A new feature is coming to Google Chrome. Chrome will remove the usual http:// prefix from the URLs in address bar. The latest release of Chromium, the open source browser project behind Chrome, has already included this feature.
Though, this feature does not seem to have any benefit except saving seven characters in the address bar. The Chromium developers and active users have mixed opinion over this change:
Removing http:// is extremely short-sighted. Many blogs, message boards, email viewing software, instant messaging software, etc. depend on matching against http:// to auto-link URLs. Removing http:// will train end-users to omit it, which will have a negative impact on usability all over the web. [ … ]
Can some one please explain to me WHY was "http:// removed? It makes it VERY hard to copy/paste URL! this is a serious UI regression. [ … ]
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The image you’re displaying is highly misleading. I took it as a snapshot of a work-in-progress set of changes in my code checkout. It does not represent either the current UI or the intended future UI — it is something no end-user will ever experience. I strongly suggest removing it.
@Peter : Thanks for your comment. Removed that image.
Agree. It is just a small, but important change. No other browser has this feature
better to remove www. than http://
thanks for this information. Arpit – you are good at noticing new features of browsers.
No option to bring it back? At first i thought i pressed a strange keyboard shortcut.
I hate this change – it screws up copy / pasting, with no discernable benefit.
(Amusingly, for secure sites it still displays https://).
I’m very close to switching back to Firefox, almost entirely because of this change.
How much was the effect of this change thought through? While the code change may have been trivial, the number of ways that web developers and users rely on the http:// in the address bar is simply too numerous to mess with such basic functionality.
At the very least, Google must provide an option to turn this on.
If you copy the URL, the http:// is prepended back on. It’s going to be ok, folks.
The http:// is definitely *not* being prepended when copying a URL in Chromium 5.0.376.0 (44292). It’s really frustrating.
I agree they should focus on removing “www.” and eliminating it from the internet for good!
Used to drag urls into tweetdeck and other apps. URL Shortheners do not recognize URL lacking http://
This and difficulties to get RSS feeds addresses are black spots in Chrome.
I hate it too. Copy and paste works fine for some email clients, but is screwed up in others. I never realized how many times I actually copy and paste URLs until I started having all these problems with it.
What a silly change !! I can’t believe this regression would make it to final 5.0 version. If so, I’ll switch to patched chromium.
It would benefit those that use OpenDNS shortcuts. Ever since I’ve switched to Chrome as my preferred browser, I have been unable to use my shortcuts as Chrome appends the http:// prefix when it is really unnecessary. :-/