Browsers list

WorldWideWeb (Nexus)

1990 – 1994 Discontinued

12

The very first browser, created by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN. It was also a WYSIWYG editor.

Developer

CERN

Website

worldwideweb.cern.ch

Engine

Proprietary (NeXTSTEP)

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

NeXTSTEP

Line Mode Browser

1991 – 2017 Discontinued

30

The second web browser ever made (CERN), a line-by-line text-mode browser: the first to be ported to many systems and usable on simple terminals.

Developer

CERN, then W3C

Website

line-mode.cern.ch

Engine

libwww

Platforms

UnixDOSWindowsMac OS ClassicLinuxBSD

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

The first graphical browser for X11, developed by Finnish students.

Developer

Helsinki University of Technology

Website

—

Engine

libwww

Platforms

Unix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

The very first Mac browser (1992), written at CERN by Robert Cailliau and Nicola Pellow on the model of WorldWideWeb; the only one that ran on System 6.

Developer

CERN

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

System 6.0.5 and System 7

One of the very first browsers, developed at SLAC for Unix and VMS.

Developer

SLAC (Tony Johnson)

Website

—

Engine

libwww

Platforms

UnixOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

OpenVMS

Tcl/Tk browser and WYSIWYG HTML editor written at MIT by Joseph Wang, included by default in many Linux distributions.

Developer

Joseph Wang (MIT)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

UnixLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

ViolaWWW

1992 – 1994 Discontinued

30

X11 browser from UC Berkeley, the first to support scripts and style sheets, with applets as early as 1992.

Developer

Pei-Yuan Wei (UC Berkeley)

Website

—

Engine

Viola

Platforms

Unix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

First graphical browser on the Amiga, a port of NCSA Mosaic (without NCSA support) with a customizable MUI interface, Datatypes for images and an ARexx port.

Developer

Michael Fischer, Michael Meyer, Michael Witbrock

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic

Platforms

Amiga

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.amiga-news.de

AROS: recompiled with AROSTCP by Adam Olivier (July 2005), AROS's first online browser

Test browser from CERN and then the W3C, a pioneer of CSS and HTML 3 support, later taken over by Yggdrasil Computing.

Developer

CERN / W3C, then Yggdrasil Computing

Website

—

Engine

libwww

Platforms

UnixLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

The first graphical browser for Windows 3.1, built for Cornell's legal scholars.

Developer

Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsOS/2

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

X Window browser by John Kilburg (UNLV) using Athena widgets rather than Motif, long packaged by Debian/Ubuntu (chimera2).

Developer

John Kilburg (UNLV)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

UnixLinuxOtherAmiga

Sources

[1] manpages.ubuntu.com [2] atariuptodate.de [3] aminet.net

Atari under MiNT (freeware); Amiga under AmiWin (X11): alpha 2.16 port by Holger Kruse (1995)

Browser written entirely in Emacs Lisp by William Perry starting in 1993, reading XMosaic bookmarks (hotlists), and long used with Emacspeak for non-visual browsing.

Developer

William M. Perry

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

UnixLinuxWindowsmacOS

Sources

[1] ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca [2] tvraman.github.io [3] elpa.gnu.org

Inside GNU Emacs / XEmacs

The browser that popularized the Web with images inline with text. Ancestor of Netscape and IE.

Developer

NCSA (University of Illinois)

Website

—

Engine

Mosaic

Platforms

WindowsMac OS ClassicUnix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

NCSA Mosaic branch for OpenVMS (VAX, Alpha, Itanium), one of the longest-lived, using the mMosaic HTML engine, with HTML 4.0, OpenSSL, cookies and many image formats.

Developer

OpenVMS community

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

OpenVMS

W3C/CERN browser that worked by email: users sent a URL to the Agora server, which mailed the page back. Designed for non-graphical terminals and countries without direct Internet access.

Developer

W3C / CERN (Arthur Secret)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Unix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Perl server application (DEC Alpha), accessed by email

SPRY's commercial Mosaic sold in Internet in a Box and rebranded CompuServe Mosaic, named Datamation's product of the year in 1994.

Developer

SPRY, Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

British embedded browser from ANT, born on RISC OS, which became a standard for TV set-top boxes and media players (Prismiq, Pace).

Developer

ANT Software Limited

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

RISC OSLinuxWindowsOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] riscos.com

TV/IPTV set-top boxes and embedded devices; RISC OS version distributed in the ANT Internet Suite (sold to RISCOS Ltd in 2001, with Fresco staying at ANT)

Browser combined with a WYSIWYG HTML editor, created as NaviPress by NaviSoft and later acquired by AOL; Tim Berners-Lee cited it as a true browser-editor.

Developer

NaviSoft / AOL

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsMac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Experimental browser by Bert Bos at the University of Groningen (August 1994), modular through “applets”, which supported its own style sheet language (SSP), a precursor of CSS.

Developer

Bert Bos (University of Groningen)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Unix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

HP-UX

Text-mode browser for IBM mainframes running VM/CMS, written in REXX (with Pipelines and REXX/Sockets) from the Polish “Torun package”, and maintained by a British Columbia government employee.

Developer

Carl Forde, Jonathan Scott, Perry Ruiter (Government of British Columbia)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary (text)

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org

IBM VM/CMS (mainframe)

Text browser for DOS created by Garrett Blythe at the University of Kansas in 1994, a distant cousin of Lynx.

Developer

University of Kansas (Garrett Blythe)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

DOS

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] archive.org

IBM's graphical web browser, bundled with the OS/2 Warp operating system.

Developer

IBM

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

OS/2

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

InternetWorks

1994 – 1996 Discontinued

60

Browser from BookLink Technologies, among the first to offer tabs, acquired by AOL in late 1994 and distributed to its subscribers before being replaced by IE.

Developer

BookLink Technologies / AOL

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] ithistory.org [4] mergr.com

Lightweight Mac browser from EINet (later TradeWave) for 68k and PowerPC Macs, widely included in Internet starter kits.

Developer

EINet, then TradeWave

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

DOS Internet suite from the University of Minnesota (mail, news, Gopher, FTP) whose last version, in 1994, added a graphical web browser displaying GIF and JPEG.

Developer

University of Minnesota

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

DOS

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Minuet (TriPrince)

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

NetCruiser

1994 – ? Discontinued

52

Graphical Internet access software for Windows 3.1 from the ISP Netcom (planned as Internet Xpress), bundling Web, email, FTP, Gopher, IRC and Telnet, which made Netcom one of the major ISPs of the mid-1990s.

Developer

Netcom On-Line Communication Services

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] savetz.com [3] archive.org

Windows 3.1; a Japanese version for the Pippin console is reported but unverified

Netscape Navigator (1–4)

1994 – 2002 Discontinued

76

King of the 1990s Web (over 90% share in the middle of the decade), first standalone and then part of the Communicator suite (1997). Netscape invented JavaScript, cookies and SSL, and released its source code in 1998, giving birth to the Mozilla project.

Developer

Netscape Communications, then AOL

Website

—

Engine

Netscape (proprietary)

Successor

→ Netscape 6 / 7

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic (inspired by)

Platforms

WindowsMac OS ClassicLinuxUnixOS/2

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] www.wikidata.org [4] www.wikidata.org [5] en.wikipedia.org

Last standalone Navigator: 4.08 (Nov. 1998); last release: Communicator 4.8 (August 2002)

HTML browser-editor from the University of Chicago derived from tkWWW 0.9, with better HTML+ support, native integration and access to MUDs/MOOs.

Developer

University of Chicago (Biological Sciences Division)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

tkWWW

Platforms

UnixLinuxWindowsDOSMac OS Classic

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Phoenix Browser

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

The first browser for a personal digital assistant, created in 1994 at TecO (Karlsruhe) for the Apple Newton.

Developer

TecO (Telecooperation Office)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with PocketWeb (TLogic)

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Apple Newton OS

Graphical Windows browser that worked over a plain Unix shell account, without SLIP, PPP or TCP/IP (hence its name).

Developer

MicroMind, Inc. (Peter Brooks)

Website

www.micromind.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Web browser for NeXTSTEP with “unique features”, developed by Sen:te at EPFL (Lausanne).

Developer

Sen:te (EPFL)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Unix

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org

NeXTSTEP

Commercial version of Mosaic: Spyglass licensed it from NCSA, then wrote its own cross-platform codebase, reusing very little NCSA code. Licensed to many vendors, it served as the basis for Internet Explorer 1 to 3.

Developer

Spyglass Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Spyglass

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic (license; very little NCSA code reused)

Platforms

WindowsMac OS ClassicUnix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] ericsink.com [4] en.wikipedia.org [5] www.internetnews.com

The first Russian Web browser, developed by AMSD from 1994; a paid product competing with free IE and Netscape, it disappeared a few years later.

Developer

Advanced Multimedia System Design (AMSD)

Website

www.amsd.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Browsers built into the AOL and CompuServe clients, based on the IE engine.

