Firefox now has a Windows 8 version with touch!

it's a very early build but they are getting somewhere... finally, some touch competition for IE10.

Firefox adapts to Windows 8 touch-first interface | Internet & Media - CNET News

The early build features a number of Metro features, including a no-menu-bar look that relies instead on actions triggered by swiping in from the edges of the screen. That includes the access to search engines, downloaded files, and tab selection.

The new browser is the result not just of programming work, but also of a lobbying campaign. To run with top performance, browsers today need access to low-level operating system interfaces, but third-party software was barred from using those interfaces unless running in the old-style "desktop" interface.

However, Microsoft eventually was persuaded to let browsers use the low-level interfaces on Windows 8. That's not the case with Windows RT, though, where only Microsoft's Internet Explorer has those privileges.


it's only available via one of their release channels since it's not ready for public consumption: Firefox Nightly Builds

in order to see the Windows 8 interface with the Nightly build of Firefox, you need to make the Nightly build the default browser. this installation of the Nightly build does not affect your regular Firefox. it's even installed in a separate folder.

if you don't set Nightly as the default browser, it'll just load up FF as the desktop version. the same situation as IE10 (if IE10 is not the default browser, desktop IE10 will load instead of Modern IE10).

extremely clean interface! like the fullscreen mode. still has all the firefox keyboard/mouse shortcuts to navigate tabs.


swiping brings up the tabs and the awesome bar.


you can set it so that tabs are always shown.

lots of bugs but you can see the promise of where this program is going. still lacks touch features like pinch to zoom though.