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Firefox 4.0 Goes Chrome, New UI In Q4 2010

Posted by Soulskill on from the new-and-shiny dept.

sv_libertarian writes "Mozilla recently updated its product roadmap through 2010. According to the first draft, the current browser will see a minor update in Q4 2009 and another in Q2 2010. Version 4.0 is headed for an October or November 2010 release and will bring a new user interface and browser sync integration. 'There is not much information on [what] this new user interface will look like, but the first mockups that have been posted on Mozilla's website suggest that the Mozilla team favors a Google Chrome-like design that integrates Windows 7 graphics features. Overall, window elements seem to be floating over the background.' The mockup page emphatically notes that the design is not final."

8 of 556 comments (clear)

  1. of all the things to copy from Chrome by spyrochaete · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If there's one thing I hate about Chrome it's the way the tabs replace the normal title bar functionality. It makes the window harder to drag, harder to maximize, and basically throws 25 years of Windows usability standards out the window. I expect something like this from Apple but not from Firefox (or Google for that matter).

    A nonstandard UI is the epitome of developer arrogance. The tabs-on-bottom mockup is excellent, but the tabs-on-top concept needs to die on the drawing board.

    On the flip side, if Firefox 4.0 supports some of the new Windows 7 standards like Aero Peek controls I will be very pleased!

    1. Re:of all the things to copy from Chrome by VGPowerlord · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Tabs on top makes a sense, they just shouldn't be part of the title bar.

      I say they make sense because the address bar, back button, forward button, refresh/stop buttons, and home button are all part of the current tab, rather than the browser as a whole.

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    2. Re:of all the things to copy from Chrome by man_of_mr_e · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, IE7 was originally designed with the combo stop/refresh/go button, but they recieved a ot of feedback from users that stop and start/refresh are distinct functions and should not be combined. Eventually, Microsoft relented and made stop seperate.

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  2. Why transparency? by JPLemme · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Am I the only person who thinks transparency sucks? If it's too transparent, the content can be hard to pick out from the background. And if it's only a little transparent (OS X), the menu can look like it got smudged with dirt. Are we expected to use only low-contrast, muted backgrounds?

    If I wanted to see a partially obscured, blurry version of what's behind my browser, I can just smear my glasses with Vaseline and minimize Firefox.

    1. Re:Why transparency? by sloth+jr · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I don't have mod points, otherwise you'd get them. There's zero functionality derived from transparency for UI elements.

      It doesn't look cool. It's the UI equivalent of spinners and under-chassis neon lighting.

    2. Re:Why transparency? by ProfessionalCookie · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Yup you're right! . . . Apple >> System Preferences >> Desktop & Screensaver >> Translucent Menu Bar

      My favorite thing to uncheck.

  3. Re:Tabs on top, do it NOW! by zevans · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Tabs should be down the side. A monitor (even 4:3) is too wide to read comfortably all the way across, ergo, tabs and toolbars should be on the side where they are not using screen estate that can otherwise be used effectively for browsing.

    Yes, I know Firefox does it with plugins, but I don't understand how this basic mistake can have stayed with us for what, 10 years+ of tabbed browsing...

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  4. Re:Function before form by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I do have to say, what I really want out of a browser is function, not a flashier interface.

    Make it not crash, and I don't care what it looks like.

    "Form Follows Function". It's an eternal debate.

    I'm of the team that says we can have both. Especially if they factor in software ergonomics into their design decisions. Most people don't realize it, but they like intuitive designs. Clearly, minimalism (an element of both form and function) is what is "in" for web-browser designs right now. We don't apparently need 8 menus with 20 submenus with 14 more sub-submenus, combined with 9 sections in the options menu, each with 15 subsections. We don't need 40 icons between the top of our web page and the bottom of our address bar.

    So, you can have your function (a web browser with less junk crammed into it, and therefore a lower probability of things going wrong) and I can have my form (a nice looking, easy to use minimalist web browser). Everyone wins.