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Firefox Demos Prototype Metro Interface

Posted by Unknown on from the still-not-completely-sold dept.

In order to provide an alternative to IE on Windows 8, Firefox needs a Metro UI. Luckily, development of a Metro interface for Firefox is well underway. The current build reuses the Android interface XUL (by virtue of being based on Fennec). The latest test release features lots of platform integration support: "We have Metro snap working, you can snap another Metro app to the right or left of Firefox and continue browsing. We also have HTML file input controls tied up to the Metro file picker. ... implemented the Windows 8 search contract, you can use the Search Charm from any screen on Windows 8. If you enter a URL, it will be loaded. If you enter anything else, it will be searched in your default search engine. We also implemented the Windows 8 share contract, you can use the Share Charm from any Firefox page to share that page to another application. Once you select the Share Charm it will list the applications you can share to, for example: Mail, Twitter, or Facebook." If you're interested in following development, the team has made a Mercurial repository available. Further background is provided by the first and second posts in the series.

6 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sharing data between Metro and desktop versions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's pretty hilariously bad.

    Well, at least MS is being honest with their branding. Check out the new W8 flag - http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/02/17/redesigning-the-windows-logo.aspx.

    Compare it to this one - http://move.shetland.org/images/shetland-flag-thumb.jpg.

    That's right, they've chosen the Shetland Islands flag for their Shetland pony OS...

  2. Re:Sharing data between Metro and desktop versions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You do know there are thousands of developers working on the Windows platform. I'm pretty sure they can fix redundancies.

  3. Slashdot Screenshot by Bucky24 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Anyone else notice that in one of the screenshots of the new interface the browser is showing slashdot?

    (You'll have to read TFA to see it though)

    --
    All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
  4. Re:Sharing data between Metro and desktop versions by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Funny

    You do know there are thousands of developers working on the Windows platform. I'm pretty sure they can fix redundancies.

    That's brilliant, you have a wicked sense of irony!

    It reminds me of the Vista Shutdown Menu story http://moishelettvin.blogspot.com/2006/11/windows-shutdown-crapfest.html

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  5. Re:And the march continues by PNutts · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hybrid desktop/Metro browsers

    If an app goes both ways does that make it Metrosexual?

  6. Re:Sharing data between Metro and desktop versions by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have you ever seen the ratio of dong to pony on those things? Perhaps they're trying to tell us something.

    Massive cock-up?

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    Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.