Developer

AOL / CompuServe

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Windows only for the Trident version (the IE engine never existed on Mac; engine of the AOL for Mac client unsourced)

Historic RISC OS browser, one of the first for the Acorn platform.

Developer

Stewart Brodie

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

RISC OS

Sources

[1] arcwiki.org.uk

Graphical browser by Alexander Clauss for the Atari ST/TT/Falcon, written because the platform had no browser, later distributed by Application Systems Heidelberg; iCab on the Mac builds on its ideas.

Developer

Alexander Clauss / Application Systems Heidelberg

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.atarimania.com [2] lowendmac.com

Atari ST/TT/Falcon, Medusa (TOS, MagiC, MiNT)

Delrina Internet suite with a browser billed as the first 32-bit browser, for Windows 95, initially unable to display tables.

Developer

Vironix Software Laboratories, for Delrina, then Symantec

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] en.wikipedia.org

Popular mid-1990s commercial Internet suite (browser, FTP, email, news, HTML editor) from Attachmate.

Developer

Attachmate / The Wollongong Group

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Windows 3.x, 95, 98, NT 3.5x; last version: 2.0 (Aug. 28, 1996)

NCSA Mosaic-derived browser released in Sept. 1995 by Eolas (a UCSF spin-off): “Weblets” applets embedded in pages via the EMBED tag, client-side image maps, page-defined menus; billed as the first “cloud” browser, it is tied to the patents behind the Eolas v. Microsoft lawsuit (settled in 2007).

Developer

Eolas Technologies

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic

Platforms

UnixLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] 1997.webhistory.org [3] iomas.org

Sun, SGI and Linux (Windows and Mac versions announced)

eWorld Web Browser

1995 – 1996 Discontinued

40

Browser for Apple's eWorld online service, introduced with eWorld 1.1 (“Internet On-Ramp”); separate from the main application, it only worked over an eWorld connection. Discontinued when the service closed on March 31, 1996.

Developer

Apple

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Extensible browser written in Python by Guido van Rossum at CNRI, able to run client-side Python applets.

Developer

Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI)

Website

grail.sourceforge.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

UnixLinuxWindowsMac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Cross-platform via Python/Tk

The Windows browser, winner of the first browser war with about 95% share in 2002–2003.

Developer

Microsoft

Website

—

Engines

Spyglass (IE 1–3)Trident

Successor

→ Microsoft Edge (Legacy)

Derived from

Spyglass Mosaic: IE 1–2 nearly identical, IE 3 still largely based on it, IE 4 almost fully rewritten (Trident)

Platforms

WindowsUnixConsolesOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] www.vg247.com [4] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [5] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [6] en.wikipedia.org [7] learn.microsoft.com

Xbox 360, then Xbox One (Internet Explorer for Xbox, before Edge); Solaris (SPARC), HP-UX (PA-RISC): IE 4 (Solaris preview of Nov. 5, 1997), then IE 5 up to SP1 in 2001, ported via MainWin. Mac: see “Internet Explorer for Mac” (separate code and Tasman engine); mobile: see “Pocket Internet Explorer”; Windows CE: “Internet Explorer for Windows CE” (IE 6 for CE), distinct from Pocket IE

InterCon's consumer Internet suite for Mac (browser and email), derived from TCP/Connect II, which never really caught on.

Developer

InterCon Systems Corporation

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

TCP/Connect II

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.macintoshrepository.org

System 7.0 to Mac OS 9.2, 68k and PowerPC

Quarterdeck Mosaic

1995 – 1998 Discontinued

50

Quarterdeck's commercial Mosaic with child windows, folder-based bookmarks, a sidebar and page annotations, discontinued after the Symantec acquisition.

Developer

Quarterdeck Office Systems

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

NCSA Mosaic

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] winworldpc.com

Multilingual browser from Montreal-based Alis Technologies, able to display pages in several scripts (including Cyrillic) and translate its own interface; free 30-day demo.

Developer

Alis Technologies

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.latimes.com [2] browsers.evolt.org

Browser from the American company Teknema, built partly on CERN code and supplied to subscribers of the Italian ISP Video On Line, notably in the Czech Republic.

Developer

Teknema

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

CERN code

Platforms

WindowsMac OS Classic

Sources

[1] www.macintoshrepository.org [2] muzeuminternetu.cz

Free browser by Bernd Richter, among the first to support the HTML 3.0 draft, math formulas and PNG.

Developer

Bernd Richter

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows 3.1 and 95/NT (16- and 32-bit)

Browser in NetManage's Chameleon TCP/IP suite, with streaming video, RealAudio and HTML 3.0 (version 5.0 in 1996 for Windows 95/NT).

Developer

NetManage

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] winworldpc.com [2] archive.org

Windows 3.1, then 95/NT; included in Chameleon 4.6 (1995)

1990s Japanese browser, first distributed by the online services People and PC-VAN (NEC) on Windows and Mac, then offered as WorldTALK/CE for embedded devices (SSL, JavaScript, Java applets via Jeode), the standard browser of the Casio Cassiopeia BE-500.

Developer

Tenik

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsMac OS ClassicWindows Mobile

Sources

[1] internet.watch.impress.co.jp [2] internet.watch.impress.co.jp [3] k-tai.watch.impress.co.jp [4] www.hpcfactor.com

Windows (September 1995), Macintosh and PowerMac (March 1996), Windows CE (WorldTALK/CE, Casio PocketGear and BE-500, 2001)

W3C browser-editor that served as a testbed for new standards (MathML, SVG…).

Developer

W3C / INRIA

Website

www.w3.org

Engine

Thot

Platforms

WindowsmacOSLinuxAmiga

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.amiga-news.de

AmigaOS 4 via the AmiCygnix X11 environment (8.8.x previews in 2006, 11.3.1 in 2011, port by Edgar Schwan)

Simplified HTML browser developed by Aplix for the Japanese Sega Saturn, shipped on the “Sega Saturn Internet Vol. 1” CD with an email client and chat.

Developer

Aplix Corporation / Sega

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] chromagi.com

Sega Saturn (Japan) + Saturn modem; CD released July 27, 1996

Arachne

1996 – 2021 Discontinued

45

Graphical Internet suite for DOS (browser, mail client, dialer), also ported to Linux via SVGALib.

Developer

Michal Polák (xChaos)

Website

www.glennmcc.org

Engine

Arachne

Platforms

DOSLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] ftp.icm.edu.pl

Second generation of Acorn's RISC OS browser (code name Phoenix, after Bookworm/Customer); a version for the Iyonix is distributed by RISC OS Open.

Developer

Acorn Computers / RISC OS Open

Website

www.riscosopen.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

RISC OS

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Browse (Sugar), Browse (justrach)

Sources

[1] www.riscosopen.org [2] riscosopen.org

Last version 2.15 (April 2009) via RISC OS Open

Apple's Internet suite built on OpenDoc technology, discontinued after Steve Jobs's return.

Developer

Apple

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

IBrowse

1996 – 2023 Discontinued

35

Commercial browser for Amiga (AmigaOS 3.x/4.1 and MorphOS); latest version 3.0a in December 2023.

Developer

Omnipresence, then the original author (IBrowse-Dev)

Website

www.ibrowse-dev.net

Engine

IBrowse

Derived from

Amiga Mosaic (rewrite)

Platforms

Amiga

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.ibrowse-dev.net

Internet Explorer for Mac

1996 – 2003 Discontinued

73

Mac branch of Internet Explorer that diverged with its own Tasman engine (IE 5), the default browser on Mac OS from 1998 until Safari arrived.

Developer

Microsoft

Website

—

Engines

Spyglass (IE 2)Tasman

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Mac OS ClassicmacOS

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

System 7.0.1 to Mac OS X 10.3; 68k, then PowerPC

Browser from Japanese software publisher JustSystems, bundled with the Ichitarō word processor for its JustNet service, with its own HTML engine that adopts Netscape's MULTICOL tag for vertical writing; version 2.0 added Java (JDK 1.1), plugins and animated GIFs. Never sold separately.

Developer

JustSystems

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] internet.watch.impress.co.jp [3] pc.watch.impress.co.jp [4] pc.watch.impress.co.jp [5] wiki.suikawiki.org

Already bundled with Ichitarō 6.3 in May 1996; 2.0 (Ichitarō 8, Feb. 1997, 32-bit); 3.0/3.01 (Ichitarō Office 8, Ichitarō 9 pack); engine reused in Shuriken

Browser by François Rouaix (INRIA) written in Caml Special Light with Tk, supporting signed, dynamically loaded Caml applets.

Developer

INRIA (Cristal project)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

UnixLinux

Sources

[1] archives.iw3c2.org

AllPen browser for the Newton, which became graphical in version 3.0 and was bundled by Apple with the MessagePad 2000 and eMate 300.

