Within the last twenty-four hours, Internet trekking giant Mozilla has released its vastly upgraded browser Firefox 10.
This version of Firefox contains brand new development tools, eliminates the forward button with a sleek toolbar evolution, and allows for a full screen API.
What does all of that mean?
Well, to start, users will notice that their navigation bar has changed to omit the clunky forward button. Don’t worry! It is still there and will appear after the back button has been utilized, when it could be of potential use (it will then disappear again once it is no longer possible to use).
If you happen to be one to customize the toolbar, and many do this, then the new back/hidden forward setup will not show up unless the user sets the navigation bar to default settings. This is an odd reality, but the current minimalistic navigation interface provides for a good dashboard for even the best Internet pilot.
The aesthetic is eye pleasing and very functional for users that will notice a faster flowing browser, in general. Mozilla even promises to fix a number of glitches that have riddled Firefox user experiences in the past, such as the occasional Gmail scrolling going into slow motion, or (for Mac users) the browser crash upon opening a Java-based application. The fact that Mozilla is acknowledging that these problems exist and that they are working on them is encouraging.
Did I mention that the browser is fast? Firefox 10 seems to fly by!
For those users who like to download an entire year’s worth of browser updates at once, Firefox 10 is the first version capable of abiding this request, as it is the first official extended support release.
The full screen mode is fun too!
Firefox 10 includes a navigation toolbar button that will make whatever page the user is on blow up to full screen, with the navigation settings showing up when the mouse is raised over the top of the view. This makes reading that NY Times micro-font much easier!
Web Apps can also burst forth from the browser window and enter into full screen due to Mozilla’s tweaking of HTML and API settings; see it demonstrated on the Firefox 10 site here.
New development tools further the pleasant experience surfing the web, as Firefox 10 has a new tightly-integrated developer panel with a richer DOM inspector [that follows your cursor as you move it over elements of the page and will lock in on an element when you click] and a tool for viewing, toggling, and modifying CSS properties.
Firefox 10 is available for free from Mozilla now.
