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Initial Windows Theme Mockups for Firefox 4.0

These are NOT FINAL! THEY ARE ONLY FOR BRAINSTORMING/EXPLORATION!

Version A - Tabs-on-Bottom

Mockup-4-0-Vista-(TabsBottom).png

Possibly add a Bookmarks widget as an upfront replacement for the Bookmarks menu/Bookmarks toolbar (option to turn those on would remain).

Version B - Tabs-on-Top

Mockup-4-0-Vista-(TabsTop)-(LocBarSearch).png

The more contentious Tabs-on-Top concept.

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.

Combo Stop/Refresh/Go Button.

Mockup-4-0-Vista-(TabsBottom)-(LocBar).png

Attached at the end of the location bar.

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.

The proposed iconography is mostly colorless. Adding color to these temporary action driven buttons will make it more obvious something is going on.

Source: Mozilla Wiki

Is it just me or is Mozilla trying to copy almost every element of the Google Chrome design?

chrome_tabs_on_top.jpg

NOTE: These mockups are different than the 3.7 ones posted last week. Compare then here.

Edited by revreddy
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I love how Version B looks. (Though the Firefox logo should be bigger. Looks odd how it is now.) Personally I hate how Firefox looks now (yes, I know it's customisable), but if that's how v4.0 turns out, it'll become the best looking browser.

Also, you should've shown an Aero screenshot of Chrome. It looks a lot better without the blue frame ( :x ).

Version A mockup is the one that we saw last week. Version B is a newer mockup, that basically mimics Chrome.

Nah version A is different from what we saw last week. What we saw last week didn't have the combined stop/refresh/go to the right of the address bar.

I like the tabs on top. I've been trying to get Firefox 3.5 to do this through extensions, but nothing works properly.

The combined Go / Refresh button mimics IE.

I think they should just embed the progress bar into the address bar (I think this is what Safari does?).

I like the tabs on top. I've been trying to get Firefox 3.5 to do this through extensions, but nothing works properly.

The combined Go / Refresh button mimics IE.

I think they should just embed the progress bar into the address bar (I think this is what Safari does?).

you mean like this?

teaserp.jpg

you mean like this?

no that's pretty horrible tbh.

--

I don't really understand people who accuse it of mimicking Chrome...they're both open source and supported by the same company, you'd expect them to borrow each other's advantages.

--

I like the new mockup (with tabs on top) a lot better. The same visual style just doesn't match the tabs-on-bottom approach.

Although they need to make sure that tabs-on-top is done well and don't suffer from the same problems that Safari4beta did.

I don't really understand people who accuse it of mimicking Chrome...they're both open source and supported by the same company, you'd expect them to borrow each other's advantages.

That's an interesting point that I overlooked. But, I would expect the browsers to have a different design that makes it stand out from the other, at least more than a different shaped icons, etc.

I'd go with the Chrome+Safari+Firefox 3 'keyhole' back/forward button mash-up which is version B.

One more thing I would like to see: How are Mozilla planning to implement this kind of theme on OS X?

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