MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The maker of the Firefox Web browser says the Windows 8 "Metro" interface will require an "entirely new" Firefox environment for the revamped OS.
That will be necessary because Windows 8 will include both the "classic" interface, which is similar to Windows 7, and "Metro," which is similar to the tiled Windows Phone interface, PC Magazine reported Monday.
Mozilla, the creator of Firefox, says adding it to Windows 8 classic will be a "simple evolution," but making it work with Metro will require "a new Firefox front end and system integration points."
"Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps, will be full screen, focused on touch interactions and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts," Mozilla said.
Mozilla has already said Firefox "in its current form -- client software with the Gecko Web rendering engine -- will not be feasible" going forward, so future versions would be "delivered in many ways, sometimes as client software, sometimes as a Web-based service."
Microsoft is scheduled to introduce a consumer preview of Windows 8 at an event on Feb. 29.
Mozilla recently released Firefox 10.
