Firefox's touchy-feeling Windows 8 makeover now in beta

After a long development process, a beta version of the Firefox web browser that offers support for Windows 8's touch-centric UI mode is now available. "This touch-friendly, tile-based Firefox is optimized for Microsoft's Windows 8 Modern UI and designed to ensure users get the best Firefox browsing experience possible on …

[Anonymous Coward]

No one told them?

Whoever over heard the joke about putting Firefox on Windows 8 is about to get fired. Of course if you consider that they spent 2 years coding the thing, maybe they won't mind so much.

Never used Windows 8, but wtf is this about...

"...Windows 8.x only allows one browser to run in TIFKAM"

Apparently TIFKAM is just a front end, but for what? Can you load 2 instances of TIFKAM and run 2 web browsers? On the other hand, maybe someone might find some security problems with that TIFKAM'majig.

[JDX]

Re: No one told them?

How does Windows know an application is a web-browser? Something has got twisted in the telling here surely?

[Test Man]

Re: No one told them?

How does it know? Specific coding to specific APIs, obv.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: No one told them?

"How does it know? Specific coding to specific APIs, obv."

No not obviously. Other than using the generic Metro GUI and win32 sockets libraries which could be used by 1001 other apps the entire browser could use in house APIs so there is no way of Win8 knowing its a browser other than monitoring what it sends down the wire.

[JDX]

Re: No one told them?

Indeed. Loads of custom apps feature embedded browser functionality for instance.

[big_D]

Re: No one told them?

The default browser (the app that is registered to open HTML documents) is allowed to open in TIFKAM mode, all other browsers are relegated to desktop mode only. A bit of a pain.

That said, I've been waiting over a year for TIFKAM mode. Let's hope they have optimized the code as well. Firefox on my tablet is a slug, a faster slug than Chrome, but a veritable slug compared to IE's cheetah like performance!

Having switched to "Firefox" back when it was still called Phoenix, I never thought I'd see the day when I would be praising MS IE in comparison to other browsers, but on tablets it is certainly the benchmark at the moment!

[Anonymous Coward]

Better avoid..

Given how even MS' own Internet Exploder becomes a heaving mess when executed from TIFKAM, Mozilla would have been better off avoiding it like the plague as it will only create a support headache. However, I guess as a generic touchscreen product it's not a bad idea.

[JDX]

Re: Better avoid..

I guess it's targeting Windows Surface? Is there an RT version too or is it for Surface Pro and full Win 8.x only?

[Roj Blake]

PNS Syndrome

Some references in the article to "the TIFKAM"

Please don't say you've succumbed to PNS Syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNS_syndrome

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: PNS Syndrome

Surely that is THE PNS syndrome? :). Personally I think adding RAS syndrome to the abomination called TIFKAM is acceptable - the more the merrier.

BTW, you suffer from overcapitalisation, The Need To Put Everything In Caps Without There Being Any Justification For It. It's PNS syndrome - no need for caps there. It's an affliction often found in programmers and people who speak German as well.

[Craig 2]

Now that is a REALLY impressive time to waste while looking busy. I struggle with just a Friday afternoon!

[Moses]

Just made myself relevant. Now checking. Post number one, mark one, series one.

[Robert Grant]

Looks nice

That's it. Looking forward to see what touchy stuff they've added.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Looks nice

I would say "you're new here", but the bronze badge suggests otherwise. Don't you know that it's not allowed to make any sort of positive comment about Windows 8?

[Missing Semicolon]

Oh noes!

I saw the comments in the release notes, saying that they've "had to" mess with the APIs to do it. Which means that loads of old addons won't work any more.

I just see more "new-shiny-shiny" zealots who don't want to do proper platform design. Bah.

[Mevi]

TIFKAM browsers are not allowed to use plugins or extensions, as per MS rules..... no adblock plus, no disconnect, no ghostery, no script blocking........ THE HORROR!

I use my Lenovo Tablet 2 in desktop mode, with desktop Firefox.