Developer

AllPen Software

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.pencomputing.com [3] www.pencomputing.com [4] www.mactech.com

Apple Newton OS (MessagePad, eMate)

Openwave Mobile Browser

also: UP.Browser, Myriad Browser

1996 – 2012 Discontinued

84

WAP browser found on a great many phones of the 2000s.

Developer

Openwave (Unwired Planet, then Phone.com)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary (WAP/WML)

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [3] en.wikipedia.org [4] en.wikipedia.org

Mobile phones (feature phones); bought by Purple Labs (June 30, 2008), which became Myriad Group in 2009; Fugu engine; 2.1 billion handsets by May 2010

Oracle's browser (1996) with Java and Basic scripting, a drag-and-drop personal Web server and a database wizard; discontinued because it was too slow.

Developer

Oracle Corporation

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Console browser from the Californian company Planetweb, bundled with the Saturn NetLink modem and later with North American Dreamcasts (SegaNet).

Developer

Planetweb, Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] worldofprint.com [4] www.gamingamigos.com

Sega Saturn (NetLink), Sega Dreamcast; acquired by Monotype in 2009; PlayStation 2: EGBROWSER, with Ergosoft (Koei), Japan, 2001

Pocket Internet Explorer

also: Internet Explorer Mobile, IE Mobile

1996 – 2015 Discontinued

72

Mobile version of Internet Explorer (Pocket IE, then IE Mobile) for Windows CE, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone, replaced by Edge on Windows 10 Mobile.

Developer

Microsoft

Website

—

Engine

Trident (mobile)

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows Mobile

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.webbrowserdirectory.com

Voice and large-print browser for blind, dyslexic and visually impaired users, which read HTML aloud.

Developer

The Productivity Works

Website

—

Engine

Unknown

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] thejournal.com [2] kaisernet.org [3] en.wikipedia.org

Browser derived from Spyglass Mosaic, added to Datastorm's ProComm Plus 3.0 communications suite.

Developer

Datastorm Technologies

Website

—

Engine

Spyglass

Derived from

Spyglass Mosaic

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] pspb.chrisrcook.com

Set-top box and browser for surfing the Web from a television.

Developer

WebTV Networks, then Microsoft

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

TV set-top boxes

Browser and sync service for PDAs (Palm, Windows CE…) that downloaded web pages, including forms and JavaScript, for offline reading and sent responses back at the next sync; acquired by Sybase, shut down at the end of June 2009.

Developer

AvantGo (Sybase from 2002)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows MobileSymbianOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org [3] de.wikipedia.org [4] web.archive.org

Palm OS, Windows CE, Symbian OS; sync client on PC

Text browser for DOS by Wayne Buttles, built from Lynx 2.4.2 (with PDCurses, WATTCP and DOSLynx code), succeeding his work on DOSLynx.

Developer

Wayne Buttles

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

Lynx

Platforms

DOS

Sources

[1] pieter.com

Extensible browser from the University of Essen, written in OTcl (object-oriented Tcl) on the Wafe/Motif toolkit and the Kino HTML widget to be easy to modify; distributed with its source code.

Developer

Universität GH Essen

Website

complex.wu.ac.at

Engine

Kino (Wafe)

Platforms

LinuxUnix

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org [3] complex.wu.ac.at

AIX, Solaris, IRIX, HP-UX, Ultrix, OSF/1

DOS browser and environment from Caldera UK based on DR-DOS and Arachne, designed for thin clients, kiosks and set-top boxes; ported to Linux as Embrowser.

Developer

Caldera UK / Caldera Thin Clients

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

Arachne

Platforms

DOSLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

DOS (DR-DOS, booting from disk, ROM or network); Linux port in 1999 (Embrowser, then Embedix Browser in 2000)

Basic browser for Brother GeoBook laptops (running PC/GEOS, supplied on floppy disk), written by STNC Ltd from its WWW Technology Library and licensed to Brother.

Developer

STNC Ltd / Brother

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] oldvcr.blogspot.com

PC/GEOS on Brother GeoBook NB-60 / NB-80C and Super PowerNote PN-9000GR (1997)

The first HTML browser for Palm OS 1.0, with its own TCP/IP stack, published by Smartcode, which Palm acquired in 1999.

Developer

Smartcode Software

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Palm OS

Mobile browser from the British company STNC (1997), designed to present a device's entire interface; licensed by Symbian for EPOC and offered as an optional install on the Psion Series 5mx, before Microsoft bought STNC in 1999 and turned it into Microsoft Mobile Explorer.

Developer

STNC Ltd (United Kingdom)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Successor

→ Microsoft Mobile Explorer

Platforms

SymbianOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

EPOC32 (predecessor of Symbian OS) on Psion Series 5mx; Webwalker demo platform (GSM phone)

Sun's browser written in Java, the first to support Java applets, which it showcased.

Developer

Sun Microsystems

Website

—

Engine

HotJava

Platforms

WindowsUnix

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

MenuBox

1997 – 2022 Discontinued

35

Trident-based container browser from Cloanto that extends the DOM and intercepts events to build AutoRun CDs, “chromeless” windows, application launchers and kiosk-mode terminals from plain HTML pages.

Developer

Cloanto Corporation

Website

www.menubox.com

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] www.menubox.com [3] www.menubox.com

Windows; HTML supported since version 2.0 (Sept. 22, 2002); 5.1 on Sept. 25, 2009; 6.0.3.0 (June 10, 2016, 64-bit executable), last refreshed March 20, 2022

Internet Explorer shell from 1997, one of the first browsers fully customizable with themes, integrating email and chat in a portal environment.

Developer

NeoPlanet Inc. (Bigfoot International)

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

NetPositive

1997 – 2001 Discontinued

42

Built-in browser of BeOS, Be Inc.'s operating system, known for its haiku error messages.

Developer

Be Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

BeOS/Haiku

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] archive.arstechnica.com

Shareware browser for the Apple Newton by Steve Weyer, extensible with plugins and mixing JavaScript and NewtonScript; it became free in 2018.

Developer

Steve Weyer

Website

communicrossings.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] communicrossings.com [2] github.com

Apple Newton OS

QNX's graphical browser for the Photon interface, with a client/server architecture: the GUI (client) relies on either the in-house vserver rendering engine or NetFront; built-in audio/video and Flash playback, compact mode for small screens.

Developer

QNX Software Systems

Website

www.qnx.com

Engines

ProprietaryNetFront

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.qnx.com [2] china.qnx.com [3] de.wikipedia.org [4] www.qnx.com [5] www.openqnx.com

QNX 4.25 and QNX Neutrino 6.x (Photon microGUI); versions 1.00 (Sept. 1997), 2.00 (Feb. 1999), 2.01 (June 1999), 2.02 (May 2000); Voyager 2 on ACCESS's NetFront engine launched on Dec. 10, 2003; 6.3 documentation marked “no longer maintained”

Internet suite for the Apple IIGS by Geoff Weiss, running inside the Spectrum telecom software: graphical web browser and email; version 1.2 (2003), released as open source, added a new HTTP engine and direct support for the Marinetti TCP/IP stack.

Developer

Geoff Weiss

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] a2central.com [2] juiced.gs [3] en.wikipedia.org

Apple IIGS; v1.0 featured in Juiced.GS (winter 1997); v1.2 announced in July 2003

Art browser by the London collective I/O/D (written in Lingo/Director) that “turns the Web inside out”: it dynamically maps links and extracts text instead of displaying pages; honorable mention at the 1998 Prix Ars Electronica.

Developer

I/O/D (Matthew Fuller, Colin Green, Simon Pope)

Website

bak.spc.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsMac OS Classic

Sources

[1] archive.org [2] moveon.werkleitz.de [3] old.rhizome.org [4] archive.aec.at

IBM Japan's HTML 3.2 browser for DOS (DOS/V), which ran on a 386 and on the IBM PC110 palmtop.

Developer

IBM Japan

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

DOS

Sources

[1] www.apj.co.uk

DOS/V, IBM PC110

Commercial RISC OS browser by Andrew Pullan published by R-Comp, successor to Webster, updated until 2002.

Developer

R-Comp

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

Webster

Platforms

RISC OS

Sources

[1] www.computinghistory.org.uk [2] arcwiki.org.uk [3] www.iconbar.co.uk

$10 HTML viewer by John Bintz for AmigaOS 2.x (inline images, tables, Netscape extensions) that became a real browser in 1997 with version 2.1i (HTTP connections, forms, Lynx-style pseudo-frames).

Developer

John Bintz

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Amiga

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with WebView (KolibriOS)

Sources

[1] aminet.net [2] aminet.net

AmigaOS 2.x+ 68k; WebView 2 (Feb. 1997, offline viewer), 2.1i beta 2 (June 1997, Internet version)

Small shareware browser for Windows from Science Traveller International, fitting on a floppy disk, which claimed not to use the Internet Explorer component and ignored client-side scripts and Java.

