Gallery: Firefox 4 preview plays with tabs, lights

Mozilla released Firefox 4.0 mockups for its fans to review. The debates are over where to put the tabs and whether to add color codes to the right of the address bar.\r\n

In this mockup the tabs are on top of the location bar. CNET’s Stephen Shankland says it looks a lot like Chrome.\r\n\r\n

Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Tabs below the location bar.\r\n

According to Mozilla – tabs on the top:\r\n

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• Save Vertical Space\r\n
• 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.\r\n
• Shorter Mouse Distance to Page Controls \r\n\r\n

  \r\nBut the negatives are:\r\n\r\n

• Breaks Consistency/Familiarity – Moving things confuses existing users.\r\n
• Title is MIA – With the space removed from the titlebar you only get the truncated version in the tab.\r\n
• Longer Mouse Distance to Tabs – Takes longer to mouse to a tab.\r\n
• Lost Space – Sandwiched in between the application icon and the window widgets you lose some space.

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Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Green – typing in the location bar\r\n

Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Neutral – default rest state\r\n\r\n

Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Blue – refresh button hover state

Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Red – page loading is in progress\r\n\r\n

Screenshot: Mozilla (Click on any image to enlarge.)