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The future Firefox UI

people.mozilla.com

61–70 of 191 posts

Re: The future Firefox UI

#61
What I don't like about these Chrome UI's is that they don't respect my OS settings. I am on Windows 7 with the classic NT skin. iTunes and Chrome are one of the few programs that don't respect this skin.

While in this case it is simple user preference, in other cases it could mean an accessibility concern, or even give room to malicious attacks: With all these custom browser skins, pop-ups over the HTML body (link destination on hover) and no clear divide between window and application, users won't clearly know the difference between interaction with the browser, and interaction with a smart malicious website.

With smart design one could make the bottom browser toolbar appear to be higher, and control the top half with your website. Fake plug-in install modal windows etc.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#62
post #35

Folk are focusing on the two changes that make this more like chrome (tabs in title bar, and apparent removal of search bar.) There's more going on here.[1] * Simplified, customizable graphical menus. No idea how well this will work, but it's only a mock-up at this point. * Removal of the forward button, merging the back button with the URL bar. * Refinement of per tab UI. In chrome you still get the browser chrome o…

I hope there's an option to put the forward button back in. I use it a lot.

If you think about it, the forward button is disabled about 80% of the time -- so it doesn't really need to always be there. The forward button isn't being removed completely; it'll just be hidden when it's not clickable. It will slide out when there's a "forward" URL available.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#63
post #35

Folk are focusing on the two changes that make this more like chrome (tabs in title bar, and apparent removal of search bar.) There's more going on here.[1] * Simplified, customizable graphical menus. No idea how well this will work, but it's only a mock-up at this point. * Removal of the forward button, merging the back button with the URL bar. * Refinement of per tab UI. In chrome you still get the browser chrome o…

I hope there's an option to put the forward button back in. I use it a lot.

Firefox's UI has always been the most customizable of any of the major browsers. You will be able to add it back in if it is taken out by default in the future. (Disclosure: I work for Mozilla but not on the UX team.)

Re: The future Firefox UI

#64
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I just hover to see where a link goes at times, but chrome's method of showing the link at the bottom after N milliseconds is more than sufficient. It doesn't need to permanently take up pixels otherwise.

Except that chrome's version obscures the navigation links in a lot of websites, which means you have to be quick to point and click in order to be able to navigate before the popup info tooltip blocks your click.

That doesn't happen (anymore?), because the popup will move out of the way of your cursor if you get close.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#66
post #16

Strongly reminiscent of Chrome, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Chrome's UI was one of the primary reasons I switched from Firefox.

And for me the Chrome UI is the primary reason I can't stand Chrome and stay with FF. Whatever they do to the default layout in FF doesn't bother me, just keep giving me the option to put it back the way I like it. So far, so good... other than needing a plug-in now to get a bottom status bar.

You don't need an add-on to get the status bar back. Just enable it: View > Toolbars > Add-on Bar.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#67
post #28
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would you want to see in another browser that would make it worth switching away from chrome?

Be faster than Chrom(ium) with regards to start up speed and JS execution. I abandoned FF after having used it since it was "Phoenix 0.1", because it had become slow and bloated, like NN had been before. Would love to switch back, but not if I can open 5 Chromium instances in the same time it takes to open one FF window.

Have you tried a new profile? A long-time user will end up with a really crufty Firefox profile. Sync will move all your data to a new profile quickly and you can see what a new profile in Firefox is like.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#68

I hope they allow people to keep the old current look if they'd like. I'm more tired of changing constantly then anything, and I love the UI in firefox now. Not that new ideas shouldn't be tried, just that what's not broken shouldn't be "fixed". And I personally don't like chrome because it seems to simple, so trying to turn into Chrome isn't going to win my vote. (but hey, it's about what the mass wants right?)

Firefox will always be the most customizable of any of the major browsers. If you don't like the default theme there are thousands of others to choose from, as there are today.

Re: The future Firefox UI

#69
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They haven't dropped it yet. Personally, I don't like this at all, because you never know what information is getting leaked to the search engine...

Actually, you do: In Chrome, you can turn off search autocompletion for the top bar. It will search history and bookmarks, but not contact Google.

Which all of 0.0003% of people will actually turn on. It's not so much about me not knowing what is being sent, it's about anything users across the web type into the url box is sent to servers somewhere. It's not information companies need to know, anonymous or not.
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