Browsersphere

I caught wind of emoko today via Twitter user Cole Geissinger.  The key thing that stands out about emoko is how it was built:

emoko is a web browser just like FireFox or Internet Explorer, with one big difference  -  emoko is built using video game technology.

The browser apparently renders pages in a “3D world,” and users’ avatars in that 3D world can interact (via text and voice chat, or drawing on the page) with one another, as long as they are visiting the same web page.  The version at the time of writing is version 0.9.6225, and it is the second major update according to the browser’s website.

The following video demonstrates emoko’s vision of how the browser works:

Now that we’ve seen the video, I have to admit that I’ve actually installed and played around with emoko a bit.  Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t anything like what you see in the video.  The browser felt more like a Java app to me than it did a video game.  Even on my fairly powerful computer, things felt a bit slow and jittery.  If it’s possible to tilt web pages, create avatars and find other users in emoko, I couldn’t figure out how to do it. The best I could do is get a feel for the interface, which in itself is a bit different than what is offered up in the video:

Don’t let me be the judge, though.  If you’re into trying new things, give emoko a spin yourself and definitely let me know if you have a different experience than I did.  Regardless, it’s good to see people thinking outside of the box with web browser development.  This one may just be a little too far out of the box for my liking.

Tags: 3D, Avatars, emoko, Minor Players, Reviews, Screenshots, Video Games, Videos

Even though we’re venturing into edge case territory here, it’s nonetheless interesting to see how the four main web browsers compare when reduced to their minimum chrome, or browser window, size on Windows 7:

I’m not sure what’s more surprising, how large IE is at its most-minimized state, or how small Chrome is.

You can read more about the differences over at Softpedia.

Tags: Chrome, Comparisons, Firefox, Google Chrome, IE, Internet Explorer, Opera, Screenshots, Windows 7

When I mentioned this Firefox Mobile video in the last issue of Around the Browsersphere, I also mentioned that it was a little lacking in the hands-on details department.  Little did I know at the time that testing out Fennec (the codename for the Firefox Mobile browser) was so simple to do.

Fennec, which is currently at version 1.0 alpha 1, or also referred to as M9 (a user experience alpha),  can be installed on Windows, Linux and Mac, in addition to its intended target, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet.  To do so, simply grab the zip file or distributable associated with your OS.

I installed Fennec on Windows 7 to check it out, and the simulation works pretty well.  You can see how pages are rendered according to the smaller screen size, and you can also get a feel for how close the rendering of the page is to what you see in your normal desktop browser.  One of the things that stood out in the aforementioned YouTube video was the fact that all of the controls are hidden off to the sides of the page.  You simply “swipe” left or right to access the currently open tabs and navigation/settings, respectively.

The following is a look at Browsersphere loaded up in Fennec:

And here’s a look at ESPN.com loaded with the currently open tabs displayed off to the left:

And finally, here’s a look at the Fennec release notes page with the navigation and settings icons off to the right:

Obviously, you can’t get the best feel for what Fennec will feel like running on its intended hardware by running it on a dekstop OS, but you get a general idea for the layout of the controls, the way the pages render, etc.  Overall, I got a good impression from my quick look at Fennec, and it sounds like others have been impressed as well.

If you’re as curious as I was about how Fennec compares to some of the other mobile browsers out there, I’d recommend installing it on your desktop computer and giving it a try for yourself.

Tags: Alpha, Fennec, Firefox Mobile, Linux, Mac, Mobile, Mozilla, Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, Screenshots, Videos, Windows

A preview of the new default skin in Opera 10 was unveiled today:

A post from the Opera Desktop Team clarifies that this is not the final version of the skin and that there will be more iterations.  A preview build with the new skin is available via links at the bottom of that same post.

I haven’t tested the preview build myself, but from the screenshot, I can say that I like the new look.  What do you think?

Tags: Opera, Opera 10, Previews, Screenshots, Skins, Themes and Skins

Whoa.  Has it really been like eight months since the last time we went around the browsersphere?  Not good.  I guess we should do something about it…

General

• Lifehacker recently put the major players through some browser speed tests after some boasting by the Safari 4 folks.
• In Mobile Browser Wars, Ed Hansberry takes a look at the browser alternatives available for mobile devices (via Web Browsers News and Reviews).
• Ten Web Browsers that You May Have Never Heard of covers iRider, Lunascape, Ultrabrowser and Shiira, among others.

