Firefox Sidebar and Vertical tabs: try them out

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Firefox is adding native vertical tabs and a revamped sidebar in its Nightly “Labs” build, aiming to bring a long‑requested feature into the core browser rather than relying on extensions. Early testers welcome the move but criticize the current implementation as limited—lacking tree-style nesting, robust tab groups, and proper reclaiming of vertical space—and note that mature add‑ons like Tree Style Tab and Sidebery, as well as rival browsers such as Edge, Vivaldi, Brave and Arc, already offer richer tab management. The conversation broadens into how browsers should evolve their UI, with many users wanting powerful, native tools for tab grouping, split‑view layouts and cross‑device session sync, while still preserving stability and configurability.

Overall reaction

  • Many are pleased Firefox is finally experimenting with native vertical tabs, calling it long‑overdue and a potential “easy win.”
  • Others find the current Nightly implementation too immature or underpowered compared to existing extensions and rival browsers.

Implementation status & UX issues

  • Feature is currently Nightly‑only and somewhat buggy: sidebar toggles reset, pinned tabs reportedly disappear after restart, sidebar sometimes fails to open.
  • By default, vertical tabs show only favicons, which several find unusable for large tab counts; there is a way to expand to show titles, but it’s non‑obvious.
  • Some report the top tab bar or title bar still consuming vertical space, especially on macOS; others note there is now a toggle to hide the horizontal tab bar.
  • Tabs are “chunky,” sidebar width is fixed, and there is no nesting/tree view yet.

Comparison with extensions and other browsers

  • Power users say Tree Style Tab, Sidebery, Simple Tab Groups, and similar addons are still far superior:
    • Support nested tree hierarchies, panes, auto‑grouping, integration with containers, memory management, and extensive customization.
  • Some hope the native feature will at least:
    • Provide a non‑hacky way to disable the horizontal tab bar.
    • Expose better APIs so advanced extensions can integrate more cleanly.
  • Several note that Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, Arc, and Safari already offer vertical tabs, groups, or workspaces; some see Firefox as “catch‑up,” not innovation.

Why vertical tabs?

  • Pro‑vertical arguments:
    • Modern screens have more horizontal than vertical space; vertical tabs free vertical pixels.
    • Easier to show long titles and many tabs with readable text.
    • Natural fit for hierarchies and grouping, similar to file explorers.
  • Counter‑arguments:
    • Horizontal tab crowding acts as a useful signal to close tabs.
    • Switching between vertical and horizontal paradigms across apps feels inconsistent for some.

Tab groups, workspaces, and split view

  • Very strong demand for:
    • Native tab groups/workspaces with hiding, hierarchical organization, and integration with containers.
    • Sync and restore of entire groups/workspaces across devices, not just individual tabs.
    • Native split‑pane/split‑screen browsing; some prefer to rely on OS window managers instead.

Meta: Firefox direction

  • Some welcome renewed UI experimentation after a perceived period of stagnation.
  • Others fear disruptive redesigns and prefer a stable, minimal UI.
  • A few question the timing relative to recent controversy about Firefox’s advertising/surveillance features; the actual development start is mentioned as recent but predating that debate.