Google's 'instant' search springs keyboard controls Google has introduced keyboard navigation to Google Instant, its "real-time" search engine, and though some users quite like it, at least one big-name search-marketing outfit sees it as yet another way the service is hindering search-marketing outfits. This week, as it expanded Instant to additional Google search services, …
The first time this came out and I tried scrolling up and down the page with my arrow keys, I wondered why the page wouldn't scroll. Then I noticed the blue arrow and how it reacted.
This is probably the worst 'improvement' Google's made to search. Not everyone uses one window and one tab for anything. With the prevalence of tabbed browsing, I often open multiple tabs of the same search results just in case the first isn't what I was looking for.
Wow, look here everyone! Google has invented keyboard navigation! This is such an innovation!
To paraphrase "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'" we could say "Those who are ignorant of web browsers are condemned to reimplement them in javascript, poorly".
Okay, ridicule aside, here is my beef with Google's keyboard navigation: This feature belongs in the web browser, so that you can use it on any and every website accessible on Earth. I know of at least one Norwegian web browser which has had full keyboard navigation for more than a decade.
It's a pity that the ignorant masses need Google to hold their hands like this.
In konqueror: tap <ctrl> and a letter appears over each link. Type the letter to follow the link. I mostly use it to defeat stupid web designers who like to make links invisible. Lynx and Links both have excellent keyboard navigation.
Back in the dark ages, when I still used Microsoft, you could fix problems like "Mouse not detected, click here to change" with the keyboard. I cannot remember the buttons, but they worked in almost everything including IE. Has this been <i>fixed</i>?
I'm not too fussed about Google Instant, I think it was great when various keywords would appear as you typed anyway, which helped you narrow down the results. No need for the whole page of results to change.
However - is it here to stay?
I remember reading about it in El Reg a few weeks ago, saying it was coming to the UK shortly, and one of the comments said it was already here.
Well it wasn't for me for a couple of days, then it appeared, but then it disappeared again, and the google page went back to the previous version without instant!
Then it was up and down every other day for a few days but it has been up for a few days now
so maybe it is finally here to stay ...
which not only cannot be clicked, but also gives no indication as to what it's doing there and I certainly wouldn't immediately have thought to turn to the cursor keys to manipulate an element of a web-page without first being prompted to.
Again, I'm all for options, but "configurable" options...not "foisted upon". Yes, I know it's free, yes, I know I can't argue - but I didn't notice the "little blue arrow" - but I did notice the lack of scrolling when pressing down. I attributed it to something else nicking focus (which it was) but didn't see what.
All these things should be optional, and NOT stored in a cookie - if I login, ala GMail, I can choose https or http. https clocks up CPU hits both ends - whereas instant search clocks up bandwidth usage both ends - but I can only "set" one which will persist after a cookie deletion.
Again, well done to the UI design team who thought about this - but for those people who use laptops with mousepads (like me), I like to choose my input medium. Yes (before some comments about "Page Down") there are other keys, but on *some* laptops, some keys require ALT/FN options to work - like this keybd I'm using now requires to keys to get "End" functionality.
Since instant search came in I'm using the browser search bar (which provides configurable 'instant search' functionality) more than the google UI.
I really can't see any benefit from this at all for people who don't touch type. I've been looking at the keyboard as I type for over 25 years and I'm not about to learn touch-typing any time soon, so all these instant suggestions are lost on me until I've finished the search phrase. At best, they save me one key press (the enter key).
I quite like this and prefer SPACE BAR to scroll down (on Mac OS).
but I hate the new google image search. With multitouch scrolling it's just a mess, as the pointer drags over images as they cascade up and they inflate and deflate all over the shop.
Sadly, many of these websites have been taken to their evolutionary conclusion and yet the idle hands of their developers are now making mischief. ebay is another fine example, ruined by continuous meddling from bored staff.
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