Mozilla has launched a new and improved add-on called Firefox Test Pilot, allowing users to experiment and test new features before they're included in the browser.
The first version of Test Pilot was released back in 2009, and studied how users interacted with the Firefox browser without testing new features.
"Test Pilot is a way for you to try out experimental features and let us know what you think," Nick Nguyen, vice president of Firefox Product, wrote in an official blog post.
Since the features might have some bugs that cause issues with the browser, Test Pilot users can switch them on and off as they please.
"You can turn them on and off at any time, and you'll always know what information you're sharing to help us understand how these features are used. Of course, you can also use Test Pilot to provide feedback and suggestions to the teams behind each new feature."
The revamped program currently has three main features, according to the post.
The first is Activity Stream, which helps you find sites you've previously browsed and bookmarked. Users can browse the visual timeline to find what they're looking for.
Tab Center is the second feature that can be tested. This Firefox add-on arranges tabs vertically down the left-hand side of the browser instead of across the top of the window.
Finally, Universal Search, an enhanced search bar that recommends sites, such as top news articles or features content, appears in a drop-down menu from the URL bar. As Mozilla points out in its blog post, the improved search bar is meant to help users "spend less time sifting through search results and more time enjoying the Web."
Test Pilot is available for Firefox on Linux, Mac and Windows. To participate in the new program, all users need to do is sign up for a Firefox account or log in if you already have one.
Future prototypes that may be tested in the program include Wayback Machine, PageShot and Tracking Protection, according to ZDNet.
Mozilla says that experiments are currently only available in English, but the company will add more languages later this year.
