Accept the Trend: Mozilla Firefox to Embrace the Ribbon Interface
Ribbon interfaces seems to be the trend of modern user interfaces. This concept of user interface is first popularized by Microsoft through its Office 2007 applications. Late on, Microsoft decided to proceed on this concept by including it in the interface design of some of WIndows 7’s applications such as Microsoft Paint and Wordpad. Third-party software companies also follow the trend, for example, Raxco and O&O software all uses the ribbon interface in designing their software. In fact, the trend seems to become so popular that Microsoft even offered to port the ribbon interface to support Vista’s applications in an update due October 2009.
Games application with the ribbon interface
Ribbon interface in action with third-party software such as the database modeler above
O&O Defrag’s Ribbon InterfaceIn another half a year’s time when March 2010 arrives, we will soon see the ribbon interface being integrated into web browsers. Mozilla announced a couple of days ago that they will include the ribbon interface in Mozilla Firefox v3.7, the next major update to their browser. You can read the full news article here.
Some users like me like the ribbon interface because it makes thing more organized and multi-featured on one single window. However, others hate the ribbon interface because it takes time to learn, get used to and some even goes as far as to complain that it is ugly-looking. I say that it has more or less something to do with them not willing to accept new changes…Well, like it or hate it, most likely this trend will be continuing for years to come.
