Dillo goes beta

New stable release 0.8.1

[encyclo]

I'm guessing that Dillo is not a browser that everyone is familiar with, but it's worth checking out if you are running a Unix-type OS.

It's the fastest browser I've ever used - it even outperforms Lynx, and is fully graphical to boot. The entire program is very small, under 350KB. Previously alpha-grade software, version 0.8.1 is graded as a "very stable beta".

Dillo supports all HTML excluding frames, has cookie support and bookmarks. Currently, it does not support Javascript or CSS, and SSL is coming soon.

One of the main objectives of the Dillo project is to do with web accessibility, but of a different kind to that usually discussed here: in making a super-lightweight browser which will run on anything from a 486 upwards, Dillo opens up the web to those who can't afford the latest equipment, including in many developing countries whose web infrastructure and IT budget are very limited. For example, Dillo is included in India's "Simputer" project for providing a basic, ultra-low cost access to a computer.

One site that works very well in Dillo is WebmasterWorld - it's an ideal browser for a quick check on the forums. I'm posting this in Dillo now. You can download it here:

[dillo.org...]

Out of interest, does anyone else use Dillo here?

[MatthewHSE]

Is there any version that will run on Windows 2000? And, is there any way to get it installed without having to compile it? I'd like to give it a try but at this point it doesn't sound like I'm up to the installation . . .

[encyclo]

There is a fork of Dillo for Windows on the Japanese Sourceforge, currently at version 0.7.3 and considered "pre-Alpha software" (use at your own risk!): [sourceforge.jp...]

However, 0.8.1 is a considerable advance on version 0.7.3, and Dillo is really only designed for a Linux/Unix environment. As for building from source, Dillo was the first program I ever installed from source, and it happens in a few minutes without problems. If I can do it, anyone can! Older verions of Dillo are often included in distributions, but as I said the latest version is much better.

One of the nice aspects of Dillo is it's built-in Bug-meter [dillo.org] - the HTML parser displays a tick if the HTML is well-formed, or a cross and a list of parsing errors. A simple right-click on the icon allows you to validate the page in an external validator. A good way to see at a glance if the page contains errors!

As I said, WebmasterWorld works very well, and I also use it for reading standards-compliant sites built using CSS - as we all know, no CSS is better than badly-supported CSS (read NN4), and well-built sites display in a logical order, just the information, without the CSS design. Very refreshing!