I find that if there's something I'll want to read later in the day, I just leave it open in a tab, and if it's something that I'll want to read some other day, I just star it, and it will appear in the "recently bookmarked" menu. The idea of using the bookmarks bar as a shelf is kind of interesting, but I think I'd still rather have the screen space.
I’m not so sure, actually, what should be the default. It’s not a easy question. I know many people who don’t use the bookmarks bar and for them it’s definitely a waste of space. It might just be a sensible to default to not display it. Those who need it and use it might also be those who (like me) know how to show and hide it.
Re: Tabs. I like the bookmarks bar because it is a lot more persistent. After a long day with a lot of open tabs it is very easy for me to accidentally close a tab I actually wanted to read or even needed to read during my regular tab cleanups. That’s why really important stuff gets promoted to the bookmarks bar.
