

Ask HN: Why is it so hard to manage tabs long term in my browser? - DiabloD3

I want to be able to tag tabs and windows, and be able to not only hide tags, but be able to restore them when I unhide them.<p>I want to be able to do this in a cloud-synced way, and enforce tags in windows (such as if a window is tagged #foo, only #foo tags can be in it), and be able to automatically update things sanely, such as if I open a #foo tag, its automatically added to the #foo list, so if I have a #foo window open elesewhere the tab is also opened there.<p>I want my browser to be less annoying and more useful to deal with tasks, however, the closest thing I have is &quot;bookmark all tabs into a folder&quot; and &quot;open bookmark folder in new window&quot; which is very cumbersome, and that is just an unworkable model.
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a3n
I don't think I fully understand, but superficially I like where your
questions may lead.

I really like the idea of decoupling data from application. IMAP mail storage,
for example, decouples your mail folders and messages from whatever client you
use, or whether you're using a work computer at work or a laptop at home or a
phone wherever. Databases are essentially the same thing, for more general
data.

So why not tabs, or bookmarks for that matter. I think you have a sweet
project in front of you, if you're in to it. Start small, if you start, but
think big while you're small.

Side note, I've often thought about similar things, and thought about using
IMAP as a ready made decoupled database. Unfortunately you'd have to implement
your "schema" through convention in your folders/messages/data. But most
people have an IMAP account these days.

Finally, there are a few things that may help in your problem, although they
are far from what you describe.

One, Firefox has a "group your tabs" feature, where you can do what it says,
and easily move between groups. But it's only a local feature in your browser.
[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tab-groups-organize-
tab...](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tab-groups-organize-
tabs?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=what-are-tab-groups)

I've been using pinboard for years, it's your bookmarks in the cloud. You can
tag any bookmark with any number of tags, and any combination of tags can have
an RSS feed. This is how I have convenient access to my bookmarks at home and
at work. For your purposes, you might tag a page/tab, and untag it when you're
done with it, then use the associated RSS feed to view what's currently
associated with that tag(s).

Finally, when all is lost, the Firefox addon OneTab allows you to easily
declare tab bankruptcy, taking all your open tabs and placing them on a list
on a page, then closing the tabs. [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/addon/onetab/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/addon/onetab/)

Ah, their home page says it's also available for Chrome. [http://www.one-
tab.com/](http://www.one-tab.com/)

