I don't know what this skin will be used for - Netscape final release, an alternative look to show that Mozilla can look like ANYTHING, Mozilla default skin, Mozilla secondary skin - but what I know *I* will use will look something like these skins:

http://misery.subnet.at/skins/phong.html

http://misery.subnet.at/skins/battleangel.html

As long as the finished product retains the ability to be skinned to death ala winamp, I don't really mind what the chrome around mozilla should look like. But, in it's defense, it has a spacey look that works good for "cutting edge, next generation, <insert buzzword>" software.

Well that's real creative and all, but if they expect a smooth transition from Netscape 4.x to Mozilla then they better revert to a more triditional interface that uses the users system colors, font prefs, etc. Maybe they should offer a triditional interface as default, then make a dialog that allows the user to switch dinamicly between some predefined interfaces or one of their choosing.

I think experimenting with unusual designs is great to get some new ideas and break out of the old boring patterns.

Hopefully the final version will use some of the ideas, but settle down to something more attractive.

I think it has a lot of potential. You guys dream of something like one of those wild Linux themes, but get real, most people just want something that is useable and look decent, including me.

Thanks for posting this!

Thats awfull!!! Is this software for kids? Why don't enclude flowers??? By default should be some more traditionaly interface.

The new skin looks great. While you're at it, I would like to see a "New Message" button on the Browser window. I personally hate to load the 'Messenger' and then click another button just to create a message. John Gutierrez, San Jose CA.

Are you kidding? Thats awfull for serious product!!! Is this software for kids????

By default should be some more traditionaly interface.

Someone was watching a little too much star trek. Just make it yellow and orange :)

Please... open up the choice of the default Mozilla skin by creating a public competition, much like the competition where we choose the throbber icon. This way, we can ensure that the skin that pleases the MOST people is included with Mozilla. This skin, created by Netscape, should only be one choice in the competition. In a democratic way, by harnessing the huge and diverse population of the Internet, we can create a GREAT browser using this process. This is a very important part of Mozilla, where even people without software development skills can make a most valuable contribution.

Personally my favorite "look and feel" for a browser is that of Netscpae Navigator 3.0 (Windows 95 version). How about a skin like that?

Personally my favorite "look and feel" for a browser is that of Netscpae Navigator 3.0 (Windows 95 version). How about a skin like that?

I like it! It kinda resembles the MetampMorphosis skin I use in Winamp all the time but could use some more varied colors.

Well as long as the skin doesn't made up of nothing but squares and rectangles, I'm bound to like it. Change is good.

Shouldn't there be a "go" button on the right of the location/URL button? Not that netscape currently has one, but I think newcomers from AOL and IE expect to have to hit a button after everything, so maybe put it there so it's more intuitive for them?

Is that supposed to be beatiful? Well the addressbook isn't that bad, but the browser window? No way. I prefer it being small and simple without unnecessary text and stuff. Something like the default in the milestones.

That idea about a competition is great.

-Donatzsky

I think this is an impressive demonstration of what can be done with Mozilla. If you don't like it, the beauty of XPToolkit is that you can change it. I doubt personally whether the nscp version will ship with anything so daring as default, but I'd expect to see stuff like this amongst the options on install, and available afterwards!

Good work!

I would hold off on the contest until all of the xul code is settled down. There isn't even a nice function to switch interfaces yet.

If you make a skin now, it will probably be messed up when the final one comes out. IMO its better to let the guys who are programming the xul/js to design it for now. When the beta or just before the final comes out, thats when you have the contest for the best design.

It's kind of strange that there are more skins for Mac are posted than those for Windows considering that there are more Windows users than Mac users.

Why is it that the address book uses the native Mac widgets and scroll bars while the browser does not?

I like the native look better, it just seems more "complete" somehow.

Mike S.

Why is it that the address book uses the native Mac widgets and scroll bars while the browser does not?

I like the native look better, it just seems more "complete" somehow.

Mike S.

