It’s been teased. It’s been promised. It’s been put off several times. And now, it’s here. After nearly two weeks of hype, we here at the Free Line proudly bring you our review of Lunascape. Since Lunascape is complex, we figured that it would be best to present said review as a numbered list. With that said, here we go…

The Good:

1. I have never seen a browser take the idea of customization so seriously. Don’t like the icons?  Lunascape allows you to design your own. Want to write your own menu? You can do that as well. Perhaps you’re in the mood for some news from your favorite RSS-enabled site. Guess what? Not only is a “headline ticker” available to you, it’s enabled by default.
2. The developers are not afraid to “reinvent the wheel,” as they say. Case in point: Every browser known to man offers a “reload/refresh” button. Lunascape has one of those as well. It also features ten specialized variations of the reload/refresh button that might be useful in a pinch. Now, do I ever see myself the “light reload” feature? No, but it’s nice to know that I have the option available to me.
3. Maneuvering between Trident, Gecko, and WebKit could not be simpler. All you have to do is click on the little icon in the lower left hand corner.
4. Blocking unwanted content is as easy as pressing a button. Nearly everything imaginable can be blocked, including sound files, Javascript, and Active X downloads.
5. Every time I decide to use this browser, I discover something new. While that might be a bother to some, I absolutely love it. In a strange way, it makes using a web browser exciting again.

The Bad/Downright Odd:

1. As I have said before, this not a “web browser” in the most traditional sense of the term. It is a highly advanced, high-powered application designed for browsing the web. As such, it takes a little while to learn.
2. Casual users will hate this browser with a passion undying, provided that the sheer amount of options don’t make their heads explode first.
3. I wish that the extensions were available in English.

Final Verdict: Fantastic, provided that you know what you are doing.

…And there you have it. I hope that you enjoyed The Great Browser Experiment as much as I enjoyed writing about it. Everything will go back to normal on Monday. Until then, I bid thee a fond adieu.

Sometimes, one is just not enough. Yes, it is indeed a horribly worn out cliche, but it does smack of the truth every now and again. Today is definitely one of those times. On the latest edition of The Great Browser Experiment, we will be taking a look the final two browsers on the list, Avant and Orca. As always, I know that you have questions.

Weren’t you going to finish Lunascape today? – I was, but something came up. And by “something,” I mean the overwhelming feeling that I wasn’t prepared to write a full-on review as of yet. I want to feel comfortable using the browser before I write my piece. Expect to see part three either Thursday or Friday.

Is it because it sucks? – Oh heavens no! If anything, Lunascape is one of the best browsers that I have ever used. It just a takes a little while to get into. Let me put it in these terms: If Internet Explorer is MS Paint for Windows 95, then Lunascape is Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended Edition. You just can’t go from a fifteen year old version of Paint to the latest version of Photoshop without feeling a little overwhelmed. It’s the same thing here. Just give me a few more days. It will all be worth it. I promise.

Okay then… So why two browsers at once? - Both Ocra and Avant are based around the same idea: Taking a well-known rendering engine and putting a distinct, Opera-like interface on top of it.

Which one is which then? – Orca runs on Gecko (Firefox), while Avant is based upon Trident (Internet Explorer).

Are there any noticable differences between the two? – The only differences lie in the rendering engines themselves. Orca has access to everything that makes Firefox great — extensions, themes, etc — while Avant has all of Internet Explorer’s … um … give me a second here. Internet Explorer must have something unique I can talk about…

Funny. – I thought so. After all, man cannot live on Sleipnir and Chrome insults alone.

Point Taken. So how is it? – Interesting, to say the least. The developers seem to go out of their way to include options that no other browser would even consider, such as a highly advanced pop up blocker, an automatic scroll button, and an “undo closed tab” feature. It’s interesting, to say the least.

What is your favorite “improvement?” – All of the tool bars are completely detachable … including the tab bar. That’s right. I can have the tabs at the bottom of my browser without loading an extension. I really wish that my precious Firefox could do something like that…

How do the Firefox extensions work? – Hit and miss. Download Statusbar worked perfectly, for example, while Fancy Numbered Tabs did not. It’s really nothing to write home about, however.

