---
title: >-
  Mozilla, Google and the Location Bar
date: 2011-05-25 23:24
modified: 2011-05-25 23:24
lang: en
authors: rysiek
tags:
 - ancient
 - chrome
 - firefox
 - web-browsers
status: published
pinned: false
---

Lately much discussion was caused by [Google's decision to hide the Location Bar](https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05/19/1518221/Google-Is-Serious-Chrome-13-Hides-URL-Bar) in the next Chrome/Chromium version. Seems like [Mozilla wants to follow suit](http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/05/25/1532246/Mozilla-Labs-the-URL-Bar-Has-To-Go). I believe Location Bar still has its important place in a browser, and would like to offer a better solution for Mozilla.

## The Problem

Reasons for Location Bar hiding/removal are those:
 - users do not know how to use it;
 - it takes up valuable vertical space;
 - Google (or any other) search works almost just as well, and users use that instead anyway.

Additional reasons for Google are obvious: more search data -- instead of going directly to a website, users will **have to** actually use Google Search.

## The Solution

...is simple. **Make a huge and visible, window-centered Location Bar (that can work as a searchbar too) the default homepage in Firefox**. This has many benefits:
 - new users will get a nice, visible UI as soon as the browser starts, without loading any page (and exposing any data to Google);
 - power users will get the Location Bar at their fingertips, and won't lose an important, valued tool.

Moreover, Mozilla will be **leading the charge** instead of following in Google's footsteps.