Developer

Science Traveller International

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org [5] web.archive.org [6] web.archive.org

Last version seen: 1.0 b67 (site archived until 2008)

French accessibility browser (INSERM/UPMC, BrailleNet project) that renders web pages in braille, speech synthesis or large print, with reading by links or headings and conversion of frames into links.

Developer

INSERM-Creare U483 / UPMC (BrailleNet project)

Website

—

Engine

Unknown

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.dinf.ne.jp [2] abilities.com [3] en.wikipedia.org

Windows; BrailleSurf 4 in English, Spanish and French

Japanese Dreamcast browser (Dricas service) handling connection, email and chat; version 3 added Mega Drive/PC Engine game rentals (Dream Library).

Developer

Sega / ISAO

Website

—

Engine

NetFront

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

Sega Dreamcast (Japan); NetFront engine according to Wikipedia (NetFront article, unsourced sentence)

Qualcomm's Palm OS browser bundled with the Eudora Internet suite and launched with the pdQ smartphone.

Developer

Qualcomm

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] rcrwireless.com [3] discmaster.textfiles.com [4] www.wirelessdesignonline.com

Palm OS, Qualcomm pdQ smartphone

Browser written with GTK+ by Raph Levien, which never left alpha; taken over in July 1999 by Christopher Reid Palmer (last stable version 0.2.1).

Developer

Raph Levien, then Christopher Reid Palmer

Website

levien.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Linux

Sources

[1] levien.com

IBM's talking browser for blind users, based on Chieko Asakawa's work, which read the HTML structure directly instead of the screen.

Developer

IBM

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] lists.w3.org [3] lists.w3.org

Versions 1–2: relied on Netscape Navigator to fetch the HTML; version 3.0 and later: require Internet Explorer

Mozilla Application Suite

also: Mozilla, Mozilla Suite, SeaMonkey (code name), Fizzilla (code name of the Mac OS X port)

1998 – 2006 Discontinued

68

Open-source suite inheriting Netscape's code (browser, mail, editor, IRC).

Developer

Mozilla Organization, then Mozilla Foundation

Website

www-archive.mozilla.org

Engine

Gecko

Successor

→ SeaMonkey

Derived from

Netscape Communicator

Platforms

WindowsmacOSMac OS ClassicLinuxUnixOS/2

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] www-archive.mozilla.org

Code released in March 1998, milestone builds until 1.0 (June 2002); Mac OS 9 up to Mozilla 1.2.1 (later classic Mac OS branch: see “Classilla”); OS/2 (Warpzilla)

Tabbed Internet Explorer shell (launched as SimulBrowse in 1997), with alias search, tab groups and automatic data cleanup.

Developer

Stilesoft

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Free Japanese applet that turns the Apple Newton's Notes application into a minimal HTML browser: plain-text pages saved as notes, without images, frames, forms, bookmarks, cache or proxy.

Developer

kuwa27 (Japanese developer)

Website

www.newted.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.newted.org [2] vale.rocks

Apple Newton OS 2.1 with Newton Internet Enabler 2.0 (tested on MessagePad 2000), Shift-JIS pages

Proxy-based Palm browser born at Berkeley as Top Gun Wingman (Ian Goldberg et al.), with pages preprocessed by a server; acquired by Puma Technology in 1999.

Developer

ProxiNet / Puma Technology

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

Top Gun Wingman

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] rcrwireless.com [3] daedalus.cs.berkeley.edu

Palm OS (PalmPilot); server-side rendering (ProxiWare Server)

UltraBrowser

1998 – 2009 Discontinued

33

Lightweight skinnable Internet Explorer (Trident) shell, with links and “channels” to search engines, webmail, translation and messaging; its maker also produced white-label browsers (including Tiscali's in 2002).

Developer

UltraBrowser.com Inc

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Site “ULTRA Browser, the browser inside the browser” online since Dec. 1998; last version 11.0 (Sept. 15, 2009)

Internet suite for HP 100LX/200LX/700LX palmtops (DOS): TCP/IP stack, email, news and the HV web browser.

Developer

DaSoft

Website

www.dasoft.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

DOSOther

Sources

[1] www.dasoft.com

HP 100LX / 200LX / 700LX (webbrowserdirectory wrongly lists Palm OS)

Palm OS browser by Kazuho Oku, first free under the name Palmscape and then sold by ILINX as Xiino, with JavaScript, SSL and an offline mode.

Developer

ILINX / Kazuho Oku (then Mobirus)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] palmdb.net

Palm OS

BlackBerry Browser

1999 – 2022 Discontinued

79

Browser on BlackBerry smartphones, switched to WebKit with BlackBerry 6.

Developer

Research In Motion / BlackBerry

Website

—

Engines

ProprietaryWebKit

Platforms

BlackBerry

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Windows browser from Flying Crocodile billed as revolutionary in 1999 for its tabbed windows and privacy controls.

Developer

Flying Crocodile Inc.

Website

www.chameleonbrowser.com

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Chameleon (0kzh), Chameleon browser (CatDriven)

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] www.chameleonbrowser.com [3] web.archive.org

Gecko-based browser able to parse and display SGML and XML documents directly (DTD parser, link handling, CALS tables), intended for technical documentation.

Developer

CiTEC (Citec Information Technology, Vaasa, Finland)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Mozilla

Platforms

WindowsLinux

Sources

[1] xml.coverpages.org [2] xml.coverpages.org [3] www.linux.com [4] www-archive.mozilla.org [5] web.archive.org

Pre-alpha preview in Feb. 1999; Alpha 2 (June 1999) for Windows NT/95/98 and Linux; 2.7pre1 pre-release announced in July 2005

Late-1990s Japanese browser on the Internet Explorer component, with its own features and interface; its author withdrew it in early 2000, fearing infringement of Unisys's LZW patent on GIF. The Donut RAPT site cites it as the predecessor whose discontinuation paved the way for Donut.

Developer

Unknown

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] www.rapt21.com [3] web.archive.org

Withdrawn around Jan. 2000; first release date unknown (before 2000)

European and Australian Dreamcast browser providing access to the Dreamarena service; version 3.0 (2002) finally let users choose their own ISP.

Developer

Sega Europe / ICL

Website

—

Engine

NetFront

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

Sega Dreamcast (Europe, Australia); NetFront engine according to Wikipedia (NetFront article, unsourced sentence)

Ultra-compact PersonalJava browser (under 175 KB) from the Canadian company Espial, with JavaScript, SSL, applets and zoom, which became a customizable browser framework for IPTV set-top boxes and hospitality devices.

Developer

Espial Group Inc. (Ottawa)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] internetnews.com [2] www.lightreading.com [3] www.lightreading.com

Written in Java (PersonalJava); IP/IPTV set-top boxes, connected devices; “Espial Browser v5.x” for Java platforms still offered in 2010

Browser from Foliage Software Systems for Palm-size PCs running Windows CE 2, offered by Microsoft in the 1999 “Windows CE Web on the Go” kit, before Pocket Internet Explorer arrived on Pocket PC.

Developer

Foliage Software Systems

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows Mobile

Sources

[1] news.microsoft.com [2] www.computerworld.com [3] www.hpcfactor.com

Windows CE 2.x (Palm-size PC), version 1.1

Open source project for Mozilla-compatible engines (XUL and HTML) written in Java.

Developer

Jazilla team

Website

sourceforge.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsmacOSLinux

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] sourceforge.net [3] web.archive.org [4] sourceforge.net

Java

Late-1990s children's browser built on Internet Explorer.

Developer

Hexabit

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org

Links

1999 – 2024 Discontinued

44

Lightweight text (and optionally graphical) browser, with table and frame rendering.

Developer

Mikuláš Patočka / Twibright Labs

Website

links.twibright.com

Engine

Links

Platforms

LinuxBSDmacOSWindowsDOSOS/2UnixAmigaOther

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] atariuptodate.de [3] links.twibright.com [4] links.twibright.com

Atari TOS/MiNT (2.3, 2024)

Phone browser derived from HitchHiker (STNC, acquired by Microsoft in 1999), combining HTML, WAP, scripting and messaging in a single client; discontinued in 2002.

Developer

Microsoft (formerly STNC)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

HitchHiker (STNC)

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

GSM/WAP phones (Sony CMD, Benefon), Amstrad e-m@iler

Experimental “meta-browser” that queried the web and remixed text, images and sounds into streams instead of displaying pages.

Developer

Maciej Wisniewski (netomat)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsLinux

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org

Windows and Linux; a Mac version was also announced (2000)

One of the first third-party browsers for Windows CE (April 1999), designed for Palm-size PCs and Handheld PCs before Pocket Internet Explorer arrived: image and text reduction for small screens, full screen, offline mode, proxy.

Developer

Conduits Technologies

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows Mobile

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Pocket Browser (Pocket Studios)

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] www.hpcfactor.com

Windows CE Palm-size PC and Handheld PC; v1.0 (April 1999) without frames, cookies or JavaScript, up to v1.6

Randnet Browser (64DD)

1999 – 2001 Discontinued

37

TV-adapted browser for the Randnet service, shipped on disk for the Nintendo 64's 64DD (Japan only).

