I think you might be seeing the Australis interface redesign.

I think you are right that there no longer is any built-in way to move the tabs down from the top of the toolbar area. I believe you may find one or more extensions which offer this feature; they might not be any more stable than Nightly itself at this point.

Firefox has not had a Status Bar for a long time, but the Add-on bar might also have been removed (I have not kept up with that aspect of the design). What do you find on the Toolbars list?

tap the Alt key > View menu > Toolbars

What do you mean by adding spacing?

You can look at this extension:

• Classic Theme Restorer: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/classicthemerestorer/

• http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/29.0a2/auroranotes/
• http://www.ghacks.net/2014/01/31/mozilla-decides-uplift-australis-firefox-aurora/

It does seem to be the Australis build. All that's left is the menu bar and bookmarks bar.

Spacing was a part of customization where you could put spaces within the url bar (for example) to put space between the google search box and url box, or to keep the boxes from going all the way to the right or something. I had my bars end at a certain point so that you could see my firefox background in the right corner.

Thanks for the links! Between Classic Theme Restorer and Status4Ever I've somehow managed to get back the customization I desired. Thanks so much. (:

I also have the problem with the "Tabs On Top" option. I DO NOT want them on top. I had version 27 running on Windows XP and was able to set this option. On Windows 7 that option no longer appears in the View>Toolbars list.

How can the tabs be moved to the desired position?

I have searched the drive on both XP and Windows 7 for the "tabsontop" text in any file. No results were found.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/classicthemerestorer/

Did you look at the options for Classic Theme Restorer?

Main tab in Options > Tabs Not on Top

Yes. That is how I knew to look for "tabsontop" text in a file. Further, it states that add-on is not available for version 27.

The puzzle is why is the option there when version 27 runs on XP but not on Windows 7. Someone at Mozilla does not like Windows 7 and singled out that OS to work differently????

Aurora Firefox 29 and Nightly Firefox 30 have the new Australis "theme", Firefox 27 and Beta 28 don't have it.

The menu item for Tabs on Top was removed many versions ago; on WinXP installations if you would happen to un-check Tabs on Top and then restart Firefox that menu item would disappear from the menu.

Open about:config and double-click this preference to toggle it to false.
browser.tabs.onTop
http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config

Thanks. Problem solved!

WHO's Brilliant ideas was this "Australis build" anyway? Under it, dont use the word customization as that is a mus-nomer and a JOKE, we cant customize, we just move icons around, that is, the ones you have left us with after you deleted all the good ones.. You take away the TABS on Bottom, (there is an ADDon but if you TOUCH the addon screen, it reverts back to on top immediately, You put he URL field on the MENU bar and we can not MOVE it, or reshape or shorten it, We have no SPACES to separate icons, THE RELOAD/REFRESH appears to be GONE or lost forever. If a site hangs, I have NO idea on how you expect us to reload the page. All those HANDY little tools in the old customize window are GONE we used to be able to move to any Toolbar except the Yahoo toolbar. WHAT happened? What genius came up with the AUSTRALIS crap? Has Firefox gone the way of YAHOO and the user/customer DO NOT COUNT or MATTER any more or what we want? Why is it necessary for us to scrounge around and find OLD RELEASES that worked for us and WE LIKED. Upgrades USUALLY mean improvements. IS there ANYONE that likes rel 29? IF SO, PLEASE explain why because I can not see anything but doing away with great tools, etc.

1. Will someone explain why we should like the new releases like 28 and 29? it appears to me to be 5 steps backward. Is it going to get better and somethings may be restored or do we have to live this this from now on or change browsers or try to go back to old releases. 2. IS there a place we can SEE all that has been lost and WHAT has been gained FROM those losses for us to read? 3. IF anyone is proud of Australis build, can someone explain why you are proud of it? It may help in all this frustration. Don't know about you but I AM extremely frustrated with rel 29 and about to give up so please EXPLAIN why is not not a decrease in functionality or a multiple step backward for Firefox.

Hi jagman55, there was a lot of user interface testing behind the Australis interface. However, I don't have the details handy and it isn't the sort of this discussed in support articles.

You can find some perspectives in Mozilla blogs and wiki pages. Here's one to start:

https://blog.mozilla.org/ux/2013/12/whywhatiswhere/

Hi jagman55, you don't need to scrounge around for Firefox 28.0. You can download an installer from this page:

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

Running that installer will switch you from the beta channel to the release channel, so you won't get Firefox 29 again until its formal release.

Thanks, since I had so many issues with 28, then it went to 29 when I didn't ask for either, I found an old 25.01 and started all over and will stay with 25 as long as I can. The add-on I work now, etc. I saw nothing about 28/29 but aggravation and changes I did not like. Maybe when officially released it might not be so problematic for me but, I did not like the things being removed and redesigned toward LESS customization after these issues with Yahoo email. For example,f MAKING the tab be at he top and not allowing us to move them. This was "shades of Yahoo" as I call it. Removing features for simplizaion is not something I like. I like more functionality and customization, not less. If I wanted that, I would have switched to Chrome with it came out.

If you received an update to Firefox 29 Beta from Firefox 28, you are probably on the Beta channel which is for testing a new version of Firefox during the last 6 weeks before release of the new version.

As Jefferson suggested, install the Firefox 28 version to get on the Release channel.

