Mozilla Gives Users an Advance Look at Firefox 4.0

NEW YORK — With an eye toward simplification, Mozilla has already started working on the next version of its flagship product, the Firefox web browser.

The open-source giant released version 3.5 mere months ago to a flurry of praise from the tech community, and in recent weeks, the company has been leaking screenshots and descriptions of version 4.0, which will feature a glossy new look and a streamlined design.

Mozilla hasn’t finalized their design choices yet, but preliminary word indicates that Firefox 4.0 won’t have a “home” button, and for some platforms, activating the program will remove the operating system’s file menu from the top of the display, giving Firefox more room to breathe.

Firefox also appears to be taking some cues from Apple’s Safari web browser. The “refresh” button will now be located at the far right of the address bar. In addition, Firefox 4.0 may offer an animated “favorites” display similar to the latest version of Safari.

Firefox 4.0 may also include an option to position browser tabs above the address bar, which would remove an overall title bar, or underneath the address bar.

Developers at Mozilla are also trying to make casual users more aware of Firefox’s capacity for expansion. Users now manage Firefox’s add-ons through a menu option labeled “tools.” The latest version of the browser will move that entire section to the right of the address bar, marked with a full button labeled “tools.”

In the meantime, Mozilla is working on a version designated 3.7 that will include some, though not all, of these changes.