Developer

Nintendo / Recruit (RandnetDD)

Website

—

Engine

NetFront

Platforms

Consoles

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] nintendo64ever.com [3] www.weblio.jp

Nintendo 64 + 64DD, Japan

Paid browser from MacroByte that ignored JavaScript and ActiveX for security, with a multi-document mode.

Developer

MacroByte

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org

OS-independent embedded browser from Unicoi Systems, part of its Fusion software suite: very small memory footprint, HTML 4.0, XHTML, CSS1/2, DOM2, optional JavaScript 1.5, SSL/TLS and touchscreen support.

Developer

Pacific Softworks, then Unicoi Systems

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.fieldtechnologiesonline.com [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] jacobfilipp.com [4] www.pr.com

Embedded devices (micro-browser for Internet appliances); Fusion WebPilot 2.0 by Pacific Softworks (< 100 KB of RAM, HTML 3.2) reported by Dr. Dobb's in Jan. 2000; version 8.1 at Unicoi; ported to Micrium µC/OS-III in April 2010

Browser written entirely in XUL, deliberately simple to serve as a learning ground for XUL developers; listed among Gecko-based suites by mozilla.org.

Developer

mozdev project (Pete Collins, Jeff Campbell, Alphanumerica; then John Dobbins)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Mozilla

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

XUL application running on Mozilla/Netscape 6 (cross-platform); last version 0.05 (Nov. 2000); targeted Mozilla Firebird in 2003 with no new release

Open-source Mozilla-based Internet suite focused on security and privacy, before Firefox.

Developer

Beonex

Website

—

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Mozilla Application Suite

Platforms

WindowsmacOSLinuxBSD

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Browser on Palm OS PDAs and smartphones (Treo), created by Bluelark Systems and later taken over by Handspring and Palm.

Developer

Bluelark Systems, then Handspring and Palm

Website

—

Engines

ProprietaryNetFront

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Palm OS

Pumatech's browser for Palm OS handhelds (including the Handspring Visor), in the early 2000s.

Developer

Pumatech

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] www.cnet.com

Palm OS

Open source cross-platform browser written in C and Tcl on a modified Tkhtml widget, shipped as a single executable with a web server, mail client and chat.

Developer

BrowseX Systems Inc. (Peter MacDonald)

Website

—

Engine

Tkhtml

Platforms

LinuxWindows

Sources

[1] www.webbrowserdirectory.com [2] web.archive.org

Free Japanese browser by EG6+ built on the Internet Explorer component, with a Windows Explorer-style interface: L-shaped tabs (pages on top; documents, favorites, trash and history in a floating tree on the left), link extraction to download managers, random proxy rotation and a scriptable COM automation server (VBScript, JScript, .NET).

Developer

EG6+ (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [3] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [4] ja.wikipedia.org

Windows 95/98/NT 4.0/2000, then 2000/XP; v0.78 beta (June 2000) to 5.7.2 (Apr. 30, 2007); successor B6X announced in 2009

Free multi-window Windows browser with page read-aloud in 10 languages, translation, over 500 built-in search engines, Flash filter, mouse gestures, grouped connections and PageRank/Alexa stats.

Developer

Caymanbrowser.com

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] de.wikipedia.org

Version 2.2; site © 2000-2007

Japanese tabbed (MDI) browser for Windows by the author “MB”, fitting in 40 KB on the Internet Explorer component; its open, freely modifiable source code gave rise to the whole “Donut Family” (Donut R, Donut RAPT, DonutP, unDonut…).

Developer

MB (P-Stade site)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Donut Browser

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [3] www.vector.co.jp [4] www.vector.co.jp [5] web.archive.org [6] web.archive.org [7] rapt21.com

Windows 95/98, IE 4.0+ required; v1.10 (July 2000) to v2.52 (Aug. 2001); VC++ 6 / ATL / WTL source code

Small browser (originally 33 KB) written in Visual Basic that embeds the Internet Explorer control, criticized by Joel Spolsky in 2000; later gained tabs and a form filler.

Developer

Amazing Software Products / Advanced Search Technologies (Sutton Design)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.joelonsoftware.com [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Last version 3.8.8 (Softpedia, February 2012)

Free Japanese tabbed browser on the Internet Explorer component and .NET Framework 2.0, successor to the Visual Basic versions “fub” and “fub_red” (full name: “fuckin uni$ys browser”): grouped tabs, grep search, custom panels, multi-row tabs, mouse gestures and renowned keyboard handling.

Developer

Unknown (anonymous author of fub)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Windows XP and later, IE8+ for fub.net; FAQ for fub (VB version) archived as early as June 2000; fub.net 0.9.9.9 (June 1, 2010)

Galeon

2000 – 2008 Discontinued

54

Gecko browser for GNOME created by Marco Pesenti Gritti, valued for its speed in the early 2000s; ancestor of Epiphany.

Developer

Marco Pesenti Gritti, then community

Website

—

Engine

Gecko

Platforms

LinuxBSD

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

K-Meleon

2000 – 2024 Discontinued

48

Ultra-lightweight Windows browser based on Gecko with a native Win32 interface.

Developer

Community

Website

kmeleonbrowser.org

Engines

GeckoGoanna

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] kmeleonbrowser.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] kmeleonbrowser.org [4] kmeleonbrowser.org [5] kmeleonbrowser.org [6] github.com

Free Japanese kiosk-mode browser by NK on the Internet Explorer component, for trade shows and public computers: full screen, buttons cut down to the essentials, system keys blocked, password-protected exit and settings, allowed or blocked site lists; version 3 added skins, two tabbed screens and an English interface.

Developer

NK (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org [5] web.archive.org [6] web.archive.org

v1.0 (Dec. 31, 2000), 1.1 (Mar. 20, 2001), 2.0x (2002, printing), 3.0 to 3.02 (before Apr. 2004: skins, two tabbed screens, English), tabbed 4.0 Alpha 1 (Dec. 2004), then development stopped

Brand-skinned versions of Internet Explorer (backgrounds, buttons, “MicroTron” videos, advertising), notably the Pokémon Gold/Silver and Mario Tennis browsers distributed by Nintendo in 2000.

Developer

MediaBrowser.com, Inc. (Mark C. Brown)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows 95 to XP, IE 5+ required; company went bankrupt on Dec. 5, 2001

Japanese tabbed browser by x08z, released in 2000 on the Internet Explorer component: tab manager, one-click toggling of images, sounds, JavaScript, Java, ActiveX and cookies, simultaneous search on several engines in several tabs, its own bookmarks importable from IE or Netscape, detachable toolbars.

Developer

x08z (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Moon

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows 98/2000; 0.01 beta 1 (May 29, 2000), 0.41 beta, 0.50 A build 2106 (Sept. 8, 2003)

AOL's Internet suites rebuilt on Gecko, the Mozilla project's open source code. Netscape 6 (2000) was considered slow and unstable, Netscape 7 (2002) improved on it, but both lost to IE.

Developer

Netscape Communications, then AOL

Website

—

Engine

Gecko

Successor

→ Netscape Browser 8

Derived from

Mozilla Application Suite

Platforms

WindowsMac OS ClassicmacOSLinux

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

Last versions: 6.2.3 (May 2002), 7.2 (August 2004)

Commercial browser for RISC OS, derived from Oregan Networks' Oregan Media Browser (designed for TVs and consoles).

Developer

Oregan Networks

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

RISC OS

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Lightweight GTK+ browser embedding Gecko via GtkMozEmbed, with downloads handed off to wget (SkipDownload) and plugins; version 1.0 adds WebKit as an alternative engine.

Developer

Unknown (project hosted on muhri.net)

Website

web.archive.org

Engines

GeckoWebKit (WebKitGTK)

Platforms

LinuxUnixBSD

Sources

[1] lists.debian.org [2] mail-index.netbsd.org [3] linuxfr.org [4] bugs.gentoo.org [5] pkgsrc.se [6] web.archive.org

Recommended on debian-user as early as Oct. 2000; NetBSD pkgsrc package (removed in 2011); 1.0 in Feb. 2008, 1.0.1 (bug fixes) on April 20, 2008, optional “very experimental” WebKit

SoftView

also: ClearView

2000 – ? Discontinued

22

Proxy browser from SoftView LLC for PDAs and phones, which converts desktop-designed sites into vector graphics shown on a small screen, with the “OneTap” interface; Palm OS, Pocket PC, Symbian and phone clients.

Developer

SoftView LLC (formerly ClearView, renamed in 2005)

Website

softview.us

Engine

Remote rendering

Platforms

OtherWindows MobileSymbian

Sources

[1] softview.us [2] softview.us [3] softview.us [4] vale.rocks

Palm OS (demo June 2001), Pocket PC (2001), Symbian, phones; vector rendering prepared by the SoftView server

Free Japanese browser by Catfish on the Internet Explorer component, designed for “sneaky browsing”: tabs at the bottom of the window, pinned tabs loaded in the background, “tab collections” that open a group of sites at once, and a stealth mode that hides the window as soon as the mouse leaves it or after inactivity.

