Gnome 3.6 has changed the default behavior of scrollbars.

For as long as I can think, since I've started to use computers with graphical user interfaces, I've been used to clicking the empty space below (or above) a scrollbar's position indicator, in order to scroll down (or up) exactly one page.

That classic behavior has been changed in Gnome/Gtk, the new behavior is to jump to an absolute position, based on exactly where you click.

I don't like the new behavior, I believe changing the default was an unfortunate decision. I'm using multiple computers, and in my opinion, if I cannot predict the way the computer will react to clicks, because each computer might have a different default, that's a serious regression in usability.

I'm documenting how the classic behavior can be configured, thanks to Ray Strode for telling me how to:

Edit file ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini and add the following:

[Settings]
gtk-primary-button-warps-slider = false