[regression] "Close current tab" no longer closes pinned tabs

[ronjouch]

For years, I've been able to use Vimium command Close current tab to close any tab, including pinned tabs.

Since recently (end of March 2024 / beginning April 2024, so could be a regression in 2.1.0 or 2.1.1 or 2.1.2), Close current tab no longer closes pinned tabs. It doesn't do anything.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Bind a key to Close current tab, for example x
2. Open a tab, open a website, pin the tab (right click on the tab → Pin Tab)
3. Press x

Expected: pinned tab is closed

Actual: nothing happens, pinned tab stays open

Browser and Vimium version

• Firefox 125.0b8
• Vimium 2.1.2

[ronjouch]

@philc oh, I see this was intentional in https://github.com/philc/vimium/pull/4365 / #4359 !

I find the "maximal consistency" reasoning dubious / mis-aligned with what I (and I would expect other users) expect from Vimium, a "do more things with a keypress" extension.

Okay, Ctrl+W ignores pinned tabs. But that's native Ctrl+W, not Vimium! I use Vimium precisely for keyboard ergnomics, and this change degrades these very ergonomics, by:

• either forcing me to reach for the mouse
• or hitting Alt+F, then C to invoke Firefox's File → Close Tab menu entry
• or calling Vimium "Pin or unpin current tab", then calling Vimium "Close Tab"

... neither of which are remotely as fluid as a single Vimium keypress 😕.

I understand the rationale of Firefox, they have their reasons to do it and not to have an option. But wanting to close a pinned tab is an action a user might want, and Vimium actually enables me to do it with one Vimium keybinding, while Firefox native Ctrl+W won't. It's a gain for a keyboard-focused extension!

What about adding an option to RemoveTab, or add a new RemoveTabEvenIfPinned command? Alternatively, is there a way for me to create & bind a Vimium action to "Unpin current tab (idempotent, working even if not pinned), then call Close Tab"?

Thanks for Vimium.

[theperiscope]

Vimium's X previous behavior of closing pinned tabs was great, and very frequently used by me. Overall, I find Firefox's behavior on not not letting users close pinned tabs with keyboard shorcut severely limiting and unintuitive.

I hope it comes back in Vimium, at least via setting.

[theperiscope]

I'd love to see the feature back. I often temporarily pin/unpin tabs while I work in another tab and move between them with keyboard - allows me to maximize what I see on the screen. In my case, closing tab is always desired and Vimium was a breath of fresh air to the default Firefox behavior.