Developer

Catfish (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [3] web.archive.org

v1.00 (Jan. 2000) to 1.07 (Sept. 23, 2001), last beta 1.08β (Dec. 22, 2001)

Free (GPL) Palm OS browser by Donald Kirker, born as a WAP browser (WAPUniverse) then extended to HTML/XHTML: up to three tabs, built-in RSS reader, private browsing, PNG with transparency; stayed in beta.

Developer

Donald Kirker (OpenMobl Systems)

Website

www.wapuniverse.com

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Same name

⚠ Not to be confused with Universe Browser

Sources

[1] www.wapuniverse.com [2] sourceforge.net [3] treocentral.com [4] www.webosarchive.org [5] vale.rocks

Palm OS (Hires and Hires+ screens, Treo); no JavaScript or CSS

Micro-browser written entirely in Java (CLDC/KVM) by the French company Digital Airways, first for Palm OS and then as an embeddable J2ME MIDlet component: WML 1 and 2, XHTML Basic/MP with CSS, cHTML, offline browsing, 60 to 180 KB.

Developer

Digital Airways (France)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Java MEOther

Sources

[1] www.mobileeurope.co.uk [2] internetnews.com

Palm OS (2001), Pocket PC version announced; Wapaka MIDlet for J2ME MIDP 1.0/2.0 phones (2004)

Japanese children's browser by Fujitsu Learning Media on the Internet Explorer component: it adds furigana to kanji not yet learned at the chosen school grade (or replaces everything with hiragana, or switches to rōmaji for foreign learners), summarizes pages and blocks sites containing harmful words.

Developer

Fujitsu Learning Media (with the IPA)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [3] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [4] forest.watch.impress.co.jp

Free v0.91 (Apr. 2000), shareware v2-1 (2001), v3 (Apr. 2003, automatic summaries), free “ひらがな・なびぃ” (Mar. 2008, Windows 2000/XP)

German Windows browser based on Internet Explorer technology, designed to open and manage many pages at once: bookmark groups, URL shortcuts (“URL-Kürzel”), eBay auction tracking, ad and pop-up blocker.

Developer

Mathias Gerlach

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.heise.de [2] id.nl [3] web.archive.org

Version 5.30 reviewed in Dec. 2008; version 6.01 (Windows 2000 to 8) on heise

AtheOS browser born in 2001 from a KHTML port by the OS's author, taken over by Syllable, moved to WebCore (ported by Arno Klenke), then rewritten by Kristian Van Der Vliet under the name Webster.

Developer

AtheOS author, then the Syllable team (Arno Klenke, Kristian Van Der Vliet)

Website

—

Engines

KHTMLWebKit

Derived from

KHTML

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] dot.kde.org [2] www.osnews.com [3] en.wikipedia.org

AtheOS, Syllable Desktop; last Syllable release in 2012

Browser with a 3D interface: a three-walled “room” where up to 16 web pages can be loaded and rotated at once, with snapshots of every page visited.

Developer

Browse 3D Corporation

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

“Best Internet Software” award at Comdex Fall 2001; v2.5 in 2004, v3.5 (with a free version) in late 2005; claims “multiple web browser engines”

3D browser from 2Ce that showed up to five or six web pages on the inner walls of a cube the user stood inside; an Internet Explorer 5.5 extension unveiled at Demo 2001.

Developer

2Ce, Inc. (Mike Rosen)

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer 5.5

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.technologyreview.com [2] de.wikipedia.org

Windows 2000, Pentium III, 128 MB, 16 MB 3D card

First Japanese derivative of the Donut tabbed browser (Internet Explorer engine), by D0GSt0re (犬屋): a richer version with IE-style Back/Forward history, per-page auto-reload and opening of all selected links.

Developer

D0GSt0re (犬屋, TDS STORAGE), then dai and JOBBY

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Donut

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [2] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org [5] ja.wikipedia.org [6] rapt21.com

Windows 95/98/2000; versions 2.22R3 (Jan. 2001) to 2.45r1a (Apr. 2001), discontinuation announced in Sept. 2001; English version 2.45r1En; unofficial continuation 2.52r0c-3 by dai and JOBBY

Donut RAPT

also: Donut 2.52Rapt

2001 – 2014 Discontinued

45

Open-source Japanese tabbed browser on the Internet Explorer engine, successor to Donut R, developed by RAPT from 2001 to 2014: per-bookmark security settings, multi-word search, mouse gestures, tab/MDI modes; some features were carried over into Fenrir's Sleipnir and Grani.

Developer

RAPT (independent developer), product managed by Fenrir Inc.

Website

www.rapt21.com

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Donut R

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] www.rapt21.com [3] www.rapt21.com [4] www.rapt21.com [5] www.rapt21.com [6] rapt21.com [7] forest.watch.impress.co.jp [8] forest.watch.impress.co.jp

Windows 95 to 10, IE 5.0+; #1 (Sept. 10, 2001) to #135 (May 6, 2013), test build #136 (Apr. 27, 2014); Japanese and English versions; source code published (free modification and redistribution, commercial use prohibited)

Japanese branch of the Donut tabbed browser (Internet Explorer engine) by U.H., adding proxy management, scripting via the DonutP.API, toolbar plugins and tab skins; popular for its rich feature set, it serves as the base of unDonut.

Developer

U.H. (Donutカスタム所 site)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Donut

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] rapt21.com [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org [5] web.archive.org [6] web.archive.org [7] web.archive.org

Versions .2.2 (Nov. 2001) to .5.0β4 (July 2003); scripting API vulnerability (JVN#7F8621DE, 2006) never fixed, with IPA pointing users to unDonut

Free Japanese tabbed browser for Handheld PC, built on the Internet Explorer for H/PC components, designed for wide screens (InterLink, Sigmarion) with configurable keyboard shortcuts; a ftxPBrowser variant existed for Pocket PC.

Developer

ftx (Ftoshi)

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Pocket Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows Mobile

Sources

[1] www.hpcfactor.com [2] www.hpcfactor.com [3] www.hpcfactor.com [4] mobile-review.com

Windows CE 3.0 Handheld PC 2000 (ARM, MIPS), versions 0.7l (October 2001) to 0.9f (May 2004); ftxPBrowser variant for Pocket PC

Free Japanese browser by ogi on the Internet Explorer component, organized as a tree: each opened link becomes a child “node” of the page it came from and can inherit its security settings, with optional tabbed display, “Direct Request” search, mouse gestures, pop-up blocking and a feed reader.

Developer

ogi (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows 98 to Vista; v0.16 (Nov. 26, 2001), tabs in v0.68 (2004), 1.0.0 (2006), 1.4.8 (Jan. 30, 2010); a successor, Fernie, only had evaluation versions (2007)

Microsoft's all-in-one Internet client (an Internet Explorer shell) built around MSN, Hotmail and Messenger, shipped with Windows XP in 2001. Renamed “MSN” from v7, limited to paying subscribers from 2002; same software up to v11 (2014). Last version: 11.8 (March 2021), with no updates since.

Developer

Microsoft

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org [3] en.wikipedia.org [4] membercenter.msn.com

Still downloadable by MSN Dial-Up subscribers (membercenter.msn.com), but discontinued since 2021

Text browser with vi-inspired navigation and explicit markers for forms and tables; stayed in beta for more than ten years, with no native HTTPS.

Developer

antrik

Website

netrik.sourceforge.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

LinuxUnix

Sources

[1] netrik.sourceforge.net [2] sourceforge.net

GNU/Linux, GNU Hurd

Simplified browser for public library workstations, written by Scott Vermeersch (Mayo Clinic Libraries) on the Internet Explorer engine: kiosk mode with protected exit, file-based configuration, inactivity timers, URL blocking.

Developer

TeamSoftware (Scott Vermeersch)

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] librarytechnology.org [2] www.noblenet.org

Windows NT/2000, IE 5.5+; version 2.04

Multithreaded text browser for Unix terminals, with non-blocking networking and unlimited virtual windows in split screen.

Developer

Arne Thomaßen

Website

retawq.sourceforge.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

LinuxBSDmacOSUnix

Sources

[1] retawq.sourceforge.net [2] sourceforge.net

Japanese personal browser using Gecko Embed with a native Windows interface (no XUL) for lightness, highly customizable from the keyboard, with grouped tabs and an IE option.

Developer

IZMI

Website

—

Engines

GeckoTrident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] pedia.3rd-in.co.jp

0.0.0 on Sept. 21, 2001; edition with bundled Gecko from 2.0.12 (March 2004), IE component from 2.1.0 (June 2004); last version 3.0.17 (May 19, 2007), official site unreachable since 2009

Graphical browser for Commodore 64/128 under GEOS Wheels (SuperCPU and 4 MB of RAM required); its author published the V1.0 source code, converted to text on GitHub in 2014.

