Merry Dec 23rd ! Hookmark 5.0 Beta 1 is now available for download.
Introduced large but subtle UX improvements, Universal Links, Automatic backups of Hookmark’s database, and more.
We welcome all feedback!
I will update this OP later with more information. But the release notes tell the story.
A last minute glitch was introduced in the beta before release. The keyboard shortcuts for contextual menus clash with the Action menu to a last minute change on these new features. They are supposed to be unique of course.
In Beta 2, you will see the old Link menu shortcuts apply to the contextual menu for links (regardless of whether it is primary or secondary selection); new keyboard shortcuts for Title menu.
It will all be clear when you get beta 2. For now, just ignore the keyboard shortcuts in the menus that appear when you control click on title or a link. Focus on the Action menu to understand the new interactions.
In sum: the main way of interacting with Hookmark for newcomers is to use the Action menu ( sandwich menu in title bar), which acts on the primary selection.
Poll: do you want us to change the icon for the Action menu to something different to make it clearer that this is a different button from Hookmark 5’s title button? Personally, I think we should. We want the button to stand out a lot.
Poll 2: are the new button sizes too big?
Yes, I do find the new buttons way too big for my taste!
Q2: I read, and tried to understand the release notes, and sincerely, without screenshots, I found it impossible to understand what the main changes are about. (So I decided to install the beta and check it out for myself. 
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Q1: Based on 1 minute of usage of Hookmark 5, I’m not yet sure I understand the change. I see there’s less hamburger menus visible (only one for the main item in context, on top, but not for e.g. recent items), but is that it, the main change? I suggest it’d be best to respond not here on the forums, but by adding screenshots to the release notes, and pinging us here to go read them again.
thanks, a video will be worth a thousand words! Hookmark 5.0 beta 2 is available now.
Thank you. it being xmas eve,I can’t roll out a video tonight. But I have published this:
which has some notes that I hope will answer your questions. A video will be better screenshots are not enough, it’s subtle for current users. But a big improvement current users’ habits change. It blew my mind how helpful the change was.
For new users , Hookmark will behave as it should have from Day 1, so they don’t need to know the past.
I expect onboarding to be faster for new users. (Many users immediately understood Hookmark, but a % of users were slowed down by the design. The design had the advantage of being super fast once you get the hang of it. The new design adds a step ( focusing). BUT it preserves the old keyboard shortcuts, so once new users get into the swing of Hookmark, they too will be able to use the advanced direct commands that do not require focusing. I will explain more later).
I wish we had thought of this initially. Better late than never!
OK. Perhaps CogSci Apps can provide an option for button size. The bigger size is for onboarding and older and vision-impaired customers who like bigger buttons (we had received requests for them). We will also likely commission some new icons across the board.
I am closing this topic so that we focus on Beta 2, as Beta 1 is now over. Let’s continue in the new topic.