14 July 2025 Show full articles

#1764: Deep dive into Web browser navigation aids, revealing the user Library folder, origin of the crayon color picker, 20 years of Mac control panels

This week, Adam Engst explores the history and evolution of Web browser navigation aids from multiple windows to bookmarks, tabs, and pinned tabs. He goes on to examine how different browsers handle pinned tabs and provides recommendations for various user types. Also in this issue, Adam explains how to keep the user Library folder permanently visible in macOS. In ExtraBITS, we continue to look back into history with links to John Calhoun’s origin story of the Mac’s crayon color picker and Marcin Wichary’s interactive journey through 20 years of Mac control panels. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 8.11.1, Audio Hijack 4.5.2, and DEVONthink 4.0.2.

Apple hides the user’s Library folder by default, but an obscure method to show it permanently lets you avoid pressing Option to access it in the Finder’s Go menu.

Our recent tab management poll revealed that many readers don’t fully understand pinned tabs and thus aren’t taking advantage of them. Adam Engst takes a deep look at the history and goals of Web navigation to explain where pinned tabs came from, why many people don’t use them, and how usage varies by browser.

Watchlist

Brings a smattering of bug fixes and improvements to the password manager. ($35.88 annual subscription, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 12+)

Adds support for the Zoho Meeting desktop app as a VoIP audio source. ($64 new, free update, 32.4 MB, macOS 14.4+)

Maintenance release for the recently upgraded document and information manager. ($99 new, free update, 83.1 MB, macOS 13+)

ExtraBITS

This charming behind-the-scenes story reveals how Apple’s whimsical crayon color picker was born from one engineer’s creative impulse—and how hiding poetry in the code nearly ended his career.

Through working emulators and clever interactive elements, Frame of Preference brings two decades of Mac control panel history to life, offering both a nostalgic journey and insights into Apple’s interface design evolution.

#1764: Deep dive into Web browser navigation aids, revealing the user Library folder, origin of the crayon color picker, 20 years of Mac control panels

How to Keep the User Library Folder Visible in macOS

Do You Use It? Revisiting Websites with Windows, Bookmarks, Tabs, and Pinned Tabs

Watchlist

1Password 8.11.1

Audio Hijack 4.5.2

DEVONthink 4.0.2

ExtraBITS

The Origin of the Crayon Color Picker

Marcin Wichary’s Frame of Preference Explores 20 Years of Mac Control Panels