If Firefox 3 drops Vista look

[1Frothy]

Someone tell me this is speculation and not actually true.

"Firefox 3 drops Vista look" Windows Weekly with Paul Thurrott.

If Mozilla chooses to drop the native Vista look for Firefox 3. I will be dropping Firefox 3.

Just like Paul Thurrott, I'm re-evaluating why it really is necessary for me to have two browsers. Really, why? If Mozilla can't make an application to suit the look and feel of my Operating System then why should I bother with their product? I'm over the stage where I feel somehow better because I use browser 'A' instead of browser 'B'.

Edited February 24, 2008 by Barney

[HawkMan]

I thought one of the major things with FF3 was that they where going with native looks for all the major formats, Mac, WinXP and WinVista.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Define native look. Do you mean the Vista icon theme? That's going to land with beta 4.

Did you expect Firefox to adopt a glass look and feel like IE7 under Vista? That was never planned.

[1Frothy]

Define native look. Do you mean the Vista icon theme? That's going to land with beta 4.

Did you expect Firefox to adopt a glass look and feel like IE7 under Vista? That was never planned.

Clearly myself, and others including Paul Thurrott thought that Firefox 3 would have a native feel in Vista and not just unrepresentative 'gel' icons.

Define native look. Do you mean the Vista icon theme? That's going to land with beta 4.

Did you expect Firefox to adopt a glass look and feel like IE7 under Vista? That was never planned.

Perhaps Mephistopheles I can direct you to this link and mockup.

[CloudEngineer]

looks fine as it is

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Clearly myself, and others including Paul Thurrott thought that Firefox 3 would have a native feel in Vista and not just unrepresentative 'gel' icons.

Perhaps Mephistopheles I can direct you to this link and mockup.

That's a mockup of the 'Places' organiser. Yep. I don't recall MozillaCorp to plan to skin the browser itself like that under Vista though. Besides, Firefox 3 uses native menus and toolbars, and will soon have the Vista icon theme... so what was your problem again?

[1Frothy]

@ 'Mephistopheles' What they're showing in the mockup is a Vista native look, and it sounds like that idea has now been dropped. So that's my issue. I don't want a browser that looks out of place in Vista.

[HawkMan]

Mephisto:

There was a new post on Neowin some time ago about FF3 and how they where going with native looks for all the major platforms to be less confusing and fit in better witht he platfom instead of being some annoying app that won't fit in. The look of places was just an example of how FF would look natively on Vista.

So yeah, there was plans to go with native looks, and there was much rejoicing.

as for your troll comment, is was a valid question, this poll assumes everyone allready use FF3, I don't simply because it is badly coded.

[Argi]

The only thing that bugs me is that horribly ugly grey/blue gradiant behind the toolbars in Firefox 2, and from what I saw it's the same in Firefox 3 - ugh. The sooner they adopt a style similar to IE7 the better (or that mockup posted above - thats slick).

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Mephisto:

There was a new post on Neowin some time ago about FF3 and how they where going with native looks for all the major platforms to be less confusing and fit in better witht he platfom instead of being some annoying app that won't fit in. The look of places was just an example of how FF would look natively on Vista.

So yeah, there was plans to go with native looks, and there was much rejoicing.

as for your troll comment, is was a valid question, this poll assumes everyone allready use FF3, I don't simply because it is badly coded.

Ok, point me to the Bugzilla entry where a change of look and feel similar to the Places mockup was discussed for the browser itself then please.

As to the Troll comment: It was justified because your post added nothing constructive to the discussion.

[ahmz]

I use Firefox because it works, and suits my needs. I don't really care what it looks like.

[digitalsoft]

It certainly would annoy me if they drop this but i'm sure i'll still use it.

[Buzz99]

There's must be something about changing the look of firefox....let me see....AH! yes, I remember, it's called skins !!!!

:) :) :)

[That Guy Veteran]

I used Firefox before but found it ugly and unattractive (and memory problems). It's not a matter of 'shall I continue to use it' but more, 'shall I start to use it again'.

If it's not about looks - go back to Win 95. I want a browser that is visually appealling, not something that looks like plain and boring.

[HawkMan]

Ok, point me to the Bugzilla entry where a change of look and feel similar to the Places mockup was discussed for the browser itself then please.

As to the Troll comment: It was justified because your post added nothing constructive to the discussion.

