browsers sizes

vonbiber · 06-21-2017, 08:33 AM

I'm still on the lookout for a small browser with enough features.
Right now I'm using vivaldi and brave. I recently built luakit and
had a look at it. It looks promising. Here's a comparison in sizes of
the various browsers that I came across:

Code:

56M     brave-0.15.314-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
46M     mozilla-firefox-45.2.0esr-x86_64-1.txz
25M     light-48.0-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
292K    luakit-2012.09.13_r1_1727-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
1000K   midori-0.5.11-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
36M     min-1.5.1-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
1.1M    netsurf-3.6-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
52M     palemoon-27.3.0-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
56M     slimjet-5.0-x86_64-13.0_vbi.txz
49M     vivaldi-1.9.818.44_1-x86_64-1_vbi.txz
81M     waterfox-54.0-x86_64-1_vbi.txz

pan64 · 06-21-2017, 09:05 AM

I think the size of the txz gives no usable information. browsers use shared objects too and plugins. This number is not related to the quality/memory usage/whatever of them.

bamunds · 06-21-2017, 11:03 AM

Is your goal to find a small memory footprint browser for loading from a live DVD or a small footprint when "using" the browser? These are two different goals.

mats_b_tegner · 06-21-2017, 03:59 PM

Have you looked at Dillo? (https://www.dillo.org)

Quote:

496K dillo-3.0.5-x86_64-1_SBo.tgz

Didier Spaier · 06-21-2017, 04:25 PM

These web browsers have not the same features.

Security is also worth considering. Let me quote releases notes for Debian 9:

Quote:

5.2.1. Security status of web browsers

Debian 9 includes several browser engines which are affected by a steady stream of security vulnerabilities. The high rate of vulnerabilities and partial lack of upstream support in the form of long term branches make it very difficult to support these browsers with backported security fixes. Additionally, library interdependencies make it impossible to update to newer upstream releases. Therefore, browsers built upon the webkit, qtwebkit and khtml engines are included in stretch, but not covered by security support. These browsers should not be used against untrusted websites.

For general web browser use we recommend Firefox or Chromium.

Chromium - while built upon the Webkit codebase - is a leaf package, which will be kept up-to-date by rebuilding the current Chromium releases for stable. Firefox and Thunderbird will also be kept up-to-date by rebuilding the current ESR releases for stable.

frankbell · 06-21-2017, 07:04 PM

Have you considered using a text browser?

w3m has tabbed browsing and is capable of displaying images.

vonbiber · 06-22-2017, 07:23 AM

Quote:

w3m has tabbed browsing and is capable of displaying images.

I forgot about this browser. I had occasionaly used links from the console.
The netsurf package I built is the framebuffer version. I haven't used it yet.

@Dider Spaier

Quote:

Security is also worth considering.

I agree.

@mats_b_tegner

Quote:

Have you looked at Dillo? (https://www.dillo.org)

I have the source somewhere. I didn't build it yet.

@bamunds

Quote:

Is your goal to find a small memory footprint browser for loading from a live DVD or a small foot
print when "using" the browser?

I guess I'm looking for something reasonably fast and not
unnecessarily eating up resources. And as secure as possible.
Also I'm partial for small packages because I tend to think `Small Is Beautiful'...

I forgot to mention. I also use tor browser.
And in vivaldi I have 3 extensions installed: no history, uBlock Origin, and anonymox.

frankbell · 06-23-2017, 08:10 PM

As an old Opera user from before Opera went to the Dark Side, I must say that I like Vivaldi. Up until then, Opera had been my go-to browser since it was first released to the public (v. 3, I think).

I don't use it regularly because, at least for a while there, it was a bigger nag about security than Firefox (yes, that is indeed possible).

vonbiber · 06-24-2017, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbell

Up until then, Opera had been my go-to browser since it was first released to the public (v. 3, I think).

Me too. Then (from version 12.?) it started crashing, and after that they
changed the engine, and I stopped using it altogether.
I considered checking out otter but it's still in alpha stage and requires qt5 ...