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November 2, 2009 4:02 PM PST

Firefox gains Windows 7 features

by Seth Rosenblatt
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Three new features are now available to Windows 7 users of the new beta release of Firefox. Firefox 3.6 beta 1 introduces enhanced previews for both the new Windows 7 taskbar and the tabs.

The taskbar previews for tabs brings Firefox into parity with Internet Explorer 8, allowing users to see and select their open tabs via Aero Peek. The obvious limitation with this feature is how it impacts the display when you've got a high number of tabs open. As you open more tabs, their preview panes will shrink.

Firefox 3.6 beta 1 will show individual preview windows for each tab on the Windows 7 taskbar.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

While the taskbar preview will work without manually changing settings in about:config, the others will require a bit of fiddling. As such, they're not recommended for new users, or for those who just aren't comfortable tweaking the about:config.

The enhanced Control + Tab will now show you a preview window of your tabs, as long as you have three or more tabs open. To activate it, go to about:config, search for browser.ctrlTab.previews, and double-click on it to change it from False to True. Then restart Firefox, and the CTRL+Tab hot key will give you Aero-style preview pane of your tabs.

A revision to the List All Tabs feature gives it a visual component mimicking CTRL+Tab. Using Control + Shift + Tab combo, you can pull up a CTRL+Tab tab preview window that includes a search box. As you type in the name of the tab you want to call up, it will filter the tabs. Enter or the left mouse button will take you directly to the tab. To activate this one, go to about:config, search for browser.allTab.previews, and double-click on it to change it from False to True. Then restart Firefox.

The new Firefox beta can search your tabs on the fly.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

You can disable the Windows 7 taskbar preview by going to about:config, search for browser.taskbar.previews.enable, and double-click on it to change it from True to False.

As this is a beta, be prepared for Firefox to break compatibility with many add-ons. In my test, All-in-One Sidebar wasn't compatible, even after doing the stability-reducing version compatibility override. Also notice that the visual component to the tabs previews within Firefox don't appear to be fully baked.

[h/t Lifehacker]

Seth peers into the deep, dark corners of software so that you don't have to. He has yet to suffer a single nightmare about OS/2. You can follow him on Twitter.
Topics:

Browsers and extensions,

Windows Software

Tags:

