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Comment by zkg | Hacker News Reader

Isn't this implemented on Safari for some time now?

Yes, and it is awful. I know no Mac user who isn't using Chrome and the hidden URL is one reason for this.

Contra data point here, I don’t use Chrome besides at work, enjoy the simplicity

Anecdote, I am using Safari for speed, except for Google Meet (since Safari seems to have never-ending issues with that, for some reason).

A lot of Mac users are using safari for other reason. If there will be a true exodus, it will be because of the horrendous “tab” redesign in macOS 12

What's horrendous about it? Haven't really tried it much yet, but it seems to acknowledge that most people use tabs as a form of less permanent bookmarks, and for that it seems perfect.

Because control elements that change size and move around are bad. In Safari's case that would be the address bar.

I use safari exclusively at work and at home. It’s just a better browser; simpler, faster and behaves like a Mac app should. The only things I miss about chrome are the plugin ecosystem and the (better) address bar suggestions.

Which is strange because displaying the full URL is an option in the Safari Preferences (on macOS, not on iOS)...

> the hidden URL is one reason for this

It's super easy to turn off in Safari Preferences though. Certainly easier than installing another browser.

To turn it off you first need to know that Safari is doing something to the domain. That requires some basic understanding of URL structures that non-technical users don't have. They often won't go looking for an option because they don't know there's another way to view addresses.

This is the main problem with options over good defaults. An option requires enough understanding of the domain to realise that there might be other choices. It also requires enough knowledge to make that choice, especially for something that affects security (knowing if you're on a malicious website) but looks like a simple visual change (simplified URLs).

A user that uses Chrome because Safari simplifies the URL must be aware that Safari simplifies the URL.

They're probably only aware that Safari and Chrome display different things in the address bar. If they don't like Safari they'll switch to something they prefer.

Usually it'll follow a pattern like:

"Hey friend, my browser is a bit rubbish, I can't see the page I'm on."

Friend uses Chrome and demonstrates how it doesn't do that.

"My friend's browser is better because the URL is clearer. I'll swap to that one."

Non-technical users will usually follow recommendations like that before they considering looking for an option to make the browser work the way they want it to. Configuration isn't something most users do unless it's either suggested by the application or there's a button literally in front of them.

If you're not technical enough to see what the specific difference is between

https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=27470241&goto=item%3Fi...

and

https://news.ycombinator.com/

then why would you actually need to see the full URL? Come to that, why would _anyone_ who isn't debugging a REST API need to see the full URL?

To create a document with links. Hiding the URL makes that harder for non-technical users IME.

But if you copy-paste it, it will copy the full URL. Even if you copy directly without tapping. I don't think there's a way to get just the domain.

I didn't expect it to be a problem, but empirically it is.

Just out of curiosity, are all your Mac friends web developers or is there some reason a normal user would want to see the entire URL?

Yes, I don't care for it personally but it is a behavior that can be turned off.

The address, however, still feels like it's behind a piece of glass--it animates to the left when I click it and highlights the whole address, not letting me find a spot to highlight until after this animation is done.

Preferences > Advanced > Check "Smart Search Field: Show full website address"

The behavior to center the URL in the location field when not in focus, but to reformat to the left when focused, is somewhat silly, though. (In someone's eyes, it's apparently a form sufficiently importantly impressive to go over function.)

Edit: That you can't grab and drag the icon associated to the URL (but rather the URL itself) is also inconsistent with the general UI. (In other words, Safari's location field is not a Mac UI element.)

Yes. Years. I think a URL bar that sticks to the security relevent parts is a good idea. It's hard for even experienced users to figure that stuff out.

I tried to explain it here https://youtu.be/0-wB1VY3Nrc

Well I mean the whole story is that google's own evidence was that the experiment didn't bear any fruit.

The web is made of URLs and hiding them would be like taking the express train back to the AOL days. This "feature" would have brought negligible (if any) security, but would have made the web many times more difficult to use for both inexperienced and power users alike.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com