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Otter Browser

Otter Browser
Developer(s)Michał Dutkiewicz
Initial releaseJanuary 1, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-01-01)
Stable release
1.0.03[1]  / 22 February 2022; 2 years ago (22 February 2022)
Repository
Written inC++
EnginesQtWebEngine, QtWebKit
Operating systemUnix-like (Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD), macOS, Microsoft Windows, Haiku, RISC OS, ArcaOS
PlatformQt
TypeWeb browser
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Websiteotter-browser.org

Otter Browser is a cross-platform web browser that aims to recreate aspects of Opera 12.x using the Qt framework.[2] Otter Browser is free and open-source software and is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. It works on Linux-based operating systems, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, macOS, Haiku, RISC OS, OS/2, and Windows platforms.

History

The author of the software, Michał Dutkiewicz, began work on Otter Browser in 2014 due to versions of Opera after Opera 12 not having Linux versions at the time and because he was dissatisfied with the changes made and features removed in builds after Opera 12.[3]

Early versions of the browser were released starting in January 2014 as an alpha.[4] The browser started out using QtWebEngine because Presto was closed source. The browser was designed to be modular and allow for customization, instead of being a 1:1 recreation of Opera.[3]

Otter Browser was ported to RISC OS in 2019 as OBrowser, although it was noted that it did not behave like a standard RISC OS application.[5]

The first stable release was released in 2019.[6]

The browser and QT5 was ported to OS/2 in 2022 because the latest browser OS/2 could run was the outdated Firefox 49.[7][8]

Features

The browser currently runs on the QtWebEngine, which is a version of Blink, the web engine used by Chromium. The web browser was designed to have integration with the KDE Plasma and Unity desktop environments.[9] Otter Browser has a built in feed reader for RSS and Atom,[10] note taking utility, and cookie management accessible from a sidebar. It also includes a built in content blocker[6] and popup blocker, session management, password manager, bookmarking, userscript support, and privacy features such as do not track.[3][11]

Tab grouping, form auto-complete, extensions support, and a mail client are planned to be implemented in future versions of the browser.[6]

Reception

Otter Browser has been well received. Praise has been brought towards its aim to recreate classic Opera features and modularity.[2][3] Praise was also given to its lightweight nature and navigable user interface. Some cons that have been noted are that the user interface may be ugly to some users as it does not support theming, it does not support extensions, and it may not have standout features compared to other browsers.[12]

References

  1. ^ https://github.com/OtterBrowser/otter-browser/blob/master/CHANGELOG. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ a b Wohlscheid, John (2016-06-29). "[Review] Otter Browser Brings Hope To Opera Lovers". It's FOSS. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  3. ^ a b c d Brinkmann, Martin (2014-01-12). "The Otter browser project aims to recreate the classic Opera web browser - gHacks Tech News". gHacks Technology News. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  4. ^ Larabel, Michael (2014-01-02). "Opera-Like Otter Web Browser Out In Alpha Form". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  5. ^ Hudd, Vince (2017-10-27). "RISC OS Developments release OBrowser as a fundraising initiative". Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  6. ^ a b c Brinkmann, Martin (2019-01-04). "Otter web browser Final released - gHacks Tech News". gHacks Technology News. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  7. ^ Sharwood, Simon (2022-02-18). "Chromium-adjacent Otter browser targets OS/2". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  8. ^ Davenport, Corbin (2022-02-16). "Otter Browser aims to bring Chromium to decades-old OS/2 operating system". XDA Developers. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  9. ^ Nestor, Marius (2017-01-03). "Opera 12 Clone Otter Browser Beta 12 Improves KDE Plasma 5 and Unity Integration". softpedia. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  10. ^ "Десятый кандидат в релизы браузера Otter". www.opennet.ru (in Russian). 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  11. ^ Brinkmann, Martin (2016-10-05). "Revisiting Otter Browser: Beta 11 released - gHacks Tech News". gHacks Technology News. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  12. ^ Diener, Derrik (2015-01-24). "Otter Browser - A QT-Based Browser with Classic Opera UI". Make Tech Easier. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
Retrieved from "https://en.Wik.ipedia.Pro.org/w/index.php?title=Otter_Browser&oldid=1246546858"

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