Windows 7,

Aero,

Peek,

taskbar,

Firefox,

beta

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by Random_Walk November 2, 2009 4:30 PM PST
Aw, crap - I actually find that irritating.<br /><br />Seriously - in any other app, the preview pane shows one pane per window - except for IE, which shows multiple panes, one for each tab.
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by assman November 2, 2009 5:10 PM PST
Yeah im a bit worried about it getting annoying as well.. if I have a lot of tabs open I only want to see a preview of the separate windows. If it shows all tabs, it might become difficult to locate and switch the windows.
by SeizeCTRL November 2, 2009 6:55 PM PST
To each his own I suppose... I actually like the preview pane with tabs. When I saw this with IE during the beta I was wishing Firefox did that. Now I am sort of excited to see that they are. I keep a lot of tabs open and it will be an easy to go to the tab I want when I am using another application.
by seven7dust November 3, 2009 2:14 AM PST
I agree with Random walk <br />I separate my browsing with windows, and use tabs on each <br />so when you have 40 tabs open this will obviously get annoying <br />atleast you can turn if of !
by topgunb2 November 3, 2009 4:32 AM PST
@random, if MS gives away windows and pays you $500 for accepting it (not even using it) , you'll still hate it, and don't give the crap that you have 20 pcs with windows on it and 20 with mac !
by lazycat202 November 3, 2009 5:04 AM PST
topun<br /><br />can't agree with you no more. You hit the jackpot!
by lennie22 November 3, 2009 6:22 AM PST
I think the reason it irritates him is that it came from MSFT first. I on the other hand can't seem to get enough of this feature in any multi-windowed/tabed application....yes, I use it extensively....my taskbar has 30 apps pinned to it and there's still space for more. a couple days ago I figured I would start using firefox again, but when I installed firefox 3.5.3 I was somewhat disapointed that I couldn't see the seperate tabs in the preview. plus: <br />1) it starts up slower than IE8 (both 3.5.3 and 3.6 beta1), <br />2) it doesn't work well with windows live mail wich I use a lot to add feeds to the RSS reader (I know firefox has an RSS reader but I rather read my mail and rss in the same place, <br />3) and it didn't render any faster than IE8 did....actually IE8 rendered the New York Times (www.nyt.com) website, www.nfl.com noticablely faster than Firefox 3.5.3 did (try it yourself, press your stop watch when the status bar says "Done") www.news.com came in about the same time. <br />so back to IE8 I went. firefox didn't offer me anything IE8 didn't, actually, firefox offered me less. <br /> <br />however, this feature is a nice touch to the people (like me) who uses it a lot. well done firefox team
by Random_Walk November 3, 2009 6:58 AM PST
Hooray for ad hominem! So, what else do some of you kids you do when logic fails you?<br /><br />FWIW, I have exactly one personal Windows install @ home - the missus' XP-based laptop. I do use Windows 7 (Enterprise) on my work laptop, as well as (literally) a couple hundred servers, which are a mixture of Windows(s2003, s2008), Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Debian), VMWare ESX (3.5 and 4), and FreeBSD (7.2). At home I have two Macs - one of which is a Hackintosh. I also have a FreeBSD box and a Linux machine.<br /><br />As for Windows in particular, I have an EA agreement at work that I maintain. Believe it or don't, machts nichts.<br /><br />Now - where were we?<br /><br />Oh, yes - why it's irritating and why it may become a bother to others:<br /><br />Before we begin, Google for 'UI Consistency'. If you're going to have a feature, it has to be consistent (which is part of what makes a UI intuitive). In most cases, Windows 7's UI will show a preview page - one for each window you have open on an app. This is a handy way of determining how many of them you have open. Nice feature. <br /><br />Now, open two or more instances of IE, and open multiple tabs on each. There's still one little icon in the taskbar. Quick - how many instances of IE are running? No way to tell immediately like you can with the other apps. Now preview it, and there's all your tabs, with the desktop flashing wildly as you flip between them, with no apparent way to tell which window holds what tab, and no way to switch between discreet instances (which means you're forced to constantly hit the task bar to find tabs). Also, like seven7dust said, if you have something like 20+ tabs open (very easy to do if you actually use thing), it'll sprawl all across the desktop and then some - every time your mouse brushes across the icon.<br /><br />Now, certainly you can turn such behavior off. But, and here's the important part, whatever happened to being consistent in UI design? A lot of you keep wondering why folks are switching to OSX in growing numbers, well, this is one of a lot of small but cumulative reasons why.
by kojacked November 3, 2009 7:38 AM PST
All of that experience &#38; exposure to a wide variety of tech and still no clue. That's a shame Random. The Windows 7 taskbar and its behavior is one of the things that people like about Windows 7 despite your personal issues with UI consistancy. It's funny how despite it being inconsistant (like what is these days with skinning and such) that people like it and find it intuitive. <br /> <br />I remember back in the day when Microsoft was getting blasted when Office and IE on the Mac because they weren't conforming to the Mac OS's look and feel. Funny how the FireFox team gets it and you don't. <br /> <br />And 20 tabs open? How ADD are you? Oh that's right you have 19 open to C|Net so you can stay on top of articles that you can blast Microsoft on and one open to Google for everything else. ;)
by lennie22 November 3, 2009 8:45 AM PST
