[walid]

> -Cease copying Chrome's UI

Is it because you want Firefox to be distinct with its own aesthetic or that Chrome is ugly. I don't understand why people keep on bringing this up as if there is much in Chrome's UI to copy. Chrome UI is just tabs with a menu button to the right. And it is open source, a.k.a you may copy it if you will.

[Pacabel]

It isn't about Firefox needing to have its own distinct appearance, and it isn't about "ugliness". It's about usability, plain and simple.

Chrome-style UIs are quite dumbed down and non-standard. Now, this might actually work tolerably for average or casual web users, or those with very tiny screens. But for other users, especially those who expect a lot from their browser and push it hard, this approach is just plain ineffective.

Chrome's single menu, for instance, is a total mess. A traditional menu bar and menu hierarchy is a much saner way of organizing functionality. Best of all, there's a lot of similarity between applications, which in turn makes them all easier to use.

Firefox used to have a UI that offered a good balance between not wasting space, while still making important functionality quick and easy to use. As they've copied Chrome's UI more and more the past few years, Firefox has become decreasingly useful for a lot of users.

Having to remedy these deficiencies using more and more add-ons with each release is getting increasingly tedious. The worst part, however, is that all of the major browser vendors have fallen into this let's-imitate-Chrome trap, so it's not like there's a viable alternative to switch to.