Mozilla plans to 'ribbonize' Firefox
Will hide menus by default in refresh of dated look-and-feel on Windows
Computerworld - Mozilla plans to "ribbonize" Firefox for Windows Vista and Windows 7 to reduce clutter and free up space for the browser display, according to company planning documents.
"Starting with Vista, and continuing with Windows 7, the menu bar is going away," said Mozilla in its published plans for revamping the Firefox user interface. "[It will] be replaced with things like the Windows Explorer contextual strip, or the Office Ribbon, [which is] now in Paint and WordPad, too."
As Mozilla noted, Microsoft has extended Office 2007's ribbon-esque "Fluent" user interface to Windows 7 with the latter's "Scenic Ribbon" framework. In both those designs, a wide ribbon-like display at the top of a window replaces the traditional drop-down menus, small icons and toolbars that have standardized Windows applications' look-and-feel for decades.
Last month, Microsoft confirmed that it will offer Windows 7's ribbon application interface to Windows Vista users in an October update.
Calling Firefox's current Windows look "dated and behind," Mozilla said it would hide the menu bar by default on Vista and Windows 7 as of Firefox 3.7, a minor upgrade expected to ship in March 2010.
The move will let Firefox developers use "Glass," the Windows 7 interface theme, and free up vertical space, a concern of netbook owners who face smaller screens.
Although the scheme has been approved by Mozilla's user interface designers, it's not a done deal. "This direction is at the [user interface] team proposal stage, to be approved by drivers and subject for constructive community feedback," the company said.
According to Mozilla's plan, Firefox 3.7's menus will be hidden under a small number of buttons or tabs, much like Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari do now. "They don't always agree on which item should go in which menu, but the general principal is sound," states Mozilla's wiki.
Browser wars
- Microsoft wraps up ads aimed at Google with IE9 pitch
- German gov't endorses Chrome as most secure browser
- Google's punishment of Chrome drops browser's share, says metrics firm
- Firefox 10 relieves add-on updating pain
- Mozilla OKs Firefox 10 launch this week
- Google patches several serious Chrome bugs
- Mozilla slows pace of Firefox 9 upgrades
- Google patches Chrome, beefs up malicious file blocking tech
- Mozilla to launch enterprise Firefox this month with 7X slower pace
- Mozilla persuades Firefox 3.6 users to dump old browser



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Why Business Ethernet Services?
- Everybody's heard the cliché, "the network is your business." But that's not going to help you choose the best wide area networking service...
- Five Myths of Cloud Computing
- This white paper separates fact from fiction, reality from myth, and, in doing so, will aid senior IT executives as they make decisions...
- Smarter Commerce is redefining value chain visibility
- Smarter Commerce is redefining the value chain in the age of the customer. It starts with putting the customer at the center of...
- Digital Transformation: Creating New Business Models Where Digital Meets Physical
- Individuals and businesses alike are embracing the digital revolution. Social networks and digital devices are being used to engage government, businesses and civil...
- IBM Synchronizes its Commerce 2.0 Strategy with 'Smarter Commerce' Initiative
- On March 14, IBM announced "Smarter Commerce", a strategic initiative that addresses the surging market for Commerce 2.0 solutions that take advantage of... All Web 2.0 and Web Apps White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All Web 2.0 and Web Apps Webcasts