@random_walk: this is where I think you prove to be a jackass today, <br />The first part of your comment has no validity; anyone can say anything on the net. So I?m striking that off, unless you can prove your words, which you?re really not inclined to do. <br /> <br />?Before we begin, Google for 'UI Consistency?? this is quite condescending, but I?ll play along. <br /> <br />?In most cases, Windows 7's UI will show a preview page??, wrong: in all cases Windows 7 shows a preview page of running apps??????consistently. <br />The application preview is not used to determine how many apps you have running; it?s implemented because it offers a faster way to find the page that the user is looking for visually and it is proven that humans respond more to images than words. And yes, it is a very nice feature. <br /> <br />?Now, open two or more instances of IE, and open multiple tabs on each. There's still one little icon in the taskbar. Quick - how many instances of IE are running?? the answer to that question is simple: I have 2 are more instances of IE running, right? Now answer my question: under what circumstance would a normal/power user need to know how many instances of an application he?s running? <br /> <br />This way of bundling all the instances together and showing one set of previews is much much better than having showing separate instances with their tabs. By bundling them together the user won?t have to browse from instance to instance trying to find a certain tab, the user can just however over the IE icon, all the tabs shows up in the live preview and the user can click on the tab he wants or hover over the live previews to see the full page????and this is done consistently. <br /> <br />?no way to switch between discreet instances (which means you're forced to constantly hit the task bar to find tabs).? This is where I can see you?re pulling at straws now to prove your point and lying in the process just like those Mac vs. PC adds: please tell us all, under which circumstance the user won?t have to hit the task bar (expose/dock included) to find the tab needed under any OS. <br /> <br /> And that part that you?re lying about is that they are ways to switch between IE (or open instances of any application), plus this way shows the user exactly how many instances of IE (or any open application with multiple instances) are open: (alt + tab) <br />The user can hold down the ?alt? key and press the ?tab? key: the user can keep pressing the ?tab? key to jump from one application to the next or after pressing ?alt + tab? the user can hold on to the ?alt? key and use the directional arrow keys for easier navigation of open application while aero peek does it?s thing????this is done consistently. <br /> <br />Now please tell us again where the task bar UI in Windows 7 isn?t consistent again.
by E McCann November 3, 2009 10:18 AM PST
@Random_Walk:<br /><br />"Now, open two or more instances of IE, and open multiple tabs on each. There's still one little icon in the taskbar. Quick - how many instances of IE are running? No way to tell immediately like you can with the other apps."<br /><br />This is incorrect.<br /><br />How many instances of IE do I have open? If you look at the taskbar, you'll see an "edge" to the right of the icon for each individual instance (with one instance showing only the one button.) If I have the button (outlined - a non running pinned program is just an icon on the taskbar, no edges,) I can tell very easily. <br /><br />Whether I have one instance or three, I'm sure some of those windows are tabbed sessions. With the preview, I can find the page I want to see, versus having to play "pick an instance" and hope my guess is right. Will it take some getting used to? Sure. But I have immediate, fast access to the *information* I want - which for me is more important than "How many copies of X program am I running" in most cases.
by streamline35 November 2, 2009 4:38 PM PST
Finally! I've been waiting for firefox to release this feature since the beta of windows 7. It was actually the only thing I really like about IE8 in windows 7, and I used IE8 for a short while specifically because of this feature (though I switched back to FF after not too long because it's a much better overall browser). Anyway, about time FF added this feature!<br /><br />@random walk - who cares, if you don't like the firefox feature, then turn it off. Some of us prefer the choice. They give you a two step, ridiculously easy way to do it (in the beta, which you don't even have to download). No doubt in the final version it will be an option (that doesn't require about:config to disable).
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by Random_Walk November 2, 2009 7:01 PM PST
...at least Firefox still gives you that choice... but damn that's irritating.
by rbeck88 November 2, 2009 4:43 PM PST
@Random_Walk<br /><br />I see your point, but tabbed browsing was invented so that users didn't have to have multiple browser windows saving both memory and navigation time across multiple webpages. The previews are there for speed of navigation between webpages, so it makes sense to provide a preview pane for each open tab. Browsers are trying for OS integration now, and on Windows, tab preview panes are one more way to get there.
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by assman November 2, 2009 5:11 PM PST
Indeed I figured this feature was coming to firefox soon. I wonder how useful it would really be for me, I use vertical tab bar and tree-style tabs which organize my tabs quite well. I'm not going to install the beta though because I have so many add-ons and most of them will probably not work with the upgrade.
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by sparrowhyperion November 2, 2009 5:57 PM PST
I really wish they could introduce a new version, without completely goofing up all of your add ons. It's a pain in the butt to have to wait for the add ons to catch up. And I wonder how long this will actually be in Beta.
