There is a new browser on the block, Zen Browser https://github.com/zen-browser/desktop
From what I can tell, it is Firefox ESR (with Betterfox user.js) and a very, very nice UI, vertical tabs, which I love now.
Most users do not care for the backend of a browser, but more the UI and how "quick" a browser is.
Anyway, I think this is a great way to get people to move away from Chrome, it is fun and beautiful. It has something call "Zen Mods/Themes" which allows one to add css snippets and tweak the UI.
What do you think?
Zen Browser
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The Off-Topic area is a general community discussion and chat area with special rules of engagement.
Enter, read and post at your own risk. You have been warned!
While our staff will try to guide the herd into sensible directions, this board is a mostly unrestricted zone where almost anything can be discussed, including matters not directly related to the project, technology or similar adjacent topics.
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fatboy
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Zen Browser
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Blacklab
- Board Warrior
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Re: Zen Browser
The announcement post 6 months ago by the 'to be' Zen dev maubg might interest:
'Im doing a new firefox based browser! Im focusing mainly on UI and accessibility while also having privacy and faster user experience called "zen". Really early stage and new features like vertical tabs, split screens, better profiles system, new newtabs, etc. Tell me what you think! thanks!
Not tried Zen yet. Much comment around on various blogs. However, not withstanding the split screen, there so many other Firefox themes that arrive at very much the same UI look... i.e. a one-liner Address Bar + Vertical Tabs... seems to be very much the UI design flavour of the moment amongst the 'with it' crowd... who seem to flip-flop from browser to browser, theme to theme... seeking some improbable browser nirvana?
If you liked Zen then maybe try the similar 'Floorp' Firefox fork which also has vertical tabs and a split screen option and much else besides... and has been around a lot longer. If you wanted something more unusual try KiKaraage's ArcWTF theme.
Tried many of these themes, almost all built and pretty much wholly reliant on either mbnuqw's Sidebery or piro's Tree Style Tab extensions as the basis for implementing the vertical tabs setup. Both extensions excellent (IMHO), even if super complex to understand and use, rather lacking in documentation... and always providing you actually like the idea of vertical tabs in the first place?
'Im doing a new firefox based browser! Im focusing mainly on UI and accessibility while also having privacy and faster user experience called "zen". Really early stage and new features like vertical tabs, split screens, better profiles system, new newtabs, etc. Tell me what you think! thanks!
Not tried Zen yet. Much comment around on various blogs. However, not withstanding the split screen, there so many other Firefox themes that arrive at very much the same UI look... i.e. a one-liner Address Bar + Vertical Tabs... seems to be very much the UI design flavour of the moment amongst the 'with it' crowd... who seem to flip-flop from browser to browser, theme to theme... seeking some improbable browser nirvana?
If you liked Zen then maybe try the similar 'Floorp' Firefox fork which also has vertical tabs and a split screen option and much else besides... and has been around a lot longer. If you wanted something more unusual try KiKaraage's ArcWTF theme.
Tried many of these themes, almost all built and pretty much wholly reliant on either mbnuqw's Sidebery or piro's Tree Style Tab extensions as the basis for implementing the vertical tabs setup. Both extensions excellent (IMHO), even if super complex to understand and use, rather lacking in documentation... and always providing you actually like the idea of vertical tabs in the first place?
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Night Wing
- Knows the dark side
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Re: Zen Browser
I had never heard of the Zen browser. I had to go on to YouTube to see if I could find a few "reviews" of it in action.
I did find three of them. The reviewers really liked it. But I quickly realized these were the types of people who liked and wanted vertical tabs. Secondly, these reviewers were people who like to have lots of tabs open. And they also liked the "split screen".
I am not one of those types of people.
Most of the time I am on my two desktop tower computers during the day or evenings. These two towers share a 32" external monitor. This means I have more space horizontally than vertically.
To make this short, would I take this browser out for a test drive? The answer is, "no".
I did find three of them. The reviewers really liked it. But I quickly realized these were the types of people who liked and wanted vertical tabs. Secondly, these reviewers were people who like to have lots of tabs open. And they also liked the "split screen".
I am not one of those types of people.
Most of the time I am on my two desktop tower computers during the day or evenings. These two towers share a 32" external monitor. This means I have more space horizontally than vertically.
To make this short, would I take this browser out for a test drive? The answer is, "no".
Linux Mint 22.1 (Xia) Xfce w/Pale Moon, Waterfox, Firefox
MX Linux 23.6 (Libretto) Xfce w/Pale Moon, Waterfox, Firefox
Linux Debian 12.11 (Bookworm) Xfce w/Pale Moon, Waterfox, Firefox
MX Linux 23.6 (Libretto) Xfce w/Pale Moon, Waterfox, Firefox
Linux Debian 12.11 (Bookworm) Xfce w/Pale Moon, Waterfox, Firefox
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Basilisk-Dev
- Lunatic
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- Joined: 2022-03-23, 16:41
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Re: Zen Browser
I downloaded it and gave it a shot. I didn't really care for it, the UI was too small and the icons were too close together in my opinion. I found it harder to use than Firefox/Librewolf or Basilisk/Pale Moon with the Tree Style Tabs extension.