PS. Appologies if this gets repost, I noticed a typo before it appeared to complete the send.

Check out this:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rgoodger/lizard/sbar.gif

Cool eh? Nice colors, nice small icons, nice spacing around things.. It looks CORRECT - unlike things in the current Mozilla. Now look at this:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rgoodger/lizard/messenger.gif

Same thing again. The spacing is right (except for the icons in "what's related"), the icons are good, the grippies are cool, the table headinds look like table headings..

Again.. Professional looking. This time, it's the mail composer:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rgoodger/lizard/mailcompose.GIF

Excellent work rgoodger!

I actually prefer the current skin over the new one. There is certainly room for improvement in the current one (as seen in rgoodger's work), and people have been improving it for some time. I certainly would not want the proposed new one to become the Mozilla default. It might be a nice alternate one to showcase XUL though.

I hope all those skin standards will get finsished some time. This new skin seems a good basis to set up a Star Trek "LCARS" skin like I'm trying to do since a long time.

No offence, but has NeoPlanet ever been criticised for it's 'daring' UI design? I have yet to see s single critisim twards smoother designs. I see this UI as Mozilla's interface attempting to catch up with the technology under it's hood. I do see problems with this theme, such as the apparent loss of a personal toolbar and a relatively small button count; however, these problems seem small in contrast with it's possibilities. BTW, has anyone here ever used Star Office, M$ Office, or (to a MUCH lesser extent) IE 5? I love the flexibility and adaptability of customizable toolbars and (,in the case of Star Office,) a simple UI for configuring search engines (EX for Moz: having a dialog to add & subtract entries in Mozilla's awesome new search system) and believe that both systems will have a deffinite place in the not-too-far-off future.

Sincerely yours, ERIIX

I personally think that the beta should be released with the homepage set to a beta-specific site. On this site would be basic information about Mozilla and a contest where anybody could post their skins. Then, at the closing date there would be a public vote for the best 50 or so skins. That way you should get lots of skins and the format should not change significantly.

Here is a picture of our brand new <insert thing> We've made it available as a GIF because (a) We iz kewl web doodz, GIFs iz rad! (b) Unisys Who? What Patent? (c) PNG images are too small, you might lose them down the back of the sofa (d) Mozilla can't read PNGs -- I know (d) isn't right, so MozillaZine editor(s), which of the above is it?

Besides the fact that the new skin confuses me (the silver/white background colours on different parts of the screen, which I guess will be fixed), there will probably be a lot of novice IE5 users entering a URL and clicking on Search afterwards. The search function (which is a good thing) will of course auto detect URLs, right?

Besides the fact that the new skin confuses me (the silver/white background colours on different parts of the screen, which I guess will be fixed), there will probably be a lot of novice IE5 users entering a URL and clicking on Search afterwards. The search function (which is a good thing) will of course auto detect URLs, right?

I don't really like it, but it's ok. do anyone remember that Netscape Netcaster ?? It totally defined by javascript and HTML, I think it's the coolest UI I've ever seen. Will some of those people that made netcaster work on Mozilla ? I think they really need some artist there.

The browser skin looks horrable, it looks like NEO Planet browser default skin. You people need to have something that looks good, after you are convincing user to switch from IE. The idea of having skins for users to choose they own is good, but you need a good looking default skin. The one you have is no good.

OK, I'm at a loss for some reason as to what the steering wheel on a ship is called, but why is this in the Mozilla skin? That was an icon for Netscape's Navigator browser. I think that the taskbar icon for a new browser window should be something much more generic, just as the envelope is generic for accessing my mail.

Way too mac-ish to my tastes but does it matter when we can change the skins at will? Or if not there is always WindowBlinds =)

Very nice: professional and serious-looking and clearly "designed" rather than "thrown together" as the current skin.

It also has a "clean" look suggesting "serious tool for busy professionals" - this isn't an idiot-user skin (see lack of text equivalents on icons, lack of "go" button, etc.) but the very clean look with just four buttons is great.

