Firefox 2 disappointed with an oh, so 1990s look and feel. Anyone remember Mac OS 8.5 or Windows 3.0, for reference? The browser"s successor doesn"t look any more modern. Safari and, gasp, even Internet Explorer 7 are whole lots more visually appealing. Is it too much to ask that software look good, rather than be tacky? Some folks might argue that I expect too much because the software is free. Maybe, but Mozilla makes heaps of money from Google search.
My eWEEK Labs colleague Jim Rapoza has better things to say about the new UI. He praises new visual cues, which arguably are better than Firefox 2. I just don"t think they"re foxy enough. I"ve been waiting for Mozilla to create the user interface for the Web. Firefox 3 Beta 3 isn"t it. That new UI won"t come from Microsoft, which can"t get its head out the back end of Windows. The ugliest Firefox 3 Beta 3 enhancements are among features people will use most often. The address bar"s URL identification is just butt ugly. The different size fonts and text highlighting are reminiscent of some TV cop drama ransom note. It"s Law and Disorder.