2.1 UI & browser not as nice as 1.4 - Is 2.x cycle the future of Firefox OS?
Please forgive this very noob question. I just received my Flame device and have tested out versions 1.3, 1.4 & 2.1 on it so far.
While many of the features I longed for are appearing in 2.1, I feel some UI design features dratiscally went backwards - particularly the Firefox browser itself. The v1.4 browser was very fast on the Flame and the hamburger menu at the top which slid a vertically scrolling side menu in with thumbnails and titles of other open tabs. While the v2.1 browser is sluggish loading pages and the new UI for it is much more clumsy to use than the 1.4 with its weird main screen and no way to view all tabs at once.
While I recognize that 2.1 is not complete, my question is, Is this the future of Firefox OS? I mean where are these UI and interaction designs being made and how can I be a part of that discussion - because many good interactions and usability issues are being changed from 1.4 to 2.x and I don't get why you would break something that was working so well. I mean the 1.4 firefox mobile browser on the Flame was one of the best phone browsing experiences I've ever had (including iOS & Android - except for the lack of selecting and cut & paste that is).
And, where did the horizontal pages on the homescreen go? Why get rid of that so I can have half visible icons on my homescreen when in mid scroll?
Why also not have a "dock" at the bottom of the homescreen so critical apps like Phone, Messages & browser can be pinned to it?
Also, I am glad the linear animation and abrupt halt when scrolling lists system wide was improved to include some kind of elastic stretch when continued to be dragged past the list extents, but something is still not quite right with how 2.1's "stretch-past-list-end" feels. Is there any place I can comment that could ask for that animation to be tweaked?
Sorry for these newbie questions and opinions, I know I am just a drop in the bucket of Mozilla contributors, but I am very concerned about some of the interactions and usability issues which are in so much flux and which seem to be going backwards instead of improving. Any assistance or understanding in why some of these are the way they currently are in 2.1 and how my feedback can be expressed to the people that matter would be appreciated. (I have already used the Happy/Sad feedback but received no contact - nor know the link where any of that info from other users is listed).
Thank you to all Mozilla developers & contributors for such an amazing OS that is free and OPEN!! :)
Todas as respostas (1)
Hi ppdev,
Thank you for your feedback on the new versions of Firefox OS currently in development, and I'm being very honest when I say this. =)
It's with involvement from users and the contributors that Firefox, Firefox for Android, and Firefox OS are what they are today. It's with involvement from the community and contributors that Mozilla will be able to keep improving.
Some contributors are a small water in the bucket, and make small contributions and feedback, or educate and teach other users. Other contributors are like a waterfall in a bucket and have made gigantic contributions over the years. To keep the analogy going - all of the drops and waterfalls contribute to keep the buckets full of water and quenching the thirst for awesome Open Source software, so thank you for your feedback and interest in getting more involved. =)
I will reply to your post in parts in an attempt to keep it short and concise -
Sluggish Browser in v2.1 - Version 2.1 is still in very early development phase, and it’s currently quite unstable. Optimization work on this version will begin after October 13, 2014 according to the Version and Scheduling wiki, so you should definitely follow up on this feedback if you still find it sluggish.
Is version 2.1 the direction of Firefox OS - I’m not in a position to say a definite yes or no to this question, since many things change wildly in software development, but I believe that yes, that this is the overall design that the UX teams are going for version 2.x. This is part of the ‘’’Haida’’’ refresh of Firefox OS, and there is more information about it in the Haida wiki
Where are these changes coming from and how can I be a part of the discussion? - I don’t know the specific details, but I know that the UX (User Experience) team works on the designs. I also don’t know specifically how they onboard contributors, but you can find a lot of information, including contacts, on the Gaia/UX team wiki. If you wish to delve deeper, you can even find all the UX bugs and possibly contribute to them. You might be able to get more information with on boarding by going to the #UX channel on IRC.
Where did the horizontal pages on the Homescreen go? - This was done partially because of the introduction of Edge Gestures. You can find more information on the Haida wiki - Updated Homescreen
Why not have a dock at the bottom? - I also struggled with this in the beginning, until I learned that moving my most-used apps to the top row effectively has the same result. You should try it… I like it much better now. =)
Where to comment about the elastic animation? - The IRC channel or contacting someone from the UX team directly might lead you to the right place. I’m sorry that I don’t know more specific details… that would take knowing the right person to ask. The IRC channel may be your best lead.
Where is a link to view other users’ feedbacks from the Happy/Sad page? - This is the link you’re looking for https://input.mozilla.org/en-US/ =)
I hope this answers most of your questions. Please let us know if you have any other questions about your Firefox OS device, and we’ll be happy to help you out or try to find the right answers. In the meantime, keep on rocking the free web!
Thanks,
- Ralph
Alterado por Ralph Daub em