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Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

extremetech.com

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Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#31

Post by debacle »

generateui wrote: post #25
debacle wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell that to anyone who uses their PC for programming, document creation, graphics design, or is comfortable with the command line.

I have been using webapps for said tasks more and more. Many tasks performed using a webapp do not yet have compelling advantages. But soon they will get them, I think. To name a bold example, http://C9.io : Not yet bringing many compelling advantages, but the tipping point is close.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I can't stand using a webapp for something that should be a desktop app. I just don't get the responsiveness I need. It's like using Photoshop without a mouse.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#32

Post by minikomi »

generateui wrote: post #25
debacle wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell that to anyone who uses their PC for programming, document creation, graphics design, or is comfortable with the command line.

I have been using webapps for said tasks more and more. Many tasks performed using a webapp do not yet have compelling advantages. But soon they will get them, I think. To name a bold example, http://C9.io : Not yet bringing many compelling advantages, but the tipping point is close.

c9 has one big advantage - before I was granted admin privileges at work, it allowed me to get started with some node work without having to install anything.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#33

Post by munchor »

My issue with this interface is the following:

You either have round tabs or rectangular tabs. Firefox used to have rectangular tabs, Chrome has rounded ones.

The new Firefox ones has, well, I don't know. It's a mix of both, please choose one, and I prefer rectangular. Seriously, they are mixing rounded and rectangular, it's ugly.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#34

Post by sho_hn »

kijin wrote: post #29
conradfr wrote: post #27

You know I don't use Chrome (which is sooo fast) partly because I don't like its UX (especially the tab design). Copying it will not gain back the lost market share, it will only give more reason to use Chrome.

The only difference between Chrome's tab design and Firefox's is that Chrome's tabs have rounded corners and Firefox's tabs are rectangular. You refuse to use a browser because it has rounded corners? Really? Anyway, there will probably be add-ons to bring back the rectangular look if enough people prefer it to the rounded look. If I were a real fan of Firefox's current look, I'd be more worried about the big orange…

> The only difference between Chrome's tab design and Firefox's is that Chrome's tabs have rounded corners and Firefox's tabs are rectangular.

While I'm overall not a fan of Chrome's UI and this may speak correctly to the present state of affairs, I feel there's something worth adding to give credit to Chrome for advancing the state of the art: They implemented a bunch of smart behaviors Firefox later copied. Good piece on this: http://www.theinvisibl.com/2009/12/08/chrometabs/

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#35

Post by sho_hn »

sirn wrote: post #10

I've been wondering about this for a while: what's with the large back button? Back when it was introduced, it was cool because back button was the most often-use one of all nav buttons (next, reload, stop, home) but now they're reduced to one, large back buttons just doesn't seems to make any sense anymore. Are they still doing it as a part of Firefox UI identity or is there any (recent) usability research on this?

You kind of allude to this with the identity bit, but to spell it out I remember reading in their docs that part of the original motivation for the large button was the idea to establish a cross-platform "keyhole shape" element (formed together with the forward button) there to identify Firefox by.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#36

Post by generateui »

debacle wrote: post #31
generateui wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been using webapps for said tasks more and more. Many tasks performed using a webapp do not yet have compelling advantages. But soon they will get them, I think. To name a bold example, http://C9.io : Not yet bringing many compelling advantages, but the tipping point is close.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I can't stand using a webapp for something that should be a desktop app. I just don't get the responsiveness I need. It's like using Photoshop without a mouse.

I had that experience a few years ago, when javascript execution engines where not optimized yet for speed. Today, I have the same experience with apps built using flash, where there is an annoying delay when hovering/clicking. A mature webapp running on a fast javascript engine does not give me any noticable delay. The "feel" is just the same as a native app.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#37

Post by sho_hn »

kibwen wrote: post #19
sho_hn wrote: post #4

Web-based live demos of the new UI: Linux: http://people.mozilla.com/~shorlander/files/australis-design... OS X: http://people.mozilla.com/~shorlander/files/australis-design... Windows 7: http://people.mozilla.com/~shorlander/files/australis-design...

Note that these demos are early mockups from September 2011. Some details of the UI are bound to have changed since then.

Are you sure? I do remember a mockup from that timeframe that showed all platforms on one page, and was static rather than interactive. Given the greater sophistication in these and the fact that they're still linked from their wiki (https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Features/Theme_Refinement_a...) I had assumed these to be recent.

Edit: The older set I was referring to: http://people.mozilla.com/~shorlander/ux-presentation/ux-pre...

Edit2: The OP links were added to that wiki page in an early March 2012 revision.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#38

Post by Avshalom »

sirn wrote: post #10

I've been wondering about this for a while: what's with the large back button? Back when it was introduced, it was cool because back button was the most often-use one of all nav buttons (next, reload, stop, home) but now they're reduced to one, large back buttons just doesn't seems to make any sense anymore. Are they still doing it as a part of Firefox UI identity or is there any (recent) usability research on this?

Branding aside it's usual a good idea to make the most used elements of the UI big, it makes them easy to click.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#39

Post by conradfr »

kijin wrote: post #29
conradfr wrote: post #27

You know I don't use Chrome (which is sooo fast) partly because I don't like its UX (especially the tab design). Copying it will not gain back the lost market share, it will only give more reason to use Chrome.

The only difference between Chrome's tab design and Firefox's is that Chrome's tabs have rounded corners and Firefox's tabs are rectangular. You refuse to use a browser because it has rounded corners? Really? Anyway, there will probably be add-ons to bring back the rectangular look if enough people prefer it to the rounded look. If I were a real fan of Firefox's current look, I'd be more worried about the big orange…

Well yes, it's a detail but it's in my face all day long. Also, on XP (that I still use at work ...) it has that ugly xp-esque blue.

Re: Firefox Australis: One browser interface to rule them all

#40

Post by kibwen »

sho_hn wrote: post #37
kibwen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that these demos are early mockups from September 2011. Some details of the UI are bound to have changed since then.

Are you sure? I do remember a mockup from that timeframe that showed all platforms on one page, and was static rather than interactive. Given the greater sophistication in these and the fact that they're still linked from their wiki ( https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Features/Theme_Refinement_a... ) I had assumed these to be recent. Edit: The older set I was referring to: http://people.mozilla.com/~shorlander/ux-pres…

Ah, I must have been confusing these with Stephen Horlander's early mockups. Thanks for the detective work.
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