Avant Browser

• Avant Browser 11.7 Build 22, which appears to be a minor release, was released back on the 26th.

Camino

• Camino 2.0 Beta 2 was released back on the 27th.
• If you’re interested in the Camino schedule, get updated.

Chrome

• Read about improvements in the spellchecker used in Chrome.
• It is believed that extension support is coming to Chrome this May (via Web Browsers News and Reviews).
• See the first screenshots of Chrome running on Mac.
• Full-screen browsing has come to Chrome, but apparently doesn’t live up to the way the feature is supported in Firefox and IE7.

Firefox

• Daniel Glazman takes an in-depth look at monetizing Firefox extensions.
• A new mascot, Foxmosa, was recently added to the Mozilla family.
• Firefox Extension Guru’s Blog discusses the Firefox 3.1/3.5 release schedule and how advancements in other web browsers’ JavaScript engines have impacted the schedule.
• Some interesting file uploading ideas came up at a recent Firefox design lunch.
• Jesse Ruderman sheds some insight into the issues surrounding “continuous integration,” which from what I can tell involves how and when code is checked in and how build machines and tinderbox displays are impacted.
• John Slater, Creative Director at Mozilla, is looking for an intern.
• Take a look at the Mozilla Community Calendar.
• Firefox 3.0.7 was recently released.
• At first it was under consideration, and then the decision was made to version the Shiretoko release of Firefox, formally versioned as 3.1, as version 3.5.
• Here’s a granular look at the type of minor performance improvements that eventually make a web browser faster overall.
• Gotta love bugs that are simply titled things like “Make location bar autocomplete faster” and “Make location bar autocomplete even faster.”
• There is a call “for new Web apps that can help people make a difference while browsing the Web.”
• Is Firefox faster on Windows or Linux?
• Firefox is dominating in Antarctica.

Flock

• Apparently the Flock folks thought Flock would make a good Valentine’s Day gift?  Personally, I’m glad I didn’t heed their advice for my wife’s gift this year.   Though, it looks like the Flock folks weren’t the only ones with this bright idea.
• “People using Flock’s Eco-Edition conducted 80% more searches per user as compared to Flock’s overall population of users.”

Internet Explorer

• The Cost of Internet Explorer attempts to track all the “wasted time and effort” on the part of web developers trying to make websites compatible with IE.
• IE8’s Compatibility View explained (and a recap).
• IE8 Beta testers are making a difference.
• It’s not every day anymore that you see browsers like Internet Explorer 4 and 5.5 mentioned.
• An IE8 Reliability Update has been made available for Windows 7 users (like myself) who are using IE8 (unlike myself).
• It looks like the IE team will be pretty busy at MIX09.
• Check out a video that goes into detail about IE8’s new rendering engine (via Robert O’Callahan).
• Here’s a comparison between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of IE7.
• Is the codename for IE9 “Triton?”
• Sarah Dutkiewicz wonders why Microsoft is held to a different standard when it comes to bundling IE with its operating system, Windows.

Maxthon

• Check out a chromed-out Maxthon icon.
• I think MaxthonGuy and I may have reached some kind of virtual truce.  That is, until the next time the madness reappears over at his blog.
• Learn how to use the custom search feature in Maxthon (via Maxthon Resources).
• A new version of Maxthon 2.5 was released recently.
• At least one Maxthon user is frustrated that his favorite browser isn’t included in the browser reviews found in PC magazines, etc.

Opera

• Avencius’ coverage of the Opera 9.64 release uncovers some details about some platform-specific code that should make Windows users’ browsing experiences more secure.
• Opera unveiled Opera Turbo last month at Mobile World Congress 2009 and it was later discussed at Opera Watch.
• Take a look at a speed comparison between the browsers developed for the Nintendo DS and the DSi.
• Similar to my recent post about various web browser vendors claiming ‘First!’, Choose Opera touches on the topic of whether it matters who developed a feature first or not.  Then, the very next day, they answered their own question.
• Opera Fingertouch is “a technology designed to make interacting with the Web easier and simpler on touch-based devices.”
• Apparently there is a demand out there for making Opera look like IE7 (via Daniel Glazman).
• Check out the Carakan FAQ for more information on Opera’s new JavaScript engine (via Opera Watch).
• Combining Opera with a touch UI.

