Skip to main content
dietrich

Peek: Apps, App Tabs, and Context.

The new app tab feature in Firefox is great. I use it a lot... which has starkly illustrated how apps and tabs have very different use-cases and usage patterns. Often I will check my Gmail app tab because I see the glowing notification that a new email has arrived, do something (or nothing), and then pop back to where I was browsing... in one of those 78 tabs I have open?! The windowing model in operating systems allows me switch back and forth between contexts with ease. But app tabs do not:

To use Peek, first create some app tabs. Then you can peek at them using the keyboard shortcut ALT+SHIFT+1-9 where the number corresponds with the order your app tabs are in. To stop peeking, hit escape (or switch apps or anything else that takes focus away from the panel).

INSTALL. Peek is a Jetpack add-on that does not require a restart of the browser. User beware: This is an experimental add-on - I've been using it on Nightly builds, but haven't done much testing elsewhere.

Benefits: