Hacker News Reader

Comment by brudgers | Hacker News Reader

Web browsers. For example if I'm on Hacker News and want to visit the "Ask" page, my options are a mouse or navigating to the URL bar and hand editing the text. Why can't I just type "ask" and go there?

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There's an extension for Chrome that might be helpful to you: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogba...

This is a life-changer for me ever since I installed it a few years ago. With Vimium and Alfred, my hands are on the keyboard 95% of the time.

P.S. If you tweak the settings, you may even be able to browse/navigate the web with just one hand on the keyboard.

One reason I enjoy sites with human-meaningful URLs is that it makes it easier to do this without leaving the keyboard.

I can use the Keyboard shortcut for the URL bar, then edit the url quickly.

I use this commonly to view content from various subreddits.

If you really wanted to you could type this in the console: `window.location = '/ask'`

You can hit CTRL/CMD-F and type "ask", repeat CTRL/CMD-F if necessary, then hit ESC+return when the link is highlighted. You can also hit TAB until ask is outlined, then hit return. I don't for a minute think those make for a great keyboard interface, or really answer your question, but they are additional options currently available to you.

You should take a look at qutebrowser, it has Vim like keybinding http://www.qutebrowser.org/

The Vimperator extension adds vim-like commands to Firefox, including following links (but also much, much more). It's amazing.

I think firefox used to have a feature where when you searched and the search found/highlighted the item, if it was a url, pressing enter or space would follow the url. I really miss that feature.

Try Vimperator add-on for Firefox. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vimperator/

Given enough proficiency, you will not have to use your mouse while browsing.

Firefox still has this feature, I believe it is referred to as "quick find" and is available with either forward-slash or apostrophe. You can follow a link with Enter and go to the next instance of the search term with ctrl-g or cmd-g.

Gif example: https://i.imgur.com/C2zH4CZ.gif

apostrophe starts quick find, but only searches link text. So in your comment, typing 'gif would only select the text in the link; it wouldn't find as a result the "Gif" earlier in that sentence.

And with either, F3 or C-g searches forward, and Shift-F3 or Shift-C-G searches backward. If you're on a link, Return navigates to that link.

I have this using the "Findbar Tweak" [1] add-on, it works with searching and pressing enter. You can also press / for quick search.

[1]: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/findbar-tweak/

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