I'll just point you here : https://www.neowin.net/news/main/07/10/21/f...visual-makeover

Also you may want to grow a funny bone, and then maybe if you think a litle you may realize that your troll comment contributes even less to the discission, and thus callign someone a troll by deifnition is more trollish.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

There's must be something about changing the look of firefox....let me see....AH! yes, I remember, it's called skins !!!!

:) :) :)

Gosh, it's not like skins haven't been a feature of Firefox since it was still called Phoenix.

@Sazz181: To me usability is the primary factor. Looks are secondary. Firefox 3 finds a good balance between both in my opinion - on all supported platforms, not just Windows.

[Buzz99]

ehhh...That was irony.....

[HawkMan]

ehhh...That was irony.....

his irony/sarcasm detector is broken.

and in any case, skins may be well and good, but there are thigns that go beyond skins. and reuglar users don't really care to go hunting for skins and such. first impressions are everything. and every decent app especially soemthign as graphically simple as a web browser should initioally at least it right in with the graphical style of the OS it's used on.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

I'll just point you here : https://www.neowin.net/news/main/07/10/21/f...visual-makeover

Also you may want to grow a funny bone, and then maybe if you think a litle you may realize that your troll comment contributes even less to the discission, and thus callign someone a troll by deifnition is more trollish.

Once again: The blog post referenced in the news article only shows the Places Organiser mockup. Not the browser itself. The OS integration of Firefox 3 means: Use native menus and toolbars, and a icon theme to fit with the Aero design. It's going to look like this:

(Taken from Bug 416531 in Bugzilla, which Bug 405605 linked to.)

Lastly: You're the one who needs to grow a funny bone, not I.

ehhh...That was irony.....

Well gee, I wouldn't have noticed that if you hadn't pointed it out. :p

[Buzz99]

Everybody, not so long ago was going "Firefox is way better than Internet explorer...", "Firefox fastest browser of all ", "Get Firefox, the most customizable browser out there...". So now just because the look is not so integrated with the os, it is not so great. I use it because I find it better to suit my needs than IE. What's the big thing with the way it looks now ?. People just don't know what they want. Look like the os or not, I'll still use it just because I find it better. That's a quite simple reason.

btw: What about using Safari on Windows...Talking about theme integration there..... (sarcasm) :(

Edited February 16, 2008 by buzz99

[Salgoth]

his irony/sarcasm detector is broken.

and in any case, skins may be well and good, but there are thigns that go beyond skins. and reuglar users don't really care to go hunting for skins and such. first impressions are everything. and every decent app especially soemthign as graphically simple as a web browser should initioally at least it right in with the graphical style of the OS it's used on.

WHY? Do you honestly think the average 20 minute a day internet user truly notices whether a application in "natively themed" or just looks "similar". Same goes for the gamer who spends 4+ hours per day fragging online. Neither user group is going to lose any sleep that the browser they use isn't "natively themed".

Personally I think that anyone who would put forth the idea of dropping FF3 for IE7, or any other software, because its not "natively themed" is either:

• a Microsoft shill or fanboy
  
• anal retentive and in need of a good enema
  
• obsessive-compulsive and needs to go take their pills
  

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Where did people get the idea that the Mozilla guys were going to back out all the changes they made?

And Firefox has supported skins for years, you'd seriously not use the browser because you dislike the default theme?

[Calum Veteran]

btw: What about using Safari on Windows...Talking about theme integration there..... (irony again) :(

Dude, it's called "sarcasm", not "irony"...

On topic:

I agree with The_Decrypter, although I would like a nice default theme from Mozilla for once :/ although they never said they would have Areo transparent toolbars and menubar in Firefox 3, I'd like to see that! If not, then I hope they at least keep thier plan to have seperate Vista and XP icons.

[sparkyewu]

I think the problem is not that you could theme firefox. The problem is that Mozilla used the words nativily themed as one of the major features of Firefox 3. Now, it won't stop me from using firefox. But if you look at the great work they did for linux (at least gnome) and mac os x to make firefox look great on those platforms, you can understand how some folks may be disappointed the windows version will just get slightly different colored icons.

[acies]

If Mozilla chooses to drop the native Vista look for Firefox 3. I will be dropping Firefox 3.

What?? If a native Vista look is all you want then why do you bother using Firefox at all?? IE7 fits the look of Vista, use that. The looks of an application should not be the deciding factor, especially when your system already comes with a browser of it's own that, obviously, fits the look of your OS.