Mozilla released the first preview of Firefox browser which has Windows 8’s “Modern” or “Metro” UI. But it has bugs and omits features that should appear in the final.Users running Windows 8 RTM (release to manufacturing), the final code Microsoft started distributing in mid-August, can download and install a Modern-ized Firefox from Mozilla’s “Nightly” channel, a rough-edged, in-development build that precedes the better-known Aurora, Beta and Final stages for each edition.
The preview includes a new Metro style Firefox Start page, support for Firefox Sync, Metro touch and swipe gestures, integration with Windows 8 “charms”, and a simple but powerful Australis interface that is streamlined, modern, and beautiful. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be adding more features, tightening up Windows integration, improving performance and responsiveness, and finishing up all the necessary work to deliver a first class Firefox experience for Windows 8.
The Modern-enabled preview of Firefox 18 can be downloaded from a Mozilla server (FTP download), but caveats abound: Users must be running Windows 8 RTM, and must set the browser as the operating system’s default