Opera Mini

• Armenia, a country with around three million people, saw its Opera Mini usage grow by 2800% last year.  See this and other interesting statistics in the State of the Mobile Web report (via Choose Opera).
• “Yahoo! is expected to begin distributing Opera Mini via Yahoo! Mobile and also as a standalone download from Yahoo!’s mobile Web sites in the near future.”

Orca Browser

• The first build of Orca Browser 1.1, Build 1, was released back on the 25th.

Safari

• Avencius’ review of Safari 4 Beta is a very positive one, and some details regarding branding of the new JavaScript engine are ironed out in the comments.

SeaMonkey

• Read a draft of the new SeaMonkey vision (via Mozilla Developer News).
• SeaMonkey 2.0 Alpha 3 was released this past week.

Skyfire

• Skyfire 0.9 Beta was released back on the 12th.

There was a lot to cover this time around, and there’s much more I haven’t yet covered.  Hopefully that means we’ll see the 13th installment of “Around the Browsersphere” sooner than November.

Tags: Add-ons, Avant, Avencius, Beta, Bugs, Camino, Carakan, Chrome, Compatibility, Compatibility View, Daniel Glazman, Design, Extensions, Features, Firefox, Flock, IE7, IE8, IE9, Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 4, Internet Explorer 5.5, iRider, Jesse Ruderman, John Slater, Linux, Lunascape, Mac, Market Share, Mascots, Maxthon, Maxthon 2.5, MaxthonGuy, Minor Players, MIX09, Mobile, Monetizing, Mozilla, Nintendo, Opera, Opera 9.64, Opera Fingertouch, Opera Mini, Opera Turbo, Orca, Performance, Releases, Rendering Engines, Safari 4 Beta, Schedules, Screenshots, SeaMonkey, SeaMonkey 2.0, Security, Shiira, Shiretoko, Skins, Skyfire, State of the Mobile Web, Themes, Touch, Triton, Ultrabrowser, Windows 7

Anyone who has followed the support for web standards in today’s popular web browsers knows that the WebKit rendering engine has been at the forefront of that support.  Therefore, if you’re a browserphile like me, there’s a good chance you’re interested in testing out the latest and greatest WebKit build so you can see what all the fuss is about.  The following is a step-by-step list of things I had to do to get WebKit nightly builds working on my Windows computer.

1. Download and install the Safari web browser for Windows.
2. Download the latest WebKit nightly build for Windows.
3. Unzip the contents of the download to a location like C:\Program Files\WebKit Nightlies.
4. In the contents of the extracted folder, run (either from the command line or by double-clicking on the file) run-nightly-webkit.cmd.
5. Watch as several necessary files are copied over to your Safari installation directory.
6. If Safari launches and then crashes, fear not.  First try running the run-nightly-webkit.cmd file again.  If the crashing persists, work backward through the Windows Nightly Build Archive until you find a working build.  Remember, nightly builds are almost always considered dangerous (which is why the Firefox nightlies are called “Minefield“) so it may take some tinkering around before you find a good one.  The last good one I found at the time of writing was r34388.
7. If Safari launches and renders the default start page, you’re in business.

If you want to verify that you’re indeed using the WebKit nightly build you downloaded and not the default Safari rendering engine included with the latest version (3.1.2 at the time of writing), an easy way to check is to head on over to the Acid3 test.

This is what the test looks like in Safari 3.1.2:

And here is what it looks like in WebKit nightly build r34388:

Pretty cool!

I’d be remiss not to mention Swapnonil Mukherjee’s previous post on the subject, which proved to be a pretty good guide to getting a WebKit nightly build running on my computer.

Tags: Acid3, Development, Firefox, Minefield, Nightly Builds, Rendering Engines, Safari, Screenshots, Testing, Unreleased, Web Standards, WebKit, Windows

It’s that time again.  Since the last update, major versions of both Opera and Firefox have been released.  Only one of the two has been dominating in terms of Digg presence, though.

