Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Phoenix 0.2 Web Browser: Lean, Mean Mozilla

Posted by Hemos on from the cuttin'-down-to-size dept.

GonzoJohn writes "Linux Orbit reviews the Phoenix 0.2 web browser: 'I've never been a huge fan of the Mozilla web browser. It's too big and too slow in my opinion. I like the Opera web browser a lot, but it is closed source, ad supported (for the free version) or costs money (if you want to get rid of the banner ads). Opera is almost exactly what I'm looking for in a web browser as far as features are concerned: fast, browser window tabs, mouse gesturing, and I can configure the interface a little. It has its problems, no doubt. Java and Javascript are big tripping points for it to name just a few. But speed is what I'm looking for. Then along comes Mozilla's Phoenix web browser. Phoenix still uses a lot of the Mozilla code. In fact, Phoenix code is based completely on Mozilla code, so the development should move rather quickly. Here is a link to a road map for what it's developers think is a close time-line for its development. Although still in heavy development, I have found Phoenix quite useable and stable even in the early 0.2 release and I continue to download the nightly release every day.'"

14 of 539 comments (clear)

  1. browser requirements by edrugtrader · · Score: 4, Funny

    configurable interface
    tabbed browsing
    full DOM support
    full javascript support
    intelligent form autofill
    intelligent address bar
    full porn support

    --
    MARIJUANA, SHROOMS, X: ONLINE?! - E
  2. And like a phoenix... by wheany · · Score: 2, Funny

    A duplicate story rises from the ashes of an earlier story.

  3. Unfortunately... by bpfinn · · Score: 4, Funny

    My Phoenix never rose from the ashes. I'm apparently a version of Libc behind. (Oddly enough, I'm posting this using Mozilla 1.2.)

  4. Yuck. by nbvb · · Score: 3, Funny
    ... and I continue to download the nightly release every day


    Why in the name of God's green earth can't we get a decent browser built?!

    We can write software to manage checkbooks, to run space shuttles, to even serve more porn than the world ever needs.

    But we can't get a decent browser out the door.

    Why? Why is this?

    ARGH!

    Every one has its problems:
    Netscape (1.x through 4.x) - Buggy, never rendered quite right ...
    IE - Sucktitude. Security holes you can drive a truck through.
    Mozilla - Bloated mess. Too many damned options & features. Typical open source project -- so many features, it doesn't work right for anyone.
    OmniWeb - has potential, compatible with 3 websites.
    Opera - small, lean, advertises all over the damned place. Compatible with a few more web pages than OmniWeb.

    Why can't we get this right??

    Sorry for the rant, it's just frustrating! I don't care much about the speed (isn't that why we have supersonic processors? So we can write sh_ty code and not worry?) but it needs to WORK. Reliably. Every time.

    As it is, I have *3* browsers I use regularly. OmniWeb, IE and Mozilla. Some things render correctly in each ....

    ARGH! And now we're going to build another half-step child of Mozilla? Like the world needs _THAT_?

    --NBVB
    1. Re:Yuck. by ymgve · · Score: 5, Funny

      Significantly more complex? It's a fucking BROWSER. It shouldn't DO anything other than render web pages. That's it. No email. No pretty pictures. No fancy menus. Render web pages. And render ALL of them that are even close. I don't want to know if the web page's HTML isn't perfect. I don't want to know if it isn't up to the "W3C specification". I don't give a shit. Just show me the web pages, and show them to me quickly and correctly. I don't know about you, but the current version of IE does this flawlessly for me, and is fast as hell. I'm happy.

      Significantly more complex? It's a fucking COMPILER. It shouldn't DO anything other than make source code into binaries. That's it. No garbage collection. No pretty GUI tools. Compile programs. And compile ALL of them that are even close. I don't want to know if the program's source code isn't perfect. I don't want to know if it isn't up to the "ANSI standard". I don't give a shit. Just let me run the program, and let it run quickly and correctly. I don't know about you, but the current version of Visual Basic does this flawlessly for me, and is fast as hell. I'm happy.

  5. On the other hand... by Alsee · · Score: 5, Funny

    I continue to download the nightly release every day.

    And I download the daily release every night.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  6. If its a really really fast browser you want... by Ummagumma · · Score: 3, Funny

    try lynx! :)

    --
    "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." - Thomas Jefferson
  7. Re:The Slashing Edge by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, what would be really weird is if you installed Phoenix under SuSE 8.1 on an Indian Linux PDA, then installed SETI@home and started getting messages from Quaoar.

  8. Good one Calvin by tmark · · Score: 3, Funny

    Phoenix code is based completely on Mozilla code, so the development should move rather quickly.

    Bwahahahaha ! Now that put a smile on my face.

    (title borrowed from one of my favorite lines from a PJ's episode)

  9. Evidence Microsoft isn't involved in this project by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Funny

    (Phoenix) Bugzilla Bug 171082:
    Do everything possible to minimize the build size.

    Targeted for Phoenix 0.3 according to Bugzilla.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  10. Chimera by kriegsman · · Score: 5, Funny
    The Phoenix README says:
    Q8: What about OS X?
    Chimera is the top gecko-based browser for OS X.
    We do not intend to compete on that platform.
    Chimera is here. It might be nice to see Chimera and Phoenix share ideas, programmers, resources, and code, but both projects seem to be doing OK so far as separate entities.

    Besides, if they merged the projects, they'd have a very confusing animal for a logo: flaming bird with the head of a male lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake: a 'phimera'.

    Since the new project would also be Mac OS X -native, they really should also crossbreed this new 'phimera' with Hexley (the Darwin mascot), a duck-billed platypus with horns. The result would be a horny duck-faced lion with a goatee that lays flaming serpent eggs midair.

    I think you can see now the grave importance of keeping these two projects separate.

    -Mark
  11. FPS by Kashif+Shaikh · · Score: 2, Funny

    www.time.com Mozilla 4 seconds, IE 5 seconds.
    www.merck.com Mozilla 4.5, IE 4.75

    LOL.

    We should find someway to convert these numbers to their relative fps speeds. That way, we can have entire threads, "My browser has more fps than ur browser d00d! I'm leet!".

  12. Re:Nightly builds? by entrylevel · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, in Debian parlance, stable just means it is 20 years old. (Yes, I know woody was finally released.)

    --
    Karma: Incomprehensible (Mostly affected by posting at +5, reading at -1, and metamoderating everything unfair.)
  13. Re:IE by Micah · · Score: 5, Funny

    > Plus I wouldn't be surprised to see some code like if(isMicrosoftSoftware) dontSwapOut(); down in the bowels of Windows somewhere.

    Whoops. I think you mean:

    IF isMicrosoftSoftware THEN
    dontSwapOut
    END IF