So here is the big question: Is it worth loading? – It’s worth a try. That said, don’t be expecting a major overhaul ala Lunascape. At most, it feels more like a highly customized theme than a whole new browser.

…And there it is. Be sure to come back tomorrow for even more Lunascape. Until then, we bid thee a fond adieu.

…And we’re back! As I had mentioned in last Thursday’s post, I would be giving Lunascape my undivided attention for three days, starting Friday Monday. Now before I get into the “brunt” of my experiences, I do have a confession to make. Although I am using Lunascape as my default browser, this current post is being written in Firefox. I am doing this for one reason and one reason only: Firefox allows shortcut keys (ctrl+B for bold, ctrl+I for italics, etc), and Lunascape does not. I’m sorry, but I am not completely breaking my train of thought just so I can press the “bold” button. If I figure out how to “enable” these shortcut keys, then yes, I will switch over completely. If not, well … 99.5% is just fine for now. That said, here we go.

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

One day, you walk to your computer/office/mailbox/whatever, only to find a brand new piece of software sitting there, waiting patiently for you. If could have been “accidentally” passed out by the boss. It could have been one of the “free apps” that came with your friend’s new sound card. It could have even come from a co-worker’s private stash of software he stole from some P2P site in 2006. All you know is that the software is powerful, and, if purchased legally, would cost you roughly the gross domestic product of Sweden. So you do what anyone would do in that situation: You load the program as fast as humanly possible, if for no other reason than to simply try it out. “If I like it, I’ll buy it outright,” you say to yourself. “Who knows … I might hit the lottery someday, or at the very least be named crown prince of Norway.”

Within seconds, you are transported to the one place in the known universe where the concepts of “fair use” and “downright thievery” do the tango: The “new project” screen. At first glance, it all looks easy enough. It is only later that you realize how lost and befuddled you truly are. As you guide through countless menu options, your senses are assaulted by words such as “extrapolate,” “algorithmic,” and “reticulation.” You try to select all three at once, subconsciously hoping that you do indeed end up “extrapolating the algorithmic reticulation,” but sadly, nothing happens. You ultimately find yourself sitting there, pressing buttons randomly until boredom sets in. You attempt to go back to it, but eventually, a combination of apathy and frustration take over. The program is uninstalled shortly after that.

Why did I bring this up, you ask? Simple: This is exactly where I am at with Lunascape right now. If feels like I stole some insanely expensive program from a shady looking website that spells the word “wares” with a “z.” There are so many little tools and tricks that I am completely overwhelmed. The only thing that’s keeping me going right now — aside from the promise that I made to all of you, of course — is the fact that it’s free. If it wasn’t, this browser would have been uninstalled by now.

…And there you have it. Come back tomorrow to see me work with scripting, load a few extensions, and (hopefully) “extrapolate the algorithmic reticulation.” Until then, I bid thee a fond adieu.

Note: Today’s Free Line is designed to be one thing and one thing only: Fun. Expect to see the Free Line back in its normal, quasi-serious state tomorrow. With that said, here we go…

My apologies gang, but we are going to be cutting things a tad short today. Between my well documented problems with Flock, the confusing mess of menus that is Lunascape, and the mandatory swimming lessons that everyone here in North Georgia seems to be taking these days, I am unable to deliver the “literary impact” that I usually provide. Still, that doesn’t mean that I am going to take the day off. Not by a long shot. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice round of what I like to call “comparisons 101.” Think of it as a combination of a Barbara Walters interview and the old Dating Game, only, you know, not completely obnoxious.

Question: Okay browsers … If you could be something other than a web browser, what would you be?

Internet Explorer - The greatest hits album of a musician, band, or composer that you absolutely despise. You know it exists and you know that other people like it. You just don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Opera - A complex Alternate Reality Game. It all seems simple enough at first, but there are enough hidden messages and features to keep the user busy pressing buttons and loading things for weeks on end.

Chrome - An over hyped summer movie that ends up not only being terrible, but a gigantic bomb as well.

Safari - A fuel efficient car. It’s practical, easy to use, and just ever so slightly boring.

SeaMonkey – A period piece. Sure, no one actually wants to go back to the time depicted, but it sure is fun to visit from time to time.

