Adding a personalised touch to computers graphical interface is nothing new—even the operating systems of mid-nineties had options of themes. The concept continues, and today it is available down to the application level where users can change the look and feel of the software they use to their own liking. The free web-browser Firefox allows the same through what it calls Persona extension. Persona is an extension that allows users to decorate their Firefox browser with a large variety of skins created by other users and lets users create their own as well. Here's how you do it

1. Install Persona extension from the Mozilla Persona site http//www.getpersonas.com/

2. Restart the browser after installation. This results in addition of a fox icon at the bottom-left corner of the browser, and also that a of menu item Personas for Firefox under the Tools menu.

3. Simply select a skin through the categories available in these menus, such as under Nature, Abstract, Seasonal, Sports etc. Also, there are categories of Most Popular, New and Recently selected to narrow down the search and selection.

4. Applying a skin results in change of font colours, and downloading of a top and bottom image shown behind the toolbars and the status bar. With image size restriction of 300KB each, these skins are quick to take effect and are pretty lightweight.

5. To create your own Persona, create a header and a footer image in JPG or PNG format having 3000x200 and 3000x100 pixel dimensions respectively. Keep the images in softer hues without too many details as that would give a cluttered look to the skin.

6. Download the cross platform template in PSD format to test the header images over different Operating Systems layers so that the skin can be previewed as to how it will look when the browser is running under OSX, Windows XP and Vista (this step is optional).

7. Test the newly developed Persona at your own computer by turning on Show Custom Persona in Preferences menu of Persona, and then selecting Simple > Edit from Persona menu to select the newly created images and setting font colours.

8. Visit http//www.getpersonas.com/upload and create a designer profile since this service lists thousands of skins over web gallery. Mozilla has envisioned the extension to be a collaborative web space for creative contributors—a place where artists share their art through individual profile pages displaying their work.

9. Remember to set theme option to default (as themes are used to change the appearance of navigation buttons, toolbars and menus) through Tools > Add-ons > Themes tab while working with Persona.