Pry URLs From My Cold, Dead Hands

November 16, 2020

Google is trying to hide the URL in Chrome. This has been tried before in various browsers at various times.

I’m deeply unhappy about this, not because of Google’s move in Chrome but because of the general trend in the industry to make the URL a second class citizen.

The current worst examples of this is an Electron app that I use everyday: Slack. When I run Slack in the browser I get the benefit of being able to see multiple conversations at a time(multiple browser windows), or be able to jump between conversations quickly(multiple browser tabs). Another advantage of running Slack in the browser is that I can easily share links to comments/channels without having to dig around for the “Copy Link” or “Share” button.

In fact, the only reason to fire up Slack as an Electron app is to share my screen. Loading Slack in the browser wins every other time ‘cause URLs.