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https://github.com/fboulnois/positron-ui-firefox

A simple userChrome for Firefox that restores connected tabs, visual dividers, and the focused tab highlight.
https://github.com/fboulnois/positron-ui-firefox

firefox firefox-css firefox-customization userchrome userchromecss

Last synced: 14 days ago
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A simple userChrome for Firefox that restores connected tabs, visual dividers, and the focused tab highlight.

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README 

        
# Positron UI for Firefox



## Table of Contents



1. [Introduction](#Introduction)

2. [Screenshots](#Screenshots)

3. [Installation](#Installation)

4. [Proton UI Issues](#Proton-UI-Issues)



## Introduction



The [Proton UI](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Proton) for Firefox 89 and

later substantially modifies Firefox's User Interface (UI). Although the overall

design is refreshed, tabs have been redesigned to float as buttons and are no

longer connected to the address bar.



The goal of Positron is to make very minimal changes to the Proton UI to resolve

[issues outlined below](#Proton-UI-Issues). In less than 100 lines of CSS,

Positron:



* Restores connected tabs

* Adds visual dividers between inactive tabs

* Restores the small colorful line above the focused tab



Positron does not modify other parts of the Proton UI, including context menus,

theme colors, icons, or UI control positions. Despite font sizes being unchanged,

Positron takes slightly less space vertically and leaves more space for text

horizontally. Positron is also compatible with different Firefox themes and UI

densities. The latest [`userChrome.css`](userChrome.css) supports Firefox 99+ on

Linux, macOS, and Windows.



## Screenshots



Before (Proton UI):



![Proton UI Light](img/proton-light.png)

![Proton UI Dark](img/proton-dark.png)



After (Positron):



![Positron Light](img/positron-light.png)

![Positron Dark](img/positron-dark.png)



## Installation



1. Go to `about:profiles` in the address bar

2. Open the Root Directory for the profile in use

3. Create a `chrome` folder in the root directory

4. Copy the [Positron `userChrome.css`](userChrome.css) into the `chrome` folder

(so that the directory hierarchy is `/chrome/userChrome.css`)

5. Go to `about:config` in the address bar

6. Search the preference names for `legacyUser`

7. Toggle `toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets` and set it to

`true`

8. Restart Firefox



## Proton UI Issues



The new Proton UI tab design with floating tabs creates a more disjointed and

confusing experience compared to the older approach with connected tabs:



* Tab elements are no longer grouped together. For example, the back and forward

buttons control the state of the focused tab, but because they are now

disconnected from that tab, visually they look like they would help the user

navigate between tabs instead. Switching back to connected tabs results in

visually grouping all the controls that are related to the focused tab. This

functionality is apparent to users even before they interact with Firefox for

the first time. This argument is almost verbatim the reason

[why tabs were placed on top](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmgtW2Iw-kE)

in Firefox 4 more than a decade ago.

* The new design removes [visual dividers](https://blog.tubikstudio.com/visual-dividers-user-interface/)

between inactive tabs, which makes it challenging to identify where one inactive

tab ends and the next begins. This results in misclicks and focusing of the

wrong tab, especially as the number of tabs in the tab bar increases.

* Finally, the new design removes almost all color from tabs and the address bar.

It makes Firefox feel cold and sterile, and results in background and foreground

colors not having [sufficient contrast ratio](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#non-text-contrast).

The contrast ratio between active and inactive tabs is 1.13:1, which is below

the recommended minimum of 3:1 for non-text elements. Low contrast interfaces

can make it difficult for many users to use. A smidge of color can make all the

difference and add a bit of playfulness.