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"Does a web page really need a loading bar, especially that the browser already has a loading indicator of its own"

Neither Chrome nor Firefox (at least on Windows or Linux) have an implemented loading bar for showing a web site's progress. I cannot speak to Internet Explorer 8 or greater because I tend to avoid them at all costs (and my company's system only has 7).

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When a page is loading under Chrome on Linux, a spinner is show in the tab where the favicon is normally displayed. It isn't a "progress bar" but it is an indication that the page has not fully loaded yet.

Chrome does that spinner on Windows, too, as does Firefox. I'm glad for it but I like the progress bar idea, personally. It gives me a sense of progress. It is kind of like being on hold. It is the difference between "Please hold" and "You are number 4 in line. Please hold."

Sidenote: The Amazon App Store app on Android does something similar. I've seen other apps do this as well but I can't think of them at the moment. Is this a design pattern we will see more of like the Ajax spinners of the Web 2.0 craze?

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