The only "glaring" problem I noticed (apart from e.g. text vertical position, etc.) is the "M" throbber which is ugly as hell (it's not too bad alone, though not great, but it doesn't go with the new skin at all...). Hopefully they will re-make it with a nice circular one to match those buttons. :)

One other worry is that it might not quite be colour-neutral enough: it will probably look bad with some websites, whereas the abundance of grey in Netscape/IE is fairly safe there...

--sam

I like it. But the buttons (back, stop, etc) should be smaller. More subtle, less obstructive.

As for those who complain that it's too Mac-ish, get real!

I won't hold off judgements until it's finished. I'm judging it now, and it stinks.

My personal preference would be a more GNOME-ish look. The GNOME Help browser looks GREAT in my opinion, and it's sort of like a web browser (interface-wise). I'd like to see a skin of that! It's simple, elegant, and would make a nice 'default' theme.

There is no way that one skin can please everyone, it just isn't possible.

So either make your own, wait for someone to make one, or deal with it. That's the benefit of XUL.

I'll probaly change a few things here and there when it comes out.

Will the default Mozilla release allow me to minimize and have all my menu, tool and status bars in one line?

Also will we be able to make it resonably small and minimumalist like IE has started to allow out of the box?

Looks like the odd UI web sites employ which were designed by artists of the advertisement departement. This means: yeah, kinda, cool, pretty unusable - too much "wanna be fancy" stuff.

Masi

PS: Anyway, interesting what can be done with XUL.

PPS: On with the contest.

What is this talk about the old skin better than the new skin? I thought there was no real 'old skin'. wasn't the 'old skin' just chrome that could not work with skins?

Finally! Now the "user" in "user interface" becomes the important part! Let's hope this concept spreads.

Now, who's making matching Mozilla and Mac/WinAMP skins?

a LOT. Much more efficient use of space than the current Mozilla "default". The UI changes are good.

I've been following this thread for the last few days.

I saw that there have been about 30 or so new posts since the last time I read. I in and set it to flat mode, as usual. It tells me that there are more than 75 posts and it is showing the most recent 10.

I wanted to see the most recent 30, so I make the appropriate selection and click display. The page reloads only now it is back in threaded view.

I try again, several times, and I get the same result. I tried last 20, 30 and All. Always goes back to threaded.

I used Netscape Communicator 4.6.1 and iCab on the Mac.

Anyone else have this problem?

Mike S.

When I use a browser or a mailer I want to deal with the content. Not with a bunch of oversize screen wasting buttons. There is allready to much wasted space in the browsers. Small unobtrusive controls is what I want. Eye candy is great but don't interfere with the view.

Well, yes I like the idea of having a new interface. From experience I can say that a good-interface goes a long way towards making a product friendly or difficult to use.

However at present I would rather see a good Beta of the new Browser rather than have my senses teased by what it would end uplooking like.

I have used Netscape browsers ever since version 1.00 and I can say that I am actually anxious to see version 5.00.

However this waiting is getting a bit tiring, I never recall a Netscape browsers having taken so long to get into Beta.

Still I'll be waiting.

Cheers,

The new skin has landed, and it looks pretty good. Expect it in the nightlys tonight. Or grab it from cvs if you're adventurous.

Does anyone know if there are any actual UI experts on the project, or are these decisions being made by a programmer who happens to know how to use Photoshop? I would really like to see a real UI person on this, making decisions, and giving reasons why. If there are none, I might be able to find some people to help out. If I should be asking this somewhere else, please let me know where to go. (bugzilla?).

The skin seems to indicate that the Mypanel is stuck to the left. Can it be moved to the right side of the window?

Most people are right handed. For faster access I like menus on the right. Is that panel thing movable?

The skin itself is trying to be too nice and slick, and by doing so will look bad to a lot of people and their own color preferences. Simple and functional should be the default, with a quick and easy button to get to different skin choices available on the net.

I myself dont care what the skin looks like as long as it does not resemble any of Microsofts browsers!!!!!!!