Netscape – An episode of Barney Miller. Granted, it might have been great in its day, but it simply did not stand the test of time.

Sleipnir – A short story by Richard Matheson, the man behind such works as I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and several hours of classic TV. Like the bulk of Matheson’s stories, Sleipnir is a terrifying, yet thought provoking, character study of the unknown. It has its good points to be sure, but the sheer terror derived from its very existence is enough to make a man go mad.

Flock – An original Volkswagen Beetle. It’s a great way to get where you want to go … provided that it’s working properly, however.

Lunascape – The vision of Alice in Wonderland described in the classic Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit.” It all seems normal enough at first, but eventually, you begin to question the nature of the things around you. By the end, you realize that you are as far away from “normal” as humanly possible … and somehow, you’re okay with that. It’s not perfect, but you can deal with it.

In lieu of a traditional “getting to know you” introduction for the Seamonkey browser, I am going to completely shoot from the hip and write what I am feeling right now. Don’t worry; it will all make sense soon enough.

If there is one classic cartoon that nearly everyone is familiar with, it’s Yogi Bear. Sure, he might not be a global icon like Bugs Bunny or even Fred Flintstone, but he did completely fulfill the “classic cartoon” checklist. Think about it for a moment:

• Was he based on someone famous at the time? – Yes. The Yogi character was based upon legendary Art Carney. The name “Yogi Bear” is also said to be a play on the name of Yankees‘ hall of fame catcher Yogi Berra.
• Did he have a sidekick? – Yes. Boo Boo the bear. He also had a love interest named Cindy.
• A catchphrase? – He had two, in fact: “Smarter than the average bear” and “Hey Boo Boo.”
• An Enemy? - Yes, if you consider the uptight, but otherwise likable Ranger Smith an enemy.
• How about media exposure? – Of course. Yogi Bear has been the focus of several television shows, hour long specials, and theatrical movies, including The Yogi Bear Show, Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear!, and Yogi Bear’s All Star Comedy Christmas Caper.

So as you can plainly see, everything was going well for Yogi and Boo Boo … until the early 1990’s, that is. In a misguided attempt to cash in on the emerging “hip hop culture,” Hanna Barbera and NBC released a television show called Yo Yogi!. Instead of wearing the distinctive green hat/green tie/white collar combination known far and wide, this “new and improved” Yogi wore a purple hat and an ill-fitting, “Michael Jackson” style green-and-yellow leather jacket. Jellystone Park was replaced by the Jellystone Mall. Ranger Smith was now Officer Smith, mall guard. Each episode saw Yogi and Boo Boo hanging out at the mall, meeting “modernized” versions of classic Hanna Barbera characters — Doggy Daddy, Quick Draw McGraw and Magilla Gorilla were now a somewhat crooked shop owner, a country-western variety act, and Vanilla Ice, respectively — and learning valuable life lessons. It was supposed to be a way to speak to kids “in their own language.” What it actually did was coax millions of children into changing the channel to ABC’s Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters or CBS’ Garfield and Friends.

In many ways, the Seamonkey web browser is to the old Netscape browser what Yo Yogi! is to the original Yogi Bear shorts. Despite the best intentions of the creators, the new version of “idea/concept X” almost always ends up killing the idea that they were trying to save in the first place. Let’s call a spade a spade here: No one, be them young or be them old, wanted to see Yogi, Boo Boo, and Cindy warning them about the dangers of peer pressure, all the while talking like they were exiled members of the Beastie Boys. They wanted to see the same thing they have seen a million times before — Yogi and the gang stealing picnic baskets and driving Ranger Smith to either the mental ward or the onto the UPMC heart transplant list. The same exact thing can be said about Seamonkey. Having tabs and AdBlock Plus built in is nice and all, but it’s just not the same. I don’t want “now.” I want the 1996 nostalgia fantasy that I was living yesterday. So what if it’s outdated? Firefox is chock full of that “modern Mozilla” magic that we all have grown to, at the very least, tolerate. Seamonkey should be stuck in time as far as I’m concerned. Instead, it is being forced to live out its days in a pool of disdainful mediocrity … just like Yo Yogi.

