Nearly every browser has “hidden” preferences. Options that you can set by running a command, editing a file, or changing an entry here or there. The Safari 4 Beta, which has only been out for a few days, is no different.
Caius, of Random Genius, recently published some of these hidden preferences including:
- A way to restore the old tab bar.
- Turning off the auto-complete search bar.
- Removing Coverflow.
- …and much more.
I am not sure why you’d want to change some of these preferences (as I feel they are some of the best features of the new version of Safari), but they are there, you can if you want, and Caius shows you how.
Source: Safari 4 Hidden Preferences.

2 Comments
The people ditching the new stuff need to get with it. This is where Apple is going with everything. The tabs up top might be a bit jarring at first, but they make a lot more logical sense up there.
The one interface change that does bug me is the location of the reload button. It’s like they’re being iPhone-like for the sake of being iPhone-like. Unlike the tabs, it *doesn’t* make any more logical sense to be there than where it used to be.
I find myself “reaching” over to the left for the reload button too, but I do, ultimately, like it better there. Smaller, in place of the loading spinner, etc. I think the current toolbar is an excellent use of space. Which helps a lot on my 13″ Macbook.