Last summer, Mozilla shared a glimpse at their plans for an updated Firefox interface. Originally thought to be shaping up for a debut in Firefox 9, Australis turned out to be more of a long-term project that will surface gradually in upcoming versions.
Perhaps the most obvious change is the disappearance of the oft-maligned big orange button. The Firefox menu button was one of the more contentious changes introduced in Firefox 4, but its tenure may be short-lived. Its removal — when coupled with the curvier tabs – has Firefox looking more like Google Chrome than ever.
There are plenty of differences, of course. Mozilla has opted for a more user-friendly graphical drop-down menu instead of a text-based laundry list like the one in Chrome. The download progress bar has also been smartly
integrated into the main toolbar, and a bookmark menu is available, too. That’s an option Chrome still lacks, much to the chagrin of some power users.
The Firefox new tab page is also set for an overhaul, taking cues from Opera and allowing users to add new pages to the dashboard by clicking on an empty cell. Firefox will offer up suggestions based on browsing habits. Web apps can be pinned, too — such as those you’ll be able to install from the Mozilla Marketplace.
There’s also a new configuration page in the works. Pull up firefox:customize and you’ll be presented with a one-stop shop for tweaking your browser. In addition to a handful of themes, the updated Australis design also integrates menu and toolbar customization options — which are currently presented in a pop-out window.
It also looks like Firefox will be getting built-in translation, another Chrome-inspired feature. Mozilla plans to put a different spin on things, however, by allowing users to translate either the entire page or a specific block of text (by way of the right-click context menu).
So, Geek readers, what do you think of Australis ? Is it a step in the right direction, or does it look like Firefox is losing its identity?
source: http://www.geek.com/
source: http://www.geek.com/
