Noia 4 update makes it one of the first Firefox Australis compatible full themes

Martin Brinkmann
Nov 27, 2013
Firefox, Firefox add-ons
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If you do not like where Mozilla is headed with Firefox's interface re-design Australis, you have a couple of options at hand to resolve it.

Some users may keep on using the last pre-Australis version of Firefox, while others may switch to Pale Moon or another Firefox-based fork, or install extensions or themes that let them change the interface of the browser to their liking.

It is fair to say that Firefox has not lost any of its customization options, so that it is quite possible to change the look and feel of the browser significantly if you like. While you depend on add-on authors and theme designers for that, the Firefox community boasts a huge number of those.

The author of the Firefox extension Classic Theme Restorer Aris is also the designer of the Firefox full theme Noia 4. It is a popular full conversion theme that was not compatible with Australis up until now (a fate that it shares with the majority of full themes).

A preview version of Noia 4, version 2.0.0pre1, has been uploaded by Aris to the Mozilla Add-ons repository from where it can be installed in Firefox. This version is only compatible with Firefox Australis versions, and not with previous versions of the browser.

To install the theme scroll down until you find the development channel listing. Here you find the new theme listed.

Bug: You cannot move the browser window if the menu bar is enabled. Once you disable it, you can move it normally. This will likely be fixed before final release. The author notes that there are errors, and that things will change before the final release (when Firefox 29 Stable comes along in April 2014).

When you install the theme in Firefox, you will notice that it changes the Australis interface significantly.

While there are still traces left that hint at Australis, like the three-striped menu icon on the right, the majority of other features have changed completely.

Note: Noia 4 modifies the appearance of some Firefox elements, such as the tabs in the browser. What it does not do is restore features that were removed in Australis. If you want that, you need to install the Classic Theme Restorer extension in addition to Noia 4.

You can manage the look and feel of the theme in the options. Here you can switch to a different color scheme for toolbars and tabs, or select to use Personas instead for that.

firefox-australis-compatible-theme

Other options include selecting font colors and shadows for interface fonts, applying lots of tweaks that modify interface elements in toolbars or tabs, and lots of other features.

Verdict

If you have been using Noia 4 before, you are likely glad to know that there will be an Australis compatible version of it available when the interface re-design lands. Users who never used it but do not like how Australis looks may want to give it a try as well.

While its icons and symbols take some getting used to time, it may help you overcome the Australis launch, especially if you also install the Classic Theme Restorer extension in the browser.

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Comments

  1. happysurf said on November 28, 2013 at 6:38 pm
    Reply

    There are other themes already compatible with the new Australis layout.
    These skins are FxChrome, FxOpera, MX3 and MX4 by dkgo.
    For me this developer make the best skins for Firefox.
    Look at Nightly channel links to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/dkgo/

  2. Pierre said on November 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm
    Reply

    Yes, however, currently I have no extension entirely compatible with Australis. Some of them don’t work at all.
    For those who don’t like Australis, le menu bar still exists…

  3. Finvana said on November 28, 2013 at 9:59 am
    Reply

    If I can’t work faster with a normal menu, move tabs below the search bar, use small icons or be unable to move addon icons to a different bar natively -like the status bar- I think we lost a lot of customization.

  4. IshtarGate said on November 28, 2013 at 6:01 am
    Reply

    Man Martin, you should just straight up rename this blog to AustralisHacks already.

    1. Bitter Much? said on December 3, 2013 at 7:14 am
      Reply

      In the past week there has been maybe 2 things about Australis and you’re complaining?

  5. EuroScept1C said on November 28, 2013 at 5:16 am
    Reply

    I really don’t judge only from Australis, but generally Mozilla has truly bad designers generally. The only nice Mozilla-related thing is their Developer Network Website ( and even this lately they started ruining it ). Nothing else. Even their Addons Page is… cheap and at least ugly.

    They should truly do something and get the new designers in all fronts.

    1. EuroScept1C said on November 28, 2013 at 5:25 am
      Reply

      I really don’t judge only from Australis, but generally Mozilla has truly bad designers generally. The only nice Mozilla-related thing is their Developer Network Website ( and even this lately they started ruining it ). Nothing else. Even their Addons Page is… cheap and at least ugly.

      They should truly do something and get the new designers in all fronts.

      Opera 19 stable should finally become my main browser. Windows Native UI… The best possible. Simple and beautiful. Like IE with Webkit.

      Truth to be told, nowadays IE11 is the most efficient browser, best Hardware Acceleration, best Smooth Scrolling, less CPU + GPU recources and the fastest rendering, but the 2 reasons I mentioned above would keep it as alternative.

  6. jasray said on November 27, 2013 at 8:23 pm
    Reply

    Quite a coincidence–I switched to Noia, my favorite FF theme, last night while working on a USB Linux Mint. I’ve always liked it.

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