(update) Apple "Safari" browser based on Konqueror

mbrubeck · Post by **mbrubeck** » January 7th, 2003, 11:11 am

Steve is introducing it now in the MacWorld keynote. He showed off some impressive benchmarks (way faster than IE or Netscape, and moderately faster than Chimera). The interface is very minimalistic, and uses the "brushed metal" look (kind of weird)...

http://stream.apple.akadns.net/

adamant · Post by **adamant** » January 7th, 2003, 11:15 am

Did they build the engine themselves or is it at least based on Gecko? I haven't been able to tell from watching the live streams. Does anyone have any info?

mbrubeck · Post by **mbrubeck** » January 7th, 2003, 11:18 am

Now he's showing off the unusual but very nice-looking bookmark interface (heavy on drag-and-drop, looks kind of like iTunes playlists) and the built-in Google and other search integration.

There's also a special command to report compatibility problems with websites.

Standards support is mentioned as an important feature.... and the open source Gecko rendering engine (UPDATE: This is wrong. Safari uses <b>KHTML, not Gecko</b>)! "Open Source: We Think It's Great" is one of the slides.

The interface looks like something even mpt would like. :) Only four buttons in the toolbar, plus a URL field and a bookmark bar.

Beta release is available for free starting today.

adamant · Post by **adamant** » January 7th, 2003, 11:18 am

Apparently it uses something called KHTML.

mbrubeck · Post by **mbrubeck** » January 7th, 2003, 11:21 am

Sorry, I got that bit wrong in my last post! Yes, it uses KHTML (from KDE/Konqueror). Strange.

arsa · Post by **arsa** » January 7th, 2003, 11:25 am

argh... konqueror... wtf, why?
wtf are they smoking there?

mbrubeck · Post by **mbrubeck** » January 7th, 2003, 11:37 am

Integration with the operating system would be extremely important for an Apple-branded product. It's possible that KHTML was easier to customize to use native controls and behavior than Gecko would be. This is entirely speculation -- I don't have any evidence or real logic behind this guess.

Post by **Alex Bishop** » January 7th, 2003, 11:41 am

arsa wrote:argh... konqueror... wtf, why?
wtf are they smoking there?

At least it wasn't Tasman.

i5mast · Post by **i5mast** » January 7th, 2003, 11:50 am

taken from maccentral.macworld.com

"So, buckle up." Safari: A "turbo browser for OS X." First major new browser in five years, said Jobs. Why make one? Speed -- fastest browser on the Mac. Also "Most innovative." Google right on the toolbar. "Snapback" to top level of Web sites.

i-Bench Tests compared IE, Netscape, Chimera, on 800MHz G4. 53.7, 33.6, 21.8, 16.6 seconds to load pages respectively. JavaScript test and load and launch times are faster as well. Integrated Google in tool bar. "Minimal" interface. New way of looking at bookmarks -- bookmarks bar and bookmarks library. Library looks like iTunes and iPhoto catalogs. Bug button reports issues to Apple if you find Web sites that don't work for some reason.

Safari is based on standards. Based on an HTML rendering engine that is open source. Dramatically improved performance as work begun a work ago. "Some people have a problem with open source, we think it's great." Apple will post all the improvements to the engine today. Code base started with was KHTML -- "very popular in the Linux world." Runs on Jaguar. Beta release, free download. Today.

Post by **Alex Bishop** » January 7th, 2003, 11:55 am

i5mast wrote:Also "Most innovative." Google right on the toolbar.

<a href="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/phoenix/">I've never seen that before.</a>

Z_God · Post by **Z_God** » January 7th, 2003, 11:59 am

They're probably using KHTML since it seems to have less dependencies than Gecko. That is the same reason the Wine project is using KHTML.

Stefan · Post by **Stefan** » January 7th, 2003, 12:14 pm

Is there a browser available on a Win platform that uses KHTML?

mbrubeck · Post by **mbrubeck** » January 7th, 2003, 12:20 pm

Safari web page: http://www.apple.com/safari/

Also, Safari has built-in popup blocking. I think popup blocking will really help drive people away from IE, especially as they're exposed to more browsers that include it.

Post by **Alex Bishop** » January 7th, 2003, 12:21 pm

From the <a href="http://www.apple.com/safari/">Apple Safari</a> site:

When you add a bookmark in Safari, a naming sheet gives you the opportunity to edit the bookmark name and file it away immediately in just the right library folder. No more bookmarks menu a mile wide — and deep. You can also drag a Web address directly into the bookmarks bar, giving you one-click access to that site.

You've been able to do both these things in Mozilla since at least early 2001.

SnapBack works like a breadcrumb to lead you back to where you started. The very nature of the Web leads you from one page to the next and before you know it, you’ve wandered far afield. The SnapBack button returns you to the point where you last typed a URL or selected a bookmark.

Okay, they can have that one.

arsa · Post by **arsa** » January 7th, 2003, 12:25 pm

We need David to anonymously comment on the question of khtml choice

(update) Apple "Safari" browser based on Konqueror

(update) Apple "Safari" browser based on Konqueror

Engine?

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KHTML?

KHTML

Why KHTML?

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