Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page

Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by chuhnk on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:05PM (#1130217)

I love it. I think it's really great, and I'll tell you why.

First, simplicity. I think websites as a whole suffer from information overload and the simpler something is the easier it is to use, which makes it accessible to everyone.

Second, the design. Its great, why not have favourites as icons? Every website now has a logo which marks their brand, we've become accustomed to viewing them everywhere so its easy enough to look at it and know exactly what it is. Its brilliant, visual and the kind of steps others should be taking in terms of UX.

Third, its on the web. Safari, firefox and chrome start pages are in your local browser, but we dont all use the same machine everyday do we? I switch between 2 or 3 as I'm at work, then at home or at a friends.

My only thought would be, I want to see more than 4 icons without ruining the visual. If you can achieve that then I'm sold.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by acid_bath on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:18PM (#1130249)

Eh, I think it's a solution in search of a problem.

Other than looking cool, if you timed yourself, I bet it's much faster to just type it.

(on my mac):

Cmd + L

type "gm" (gmail.com is now highlighted in the dropdown because it's one of the 4 most frequent websites I visit and FF is smart enough to know I probably want it)

Enter

Total time: Less than it takes for fav4.org to load.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by listic on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:27PM (#1130269)

Yep. Plus I hate being always told what to do; I fear it helps to kill my creativity. That's why I always set start page to blank and turn off Opera's speed dial forever (after admiring it for a while).

That said, a solution is nice.

UPDATE: Hm, now I think I could set my homepage to this, but leave start page as blank. This way I won't be distracted the moment I start the browser, yet be able to reach this launchpad with a press of "Home" button whenever I want to.

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Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by mortenjorck on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @11:07PM (#1130819)

Ah, someone else gets this!

Ever since I started using Safari's "Top Sites" (procedurally generated Opera Speed Dial), I've noticed a developing feedback loop in which I visit the listed sites significantly more often than the non-listed ones. It's subtle, but it's enough for me to reconsider my use of the feature.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by aaronbrethorst on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:21PM (#1130253)

Or, in Safari, you can invoke your bookmark bar favorites by pressing Cmd+[1-9], where 1-9 matches its position.

I have Gmail as the left-most item in my bar and access it by pressing Cmd+1.

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Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by mhartl on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:39PM (#1130302)

Cmd-L gm down-arrow is my algorithm to get to Gmail, too, and so on for other common sites I visit. I thought I was the only one.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by bwag on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @10:20PM (#1130741)

"Third, its on the web. Safari, firefox and chrome start pages are in your local browser, but we dont all use the same machine everyday do we? I switch between 2 or 3 as I'm at work, then at home or at a friends."

Except that it uses cookies. So, no.

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Re:Fav4.org Is a Dead Simple but Very Attractive Start Page by rabidgnat on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @06:47PM (#1130323)

I'm sure that it's not great, having never heard of Fav4.org before today. I landed on the page and saw 4 buttons with links to pages that I visit regularly. "That's great, but I already have them bookmarked," I thought.

I closed the tab, but decided it wouldn't have been on HN if it was just 4 links. At that point I returned to the site and saw the "Settings" button in the bottom corner.

A landing page that hides the purpose of a webpage will cost you users in the long run

[ Parent | on HN ]