Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Discuss application theming and theme development.
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Kuden
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Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Kuden »

Firefox/Sprints/Windows Theme Revamp/Direction and Feedback
Firefox 3.7 & 4.0 design directions

Chromatic Pixel (Progress Reports etc.)
- Customization UI Thoughts
- Menu cleanup

Firefox/Projects/3.7 and 4.0 Theme and UI Revamp/Mac Specific Visual Refresh

Firefox 3.7 Windows Theme Mockups
- Short-Term (Firefox 3.7)

Response:
Firefox.future theme update mockup
First Look: Firefox 3.7’s New Design
Mozilla Releases Initial Design Mockups for Firefox 3.7
Mozilla Releases Initial Design for Firefox 3.7 (Windows)

Firefox 4.0 Windows Theme Mockups
- Long-Term (Firefox 4.0)

Response:
Firefox 4.0 theme mockups
Design ideas show Firefox 4.0 with a Chrome look
Firefox 4.0 looks like Chrome?
Mozilla 4.0 themes: Providing more real estate
- Gallery: Firefox 4 preview plays with tabs, lights
Firefox 4.0: Early Screenshots Released
First Look at Firefox 4.0 Design Mockups
Firefox 4.0: Early Screenshots Released
Thanks for giving my pixels back, browser makers

Firefox/Sprints/Windows Theme Revamp
- Firefox/3.0 Windows Default Theme Issues

faaborg wrote:I just want to note that these are all just ideas and explorations, and may not be at all representative of the actual theme changes we end up going with in future releases. Since we do everything in the open, it is pretty easy to assume that a high fidelity mockup, wire frame, or even bullet list of ideas is a very formal plan. But in reality we are just exploring things that we could potentially do, seeing what they look like, and getting ready to circulate this stuff to a wider audience to get very early feedback on various potential ideas and directions.


Reference:
Reinventing tabs for the browser - The road to Firefox.next: Making tabs better.
Firefox Director Talks Firefox 3.6, Tasks, And Competing With Chrome
Where Did Firefox Come From?
Mozilla Firefox Development Charter

And, the icon of actions button is needed.
Firefox/Projects/Doorhanger notifications
New Notification UI
- Notification Refresh Overview, il 20090820

Notes:
- Firefox 3.6 mid-to-late fall 2009 (mozilla-1.9.2 -> branch end of July 2009)
- perhaps a Firefox 3.7 for late spring 2010 (mozilla-1.9.3 -> branch mid-to-late fall 2009)

I gave up!
Last edited by Kuden on October 3rd, 2009, 6:28 pm, edited 22 times in total.
xxsonyboy4lfexx
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by xxsonyboy4lfexx »

Weird. Seems like they are easing the change on us. lol
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Ngamer01
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Ngamer01 »

If Mozilla is considering moving the tabs above the toolbar someday, I hope there will be a way for users to reverse the change. I've been so used to tabs below the toolbars that tabs above the toolbars is just weird to me.
xxsonyboy4lfexx
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by xxsonyboy4lfexx »

There will prob be a new extension to move to the tabs if need be.
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Cato62
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Cato62 »

Well, there is already one out there that puts the tabs at the top: Chromin Frame (granted it needs a slight update). I think they should leave the tabs the way they are and let the users get the add-on if they want it the other way. That, or make it an option.
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Frank Lion
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Frank Lion »

Ngamer01 wrote:If Mozilla is considering moving the tabs above the toolbar someday...

Looks like it. I'm sure a 10,000 word justification will emerge, together with pictures of seagulls and fruitflies demonstrating the metaphors and analogies involved, but we know why - '...because Google Chrome has them like that'.

Is there actually anyone at Mozilla with one ounce of creativity, innovation or ability? Hover over the Back button on the Firefox default theme used by 75%+ of users - XP, and it goes almost white. Press it and it goes extremely dark. Our greenest themers know not to style the hover/active states of toolbarbuttons as crudely as that. This is not 'a question of taste', this is amateurism at the highest level and that ripples through every part of that theme.

