14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla continues work on a new Firefox release and today the company unveiled the first release candidate of version 30 which is expected to launch next week.
There are no release notes available right now for Firefox 30 Release Candidate 1, but expect the browser to focus on fixing bugs and issues found in the beta builds and thus pave the road for the upcoming stable build.
If you were wondering, the Australis interface survived in Firefox 30 RC1 and even though many users actually expected Mozilla to at least implement an option that would allow them to switch to the classic UI. This can still be done with the help of some third-party themes, but Mozilla doesn't seem to be willing to give up on Australis anytime soon.
In fact, Mozilla sees Australis as a major improvement in terms of looks and usability, as users are now allowed to access specific features from a very clean interface that groups all key settings.
“Australis is largest refinement of the Firefox interface in a long time, and it touches almost everything, from the big picture of overall layout to the tiny corners of icon design,” Mozilla explained.
“One of the most noticeable changes is our tab shape. Ours is Firefoxy — organic, friendly, and fluid — and a good fit for the general feel of Firefox.”
Tabs have also been changed in order to make it easier for users to notice background and foreground tabs and thus make browsing easier, especially when opening multiple websites in the same window.
“As important, though, is the distinction between foreground and background tabs. Background tabs are visually de-emphasized, leaving a space that’s uncluttered and calm, where it’s quick and easy to see which tab is currently selected. Tabs also slide forward into focus as you mouse over them, so you can better see where you’re heading,” Mozilla said.
The company not only that has no intention to remove Australis, but it's also planning to continue rolling improvements in the coming versions. The nightly build that's already available for download makes it even more Chrome like, bringing a new settings screen that's launched in a separate tab, just like it's the case of Chrome. Until now, options were available in a dedicated window independent from the tab bar.
This new version clearly comes in handy to everyone, so use the download links below to get the build working on your computer.
Download Mozilla Firefox 30 Release Candidate 1 for Windows
Download Mozilla Firefox 30 Release Candidate 1 for Linux
Download Mozilla Firefox 30 Release Candidate 1 for Mac OS X