• Top 5 Web Browsers That Aren’t IE, Safari or Firefox – A site called OMGLists covers five web browsers that aren’t in what they consider the top three.  However, I’m not sure if I’d agree with calling a media player a web browser.
• Clarification about Firefox 3 system-killing performance – Some misunderstandings about Firefox 3 performance on Linux are addressed.
• Mozilla Firefox 3 Guinness World Record (Actual Page) – News of Mozilla’s attempt at a world record hits Digg.
• Ah, the Irony! Microsoft says Safari isn’t Safe on Windows – Discussion of a “carpet bombing” flaw in Safari.
• Safari Flaw Worse Than First Thought, Microsoft Warns – Moderate flaws in IE and Safari combine to make one critical flaw.
• Firefox to pass 20% before July? – Early speculation about Download Day’s impact on Firefox’s market share.
• Why Firefox 3 matters – Speed, memory use, phishing and malware protection and bookmark management are among the new features of Firefox 3 that make the browser “matter,” according to the target article.
• WSJ’s MOSSBERG: Mozilla Firefox 3.0 Is the Best Browser – Walt Mossberg gives a glowing review of the latest Firefox release.
• What’s new in Firefox 3? Check out this demo! – An overview of some of the new features in Firefox 3.
• Best Firefox Addon Ever?
• Beautiful glyphs – font rendering improvements in Firefox 3 – The system that renders text has been completely reworked in Firefox 3.
• Firefox 3 Download Day Pledges Hit 1 million
• Mozilla Announces Release Date for Firefox 3 — June 17th
• Opera 9.5 released
• Firefox 3 and Safari 4 in browser speed race
• Third Firefox 3 Release Candidate available for download
• A Field Guide to Firefox 3: A Full Inventory of the Goodness
• Web Browsers: Speed Testing the Latest Web Browsers – Lifehacker tests the latest major web browsers on Windows (informally) and Firefox, Safari and Opera all win in various categories.
• Don’t forget to be part of Firefox’s Download Day!
• IE8 development: Microsoft should learn from Apple, Mozilla – The article argues that due to Microsoft’s “closed” approach to developing its browser, IE will always be trailing the other major players in terms of development.
• Mozilla prepares for Firefox 3 release and plans for 3.1 – ars technica covers add-on compatability in Firefox 3 and gives a quick preview of what’s in store for Firefox 3.1, codenamed “Shiretoko.”
• 15 Browser Add Ons. No One Knows Them All!
• The History of Firefox 1.0 to 3.0 in Screenshots
• Why You Should Download Firefox 3 Right Now – Over 10,000 diggs on this one.
• Power User’s Guide to Firefox 3
• Firefox Download counter
• Forbes: Why Firefox Matters
• The cake is a lie: IE team bakes a treat for Mozilla
• Firefox 3 launch a success: 8 million downloads in 24 hours
• Mozilla Hits Its Firefox 3 Download Goal…and then some!
• Firefox 3 mentioned on the Colbert Report
• And the fastest browser is… – A quick post on CNET News relays information from Zimbra that Safari is the fastest browser with Firefox not far behind.

Tags: Add-ons, Apple, Bugs, Comparisons, Digg, Digg Watch, Download Day, Extensions, Features, Firefox, Firefox 3, Firefox 3.1, Fonts, Forbes, History, Hybrids, IE8, Internet Explorer, Linux, Lists, Market Share, Microsoft, Opera, Performance, Previews, Rendering, Reviews, Safari, Screenshots, Security, Shiretoko, Walt Mossberg

Sebastiaan de With (remember him?) pointed out via Twitter today an online teaser for a new browser called Mecca.

According to the teaser page, Mecca is meant to be a social browser for Mac OS X.  Keep in mind that Flock has been getting a lot of traction lately (if Twitter traffic is any indication) and it is already available for Mac OS X.

I’m going to see what else I can find out about Mecca.  It definitely looks pretty from what I can tell in the screenshot.  I’m interested in finding out what it is planned to support that Flock already doesn’t.

Tags: Features, Flock, Mac, Mecca, Screenshots, Sebastiaan de With, Social, Twitter