…And there you have it. Expect to see a small, one-day “detour” to the real Netscape before we head off to our next adventure: the social networking powerhouse known as Flock. Until then, we bid thee adieu.

My journey with Chrome continues in earnest. After palling around with Google’s pride and joy for the last few days, I think I have finally figured out my root problem: It’s boring. Now before I get into the crux of my argument, allow me to detail the things that I actually like about the oft mentioned “browser of the future.”

• The Speed – It truly is as fast as Google claims, for the most part. There are some sites that seem to be rather slow on the uptake, but that’s just nitpicking on my part.
• Tabs in the Title Bar – I know that I mentioned this yesterday, but it bares repeating. It really is a great idea.
• Download Bar – I have always been a fan of putting the “download bar” at the bottom of the screen. My installation of Firefox does this as well, but that’s only because I have an extension installed. Having it as a part of the “standard package” might be considered a “minor innovation,” but I don’t care. It makes me happy.
• Application Shortcuts – The process of turning a website into a freestanding program is nothing new. That said, it’s nice to actually have it built directly into the browser for once.
• Incognito Mode – Extra security is always nice to have around.

As you can plainly see, I don’t think that Chrome is a horrible waste of hard drive space like Internet Explorer. I just feel that it’s the web browser equivalent to cottage cheese — intriguing when it’s combined with something, but painfully dull when eaten alone. So what would it take to make it a bit more interesting? Funny you should ask.

• Extensions and/or Widgets – I know that this is a big complaint, but again, it bares repeating. Why should I believe that Chrome is this grand “Microsoft killer” when it doesn’t even let you do anything to it? When asked about the API needed to make extensions, the folks at Google say cryptic things like “it’s on its way” or “its currently scheduled for a 2009 release.” “Theoretical” is fine when one is talking about the speed of light or alternate universes. Programming toolkits … well … that is something else entirely.
• More Options – The options menu in Chrome can be described using only one word: pathetic. Even Internet Explorer, the bane of my computing existence, has a better options screen. Now I’m not saying that every option screen should resemble the “about:config” menus found in both Firefox and Opera. I just wish that the “Under the Hood” tab allowed me to do something other than turn off the “phishing controls” and check my proxy settings.
• Bring Back the Search Box – I know that the so-called Omnibox is the wave of the future. But here’s the thing: not everyone wants to jump on it yet. There are still people like me out there who would much rather “stay in the past” and stick with the search box that they know and love. It doesn’t have to be enabled automatically. I just want it to be an option.
• Bring Google to Task for Once – There … I said it. I’m sorry, but sometimes it seems as if there are more “softballs” thrown in one Google interview than there are in an entire season of fastpitch. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am not saying that Matt Cutts and the gang should be treated like the hierarchy at Microsoft. I just believe that a few “tough questions” would force the team not to rest on its proverbial laurels.

…And there you have it. If anyone out there has a suggestion on how I can defeat this “boredom problem,” be sure to say something. Until that time arrives — or tomorrow, whatever comes first — I bid thee a fond adieu.

One Final Thought About Opera: To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I am extremely pleased to report that the days of paying $40 for a subpar browser that is crawling with oddball “browser windows” and obnoxious advertising is long gone. Today’s Opera is solidly built, extremely fast, and has enough options to keep an “experienced user” like me busy for weeks. While I do wish that I had access to Firefox-esque extensions, the loss truly wasn’t that big of a deal. I quickly realized that I simply wanted them, instead of “needing” them like I did in Internet Explorer. Besides, Opera allowed me to rekindle my life-long love affair with Pipe Dream. What other browser can make that claim? All in all, Opera 10 is definitely worth the old “once over.” Even if you don’t like it, you won’t regret trying it. I can guarantee it.

All of this praise, of course, leads us to one major question: Is it better than Firefox? The answer is a sad, but completely matter of fact, no. It comes close, but at the end of the day, I still find myself longing for my Mozilla-based friend. After all, I spent tons of time — years, actually — modifying and tweaking the browser to get it just the way that I like it. I’m not going to throw that effort away on a whim. I will, however, be keeping Opera installed. It’s always nice to have a “backup” browser that isn’t Internet Explorer and besides, there are still several options that I have yet to try.

