Google's browser finally got rid of one of its most frustrating features
Chrome has removed the keyboard shortcut that makes the "backspace" key return to the previous page.
This "feature" caused problems for many people who would inadvertently lose a whole bunch of information that they had just entered into a form.
For example, if you were filling out a survey or other web form and pressed the backspace key when you weren't actually focused in one of the text boxes, Chrome interpreted the backspace as a "back" button which would cause you to lose all of the data you had just entered.
Google engineers wrote last month, when they first announced that the fix was coming at the end of July, that years of user complaints have finally driven them to get rid of the shortcut.
Although some hardcore shortcut fans have complained heartily about this move, Google engineers said that the number of people suffering, plus the relative ease of switching back, make the change worth it.
"We're definitely aware of the frustration that this causes users who have come to rely on the shortcut," a Google product manager, Tyler Odean, writes. "However for users who *don't* understand the behavior of the shortcut, which is the majority of users, the loss of data is also super frustrating and they are less equipped to understand or prevent their frustrations."
People who like the shortcut can either switch to using other ones (like alt+left arrow on Windows, command+left arrow on Mac) or install a Chrome extension that makes backspace go back again.
This fix has officially started rolling out for Chrome users and a spokesperson tells us it should be "at 100% soon."