Ordinarily I am very, very against "skinning" a web browser because it usually makes it perform like absolute crap. Usually what will happen is that some internal menus won’t work and sometimes it even interrupts web site loading.
However, when I saw that Personas was actually developed by Mozilla Labs themselves (i.e. the guys and gals who made the browser), I gave it a try.
Said honestly, it works great.
When you first install Personas and restart FF, you get this:
(click for larger)
I like the fact that right as you restart you notice a difference and it looks good. At the bottom left is a small fox icon that it tells you to "click to get started". When you do, a menu pops up where you can instantly change the look without restarting the browser – and that’s very much appreciated because restarting just for a theme/skin change is annoying.
Not all the skins look good obviously, but some are pretty snazzy like the "Firefox Robot" one from Firefox:
(click for larger)
Side note: If you want a hidden easter egg for Firefox where you see the robot, type about:robots in the address bar, press enter and watch what happens. Mozilla has a thing about robots.. whatever.
This is a nice fun way to customize Firefox’s look without breaking anything, so I definitely give it the thumbs up, and marks the first time I’ve ever recommended a "skinner" for a browser.
And by the way, yes you can create your own skins – and easily. Go to Persona’s Preferences, check off Show Custom Persona in Menu, click OK, click the fox icon, click Custom Persona then Edit. Start your edits from there and customize however you like.
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