…So where do we go next, you ask? Easy: We are going to try Chrome again. As fans of the Free Line are already well aware of, we have a rather tenuous “love-hate” relationship with Google’s so-called “browser of the future” — it loves us, but we hate it. The bizarre, one-sided love affair that many of my colleagues in the tech world  seem to have with both the browser itself and its developers doesn’t help the situation. That said, I plan on going at things with as open of a mind as humanly possible. Unfortunately, it is already proving to be “difficult” at best.

First Thoughts About Chrome: Let’s get at it from the top.

• It’s fast. I’ll give it that much.
• After installation, Chrome asked if I wanted to import my saved passwords from Firefox. I said yes. Sadly, it didn’t work right. All of my saved information was either wrong or corrupted.
• I don’t care what the press says — the Omnibox is a horribly bad idea. Yes, combining the search bar with the URL bar is a good idea in theory. In practice, however … well … it only leads to a tension headache.
• Having the tabs sit in the title bar instead inside the browser window is actually a good idea.
• The options screen is sad. I’m talking “Internet Explorer” sad here.
• Several of the hidden menus — namely about:network, about:ipc, and about:objects — are not coming up for me. I honestly have no idea why.
• In the span of ninety minutes, I had to “force close” Chrome twice.
• I miss the status bar. The “pop-up” box that appears in the bottom-left corner of my screen simply does not cut it.
• I can apparently readjust every text box that I run into. That’s nice … I think.

…And there you have it. Be sure to tune in tomorrow, when I continue to fight endlessly with experiment with the enigma called Chrome. Until then, we bid thee adieu.

As long time fans of the Free Line know, we have absolutely no problem interrupting our daily routines in order to provide you with a clearer view of the world around you. In the past year for example, we have done everything from run Linux for a two week period to adopt the GPL as gospel and everything in between. If we think that it will educate the masses, then we’ll do it. It truly is as simple as that.

So what is our latest plan, you ask? Simple: It’s web browsers. We don’t know about you, but we find that it’s hard to truly formulate an opinion on something this “heavy duty” just by running it for a few hours. No … In order to get the big picture, you have to truly integrate it into your life. And that is exactly what we are going to do. So without further adieu, allow us to present to you latest plan: The Great Browser Experiment.

The Browsers: Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Chrome, Sea Monkey, and Sleipnir. Firefox, also known as our browser of choice, will be used as a “control.”

The Rules: Each browser will be run for a period no less than three days, but for no longer than five. During a test period, no other browser is allowed to be used, unless a “head-to-head” style comparison is used. Aside from that, the world is our oyster.

Note: While The Great Browser Experiment is important to us, it will not be the only thing that we will be covering. If and when something big happens, or if something strikes our fancy, you better believe that we will be reporting it.

…And there you have it. Be sure to come back tomorrow to see about the first browser on the list: our good friend/bitter enemy, Internet Explorer. Until then, we bit thee good day.

Despite what your friends might be telling you, not everything worth using is a mainstream attention grabber made by Google. Sometimes, the best programs and webapps are the ones that sit just below the surface. That is about to change. On this action packed, two-day edition of the Showdown, we will be giving (yes, ten) of these semi-obscure marvels the patented “Free Line once over”  that you have come to expect. With that said, on with the introductions!

App #1: Evernote

Website: http://www.evernote.com/
Company: Evernote Corporation
Specialty: Note taking
Program Types: While Evernote is primarily a webapp, a separate download version is available for many of the major platforms, including Windows, the iPhone, and the Palm Pre.
Competes With: Namely Microsoft OneNote.

App #2: TurboCASH

Website: http://www.turbocash.net/
Company: Pink Software
Specialty: Finance
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: All of the major players in the accounting market — Peachtree, Quickbooks/Quicken, DAC Easy, GNUCash, etc.

App #3: Lavabit

Website: http://lavabit.com/
Company: Lavabit LLC
Specialty: Email
Bold Claim Ripped Directly From the Site Itself: “…A system so secure that even our administrators can’t read your e-mail.”
Program Type: Web service
Competes With: Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.

