mindgraffiti

Now that the updates have slowed down, I finally have time to update a few things. That nagging list of to-do items has shrunk considerably. I just upgraded 3 of 5 widgets on this blog, along with the WordPress upgrade from 2.3 to 2.5…and I’ve been ready to test the new Firefox beta (Firefox 3 beta 5 as of this post) for some time now.

After the Lifehacker post reminding me that Firefox 3 will be ready for launch soon, I thought I would dig in today.

I took a screenshot of my home base: Firefox 2.0.0.11, with its few icons indicating what add-ons I run regularly: del.icio.us tagging, stumbleupon, web developer tools, TOR, and the Modern Aluminum [2.0.19] theme. (Hit any image for a closer look).

Using my every day bookmarks and add-ons as my guide, I installed Firefox 3 beta 5. While I understand that it’s a ‘feature’ of Firefox 3 to look like a native application on the Operating System I am using, I really prefer the distinctive look Firefox had before. Now it’s just…plain. Also, the favicons I used as bookmarkers are not appearing. That’s because Firefox on a Mac does not initially display the favicons. They are ‘turned on’ in effect, when you use certain themes. Or you can dig into the code yourself and turn it on. I prefer the easy route.

Some of the Firefox themers have been kind enough to develop themes for Firefox 3 beta. Here it looks much closer to home, with Phoenity Modern [0.7.08.03.28] for the theme:

I’m focusing mostly on the interface for now, because it is one of the main roadblocks to upgrading. I stare at Firefox all day long, five to six days a week. If the default theme is distracting and I can’t find a clean, well-designed theme, I wait to upgrade. I have to be able to use it, and I can’t stand a cluttered or busy look. My chrome is actually larger than other developers I have observed-I don’t mind extra space at the top-but I have to have something well organized.

You can read the new features to Firefox 3 that Mozilla is touting, but on first glance I am not going to comment on any of them yet. Once I’ve had a chance to use it heavily I’ll post some deeper thoughts on their new and improved features. Until then, why don’t you take it for a test drive?

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