Mozilla unveils Windows theme/UI update for Firefox 3.7/4.0
12/23/2009 02:00:00 PM
kenmouse
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Mozilla have unveiled some mockups of the Windows theme/UI updates that is scheduled to hit Firefox users over two stages - 3.7 and 4.0.
Stephen Horlander, a designer and contributor to the Mozilla project unveiled some details of the refresh.
Cornerstone to the revamp is the App Button that appears in the top-left of the mockup. Here’s what Horlander has to say about the origin of this new addition:
The new proposed approach to this problem is an App Button which is similar to the single menu approach taken by Windows 7 native applications (Paint, WordPad) and by MS Office.
According to Horlander, the App Button solves a number of issues:
It is less complex
Takes up less space
Instead of two potentially conflicting locations for menu items, there is now only one unified location
Can be placed in the upper left analogous to the Menubar paradigm it is replacing
Similar to the far more ubiquitous Office 2008/2010 + Windows 7 application menu
Reduces clutter on the Navigation Toolbar
It also creates a more flexible and rich canvas for perhaps doing some decidedly non-menu-esque things
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Firefox 4.0 and the current 3.5:
Mozilla seems to have managed to reclaim a fair bit of screen real estate with this move, which is a good thing. I like it as it really cleans up the user interface.
Expect to see a public release of Firefox 4.0 mid 2010 and the final release during the final quarter.
Stephen Horlander, a designer and contributor to the Mozilla project unveiled some details of the refresh.
Cornerstone to the revamp is the App Button that appears in the top-left of the mockup. Here’s what Horlander has to say about the origin of this new addition:
The new proposed approach to this problem is an App Button which is similar to the single menu approach taken by Windows 7 native applications (Paint, WordPad) and by MS Office.
According to Horlander, the App Button solves a number of issues:
It is less complex
Takes up less space
Instead of two potentially conflicting locations for menu items, there is now only one unified location
Can be placed in the upper left analogous to the Menubar paradigm it is replacing
Similar to the far more ubiquitous Office 2008/2010 + Windows 7 application menu
Reduces clutter on the Navigation Toolbar
It also creates a more flexible and rich canvas for perhaps doing some decidedly non-menu-esque things
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Firefox 4.0 and the current 3.5:
Mozilla seems to have managed to reclaim a fair bit of screen real estate with this move, which is a good thing. I like it as it really cleans up the user interface.
Expect to see a public release of Firefox 4.0 mid 2010 and the final release during the final quarter.
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