5
In terms of Google Chrome (web browser), I observed that the box where we write URLs known as omnibar. In contrast I was assuming it a address bar. Is there any significant difference between them?
rogue lad
Posted 2015-03-31T06:50:18.767
Reputation: 201
7
The omnibar (also known as omnibox) is the address bar combined with the google search box.
As browsers evolved over the years developers began to combine the address bar and the search field. The first major browser to do this was Google Chrome.
The bar at the top of Chrome is called the omnibar. Basically, the omnibar combines your regular address bar and the Google search box into one area in your browser.
The omnibar records your search history just like the search field on google.com and offers search suggestions based on worldwide aggregate data. It also shows you suggestions of web sites you have visited before as you start to type.
Source The Difference Between The Address Bar and the Google Search Field
Most modern browsers are equipped with a toolbar, featuring both a URL and a search field. While straightforward, this UI configuration can lead to some confusion and a general feeling of unnecessary complexity. The purpose of Chromium's omnibox is to merge both location and search fields while offering the user some highly relevant suggestions and / or early results.
Source User Experience > Omnibox
DavidPostill
Posted 2015-03-31T06:50:18.767
Reputation: 118 938
-2
It is puzzling and pretty much non-sense that the actual search box has now become indeed a "fake box" that dissapears at the very moment you type in, which is not exactly the natural behavior the user expects, to say the least.
Since many users find this irritating and contrary to common sense, why the hell Google is not giving any simple option to disable the automatic jumping to the address bar, allowing the user to come back to a more natural browsing experience? Simply because Google WANTS you to type your search in the url bar so that it can be recorded and used for commercial purpose.
Anyway, the problem can be solved by installing the addon “New Tab Redirect”, go the addon settings and set new tabs to open with https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&gws_rd=ssl. Then you are out of this nightmare and back to normal life. Until Google finds a new way to get that wild sheep back into the herd.
Thierry Lescaut
Posted 2015-03-31T06:50:18.767
Reputation: 1
1If you strip away the rant, you are left with a solution to something unresponsive to what was asked in the question. – fixer1234 – 2015-12-03T03:14:25.833
-2
No difference really. They just combined the search and address bar and renamed it for maximum confusion. When this first happened I had no clue it was renamed the omnibar/box, nothing had informed me of this change, hovering over the box didn't reveal a new name, it just quietly changed one day and I was left to wonder why none of my search results involving the term address bar were coming up with anything helpful. Quite idiotic.
Jax
Posted 2015-03-31T06:50:18.767
Reputation: 1
3This doesn't add anything the existing answers don't already cover – Stevoisiak – 2017-07-07T16:29:51.587
you can use it to test your keyboard and even for editing text. omnibar doesnt support bold text yet though. – Uğur Gümüşhan – 2015-04-01T05:31:45.073
@UğurGümüşhan The question was not about the supporting features of amnibox but rather the question was just to clarify the differentiation. – rogue lad – 2015-04-01T07:08:09.490