According to Mozilla, Firefox is set to launch Microsoft's Windows 8 "Modern" user interface around the middle of December 2013. The touch-ready browser, called the "Preview Release" will be packaged with Firefox 26 for the Windows desktop.

Computer World notes that before the final release of Firefox 26, Mozilla will pair the Modern version with the browser's "Aurora" and "Beta" channel builds, which are to release Sept. 16 and Oct. 28, respectively. At each step, Mozilla will quash bugs and possibly respond to user feedback with changes.

Mozilla started work on a Modern edition of Firefox, one that would run in the user interface (UI) once known as Metro, more than a year ago. The open-source developer released a rough preview in October 2012, several weeks before Microsoft shipped Windows 8.



At the time, Mozilla's schedule claimed that the Firefox app might appear as early as January 2013. In May, the company said its developers would complete Firefox for Modern between Oct. 2, 2013, and March 20, 2014, with mid-November the likeliest date.

Even so, Mozilla has said it's important that it have a Modern browser app to remain competitive. Google, for instance, has had a Windows 8 Modern version of Chrome since June 2012.