Browsersphere

It’s been a while, and there’s a lot to catch up on in the browsersphere.  This time around, let’s focus on all things Konqueror:

• Rozengain.com points us to KHTML on Windows part III, which shows how you can test your web designs in the KHTML rendering engine (used by Konqueror) on Windows using VMWare and a SUSE 10 image.
• According to this post on Digg and its first comment, a patch has been created for Konqueror that would allow for “plasmoids,” which apparently are somewhat equivalent to widgets in Opera.
• Blue GNU discusses the possibility of a KHTML/WebKit merge.
• Roderick Greening beckons the KHTML and WebKit folks to make a decision that will benefit the web and web users.
• Zack Rusin responds to Harri Porten as part of a debate that I won’t pretend to understand.
• A post at The Gay Bar (?) titled “Browsers Suck” says that Konqueror “is just ridiculously hideous, lacks the features Opera has.”  Not that the post has anything nice to say about Opera either.
• SensoryMetrics released the browser stats from its visitors and revealed that Konqueror was dead last in terms of usage.  A post the next day then lamented the omission of the browser in a speed test (via Web 3.0).

Tags: KHTML, Konqueror, Links, Market Share, Opera, Performance, Safari, WebKit, Widgets

If you don’t let a single front page item on Digg pass you by unnoticed (like me), you’re likely to run into quite a few browser-related diggs over time.  Let’s take a look at some that have shown up over the course of the past month.

• Ubuntu Forums Firefox Plugin - “finding answers to stupid questions was never so easy.”
• Get your Firefox Wonder Edition, most efficient Firefox build! - “Firefox Wonder Edition is a special version of Firefox that combines one of the most efficient Firefox build[s] with special extras that make it the fastest Firefox around for Windows.”
• Firefox memory usage and memory leak news - “Many Mozilla community members, including both volunteers and Mozilla Corporation employees, have been helping to reduce Firefox’s memory usage and fix memory leak bugs lately. Hopefully, the result of this effort will be that Firefox 3 uses less memory than Firefox 2 did, especially after it has been used for several hours.”
• New Firefox 3.0 alpha blocks malware, secures plug-in updates - “Security features debut in latest preview, as Firefox 3.0 heads down the stretch.”
• Firefox/Camino vs. Safari Image Quality — Big difference (IMAGE) - “There seems to be a pretty big significance between these two browser[s] in terms of displaying this image. Not sure why this is happening…but it’s making me consider leaving my favorite browser.”
• New Konqueror web browser icon by Oxygen Team - “Konqueror, KDE web browser get[s] a new icon in Oxygen style. Check it out.”
• Justice in India is done with the help of Linux, OpenOffice and Firefox - “In Uttar Pradesh (most populated state of India), Judges have been distributed laptops powered by Linux, OpenOffice, Evolution, Gnome, Firefox.”
• Proposed Firefox 3 Theme For Mac OS X Looks Exactly Like Safari - “Firefox 3 is having an identity crisis on the Mac. Recent screenshots reveal that the new theme is striking similar to Apple’s Safari. If you can’t innovate, imitate.”
• Can IE’s architect explain why it’s so bloated? - “More good news for Internet Explorer users: Microsoft’s IE chief explains why IE is fatter than Firefox and will never have a similarly comprehensive plugin system.”
• Firefox Coming To Your Phone - “The iPhone, with its fully-functioning Safari browser, showed us that mobile browsing need not be a compromise. Now, the folks at Mozilla are working on a mobile version of Firefox.”
• Mozilla: We’re Ready to Rock the Mobile Web Now - “Here’s some information about what we’re planning to do with hiring, technology, partnerships, and products, and how you can get involved.”

As you can see, Digg is pretty heavy on Firefox, but you got a little Safari and Konqueror in there, too (the IE stuff probably doesn’t count ;)).

Tags: Camino, Digg, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Konqueror, Mobile, Mozilla, Safari, Themes and Skins

It was a big week for web browsers. Let’s get caught up on the little stuff…

• Vince Liu recommends using IEs4Linux if you’re looking to install Internet Explorer on Linux.
• HTTPOnly cookie support has been added to Firefox.
• The Opera Desktop Team explains My Opera synchronization.
• Firefox 3 will resume downloads across sessions.
• The Register interviewed Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner (via Opera Watch) and CSS3 . Info interviewed Opera CTO Håkon Wium Lie — see part 1 and part 2.
• Pain and Glory from the Trenches of the IT World claims that Opera’s only real competitors at this point are Konqueror and Safari.
• A Fedora Forum user refers to Konqueror as ‘the soup nazi in terms of [code] compliance’.
• Opera Watch explains how to enable single key shortcuts in Opera.
• Hisham explains how to install an Internet Explorer warning infobar.
• az Sports Hub found an Arizona Cardinals theme for Firefox.
• Kathy Hughes explains how to avoid being prompted to login when browsing SharePoint sites in Firefox.
• NetSkinner can ‘theme’ almost any Palm OS web browser.
• NetSurf is an open-source web browser for RISC OS.
• Bryan Clark follows-up on his web browser home page findings.
• Web Browser CSS Support has a complete rundown on the CSS support of some of the major web browsers.

Tags: CSS, Features, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Interviews, Konqueror, Linux, Minor Players, Mobile, Opera, Safari, Themes and Skins, Tips and Tricks, Web Standards

I found the following chart over at DesktopLinux.com (via Asa Dotzler):

According to their 2007 survey, Firefox is the far-and-away leader on desktop Linux, with 60% of the survey’s participants claiming the open source browser as their web browser of choice. Konqueror is a distant 2nd at 14%, followed by Opera at 12% and then all other browsers combined.

Tags: Firefox, Konqueror, Linux, Market Share, Opera, Stats