Mozilla has been getting ready for the upcoming launch of Windows 8 and has disclosed that it is working on a Metro-specific version of Firefox, designed specifically for Windows 8 with a proof of concept ready by Q2 this year.
As already known Metro will be a new user interface designed for touchscreen input in addition to mouse, keyboard and pen input.
The new browser will be based on open source Gecko layout engine and should fully integrate with the new Metro environment. It will feature an Appbar that will house common navigation controls, the Awesomebar, and some form of tabs.
The new Firefox browser will support three “snap” states – full screen, 1/6 screen and 5/6 screen which depends on how the user docks two full screen applications and information outside of the browser would be shared with other Metro third-party apps through a feature in the upcoming Microsoft OS called Windows 8 ‘contracts’. Mozilla may also add a new live tile for the Start Screen displaying user-centric data.
The classic Windows interface version will continue to be supported with new releases of the popular browser but the development of a Metro version is a clear indication that Mozilla does not want to be sidelined when Windows 8 tablets hit the market with Internet Explorer 10 being the default browser.
Source: Techspot