Finally, after two years of rumors and speculations, Mozilla unveiled the very first open source web browser that comprises Mozilla’s latest Australis Interface, which is the Firefox 29. According to Jennifer Morrow of Mozilla, the update is not just a modification of the Firefox interface, nor a tweak. It is not even a patch to fix a bug, but a total visualization of Firefox user experience that they have been preparing for the last five years. Firefox 29 will surely let the Windows, Mac, Linux and Android users experience the web in a very exceptional way.
The key design overhaul in this latest version presents the users an immense customization and it is much simpler to use than the preceding editions. The title bar is bigger now and the tabs are broader now, which contains more text that will shrink if it cannot fit. The bookmark button has changed as well. A new button will allow the users to make bookmarks and get into their bookmark list anytime. The forward or next button will only appear if it’s needed. This goes the same for the download progress bar which will only appear if you have just downloaded a file.
Jonathan Nightingale of Firefox told the TNW that users are having a hard time on setting up Sync. But Mozilla has made it easier to find out, since many users are not aware that it exists. Firefox Sync is an amenity that essentially allows the users to get their bookmarks, tabs and personal details and move it to another device securely. Users can be able to try the new Firefox Sync by creating a Firefox account. Windows, Mac, Linux and Android platforms are all supported. This overhauled feature will be easy to set up and add multiple devices.
Firefox 29 is predominantly a major update for desktop, rolling up with an innovative customization mode. Users will just need to click the Menu button and click on Customize, then drag and drop the features, tools and add-ons manually anywhere in the their browser. When you quit the customization mode, everything will stay exactly where you dropped it.
The Australis Interface is also one of the major additions in Firefox. The entire UI has changed, according to Nightingale. And Mozilla has spent more time on making the browser more beautiful that will concentrate on the Web content. Australis was first introduced two years ago, however, it did not emerge in Firefox alpha and beta builds because Mozilla has been distributing itself very finely as they are struggling to conceal the Firefox OS, Desktop Firefox, Firefox for Metro and Firefox for Android.
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The following are the summary of the Firefox 29 major revamp:
- Substantial customization mode that allows the users to personalize and access the features that they usually use.
- Tabs that give a complete even look and fades through the background when not in use.
- An easy to access menu with popular browser controls.
- Onboarding Tour that will guide the users to the new improvements of Firefox 29.
- Allows the users to create Firefox account and set up the Firefox Sync.
- The Gamepad API has been completed.
- The Malay locale has been added.
- Users that will click the W3C Web Notification will switch to the source tab.
- The box-sizing feature has been applied.
- The SharedWorker feature has been enabled by default.
- The input type=”number” and the input type=”color” has been applied and enabled.
- The ECMAScript Internalization API has been enabled.
- Removed Add-on bar and the content bar was placed in the navigation bar.
Mozilla makes this Firefox 29 update more customizable, as they are known to feature massive customization options. They are moving faster in the desktop and mobile world.This release is one of the most essential and will surely be a controversial one.
