23 votes

Evolution of the scrollbar

17 comments

  1. Maxi
    Link
    Somewhat ironic that a page about the history of the scrollbar doesn't use a scrollbar, but a horizontal carousel.

    Somewhat ironic that a page about the history of the scrollbar doesn't use a scrollbar, but a horizontal carousel.

    21 votes
  2. akselmo
    Link
    Bit bummed there's no any GNOME or KDE or other Linux DE scrollbars. Although if there was, the whole page would probably be just them. :)

    Bit bummed there's no any GNOME or KDE or other Linux DE scrollbars.

    Although if there was, the whole page would probably be just them. :)

    5 votes
  3. Auk
    (edited )
    Link
    Not pictured but well appreciated are the evolution of scrollbar features like pages scrolling along with the slider position when dragging it and resizing the slider as a way to indicate how long...

    Not pictured but well appreciated are the evolution of scrollbar features like pages scrolling along with the slider position when dragging it and resizing the slider as a way to indicate how long a page is without having to scroll down and find out.

    Edit: Also thinking it'd be amusing if the scrollbars worked on rollover mouse scroll and changed direction around the time that the default page scroll directions flipped.

    4 votes
  4. [6]
    oxyacetalyne
    Link
    I never hear enough appreciation for MacOS 8/9! I feel that Apples OS design really peaked there. 10.0-10.9 was too gaudy and 10.10-10.15 was too flat. I think that Big Sur and onwards are finally...

    I never hear enough appreciation for MacOS 8/9! I feel that Apples OS design really peaked there. 10.0-10.9 was too gaudy and 10.10-10.15 was too flat.

    I think that Big Sur and onwards are finally getting somewhere, but if I could get something like OS9 without the crippling instability issues, i'd take that any day.

    4 votes
    1. [5]
      Plik
      Link Parent
      10 pretty much forced me over to Linux/Windows. Still hate anything Apple since then. Most of the good stuff on MacOS and Windows now was just ripped from Linux window managers/UI anyway: tiling,...

      10 pretty much forced me over to Linux/Windows. Still hate anything Apple since then.

      Most of the good stuff on MacOS and Windows now was just ripped from Linux window managers/UI anyway: tiling, multiple desktops,​ fancy window snapping/layouts, various context menu/right click capabilities, etc.

      4 votes
      1. [4]
        oxyacetalyne
        Link Parent
        I love Linux! The customization is great. Xfce with a nice theme is just bliss to use.

        I love Linux! The customization is great.

        Xfce with a nice theme is just bliss to use.

        1 vote
        1. [3]
          Plik
          Link Parent
          I was really into rat poison at one point. Also some other thing where everything went through a right click menu, your desktop was just completely blank. Rat poison + virtual desktops was better...

          I was really into rat poison at one point. Also some other thing where everything went through a right click menu, your desktop was just completely blank. Rat poison + virtual desktops was better haha.

          2 votes
          1. [2]
            oxyacetalyne
            Link Parent
            I had never heard of that before, looks cool! I used to use i3, which is a tiling WM that looks a bit like that. It really comes down to aesthetics vs productivity for me, and since I don't do a...

            I had never heard of that before, looks cool! I used to use i3, which is a tiling WM that looks a bit like that. It really comes down to aesthetics vs productivity for me, and since I don't do a lot of important work on my computer, looks wins out, which is why I use more standard DEs now.

            1. Plik
              Link Parent
              Yeah, I mostly used rat poison in undergrad when I was doing some mild linux/scripting/networking/python stuff for classes. Since then it's just been Windows. Now it's basically Android for...

              Yeah, I mostly used rat poison in undergrad when I was doing some mild linux/scripting/networking/python stuff for classes. Since then it's just been Windows. Now it's basically Android for everyday personal stuff, and then OneNote,​ and various STEM related sites for work (so Windows isn't even a major part of it, everything is in OneNote, a browser, or maybe a PDF reader).

              1 vote
  5. [7]
    DubioserKerl
    Link
    Mac OS lion does not even show a scroll bar until I hover it? really? That's inconvenient. (Having a convenient Scrollbar probably costs 150$, since this is using Apple pricing)

    Mac OS lion does not even show a scroll bar until I hover it? really? That's inconvenient. (Having a convenient Scrollbar probably costs 150$, since this is using Apple pricing)

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      akselmo
      Link Parent
      Hiding or making scrollbar small is an accessibility issue that frustrates me to no end. Some people legitimately need the scrollbar, and they need to click on it or click the arrows. Maybe they...

      Hiding or making scrollbar small is an accessibility issue that frustrates me to no end.

      Some people legitimately need the scrollbar, and they need to click on it or click the arrows. Maybe they can't use scrollwheel for some reason.

      And hiding it frustrates me even more, since I like to know where I am at on the page, thank you.

      4 votes
      1. ducc
        Link Parent
        There is an option in system settings to show it at all times, IIRC

        There is an option in system settings to show it at all times, IIRC

        3 votes
    2. [3]
      jennraeross
      Link Parent
      To be honest, I don't think that a scrollbar is really... necessary anymore? Trackpads are really good and a mouse scroll wheel works. If you really need one, it's still there, just hidden out of...

      To be honest, I don't think that a scrollbar is really... necessary anymore? Trackpads are really good and a mouse scroll wheel works. If you really need one, it's still there, just hidden out of the way for 99% of the time you don't need a scrollbar. (There's also a setting to make it permanently visible if you want it back that much)

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        Koffiato
        Link Parent
        Scrollbars are useful for looking at where you are on the page. Even a thin line suffices.

        Scrollbars are useful for looking at where you are on the page. Even a thin line suffices.

        6 votes
        1. jennraeross
          Link Parent
          Fortunate that the auto-hiding ones show themselves when you scroll #^-^#

          Fortunate that the auto-hiding ones show themselves when you scroll #^-^#

          1 vote
    3. Tlon_Uqbar
      Link Parent
      I believe there's an option in System Settings to always show the scrollbar. Not sure about Lion specifically though.

      I believe there's an option in System Settings to always show the scrollbar. Not sure about Lion specifically though.

      1 vote
  6. Morten
    Link
    Huh! There really hasn't been much innovation in the scrollbar since 2001.

    Huh! There really hasn't been much innovation in the scrollbar since 2001.

    1 vote