Developer

Maurice Randall (Click Here Software Co.)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] github.com [2] web.archive.org [3] dailyping.com [4] web.archive.org [5] web.archive.org [6] www.pagetable.com

Commodore 64 / 128 (GEOS Wheels)

Mobile browser from Bitstream (a font foundry) sold to carriers and manufacturers, showing pages in “desktop” view without reformatting thanks to server-side compression.

Developer

Bitstream Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Java MEWindows MobileSymbian

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Ultra-light text browser for classic Macs (even 68k) that shows only the text of pages, without Java, JavaScript, CSS or tables.

Developer

David T. Pierson

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Mac OS Classic

Sources

[1] lowendmac.com [2] macintoshgarden.org

WebbIE

2001 – 2021 Discontinued

42

Free text browser for blind and visually impaired people, designed to work with screen readers, developed by Alasdair King.

Developer

Alasdair King

Website

webbie.org.uk

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] webbie.org.uk [2] webbie.org.uk [3] webbie.org.uk

X-Smiles

2001 – 2008 Discontinued

25

Experimental XML browser written entirely in Java at the Helsinki University of Technology, focused on W3C standards (XSLT, XSL-FO, SMIL, XForms, SVG) and also aimed at embedded devices (phones, PDAs, TV set-top boxes).

Developer

TML Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology

Website

sourceforge.net

Engine

X-Smiles (Java)

Platforms

WindowsmacOSLinux

Sources

[1] xml.coverpages.org [2] lists.w3.org [3] sourceforge.net

Cross-platform Java (desktop and embedded devices); open source since early 2001 (0.31), 0.6 in April 2002

Avant Browser

also: Gorilla

2002 – 2020 Discontinued

63

IE shell popular in the mid-2000s, adding tabs and a pop-up blocker.

Developer

Avant Force

Website

www.avantbrowser.com

Engines

TridentGeckoBlink

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.avantbrowser.com [2] web.archive.org

Native Mac (Cocoa) browser using Gecko, long a favorite of Mac purists.

Developer

Camino Project (Mozilla)

Website

—

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Chimera

Platforms

macOS

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Web browser written entirely in Common Lisp, with its own rendering engine (common-lisp.net project).

Developer

Closure project (common-lisp.net)

Website

common-lisp.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] github.com [2] common-lisp.net

Platforms not specified (Common Lisp)

Free shell around Internet Explorer, a pioneer of tabs and tab groups in the early 2000s.

Developer

Crazybrowser.com

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org

HTML browser of the Danger Hiptop (T-Mobile Sidekick): each page went through a Danger proxy that resized images, reformatted tables and removed JavaScript and Flash; the client handled XHTML 1.0 and CSS; service shut down in 2011.

Developer

Danger, Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] academickids.com [3] www.webstandards.org

Danger Hiptop / T-Mobile Sidekick (October 2002 – May 2011), pages prepared by Danger's servers; some late models (Sharp Jump, Mobiflip) replaced this browser with Opera Mini

Donut L

also: Donut Light

2002 – 2014 Discontinued

36

Open-source lightweight version of the Japanese browser Donut RAPT (Internet Explorer engine), by RAPT: features cut down to the essentials and keyboard control for low-powered laptops and Windows 98; the author turned down feature additions.

Developer

RAPT (independent developer)

Website

www.rapt21.com

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Donut RAPT

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] www.rapt21.com [3] www.rapt21.com [4] www.rapt21.com [5] rapt21.com

Windows 95 to 8, IE 5.0+; L01 (Jan. 22, 2002) to L37 (July 16, 2012), test build L38 (Apr. 28, 2014); English version; based on Donut RAPT #15

Browser derived from Mozilla 1.0.1 that blended into another application's window (such as Outlook) for discreet browsing at work.

Developer

Unknown

Website

—

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Mozilla Application Suite

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Free and open-source (GPL/LGPL/MPL) Japanese browser written in Java with its own engine, which displays web pages in vertical writing (tategaki): Japanese is laid out in columns, while English and wide images are rotated 90°. It has tabs and also exists as an applet for sites wanting to be displayed vertically.

Developer

Kagetaka Project (led by 新井政悟, started by 岩田修良)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

WindowsmacOSLinux

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Java (JRE); site © 2002; 0.4 alpha 1 (Dec. 2003) to 0.4 (Nov. 19, 2004), no later release

Free Japanese tabbed browser by PicoBrain on the Internet Explorer component, with three panes and no registry use: grouped tabs, MDI, “super drag and drop” that runs a different search depending on the direction, plugins and scripts; also available as the lightweight Type-R version. Its author later released SimpleBrowser, which displays pages with IE6 rendering.

Developer

PicoBrain (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] news.mynavi.jp [3] web.archive.org

Since around 2002; NilBrowser 1.0.3.x (2003–2005), 1.1.0.0 (Feb. 2007), 1.1.0.4 (Jan. 26, 2009, last), Type-R 1.1.0.5 (Oct. 29, 2010, Windows 7 compatible); SimpleBrowser 2.0.2.2 to 2.8.0.0 (Sept. 2011–Feb. 2013)

Built-in browser of Nokia Series 40 phones: initially a WAP/XHTML browser going through the carrier's gateway, it adopted the WebKit WebCore and JavaScriptCore components in 2008 (S40 6th Edition, Nokia 7510 Supernova) with HTML 4.01, CSS2, JavaScript 1.5 and Ajax.

Developer

Nokia

Website

—

Engines

ProprietaryWebKit

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.w3.org [3] en.wikipedia.org

Nokia Series 40 (2002–2014); WebKit from the 6th Edition (late 2008); distinct from the Nokia Xpress proxy browser on the Asha

Browser supplied by PalmSource to PDA makers on Palm OS 5 (ARM processors), built on Access's NetFront 3.0: HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0, CSS, JavaScript, SSL and DOM Level 1; shipped notably with the Tapwave Zodiac handheld console.

Developer

PalmSource (with Access)

Website

—

Engine

NetFront

Derived from

NetFront

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] internet.watch.impress.co.jp [2] www.itreseller.ch [3] www.palminfocenter.com [4] en.wikipedia.org

Palm OS 5 (ARM); Tapwave Zodiac (version 2.04, on each device's CD, Zodiac discontinued in July 2005)

Small experimental browser written from scratch by the German Alexander Weber, with a ReAction interface and HTTP 1.1 but only very rudimentary HTML support; ported to AmigaOS 4 in 2005.

Developer

Alexander Weber

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Amiga

Sources

[1] www.amiga-news.de [2] www.amiga-news.de [3] aminet.net [4] web.archive.org

AmigaOS 3.5+ 68k (up to 1.0.1, 2003) then AmigaOS 4 (1.2, May 2005)

Korean mobile browser from Infraware (formerly Embider WAP Browser) that moved from WAP to the in-house Lumi engine and then to WebKit, built into many Samsung, Nokia and Kyocera phones.

Developer

Infraware Inc.

Website

—

Engines

Proprietary (Lumi)WebKit

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.phonescoop.com

Feature phones (South Korea, China, United States); Lumi in v6, WebKit in v7

True HTML (not WAP) browser in 48 KB for Java ME MIDP phones, with forms, images and HTTPS; Reqwireless was acquired by Google in 2005.

Developer

Reqwireless

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Java ME

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Small GNOME 2/GTK 2 browser written in C that embeds Gecko (like Galeon or Epiphany): tabs, zoom, bookmarks, built-in downloads.

Developer

Oskar Kossuth (OskarK, independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

Mozilla

Platforms

Linux

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org

Last version 0.5 on Dec. 13, 2003; requires Mozilla 1.4b+

SlimBrowser

2002 – 2023 Discontinued

55

FlashPeak's tabbed browser (pop-up blocker, form filling), long on Trident (the IE engine) before switching to Gecko in 2019 (v10).

Developer

FlashPeak

Website

www.slimbrowser.net

Engines

TridentGecko

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] www.slimbrowser.net [2] en.wikipedia.org

MIT-licensed native browser project for BeOS, designed to take advantage of the OS kits, which never got past pre-alpha.

Developer

BeOS Community

Website

sourceforge.net

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

BeOS/Haiku

Sources

[1] sourceforge.net [2] sourceforge.net

Novarra's Java ME browser that displayed full web pages thanks to server-side compression and processing.

Developer

Novarra Inc.

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Java ME

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Browser supplied by Palm on Tungsten devices from 2002, based on Novarra technology.

Developer

Palm, Inc. / Novarra

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] en.wikipedia.org

Palm OS (Tungsten)

Kiosk browser for Mac OS X with no menu bar or Finder access, first based on Gecko and later listed among WebKit applications.