As far as customization is concerned, the new Australis UI is less customizable than earlier versions, but it still more customizable than other browsers in the market place. Plus, Firefox still allows much greater customization possibilities via Add-ons that any other browser out there.

Complain here if you want, but the Australis UI has been in development for close to two years now - it ain't going away just because we don't like it. Firefox 28 is part of the "past", whereas Firefox 29 is the beginning of the future.

As far as customization is concerned, the new Australis UI is less customizable than earlier versions, but it still more customizable than other browsers HUH? are trying to be "about as good" or "better" than other browsers? The "more customizable" is dubious at this point.

Why does it have to be LESS? What is the justification for REMOVING customizations? Just because Firefox has more (but how much more) does not sound like a valid justification or like, "we made is worse but is still better"

Add-ons: Only if someone bothers to make one.

QUESTION, HOW long has there been "Australis UI" ie, started in what release? Are we just seeing it NOW? Can you or anyone say WHO and SHY it was necessary to do for 2 years only to find out your customer base does not like it?

COMMENT: From what I read on the net, Firefox if it continues with removing customization we seem to like, "just because it is a little better...." Firefox may not have the future it had in the past.

What we need is a new organization that will take release 25 and start a development from that platform as it seems to be less conversational, add some new customizations (operative word here is NEW) and some Security.

With the success of Firefox, WHY was a redesign with ANY customization removed necessary? Even simple ones like SPACES to separate in the Toolbar.

CAN anyone explain for us? Or does the team think they don't need to. As we can always "accept" the changes and just SHUT UP.

Personally, I would PAY for the use and improvement of release 25 after seeing 28 and 29. I find it THAT much better than 29.

has been in development for close to two years now - it ain't going away just because we don't like it. Firefox 28 is part of the "past", whereas Firefox 29 is the beginning of the future.

OK, OK, I get it, Sorry for bring up these issues in this forum but, have an important question.

IF, and i do, want to go back to before all this snuck up on me, I was on rel 25.01, FAT, HAPPY, and SASSY with Firefox. Then, out of the blue something happened and I ended up with 28. I then noticed "my Firefox world had changed" and all my customization was gone or I could not find them. I tried to customize rel 28 like I always have in 3-25, then rel 29 appeared.

Question for those that keep up on this. DO I stick with rel 25.01 or does rel 26 or 27 have what I loved in customization in rel 25? ie, is rel 25 the last of the great upgrades I need to stick with to stay happy?

What differences did you notice in Firefox 28? I can't think of a huge changes between Firefox 26 and 28. Firefox 26 eliminated the old download dialog, so related extensions no longer could hook in and stopped working.

If you had blocked updates for a while, your extensions might need to be updated to work with Firefox 28. You can do that from the Add-ons page. The "gear" button above the list of Extensions has a "Check for Updates" item.

I skipped rel 26 and have been on rel 25.01 as I got used to it and it customized perfectly for me. I have no idea how I got to 28 as I kept 'upgrade' off for a long time. Reason: Add-ons, I rely on add-ons for customizations and when a new release comes out, there goes my customization until they get on the new release. It would be great if someone or someway add-on'er could know about changes in advance so the add-on's did not have to wait on the new releases before compatibility could be started. . I think I got to 29 because 28 had the "upgrade" checked when installed. Here is why I liked 25 so much and 28/29 so little. TOP toolbar, File, Edit, View.... to save space, I put the URL field up on the top on the right to save space and I can put icons to the right of it also while making the URL smaller. Next is a tool bar for all my add-on icons with spaces to clump them logically, which 28/28 removed and fixed it as the URL and icons. Sometimes I will ADD a tool bar but under 28/29 I don't see how. Then bookmarks, then Yahoo, then TABS next to the page/windows as I think it should be there as it is next to the page it represents.. I run a 40" monitor on my PC's at 1920 but will need more height for my browser, I can remove temporarily, tool bars, zoom out and making the window larger for more data so screen captures for printing, invoices, things I purchase to save, etc. Most of these features are now removed. Less flexibility and fixed (non movable) to me is less efficient. My rel 25 Customization window was GREAT, i could move the add-on icons to it and then MOVE them to the toolbar of my choice. It was FULL of icons from the add-ons and I could go Crazy moving them around. Now I dont see them in the customization window and lots of the old ones are not there. The old customizing window had "small icons" box, dont see, create new toolbar, etc. I dont see the feature to ADD TEST to the icons anymore. The URL is fixed on the SECOND toolbar down with all the icons and some can not be moved to the very top to save space, it has to exist with the icons from add-ons. The REFRESH/reload is no longer movable or an icon. I love my back/forward Arrows on the second toolbar on the LEFT and together, not on the URL bar . Yahoo got me riled up with its "clean look" then here comes Firefox. Going back to the old days where there was no customization. Attached is what I am talking about. Busy? yes, and I love it. Everything is at my "finger tips"

Check the Third Party/Unofficial Builds forum over at MozillaZine for 3rd party versions that are built on Firefox code.
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=42

jagman55 wrote: I think I got to 29 because 28 had the "upgrade" checked when installed.

If you were using the Firefox 28.0 release then no as a Release (any version) will never give you a update to a Beta build.

You need to be on Beta channel due to installing a Beta build at some point like say one of the Betas of Firefox 25.0 or 28.0 instead of the Release at time.