2 ms·

Remember, when software UI was customizable? Developers somehow managed to build amazing customization options while adhering to OS design and QA had it all tes

by butz 5y ago

Remember, when software UI was customizable? Developers somehow managed to build amazing customization options while adhering to OS design and QA had it all tested without any fancy "automated testing tools" we have today. Firefox needs to figure out how to expose UI customization to all users, not only those who are comfortable enabling user styles and hacking CSS. Most UI styles probably are using CSS variables, so how about starting to expose them in some easy to use interface, with simple textbox or spinner? Of course, they should plop a huge banner, that customizations are not supported, but in the end this should help users to quickly fix their personal annoyances. It is impossible to make single UI that will satisfy all users, but such customization tool surely will turn more grumpy users to happy users. Imagine, how disabled person must feel, when they need to go through 10 steps of browser customization just to adjust a single color.

handoflixue 5y ago
Firefox Color offers the ability to remap most (all?) colors used in the UI. It's hardly "10 steps just to adjust a single color", and I'm not aware of any browser that makes it easier. More advanced customization is obviously harder to put in to a UI, but exposing the underlying CSS means that anyone can just copy from a blog post like this fairly easily. That seems like a decent compromise to me. I certainly don't recall being able to edit any pre-CSS application with that level of refinement.
nfoz 5y ago
> Remember, when software UI was customizable? I liked the old philosophy that a desktop should have "consistent look & feel". If all your apps use the same UI toolkit, that toolkit can be made to work well and with things like accessibility in mind, and can be themed/customized to the user's preference. My old-hat way of thinking goes so far to say that "tabs" should be done by the window-manager, not the browser.

by butz 5y ago

handoflixue 5y ago

Firefox Color offers the ability to remap most (all?) colors used in the UI. It's hardly "10 steps just to adjust a single color", and I'm not aware of any browser that makes it easier. More advanced customization is obviously harder to put in to a UI, but exposing the underlying CSS means that anyone can just copy from a blog post like this fairly easily. That seems like a decent compromise to me. I certainly don't recall being able to edit any pre-CSS application with that level of refinement.

nfoz 5y ago

> Remember, when software UI was customizable? I liked the old philosophy that a desktop should have "consistent look & feel". If all your apps use the same UI toolkit, that toolkit can be made to work well and with things like accessibility in mind, and can be themed/customized to the user's preference. My old-hat way of thinking goes so far to say that "tabs" should be done by the window-manager, not the browser.