Mozilla makes Firefox available as Nightly with new Australis interface

Mozilla has implemented the new Australis interface in the latest Nightly versions of Firefox. In addition to a new theme, various interface elements have been thoroughly overhauled within the browser.

With the Australis project, Mozilla wants to streamline and harmonize the interface and design of the various editions of Firefox. The open source browser should also be given more setting options. Mozilla has been tinkering with Australis for some time now. In the meantime, the browser builder considers the code sufficiently mature to give the public the opportunity to test the new interface in the latest nightly versions. This includes the new menu implementation.

Mozilla has placed Australis in the Nightly test channel, after previous experiments within the user interface branch, but in the separate UX branch. However, there will also be Nightly test versions of Firefox during the test phase in which the ‘classic’ interface is still available. These will be found in the so-called ‘Holly branch’. Furthermore, Mozilla reports that the settings of Australis cannot yet be changed via the about:config settings.

In time, Australis should become available in the stable Firefox releases, but when that will happen depends, among other things, on the feedback from testers. Some of Australis’ ideas are also already visible in Firefox Metro, the browser adapted for the touch interface of Windows 8.x.