While filling any form if we accidentally push the backspace button, the Google Chrome browser instantly navigates to previous page. This default behavior turns the backspace key into an irritant. Fortunately, Chrome has come up with a solution for it.
Chrome To Stop Page Roll Back
The change in design will be visible in Chrome 52. The version, however, is currently only available as an unstable “Developer” version. Going by the reports of Google Project’s development calendar, the stable version of Chrome 52 is estimated for release on July 26, 2016.
Google’s developer Ojan Vafai explained why the backspace behavior—which takes its roots from older browsers like Netscape Navigator—would be removed:
We have UseCounters showing that 0.04 percent of page views navigate back via the backspace button and 0.005 percent of page views are after a form interaction.
The latter are often cases where the user loses data. Years of user complaints have been enough that we think it’s the right choice to change this given the degree of pain users feel by losing their data and because every platform has another keyboard combination that navigates back.
He further added,
The team has implemented the change via a flag, so that it could be reverted “should there be sufficient outcry.
The change was not well received by many hardcore users who prefer backspace-powered navigation. They believe, the alternatives—pressing Alt+Left or clicking the Back button in the top left corner of the window proves to be a task and causes great inconvenience.
To overcome this, Google is working to release an extension that will allow users to restore this behavior. Users ill equipped with the feature knowledge, fearing the loss of data or finding it difficult to understand the behavior of the shortcut can disable it via flags.
