Opera Tab Filter
In our last post we heralded the fantastic tab filter technology in the Opera browser. This functionality is not new, but we someone missed it for some time (actually we do not know when it was introduced).
http://infoknowledge.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/opera-tab-window-filter/
Working With It
What this functionality does is allow a large number of tabs or windows within the browser to be open, but for only those that you are currently interested in to be viewed. Its hard to overestimate how much this improves the browser experience.
For Finder
This basic approach should be adopted by the Mac Finder. Currently, Finder opens multiple windows, and does not allow tabbing. So allowing tabbing is the first step.
The next step is to make the tabs filterable as shown below on Opera.
Browsers and File Managers
Browsers and file managers do roughly the same thing. The difference is finders look internally. Both of them require a way to show multiple views, however, only browsers seem to really manage the multi-view concept correctly (although their are tabbed file managers, but they lag). Opera has taken tab or view management to a new level with its filter combined with its left pane representation of tabs (most browsers paradoxically show their tabs horizontally, which is not efficient). There is absolutely no reason that Finder could not emulate this interface design. Half the issue of view management as been solved by Opera, now its time for Finder to solve the other half.
