'Back with backspace' has been standard in the Windows file manager for as long as I can remember. Given that the file manager was the moral precursor to the browser of today it would have been nice to retain it.

Back with backspace!

Actually, it didn't go back on Windows XP. After using Windows 7 for 4 years, I am still not used to this 'new' behavior.

I sit corrected, thank you.

I know the reasons, I just think they're stupid. They've replaced one simple key-press with two non-intuitive ones. On my keyboard I have to move both my hands down in order to press the 2 keys, the backspace key was very easy to reach without moving my hands.

On top of that I actually have no "CMD" key on my keyboard, I have a "Ctrl" key which I assume is the same as "CMD" (I also have a key with the Windows logo which I had assumed it was the CMD key, I was wrong). KISS has gone out of the window long ago.

Alt + left arrow still goes back on ff and Alt + right arrow goes forward. It's been that way for quite a while.

The outlook Web app on the other hand sometimes blocks backspace from deleting a character, presumably to stop you inadvertently jumping back from inside a text field. This is only "on" when inside a text field in the first place, so if MS could do it, I don't see why Google's better engineers couldn't.

I've lost so many posts from hitting backspace without realizing I didn't have the input box focused I'm more than happy with this trade off.