouse to menu, then click Email link. I swear, Microsoft removes the Start Button because they think it is irrelevant then along comes Mozilla pulling the same crap. God, there is a saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Get I am just old-fashioned that way. I tell ya, Chromium is the same way, no Send Link. Have to add it. How freaking dumb is that?
Removing the send link was a mistake. It was one click to send my e-mail. What were you thinking?
wow – the sheer stupidity of it….. what they trying to accomplish – metro!?
I use this feature a lot. But since this is open source software, I can re-add it myself.
They removed the #1 feature for me in FF: send link. Use it all the time. Fills out HTML Title in subject and Link in body -> perfect.
Screw their telemetry.
I use send-link 10 times a day: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??
Is the browser now an Apple product, with anti-user fascists at the helm??
Bring the feature back. It’s called a ‘feature’ because it is a good idea and people use it.
Trying to make the browser faster +/or smaller at the expense of usability in the day of giant hard disks, ultra fast processors, and multiples of modem speeds common for mosts is a loss of direction. If someone needs to conquer broswer size, speed or bandwidth usage, there are different browser and other program choices. The crew has removed an active and used feature: it’s not like it was a built-in Gopher client or something….
Bring back SendLink. N O W ! D O I T ! ! !
Bring back Send Link. Lots of upset users like me. This is a used often and a potential show stopper in using Firefox. How do you add it back yourself if desired??
Having it in the drop-down isn’t the same thing at all. Before, I could right-click on a link within a page to email it; now I can only email the whole page. Not to mention the subject line is now blank. Please bring it back; I use it all the time to send annoying links to my friends!!
Very dumb. Put send link back on the context menu.
Removing the send link is stupid..
Yes, it was a bad idea to remove it. I used it all the time. ‘Mozilla found “Send Link” less important (which normally opens desktop email client outlook), because link can easily be found on location bar.’
Mozilla made a mistake. “Easily”?
Compare the steps to get a new email started when you want to send out a link.
The old “less important” context menu:
1. Right click
2. Click
to what I have to do now:
1. Double-click
2. Switch to email client
3. Click new message
4. Paste link into message
5. Add subject to the message
Please put it back, it is a very used feature. Now I’ve got users asking me where it went. I have gotten them to stop using IE and use Firefox, now you take away a very useful feature!
This has been ticking me off. I use this on a daily basis. I have all the machines at work using FF only. This has hurt us. I will be downgrading back to FF15.0.1, which works perfectly fine. Email This!, is not a solution.
It doesn’t work properly on unopened links.
I have to take one more step with it’s menu.
Also, I don’t want to encourage users to send mail through anything but their work email (which is configured in Thunderbird). Email This! has no option to turn off the other services as choices in the context menu.
Mozilla, you f’ed up big time. 7 people over a 8 year period wanted FF this way so you did it? That’s the most asinine thing I have ever heard of.
I agree with most comments here that removing the send link was a mistake. It was one was very convenient to be able to one mouse click to send my e-mail a feature I used often. Really Firefox what were you thinking?
It seems now that with every upgrade we lose something and gain very little plus after every upgrade we then have to put up with some of our add-ons not working until they are upgraded. Am I the only one that shudders and wonders what we are going to lose this time when every upgrade comes. I hate saying this but Firefox is starting to become a lot less appealing to me, maybe it’s time to move on.
I use that shortcut often. I don’t understand why it has been removed. Then again, I also don’t understand a lot of things about Firefox now. It used to be the best browser, and now it’s as clunky and noisy as IE, and the constant unwanted updates are driving me nuts.
It might be time to try Chrome.
Thought I did something which caused me not to have a “send link” in the menu option…. turns out Mozilla did it. Thanks a lot guys, what a retarded upgrade…….. I used this feature almost daily, and reverted back to Firefox version 15.0.1 and restored the send link function.
Has Firefox lost their mind?? I have used the right click dropdown send link option for YEARS!! Very stupid of Firefox to remove it. Bring it back NOW!!!
The sequence “Alt -> F -> E” brings up the Menu Bar, then selects File and Email Link…
This opens a new gmail window for me, populates the subject line, and puts the link in the body of the email.
I prefer the old right click option. It was clearly superior for a modern mouse user as compared to remembering a key sequence. However, it appears the same functionality is still present, albeit buried, in the menu bar.
True but selecting Send link on Context menu seems more intuitive for users than reaching out Firefox menu.
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