App #4: First Page 2006

Website: http://www.evrsoft.com
Company: Evrsoft
Specialty: Web development
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: Adobe Dreamweaver

App #5: Adventure Game Studio

Website: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/
Developer: Chris Jones
Specialty: Programming, with a special focus
Program Type: Windows download
Full Disclosure: Angela the product tester is a huge fan of this program.
Competes With: N/A

App #6: Runecats Explorer

Website: http://www.runecats.com/
Company: Runecats
Specialty: Web browser
Program Type: Windows download
Rendering Engine: Trident (Internet Explorer)
Competes With: Other web browsers — IE, Firefox, Opera, etc.

App #7 Theora

Website: http://theora.org/
Company: Xiph.org
…You Might Remember Them From Such Codecs As: OGG Vorbis
Specialty: Video
Program Type: Open source video codec
Fun Fact: The codec in question is named after Theora Jones, Edison Carter’s highly talented “partner in crime” on the short-lived Max Headroom television series. Hmm …  Max Headroom … That name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure why…
Competes With: Divx, XViD, H.264 (The kind of files you would find on iTunes), etc.

App #8: aTunes

Website: http://www.atunes.org/
Company: The aTunes Team
Specialty: Media player
Program Type: Multi-platform download
Competes With: Mainly iTunes and Songbird.

App #9: Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Website: http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Company: Malwarebytes Corporation
Specialty: Malware removal
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: Anti-virus programs of all shapes and sizes.

App #10: QQ

Website: http://www.imqq.com/
Company: Tencent
Specialty: Instant messaging
Program Type: Instant messaging service
Fun Fact: QQ is easily the most popular instant messaging client in mainland China, with roughly 318 million citizens subscribing to the service.
Note: The official QQ client is considered by some to be low-level adware. Because of this, we will be accessing the network using the Pidgin third-party app. If we have a last second change of heart, or if we find that the nasty “ad problem” has been fixed, we will definitely let you know.
Competes With: AOL Instant Messenger, Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, etc.

Okay gang, allow me to level with you: I have been knee deep in vacation utterly boring paperwork all day, and I can barely keep my head up. Because of this, you will not be receiving the kind of’ full featured update that you have come to expect from this blog today. Instead, allow me to bring back a feature that has been neglected for far too long: Browser Extension Friday … on a Wednesday. On today’s episode, we take a look at two newer extensions and widgets that are simply too good to simply pass by.

1. Mozilla Archive Format – For Firefox. Everyone reading this right now knows at least one pack rat. This is the type of guy who, for reasons unknown to everyone, has boxes full of used calendars, back issues of Reader’s Digest, and every issue of TV Guide printed between the years of 1980 and 2000 collecting dust in his basement. If you believe that you are this type of guy, then the Mozilla Archive Format — MAFF for short — is definitely up your alley. As the name subtly implies, this handy extension allows you to save entire pages as one, easy to open file. In addition to the standard Firefox format, MAFF can also accept files saved in both Internet Explorer and in ZIP formats. While it isn’t exactly for everybody, MAFF is the perfect digital addition for anyone who likes to keep things “lying around,” as they say.
2. Touch the Sky – For Opera. Ladies and gentlemen, we here at the Free Line would like to hit you with a simple truth: the weather affects everybody. There is simply no way around this fact. The severity at which said weather event hits you, however, is totally dependent on how much you know. Sure, there’s the tried and true WeatherBug system, but not everyone is thrilled with the idea of having yet another program sitting in their already cluttered taskbar. The Weather Channel is supposedly a reliable source,  but they seem to be more worried about Al Roker and daredevil forecaster Jim Cantore getting into a proverbial fist fight with a hurricane than “your local Weather on the 8’s.” Our solution to this little problem is simple: give Touch the Sky a try. Backed by the pros at AccuWeather, his handy little widget tells you everything that you would ever need to know — the temperature (both in Fahrenheit and in Celsius), the humidity, the wind speed, etc. — all in one small, easy to use package. Good looking and extremely helpful, Touch the Sky makes checking the “extended forecast” as easy and pain free as opening a browser window.

…And there you have it. If all goes well, expect to see part four of our “Programming for the Mobile Web” series in this very space tomorrow. Until then, we here at the Free Line bid thee a fond adeiu.