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This feature allows the user to easily load two websites side by side, which can be highly effective for needing two separate tabs on the screen for various purposes. Effectively, it creates the same benefits of having two browser windows open and utilizing MacOS's split screen feature.

I have often used this feature during two instances:

  1. While on a video conference call (such as Google Meet). Half of my screen is the google meet tab, while the other tab is a notes document where I am taking meeting notes.

  2. While performing research. The first tab is my research notes document, while the other tab is for searching and reading links from search engines.

I have been using this feature on the Arc browser and Edge browser for the past year, and I can confidently say that it's one of the defining features that keep bringing me back to these browsers. The best execution I have seen is in the Arc browser, where you can Option + Click on any link and automatically open it in the screen split screen mode alongside the currently open window.

I would love for Orion to adopt this idea.

    Merged 2 posts from Splitscreen Mode.

      I liked the expose mockup from the website, and behavior wise perhaps similar to SigmaOS where you can drag and drop (and or show a separate section in the tabs to indicate the split view slots in the tab bar as well) into the "slot" of the layout in the split view anytime you wanted.

      But anything that you all do would be greatly appreciated.

        22 days later

        please don't make it limited to 2 splits, I have 32:9 monitor and even maximum of 4 splits in arc is sometimes limiting for me. Arc does it great, similar to how Vim handles splits. So each tab has its own split. This way you can have multiple tabs that each have their own splits and you can switch between them.

          21 days later

          Just wanted to give a big +1 to this one. Lack of split view is the only reason I stick to Arc at work where I have a big screen and need to do a lot of research with two or more tabs side by side.

          • Vlad replied to this.

            Vlad Sorry, you didn't ask me, but I will also reply to this:
            It's because in Arc you can have a tab with multiple splits, and you can go back and forth between this tab with splits and another full screen tab, if you have two windows side by side, you have to have a separate window for fullscreen tabs, or to resize the window all the time, and window management on mac isn't that great. Also opening a tab in a split view in arc is just option+enter, super easy, wish more browsers had this feature.

              I've been trying not to get frustrated with the lack of response and support in this thread, but I am, so I apologize in advance.

              Vlad Why use tabs when we could just use new windows? Why implement ad-blocking when users can just close their eyes? Why use a browser at all when curl exists?

              A browser having features is nice, that's why we're here and trying to improve the Orion browser with you. If this is a feature you don't want to or can't implement, then that's fine, but just say that instead of dragging this highly-voted issue along for 3 years with no actual progress. Asking questions like this is just insulting to your users who care enough to try and help you provide a better product.

              I'm a software engineer myself and know what it's like working on public projects, so I'm sorry to show my frustration like this. I do appreciate all the effort that has gone into this project, but I've noticed a pattern in this thread and several other popular issues that brought me to this point. I'll also note that this no longer affects me personally - I've stopped using Orion because I would rather support a project that actually takes community feedback seriously. So if you want to ignore this feedback as well, that's also fine. Thank you for your work on the project and apologies again for my tone, but I hope you can understand my frustration as a user who once cared about this project.

                  Vlad

                  Thanks for asking! I will pretty much repeat what @dderg said:
                  1) Fullscreen window management in MacOs is (unfortunately) still a bit cumbersome.
                  2) The use case for having two tabs side by side, however, is quite often short-case and should be quick: like opening a search result on the side while still keeping an eye on the other search results.
                  3) For scenarios that are "longer-term" (like browsing for information in one tab and filling it into forms in another tab), being able to go back and forth between split tabs and other tabs (or other splits) would be great.
                  4) MacOs allows only two apps sharing full screen, while on big screen more tab splits can be useful.

                      otaway No worries, I interpret frustration as passion. We are tackling some pretty large issues in the current RC release, including compact tabs and hopefully this will come to fruition soon.

                      I know this does not mean much but this may be new information for some: For comparison Arc has a 40+ people team, working on top of Chromium which provides a lot browser app by default. Orion is a 3 person team building a browser from scratch (no equivalent of Chromium for WebKit, every button, every menu item, every interaction, every setting has to be coded from scratch). So we have a two orders of magnitude worse relative position, (and did I mention this browser is funded only by users - about 780 of them at this point) - we are trying to compensate all this mostly with passion. Just to align expectations.

                          I only brought up Arc as a good example splits implementation, as a reference. To elaborate on one of earlier messages, I think good comparison are splits in vim and splits in any other text editor, for example vscode. Splits in vim are the main reason I cannot use any other text editor or IDE.

                            a month later

                            Vlad I just want to comment after reading your response. I did not know that Orion had such a small team and a relatively small user base. To think... despite any shortcomings, I always considered Orion as robust and usable as any of the other browsers. The idea that its resources are constrained is not apparent whatsoever to the average user. Three people? That is incredible.

                            While I don't have split screen like I asked, I am constantly impressed by so many other elements of the browser. Hats off to you.

                                2 months later

                                I agree with @agent42b that this amazing. I am using Orion as my default browser and loving it. Literally the only thing I could think of that could be better was the split view (hence me replying here). Amazing team!!! Kudos to @Vlad and the team!!!

                                  a month later

                                  Would like to second this request.

                                  Orion is a great browser and I've moved to it as my default, but I've kept Arc purely for this feature and would love to see this implemented at some point.

                                  a month later

                                  I'm ditching Arc because of it's incredible power consumption and my M1 Air battery can't handle it anymore. I hate that I've to carry charger with me when I'm going somewhere. So i'm trying out Orion. I would love to see split view as it's one of major features in Arc. How's going with this feature?

                                  • Vlad replied to this.
                                    a month later

                                    A sidebar for a website, where you can add any website, including chatgpt, poe, perplexity, etc, but also basically any website - some thing like new AI Sidebar in firefox.

                                    I would use it to open chatgpt or perplexity side by side with my current tab to get context of open website and to quickly get summary, or any question from AI chat. This could be used to open other apps, like youtube, redit or twitter, etc.

                                      Merged 1 post from Sidebar with web apps.

                                        RihardsVeters I know that this seems pretty identical to split view, but I wouldn't call it that way - this is separate feature. This is sticked to sidebar and can be opened at any time, next to any other tab or even split view. So that's separate "browser" tab, just in sidebar.