New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

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patrickjdempsey
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by patrickjdempsey »

Actually, Firefox's biggest distinguishing feature is (and always has been since Netscape days) it's rich extension environment. Developers will be quick to point out that it will be possible to restore any number of features using extensions. At the minimum an extension could override all of the default stuff and offer up an alternative browser.xul with movable elements to allow for basic customization of at least the navbar. This would probably be very fragile to updates though.
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malliz
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by malliz »

Firefox UI development is basically ego driven now and most of the direction is coming down from the top
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u251
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by u251 »

Like I said, really hope it is just the devs taking time for the implementation. Really hate having to install add-ons to restore feature the devs seem to think are unnecessary while adding junk like SocialAPI. I don't need to update my status every twenty minute but i understand that there a people out there that do. Thats why you have add-ons so people can add the feature they like and make there browser their own. I don't want to have an install package that is twice as large just for things that people have developed great add-ons for already.
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sabret00the
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by sabret00the »

patrickjdempsey wrote:From what I can tell they plan on locking down the urlbar, removing the addons bar, and limiting customization to the space to the right of the searchbar and to that little menu thing.


I have a feeling that they'll transition out the Add-On bar rather than just remove it.
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Drumbrake
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Drumbrake »

patrickjdempsey wrote:Everything I've read and everything I've looked at suggests that this will limit customization to the space to the right of the searchbar and to the new menu. No addons-bar, no custom toolbars, no moving controls to different toolbars, no rearranging stock controls, no large/small icons choice. (...)


Well it's a known fact the we use to rant a lot here (I myself being one of the more grumpy :wink: ) and it's likely that if the devs wouldn't be changing the interface we would be bitching about how old and outdated it is,having said that this is going to be the greatest mistake so far,if it really shapes up to be exactly like that.
They are indeed going to shoot themselves in the foot with this one,as said earlier in the thread:so far every change if not welcomed could be amended in some way,sometimes at the cost of installing loads of addons or messing at length with css styles or digging in about:config,even the fast release cycle can be tamed somehow by choosing the ESR version,but this will break things like nothing before IMHO,crippling exactly one of the greatest assets of Firefox,the choice of making it look and feel just like we want ](*,)
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patrickjdempsey
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by patrickjdempsey »

Drumbrake wrote:it's likely that if the devs wouldn't be changing the interface we would be bitching about how old and outdated it is,


You maybe, but not me. IMO Firefox 2.0 is still the height of a no-nonsense browser interface design. Since then the biggest innovations we've gotten is the ability to customize the statusbar, which unfortunately came at the cost of other features, and the identity box which unfortunately never has properly warned users about dangerous sites and which they've now reversed the usefulness of.
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nwg
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by nwg »

patrickjdempsey wrote:
Drumbrake wrote:it's likely that if the devs wouldn't be changing the interface we would be bitching about how old and outdated it is,


You maybe, but not me. IMO Firefox 2.0 is still the height of a no-nonsense browser interface design. Since then the biggest innovations we've gotten is the ability to customize the statusbar, which unfortunately came at the cost of other features, and the identity box which unfortunately never has properly warned users about dangerous sites and which they've now reversed the usefulness of.


Imho, things can't stay the same forever. As much as I like the 2.0 UI, it probably wouldn't look good on newer operating systems. To me, the post 4.0 theme looks better on Vista/7, and unfortunately worse on Windows XP. Pre 4.0 it was vice versa.
What's important is managing to keep functionality at a high level as it has always been...

For example... there has been whining about tabs on top. Personally i like tabs on top... they work better with wide screens. That doesn't mean that there shouldn't be an option to keep tabs on bottom if you like, but my guess is that most people today would pick tabs on top over tabs on bottom, if they were to have only one option.
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by patrickjdempsey »

The "most people would" mentality is exactly my problem with Mozilla development. I don't want to use software designed to cater to a mob. I want software designed to do better than mob expectations.
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by nwg »

patrickjdempsey wrote:The "most people would" mentality is exactly my problem with Mozilla development. I don't want to use software designed to cater to a mob. I want software designed to do better than mob expectations.


That's why I said, it's better for this to be an option, I agree. But... if there was only to be one option, like before the tabs on top were implemented, they should go for what most people want... because it's the user base that keeps the browser relevant. When a browser loses too much of it's user base soon other problems arise.

Trying to see this from the devs perspective, this means that whatever change they make in the browser they have to include and maintain the previous functionality as an option also?

When they removed emai link from the context menu, there was whining also, even if that's easily done from the menu button.
I was happy it was removed, because I never use it, and I've accidentally clicked it more than enough times. There are people that use this regularly though, I get that and I respect it. Does that mean that there should be an option for every single entry people would want to include in their context menu? What I'm trying to say is that whenever there's change there will be some whining. (I whined when they removed image properties from the context menu :P )
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sabret00the
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by sabret00the »

patrickjdempsey wrote:The "most people would" mentality is exactly my problem with Mozilla development. I don't want to use software designed to cater to a mob. I want software designed to do better than mob expectations.

Good thing they've started primarily designing for Mac users then.
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Mentycz »

Any news about the progress of the work on the Customization Menu?
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Joker1337 »

From meeting today:
Finalizing Menu and Panel Customization overhaul. Visual design and addressing remaining intreaction questions:
-Initial Rejected Ideas: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ftobr8n58arflo/jBe9Ba6yNV#/
-Better Zoomable version 2: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ulzn2t5bo2nrxmc/4oU6ADfinO
-Sliding Panel Idea: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ezzg0sam74g4f8t/0IOw126b2o
-Final Customization Mode Visual Design Pass:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fhjfmkrhxpne6pu/hcgPz71a-Z

Blair (engineering) started on customization: http://prntscr.com/jr5mr
Mentycz
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Mentycz »

Nice, but current state shows that it will take much time. Hope it will be finished until end of 2013.
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Omega X
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Omega X »

It probably won't be ready until March or May next year at the earliest.
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Re: New Customization/New Menu UI mockup

Post by Frank Lion »

Omega X wrote:It probably won't be ready until March or May next year at the earliest.

It's not that I don't trust your judgement or don't believe you, but have you got links that suggest that is the case?
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