The latest test version of Firefox Nightly by Mozilla now features vertical tabs. This addition has been eagerly awaited by users and ranks as the third most sought-after feature on Mozilla’s Connect platform.
Firefox Nightly Vertical Tabs:
Vertical tabs in Firefox Nightly relocate the tabs from the conventional horizontal bar at the top to a vertical sidebar. This change enables easier drag-and-drop functionality, sorting, hierarchical views, and optimizes screen space utilization, particularly on wide monitors or websites with limited width.
While Firefox is not the pioneer in offering vertical tabs, other browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi have already embraced this feature. Vivaldi, in particular, is distinguished for its extensive customization capabilities.
The new Firefox Nightly version showcases both the horizontal tab bar and the sidebar concurrently by default. Users have the option to conceal the tab bar and exclusively display the sidebar by selecting the “hide tab strip” button.
Initially, the sidebar exhibits icons, but clicking the expand icon reveals labels beside the icons. Users can manage open tabs alongside other sidebar functions and settings.
The central part of the sidebar presents a list of active webpages, streamlining tab switching and providing quick access to the tabs menu via right-click or one-click for opening new tabs.
Ambiguity regarding Mozilla’s future strategies:
Mozilla’s intentions to fully integrate vertical tabs remain uncertain. A Reddit post from a member of the project team described the version as a “rough proof-of-concept,” hinting that some tested features might not be retained.
Mozilla aims to incorporate the successful features into Firefox, but concrete specifics are currently lacking. The credibility of the Reddit post’s author, purportedly a team member of the project, is not verified, necessitating caution in interpreting the information.
To Summarize
The future inclusion of vertical tabs in Firefox is still up in the air. Despite Mozilla’s positive response to user demands by incorporating desired functionalities into the browser, there is a possibility that tab groups might be introduced ahead of vertical tabs.
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