The answer? fix it? No, put the tabs at the top...like Google do.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (attrib.)
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DonGato
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by DonGato »

"me too"

That's the only explanation as Frank already pointed out because that proposed format is horrible for most people. I already tried it with Internet Explorer and Chrome and IMO it doesn't provide any advantage for advanced users. Maybe novices at browsing can gain from it, I really don't know and am skeptic about it. From my experience with family and friends with IE/Chrome it doesn't seem to.

Oh well, they said they would be bundling a different "fancy" tab control for 3.5 and thank God it didn't come.
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ehume
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by ehume »

What is most pathetic is that these guys want to follow the useless/loser Page and Tools buttons. These are hardly obvious, and add no functionality that I can see. It's one of the many things I hate about the Chrome browser interface.

So the devs don't like their theme. So why not get a true themer - they have lots of really good ones that they are ignoring - to make them a truly fine default theme? They ditched Arvid's theme, and it's been downhill ever since.

(The one location change I do with my own browser that I would recommend as a default is to move the search bar up onto the menu toolbar. This leaves lots of room for both the urlbar and the searchbar.)
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Aronnax!
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Aronnax! »

ehume wrote:So the devs don't like their theme. So why not get a true themer


https://wiki.mozilla.org/WeeklyUpdates/2009-07-06
Stephen Horlander starts today as a visual designer for Firefox! Stephen has been involved with Firefox since 1.0, working on the primary theme for Windows. Mac and Linux for 1.0 and 1.5, and the default OSX theme for Firefox 3.0
------
And this was to be overdue :D
I have never understood, why they don`t have a full time visual designer, but countless guys for concepts and naturally the other parts.
------ ------
And the windows default themes looks now really really antiqued :D
Thankfully do i never use Windows. :D

Every of these new Mockups is much better https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/3.7_Wi ... me_Mockups :lol:
------ ------

I don`t like every of these intended changes,
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Sprint ... eme_Revamp
but who knows what will be really implemented .. it is only the first rough copy

But: New theme implementation should be accomplished in two phases.
This is a really really bad idea :cry:
Have somebody an idea, why it should be accomplished in two phases?
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Kuden
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Kuden »

Aronnax! wrote:Every of these new Mockups is much better https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/3.7_Wi ... me_Mockups :lol:


The world without color :(
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ehume
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by ehume »

I don't mind the smooth graphics, but the UI sucks. Those are non-intuitive buttons.
Firefox: Sic transit gloria mundi.
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Frank Lion
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Frank Lion »

Aronnax! wrote:https://wiki.mozilla.org/WeeklyUpdates/2009-07-06
Stephen Horlander starts today as a visual designer for Firefox! Stephen has been involved with Firefox since 1.0, working on the primary theme for Windows. Mac and Linux for 1.0 and 1.5, and the default OSX theme for Firefox 3.0

Well, I'm sure this has to be good news. I confess that I don't know much about this guy or his partner Kevin (?) ... I mean partner in a theming sense, obviously, and who does what, etc, but unless they have him just making the tea, it has to be a good thing...for those still using Firefox by then. :)

You all caught me at a bad time in my earlier post, I had just made a new profile and had just seen the Firefox default theme for XP for the first time in a while. :shock: what is a good theme? - one that doesn't make your eyes bleed or physically sick. A great theme is one where you look at the theme more than the webpages. :)

For a default theme, I'll settle for a good solid theme made by a themer. That's all, just something that you can live with. Something that doesn't break every design rule in the book.

Something that doesn't embarrass me to recommend Firefox to people.
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ehume
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by ehume »

Frank Lion wrote:For a default theme, I'll settle for a good solid theme made by a themer.


Yes, indeed. And there are so many themers with great themes, why not . . . ?

And does this guy know anything about making good themes?
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Aronnax!
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Aronnax! »

Frank Lion wrote:I confess that I don't know much about this guy or his partner Kevin (?) ... I mean partner in a theming sense, obviously, and who does what, etc,


Kevin primarily = to code
Stephen primarily = icon design and other design stuff
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Re: Big Theme change again in Firefox 4?

Post by Aronnax! »

ehume wrote:And does this guy know anything about making good themes?


There is no doubt that he has a lot of experience and his icons had always a very high quality.
And he has now much much more time for it :D
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