Notes on 'buffer-ordering' conkeror:

[Installation notes:]
---------------------------
 I installed the branch by: (a) cd'ing to the location I wanted the branch,
(b) then running "git clone -b buffer-ordering git://repo.or.cz/conkeror.git",
(c) cd'ing into the created "conkeror" folder, (d) then running
"/path/to/xulrunner
application.ini" (in my case "/usr/bin/xulrunner application.ini"). [Note:]
running the branch in this way while another instance of (main branch)
conkeror is already running doesn't seem to work.

[Usage notes:]
----------------------
(a) In addition to "M-x bury-buffer" (which moves the current buffer to the
end of the list), note that the current buffer/tab can be moved to the left
or the right (moved up the list or down the list) by "*M-P*" (that is,
Shift-Alt-p) and "*M-N*" (that is, Shift-Alt-n), respectively.
(b) Tabs are not currently "mouse-dragable".

[Evaluation notes:]
---------------------------
[1] New buffer/tabs created at the front list of the list/far-left in the
tab-ordering makes sense, though it is different from how browsers have
trained us to think about new tabs. I like it:-- the new "thing" you're
opening is "focussed" by being created at the top of the list. It makes
sense.

[2] Links followed in a new buffer are created to the right of their
"source" buffer: this also makes sense. The "children" of a buffer are thus
opened immediately below their "parent" in the buffer list. This creates a
nice sort of "default grouping", keeping elements which are somehow related
together in the list.

[3] One problem with new buffer/tabs being created at the front of the list
is that every time a new buffer is created, the tab-number of each existing
buffer/tabs is changed. Obviously this is not the case if new buffer/tabs
are created at the end of the list as in the main-branch. This new behaviour
could be non-ideal in case one opens certain frequently-used webpages and
wants them to remain in the same position in the list (so as to be able to
easily access them, say with bound number keys [
http://conkeror.org/Tips#BindNumberKeystoSwitchtoBuffers1-10 ]).

[4] One solution for [3] would be to allow the creation of an "island" at
the top of the list of buffer/tabs whose position does not change when a new
buffer/tab is created. Practically, I would think this could be fairly
easily implemented simply by allowing the user to set the position for
newly-opened buffers (on the fly). That is, by default new buffer/tabs open
in position 1 (to the left of all existing tabs), but this could be changed
(on the fly) to position 3 or 7 or 12 or whatever.

[5] Another useful feature---in fact one which could be implemented in the
main branch as well I would think (unless it already is and I just don't
know about it)---would be the ability to "kill all buffer/tabs to the left"
(that is, higher in the list) and "kill all buffer/tabs to the right" (that
is, lower in the list). Google Chrome has the latter feature (I don't think
Firefox does though), and I recall it being useful.


cheers,
  --Ben
<http://repo.or.cz/conkeror.git> <http://repo.or.cz/conkeror.git>
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