Firefox 4.0: The First Screenshots
Last week, a few themes for the upcoming Firefox 3.7 browser were unveiled on MozillaWiki. But what’s next? The first published screenshots which show the design of the Firefox 4.0 browser does not need to be commented. Firefox 4.0 graphical user interface could have surprises, at least for Windows users. The Firefox 4.0 designs proposed on Mozilla Wiki for “ brainstorming / exploration only”, introduce you to the future of web browsing based on Firefox: tabs-on-bottom version is similar with the one proposed for Firefox 3.7, while tabs-on-top design is approximately the same as Chrome browser GUI.
Firefox 4.0 GUI Design Screenshot: Tabs-On-Bottom Version
In case of the Tabs-On Bottom Firefox 4.0 design allows for the possibility of adding a “Bookmarks widget as an upfront replacement for the Bookmarks menu/Bookmarks toolbar (option to turn those on would remain).”
Firefox 4.0 GUI Design Screenshot: Tabs-On-Bottom Version
The design of Firefox 4.0 browser based on the tabs-on-bottom concept has both positive and negative aspects:
Positives
-Save Vertical Space
-Efficiency/Remove Visual Complexity - Right now the tabs have to be connected to something. So we are adding an extra visual element for them to connect to.
-Shorter Mouse Distance to Page Controls
Negatives
-Breaks Consistency/Familiarity - Moving things confuses existing users.
-Title is MIA - With the space removed from the titlebar you only get the truncated version in the tab.
-Longer Mouse Distance to Tabs - Takes longer to mouse to a tab.
-Lost Space - Sandwiched in between the application icon and the window widgets you lose some space.
Quite interesting is the combo button situated in the right side of the address bar (location bar). It has three functions associated with the following navigation actions: Go, Stop and Refresh. This button will be definitely enjoyed by the users who will renounce to Internet Explorer, making easier their transition to Firefox 4.0.
In each case, the Firefox 4.0 combo button will show a different color, as well as in case of the default rest state and on hover:
-Turns green when you start typing.
-Blends with the location bar when at rest.
-Turns blue on hover.
-Turns red when a page is loading.
According to CNET NEWS, Mozilla does not planning to ship Firefox 4.0 this year. But we will definitely see at least version 3.7 stable of Firefox browser, which will come with a new revolutionary GUI (Graphical User Interface), prototyping the upcoming Firefox 4.0 design.
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