I tried "Konqueror" from KDE2's pre-release awhile ago. Although it's still a bit unstable, it's also not released yet and KDE has a reputation for releasing really stable stuff.
It's already loaded with features: CSS1, Java, Javascript, plugins, embeddability (in KDE apps, or other apps in the browser), progressive page rendering (and pages actually look right!), a working font dialog (darn you, Netscape), drag-and-drop, and it's also a file manager. Oh, and its FTP mode is the best I've seen in _any_ Linux software, hands down.
I hope to switch most of my browsing to it when KDE2 comes out.
I don't have a lot of confidence in Mozilla, which has been big, slow, and non-functional since day 1 despite endless promises that "the nightly builds are way better, just wait for milestone n+1."
It seems to me that the best way to learn something is to learn two of its type. I found a good growth of my knowledge of computers when I learned my second OS, but not my third. The same with programming languages.
You certainly learn a lot from two examples of something, but it's not the only way.
When you look at a second OS or language, you learn about all the things that can change. Things aren't black and white anymore. The start menu isn't the only way to start a program. The registry isn't the only way to store configuration.
But taking just two samples doesn't tell you what's the best way to do something. The start menu is pretty easy, but the command line is faster if you practice. The registry is fast, but if it gets messed up, it gets REALLY messed up. Is there a third way that combines the advantages of both? Sure, and a fourth.
The nice thing about learning the third and fourth variants is that the majority of the learning curve is already over; it isn't as hard to learn the additional ones, but now you're learning things that few people have, because you have to have learned three languages before you can learn the fourth. So you have a competitive advantage.
Eventually, you start to understand that all four of the languages or OSes you learned have flaws. Learn a bit more, and soon you can think of ways to fix the flaws - usually by copying a better approach from a different system with different flaws.
If you get really good, then you might actually come up with something new. That doesn't always work though.
I'll take this opportunity to plug a program written by Dave Coombs and myself. WvDial automatically does the work of chat scripts, menu handling, and PAP/CHAP authentication when necessary. It works for almost everyone, the first time.
Slashdot Mirror
I tried "Konqueror" from KDE2's pre-release awhile ago. Although it's still a bit unstable, it's also not released yet and KDE has a reputation for releasing really stable stuff.
It's already loaded with features: CSS1, Java, Javascript, plugins, embeddability (in KDE apps, or other apps in the browser), progressive page rendering (and pages actually look right!), a working font dialog (darn you, Netscape), drag-and-drop, and it's also a file manager. Oh, and its FTP mode is the best I've seen in _any_ Linux software, hands down.
I hope to switch most of my browsing to it when KDE2 comes out.
I don't have a lot of confidence in Mozilla, which has been big, slow, and non-functional since day 1 despite endless promises that "the nightly builds are way better, just wait for milestone n+1."
Have fun
It seems to me that the best way to learn something is to learn two of its type. I found a good growth of my knowledge of computers when I
learned my second OS, but not my third. The same with programming languages.
You certainly learn a lot from two examples of something, but it's not the only way.
When you look at a second OS or language, you learn about all the things that can change. Things aren't black and white anymore. The start menu isn't the only way to start a program. The registry isn't the only way to store configuration.
But taking just two samples doesn't tell you what's the best way to do something. The start menu is pretty easy, but the command line is faster if you practice. The registry is fast, but if it gets messed up, it gets REALLY messed up. Is there a third way that combines the advantages of both? Sure, and a fourth.
The nice thing about learning the third and fourth variants is that the majority of the learning curve is already over; it isn't as hard to learn the additional ones, but now you're learning things that few people have, because you have to have learned three languages before you can learn the fourth. So you have a competitive advantage.
Eventually, you start to understand that all four of the languages or OSes you learned have flaws. Learn a bit more, and soon you can think of ways to fix the flaws - usually by copying a better approach from a different system with different flaws.
If you get really good, then you might actually come up with something new. That doesn't always work though.
I'll take this opportunity to plug a program written by Dave Coombs and myself. WvDial automatically does the work of chat scripts, menu handling, and PAP/CHAP authentication when necessary. It works for almost everyone, the first time.
Visit the wvdial page.
Someone's working on a KDE version, and it should be available in a week or two... for now, it's just text mode, but it's really easy.
> Maybe we should be the ones wearing the brown
> paper bag... after all **WE** are
> the ones who failed to identify the bug
> prior to 2.2.0, eh?
Heh. I guess so, though by that logic EVERYONE IN THE WORLD should be wearing a paper bag right about now.
It might be interesting to see all those people bumping into each other, but I guess it wouldn't add that much to the Linux development effort.
Aw, who am I kidding. Bring on the bags!