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In Mac OS X Lion, how can I make the scrollbars wider?

  • 3 replies
  • 5 have this problem
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  • Last reply by FFx

FFx
FFx
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Firefox 7>8>9.0.1, all revs., in Mac Mini OS X Lion (10.7.2) - .. Issue 1. - the scrollbars V & H appear to be about 1 or maybe 2 pixels wide, and on my 1600x1000 widescreen monitor, it is excruciatingly difficult to catch the scrollbar's tiny slider. The first try, even when executed carefully, nearly always drags the whole window, and does not scroll the window's contents - and it does not widen the window, either. It drags the whole window. It often takes two to five tries with very careful, very slow, approaches to the scrollbar, to catch the scrollbar instead of the border. Just the thought of ever trying this on a laptop's touchpad is a painful thing. I have reviewed about:config all the way down and all the way up, and I haven't seen any setting in there, for this. Is there any way I, the un-anointed user, can make the scrollbars wide enough to fix this aggravating feature? .. Issue 1.1 - Clicking in the scrollbar blank space, when that succeeds, jumps the scrolled window too far - making for discontinuous viewing. When the page is a deep length (as is, say, the about:config document), the slider is so tiny that jumping one screenview exaxctly, (to the contiguous screenview) is not practicable - cannot do it. The Windows implementation, in which one click gives exactly one screenview jump, is so much more convenient to use. Is it patented by Microsoft, is that why Apple didn't use this method? Can Mozilla's GUI experts fix this, for Firefox & Thunderbird in Mac OS X?

Minor question - Why does catching the side border drag the whole window, anyway? I thought that the side border would only adjust the width of the window. Is that merely a Mac OS quirk, and can that be overridden and fixed by the Mozilla team?

Firefox 7>8>9.0.1, all revs., in Mac Mini OS X Lion (10.7.2) - .. Issue 1. - the scrollbars V & H appear to be about 1 or maybe 2 pixels wide, and on my 1600x1000 widescreen monitor, it is excruciatingly difficult to catch the scrollbar's tiny slider. The first try, even when executed carefully, nearly always drags the whole window, and does not scroll the window's contents - and it does not widen the window, either. It drags the whole window. It often takes two to five tries with very careful, very slow, approaches to the scrollbar, to catch the scrollbar instead of the border. Just the thought of ever trying this on a laptop's touchpad is a painful thing. I have reviewed about:config all the way down and all the way up, and I haven't seen any setting in there, for this. Is there any way I, the un-anointed user, can make the scrollbars wide enough to fix this aggravating feature? .. Issue 1.1 - Clicking in the scrollbar blank space, when that succeeds, jumps the scrolled window too far - making for discontinuous viewing. When the page is a deep length (as is, say, the about:config document), the slider is so tiny that jumping one screenview exaxctly, (to the contiguous screenview) is not practicable - cannot do it. The Windows implementation, in which one click gives exactly one screenview jump, is so much more convenient to use. Is it patented by Microsoft, is that why Apple didn't use this method? Can Mozilla's GUI experts fix this, for Firefox & Thunderbird in Mac OS X? Minor question - Why does catching the side border drag the whole window, anyway? I thought that the side border would only adjust the width of the window. Is that merely a Mac OS quirk, and can that be overridden and fixed by the Mozilla team?

Chosen solution

Success!! The Walnut2 for Firefox theme update v2.0.1 fixed this scrollbar usability problem (a Major Nuisance), when installed tonight, April 18, 2012. Upgrading Firefox for Mac OS X Lion starting with Firefox 6.x and updates, then 7.x, 8.x, 9.x, 10.x, and now, 11.0, had never touched this problem, which, BTW, also exists in the Finder windows in OS X Lion through Lion's update from 10.7.2 to the Apple Software Update-pushed 10.7.3 update, and including the 10.7.3 Client Combo Download patch or update that Apple provided later, to fix some of the problems encountered with the original 10.7.3 mashup. I had tried several Personas themes, as well as the Firefox Default theme and the Classic Compact theme, without noticing any improvement in the scrollbar's usability. The Walnut 2 theme has given me a scrollbar that is wide enoough and not too wide, just about as wide in pixels as the length in pixels of the double-headed arrow cursor. I also note with regret that Apple's Finder app is NOT fixed, Finder's scrollbar is still only 1 or 2 pixels wide tonight. Bummer! Maybe we can ask Mr. Alfred Kayser, who developed the Walnut theme, how to fix Finder; but that is no longer a Firefox problem, it is an OS X problem, so it is out of scope to this Forum. Walnut2 has resolved this problem, and the theme is quite nicely conceived and executed. Although, it looks not quite walnut enough, a bit light, more like Aged Oak than Walnut, to this observer, but that is a minor quibble. Many thanks to Mr. Kayser, and I will be contributing to his theme as soon as I can. He has cured this problem, for me.

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All Replies (3)

cor-el
cor-el
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  • Top 10 Contributor
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Try:

You can also try to remove the Firefox plist file (org.mozilla.firefox.plist).

Go to "Library > Preferences" and remove the plist file for Firefox (org.mozilla.firefox.plist).

FFx
FFx Question owner
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Cor-el - - Thanks! this looks like it has some good clues, BUT, in following up, my Library doesn't show me any .plist with .mozilla. in the filename. Am running Mac OS X Lion (10.7.2). FYI - The Library is one of only four (4) folders in the root level on the system partition; the system partition being labeled, Mac Mini HD. These four folders are, Applications, Library, System, Users. Library folder has a subfolder named Preferences. None of the files therein has "mozilla" anywhere in the filename. Looking further, the System folder has its own subfolder labeled, Library! It has no subfolder, Preferences. Running a Finder Search on the Mac, and again on the Mac Mini HD (root folder), I get Zero (0) results with "org.mozilla.firefox.plist." Also, with Contains ".mozilla" and with Contains ".firefox.". Will greatly appreciate a bit more hand-holding from you, if OK with you. .

Modified by FFx

FFx
FFx Question owner
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Chosen Solution

Success!! The Walnut2 for Firefox theme update v2.0.1 fixed this scrollbar usability problem (a Major Nuisance), when installed tonight, April 18, 2012. Upgrading Firefox for Mac OS X Lion starting with Firefox 6.x and updates, then 7.x, 8.x, 9.x, 10.x, and now, 11.0, had never touched this problem, which, BTW, also exists in the Finder windows in OS X Lion through Lion's update from 10.7.2 to the Apple Software Update-pushed 10.7.3 update, and including the 10.7.3 Client Combo Download patch or update that Apple provided later, to fix some of the problems encountered with the original 10.7.3 mashup. I had tried several Personas themes, as well as the Firefox Default theme and the Classic Compact theme, without noticing any improvement in the scrollbar's usability. The Walnut 2 theme has given me a scrollbar that is wide enoough and not too wide, just about as wide in pixels as the length in pixels of the double-headed arrow cursor. I also note with regret that Apple's Finder app is NOT fixed, Finder's scrollbar is still only 1 or 2 pixels wide tonight. Bummer! Maybe we can ask Mr. Alfred Kayser, who developed the Walnut theme, how to fix Finder; but that is no longer a Firefox problem, it is an OS X problem, so it is out of scope to this Forum. Walnut2 has resolved this problem, and the theme is quite nicely conceived and executed. Although, it looks not quite walnut enough, a bit light, more like Aged Oak than Walnut, to this observer, but that is a minor quibble. Many thanks to Mr. Kayser, and I will be contributing to his theme as soon as I can. He has cured this problem, for me.

Modified by FFx