How in the Tech

Relocate the Stop and Refresh Buttons in IE8

By Adam Myers ⋅ March 23, 2009 ⋅ Tags: Customization, Internet Explorer

Last week Microsoft released their latest iteration of their web browser, Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft’s release slogan for this version is making your web even better,.. Faster, Easier, Safer. So, is it? Well, I am firm believer that security and safety can only be evaluated with respect to time. Benchmarks support the notion that 8 is faster than 7, but what does that mean in day to day use – not much if my brief usage is any indication. So that leaves us with easier, an admittedly objective quality but something I feel is worth talking about.

When you first open Internet Explorer 8 you may be shocked to see that the refresh and stop buttons have been relocated, now to the right of the address bar. Previous versions of IE, and every other browser worth mentioning, have the buttons located to the left of the address bar. I’m sure Microsoft has spent millions of dollars on usability tests whose results confirm that right is wrong and left is where it’s at, but to me, this reeks of the desire to change just for the sake of change – something you see throughout Windows Vista. Changing fundamental things seems to clash with the ideology of making something easier no?

It is possible to revert to the old button layout however. Furthermore, it is evident that Microsoft expected resistance because the option to change it back is blatant. You may be familiar of how you can add and remove buttons from the IE interface by right-clicking anywhere in the menubar and choosing Customize. Previously, this would take you to a dialog window that allowed you to add/remove buttons as well as organize the ordering. As you’d expect, the customize option is still available in IE8 but rather than having to navigate deep into the dialog, the option to revert is as simple a selecting Show Stop and Refresh Buttons before Address Bar.

Ah .. much better!