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by karpenterskids November 2, 2009 7:31 PM PST
I agree!<br /><br />Some of the addons I use are still several versions behind. I hate it.
by exactlyy November 3, 2009 2:21 AM PST
cant wait for Firefox 4.0
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by rolandtom November 3, 2009 2:57 AM PST
It was Opera (again) introducing this feature for the first time, with Opera 10 conveniently making it optional (click on the 3 dots right below the tabs to extend the bar).
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by lennie22 November 3, 2009 8:54 AM PST
wait are you talking about a feature like the one in IE8 called quick tabs which the user can activate by pressing "ctrl + Q" or pressing the button next to the favorites icon to the left of the tabs? if it's similar then I think IE8 came with it first (I might be wrong I don't remember which browser was released first)
by thydavidcome November 3, 2009 7:57 AM PST
Google Chrome has had this forever, get with the times Mozilla.
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by thydavidcome November 3, 2009 7:59 AM PST
Except that it is actually implemented in Google Chrome well (doesnt show 1 window per tab like IE 8)
by lennie22 November 3, 2009 8:56 AM PST
what are you talking about now? "1 window per tab like in IE8"? please explain......
by thydavidcome November 4, 2009 8:58 AM PST
@lennie22<br /><br />1. Open IE 8<br />2. Open two tabs<br />3. Look at the taskbar<br />4. ???????????<br />5. PROFIT!
by nutjob November 3, 2009 8:19 AM PST
@randomwalk I manage a midsize mixed company environment. People can run any of 4 OS's the only expectation is that their "Office Suite" must comply with MS Office 2003 (no dot x) and be apple to link their calendar/contacts/email to either our Exchange or Zimbra server.<br /><br />UI's are dependent on the person and the environment in which they work. I work with a high number of R&#38;D and consultant types. Many have multiple windows open at the same time (this is crazy on a 15 inch laptop) and a few only have one thing running at a time. In your environment you maybe right but in mine for most people FF is going in the right direction.<br /><br />Lastly I hear the argument that Apple is gaining market share all the time. That is geek myth. Two years ago October 2007, Apple market share was 8.7%, last year October 8.9%, this last quarter is was 8.7% this according to both Gardner and IDC research based on 3rd quarter sales. These % include the Macmini and Apple TV but not big/midisize servers. Apple been that range over the last 5 years with only small % changes each year.
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by bagelmama November 4, 2009 1:06 PM PST
Don't you people have anything better to do? what a waste of time, use what works for you, and let everyone find out for themselves what works for them and what doesn't.
by philamaidservice November 3, 2009 9:48 AM PST
it seems that microsoft has been putting out new operating systems a little too often, that's just my opinion<br /><br /><br />[CNET editors' note: Promotional link removed]
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by lennie22 November 3, 2009 11:05 AM PST
what are you smoking today? Windows Vista was 5 years afer XP came out, and Windows 7 is 3 years after Vista came.....I don't see 3 years as often...if they were putting out a "new" OS every year then what could be considered as "often".
by The_Computer_Man November 4, 2009 5:07 AM PST
@ lennie<br /><br />I agree. If anything they are not putting out new ones soon enough. Linux distros are falling into a 6 month release cycle (Ubuntu and Fedora) while Apple has been putting one out *roughly* every 2 years.
by adrianj November 3, 2009 3:01 PM PST
i'm surprised there are people resisting this. this is a great move for Firefox and was one of the only reasons why i use IE occasionally. love aero peek.
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by jesse7606 November 3, 2009 10:28 PM PST
Wow after reading everybody comment i really did not want to comment....... well i hope google updates its browser for window 7
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by exactlyy November 4, 2009 2:25 AM PST
@ $teve Job$ fanboy . <br />Apple isnt gaining any market share.. <br />actually its been less than 4 % for the last 6 years <br />and w'll never make it to 2 digits . <br />so the only way for apple's marketshare to change is when one of its hopeless fanboys dies .
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by Motyoj November 4, 2009 5:02 AM PST
You should get out more often.
by lennie22 November 4, 2009 7:22 AM PST
c'mon man, that's not needed.
by maniopas November 4, 2009 11:18 AM PST
Well, I must confess that it got me some time getting used to the Aero previews. However, now I am familiarized with them, I have no qualm. In fact, what they do is enable many more programs and instances running. I guess I really like that new Firefox feature (now, lately I use Opera mostly) and definitely believe it's some improvement. What I mean is that it could quite bothersome if there were (say) 20 or so tabs running, but it would be the same effort as selecting the correct tab at the main window program. Also, for those who would like to know about the number of instances running, ALT+TAB (or the WIN LOGO BUTTON+TAB) would be just fine. In fact, I have the same issue with Messenger Plus and have concluded that it is not an issue after all (of course, Messenger Plus has separate tray icons for each instance, which helps).
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by dwight_stegall January 22, 2010 11:32 PM PST
The HTML 5 Parser is disabled by default in Firefox 3.6<br /><br />Type about:config in the Awesome Bar and press enter.<br /><br />Type html5.enable in the filter box. Double-click the filter until it says True.
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