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God how I hate modal dialogs!

Have you ever filled some info on some website and got a page showing your new username and password? You then open a login page in another tab, and you figure that you have to go back to the previous tab to copy/paste the username or the password in order to log in successfully because they are too hard to remember. Guess what — you can't!

Be it Firefox, Internet Exlporer or Opera it will stuff a modal prompt in your face and you won't be able to switch tabs!

Even if you opened the login page in the same tab you still won't be able to scroll that page to reach the info you need because the modal prompt prevents you from accessing main application window.

Another example is the Windows Shutdown dialog — Oh noez, the world is coming to an end, don't let the user touch anything!

Why the developers make those dialogs and prompts modal?!? It beats me. In my opinion modal dialogs and prompts are evil — they are defeating the purpose of multiple document or tabbed interface and multi-tasking. If they really need to remind users that they cannot continue until they deal with some dialog or prompt then make it a topmost window with the ability to be minimized so it doesn't interfere with your workflow.

Why Windows Shutdown dialog blocks everything is also beyond me — there are some brief tasks which can be easily forgotten before hitting Shutdown like:

  • Dismounting a volume
  • Safely removing hardware
  • Setting the volume control to low so your neighbours don't go deaf on the next boot
  • Writing yourself a short note to remind you to do something tomorrow
  • Saving a document you mistakenly left open
  • ...

So, what are you waiting for? Say NO to modal dialogs and prompts now!!!