Developer

AppMac / app4mac

Website

web.archive.org

Engines

GeckoWebKit

Platforms

macOS

Sources

[1] www.mactech.com [2] web.archive.org [3] www.mactech.com

Pre-release 1.0 announced on Oct. 4, 2002 (Gecko); Safari engine afterwards; last version found 6.0.5 (Aug. 2010, PPC/Intel universal binary)

Free Japanese tabbed browser by zzZ on the Internet Explorer component, focused on speed: rarely used features moved to plugins, one of the first Japanese pop-up blockers, URL-based content blocking, a single-key “key mode”, cross-wise navigation between links, MDI; known for its naughty icons (a “safe” version existed), source code released in 2010.

Developer

zzZ (independent developer)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows XP; alpha1 (Feb. 2002), 1.0.00 (Aug. 2006), 1.2.04 and 1.3.00 beta 5 (Nov. 29, 2007); source released on Apr. 29, 2010

Lightweight native GNOME browser, first based on GtkHTML2, then ported around 2004 to GTK+ WebCore (Nokia's WebCore port) and around 2018 to WebKitGTK and GTK3.

Developer

Ali Akcaagac

Website

www.akcaagac.com

Engines

GtkHTMLWebKit (WebKitGTK)

Platforms

LinuxUnixBSD

Sources

[1] www.akcaagac.com [2] lists.gnome.org [3] trac.webkit.org

0.1.1 (alpha) announced June 12, 2003; POSIX systems (Linux/BSD/Unix) according to the WebKit wiki; WebKitGtk3/GTK3 port around 2018

Browser of Adam Dunkels's Contiki system for the Commodore 64 and other 8-bit computers, billed as the world's smallest browser.

Developer

Adam Dunkels

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] cc65.github.io [2] www.osnews.com

Commodore 64 (1.0 in March 2003); ports via cc65 announced for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, VIC-20, NES, PC Engine…

Free (GPL) text browser for Apple Newton OS 2.1 by Eckhart Köppen, which handles each page as a Newton note: “tabs” can be filed and renamed, with shared cache, gzip decompression and RSS reading.

Developer

Eckhart Köppen

Website

40hz.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] 40hz.org [2] vale.rocks [3] web.mit.edu

Apple Newton OS 2.1 (MessagePad 2x00, eMate 300), with the NTox and NHttpLib libraries

Large-screen browser of the AlphaSmart Dana, a Palm OS school writing computer, shipped in the “Dana Internet Solutions Pack” of the Wi-Fi model: images, tables, pages saved for offline use, bookmarks; judged slow by the press.

Developer

AlphaSmart

Website

—

Engine

Unknown

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] palmdb.net [2] www.palminfocenter.com [3] internetnews.com [4] thejournal.com

Palm OS (AlphaSmart Dana Wireless, wide screen)

Donut Q

also: Donut Q Easy

2003 – 2014 Discontinued

40

Free but proprietary Japanese tabbed browser by RAPT: Donut L's lightweight base with Donut RAPT's search bar and mouse gestures, optimized for speed rather than memory; named after Kyū, the author's cat.

Developer

RAPT (independent developer), product managed by Fenrir Inc.

Website

www.rapt21.com

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Donut L

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] ja.wikipedia.org [2] www.rapt21.com [3] www.rapt21.com [4] www.rapt21.com [5] www.rapt21.com [6] www.rapt21.com

Windows 95 to 8, IE 5.0+; Q1 (Sept. 30, 2003) to Q93 (Aug. 30, 2012), test build Q94 (Apr. 27, 2014); simplified “Easy” edition; source code not published

Small paid HTML browser written from scratch for Symbian Series 60 by the Finnish company Anygraaf: under 200 KB, JPEG/GIF/PNG images, forms, SSL, gzip compression, one-handed navigation, no proxy and no JavaScript.

Developer

Anygraaf Oy (Finland)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Symbian

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] taoofmac.com [4] cnews.ru

Series 60 (S60 1st and 2nd Edition); last known test version: 1.19 (2004)

Commercial “zero-trace” browser from EISST: encrypts all session data (history, cache, cookies, bookmarks) so no third party can read it; HD and USB-drive editions (U3, smart card).

Developer

Enterprise Information Security Systems and Technologies (EISST)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Unknown

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org

Windows 2000/XP/Vista; version 2.1 in 2008; 14-day free trial

Ultra-lightweight Chinese IE shell, with mouse gestures and an ad blocker.

Developer

morequick

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] web.archive.org

Japanese browser for GNOME that can switch between Gecko and WebKit.

Developer

Kazehakase Project

Website

—

Engines

GeckoWebKit (WebKitGTK)

Platforms

LinuxBSD

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Free Flash-based browser for children: only hand-approved sites are accessible, with games, math flash cards, Starfall reading, a timer and computer lockdown.

Developer

KidRocket.org (CrashSoftware.com)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Unknown

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Flash interface; site and browser from Nov. 2003 (©2003 CrashSoftware.com); V1.0 Final, Softpedia update on Jan. 18, 2007; domain parked in 2017

Full-screen Mac browser for children, limited to parent-approved pages, with CutX filtering from version 3.1.

Developer

andX Software, then app4mac

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

WebKit

Platforms

macOS

Sources

[1] www.mactech.com [2] www.mactech.com [3] www.mactech.com [4] web.archive.org

1.0 in Nov. 2003 (andX Software, $29); 1.5.5 and 1.6 in 2004; 3.1 in April 2005 (app4mac, Mac OS X 10.3+)

Web browser project for the Atari ST by Armin Diedering, released as exclusive alpha versions through ST-Computer magazine from 2003.

Developer

Armin Diedering

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] atariuptodate.de

Atari ST/TT/Falcon; alpha announced Feb. 10, 2003; 0.0Alpha1 dated Jan. 26, 2013 on Atari UpToDate

Mobile browser from the Scottish company Picsel, built on a format-conversion technology that displays HTML, PDF, Office, Flash and images: stylus zoom, panning, zone-based navigation (Link Navigator) and faithful rendering of full pages on small screens.

Developer

Picsel Technologies (Glasgow)

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Platforms

LinuxSymbianWindows MobileOther

Sources

[1] www.gsmarena.com [2] linuxdevices.org [3] en.wikipedia.org [4] de.wikipedia.org [5] www.theregister.com [6] www.weblio.jp

Embedded Linux (Motorola A768), Symbian UIQ/S60, Palm OS (Clié), BREW 2.1+ (2004), µITRON, Microsoft platforms; Picsel went into administration in 2009

ReenSoft extension for Pocket Internet Explorer that added tabs, full screen, drag scrolling, fitting pages to the screen (Pocket Web Optimizer), a custom user-agent and saving of complete pages.

Developer

ReenSoft

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Pocket Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows Mobile

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] mobile-review.com

Pocket PC 2002, Windows Mobile 2003/2003 SE and 5.0; versions from August 2003 to 2.2 in October 2006

SkyOS's first web browser, presented in 2003 by its developer, with an open source rendering engine (KHTML according to comments on OSnews).

Developer

SkyOS Community

Website

—

Engine

KHTML

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] www.osnews.com

SkyOS; KHTML engine according to OSnews comments

Tencent's IE shell, very popular in China, ancestor of QQ Browser.

Developer

Tencent

Website

—

Engine

Trident

Successor

→ QQ Browser

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org

Acoo Browser

2004 – 2009 Discontinued

45

Tabbed browser built on the Internet Explorer engine, with mouse gestures, a color-coded source viewer, page analyzer, RSS reader, and ad and ActiveX filters.

Developer

AcooBrowser

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Trident

Derived from

Internet Explorer

Platforms

Windows

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org [3] web.archive.org [4] web.archive.org

Version 1.00 build 531 in 2004; last version 1.98 build 744 on Sept. 27, 2009 (still offered in 2019)

ANT's successor to Fresco, a browser and application stack for IPTV set-top boxes and connected TVs; ANT was acquired by Espial in 2013.

Developer

ANT Software Limited / Espial

Website

—

Engine

Proprietary

Derived from

ANT Fresco

Platforms

Other

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.nexttv.com [3] informitv.com [4] www.enghousenetworks.com

IPTV set-top boxes, connected TVs

Lightweight GTK+ browser for GNU/Linux derived from Skipstone (Gecko engine), meant to be highly configurable with few dependencies, “a K-Meleon for Linux”; started while Skipstone development was paused, then discontinued.

Developer

Community (dpb)

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

Gecko

Derived from

SkipStone

Platforms

Linux

Sources

[1] web.archive.org [2] web.archive.org

Unofficial Skipstone build compatible with Mozilla 1.6; site declared it a “dead project” by Jan. 2005; dates approximate

Mac browser for children: filtering, blocking of personal information, allow/block lists, time limits and ICRA labels; version 2 is built on WebKit and Omni Group technologies.

Developer

Freeverse Software

Website

web.archive.org

Engine

WebKit

Platforms

macOS

Sources

[1] en.wikipedia.org [2] www.macworld.com [3] trac.webkit.org [4] web.archive.org

Released May 4, 2004; version 2.2 (April 2009) requires Mac OS X 10.4