Saturday, November 22, 2008

Money & Business

Firefox's Smart Address Bar Is a Thing of Beauty

August 05, 2008 04:31 PM ET | David LaGesse | Permanent Link | Print

Old habits die hard. For more than 13 years, I typed "www" into the address bar of a browser. Over and over again. Sure, bookmarks and search engines reduced the need to type Web addresses. But I still do it. And often.

Now I'm trying to stop, at least the w's. I've finally come to appreciate how the address bar morphed into the "Smart Location Bar" in Firefox 3.0. Type the site's main word—as in "usnews" for www.usnews.com—and the address comes up for me as soon as I just type the "u."

It's a thing of wonder and alone worth the upgrade.

Tags: computers | internet

Tools: Share | | Comments (2) | Print

Reader Comments

Grrrrrr...

I hate the new bar.

When I type, I don't want a list of every possible url containing the same letters that I type. And I don't need a description of each url it displays. Luckily, the "oldbar" add-on restores the old look and feel. In fact, Firefox 3.1 will make the new behavior an option, so when I type 'us', I get usnews, and not toys-r-us.

i want to sex!

Add your thoughts

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

advertisement

About this Blog

Our in-house gadget guru, Senior Writer David LaGesse, checks out the latest technologies and gizmos, from computer software to GPS systems -- and reports back to you in plain English.

Podcast

Subscribe to weekly Dave's Download podcast iTunes and RSS.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.