It's not even an either-or situation, Melez added as he explained how parts of the concept might be desirable in Firefox, while others are rejected. "We could add some core messaging functionality to Firefox, or take just a piece of Snowl to put in the browser, or maybe [do it] some other way—as a more mature extension separate from Firefox."

If feedback on Snowl is positive, the next step might be to expand the list of message sources to include instant messaging services like AIM and social networks such as Facebook. Or efforts could be made into creating an interface for writing and sending messages from within the browser.

"I think this is a project that will run more than just months," said Melez when asked for a timeline. "It's hard to believe that within three to six months we would add messaging to Firefox. This is a rough estimate, but I think it's a one-to-two-year thing."

Even longer term, Melez said, is the conceptual browser design unveiled earlier in the week as part of a new program Mozilla calls "Concept Series." The design, code-named Aurora by Adaptive Path, a San Francisco-based design house that collaborated with Mozilla Labs on the idea, also includes integrated messaging.

Adaptive Path has posted a video to its Web site that shows the Aurora concept in action.

"Aurora is one part of a larger project, our browser concept series," said Melez. "We're trying to engage people outside the usual Mozilla community, especially designers, who can come up with ideas and even mock-ups of what the browser of the future might look like."