Orion Browser
browser.kagi.com
browser.kagi.com
Being able to install Chrome extensions, despite being a Webkit based browser, makes it better than Safari (where people have to pay the Apple Tax to make extensions for it).
Really there's only 2 issues I have with Orion:
1. It's not available outside of the Apple ecosystem. I want to be able to use the same browser across all my devices so everything syncs nicely.
2. 1Password refuses to whitelist Orion for their browser extension. Yes 1Password's Universal Autofill works pretty well, but that doesn't help when I'm making a new account or updating a password
I know Kagi can't do anything about #2, but I'm hoping they are actively working on #1. It would be the thing that finally makes me leave Firefox behind.
It's an amazing browser, and I'd love to use it across all my devices.
At least I remember reading that that was why the Bitwarden extension is so safe. It doesn’t do anything until I press a button.
The downside of not using a password manager is that users enter (or paste) their passwords without any robust domain validation. In phishing scenarios, a missing auto fill prompt is likely to be enough to encourage a pause and think.
https://1password.community/discussion/124112/support-for-or...
Long term though, I'd want it also to run on opensource operating systems. It doesn't exactly make sense to have an opensource browser on a closed source operating system. I use Firefox on macOS (+ Linux) and wouldn't be so inclined if it only ran on Mac and/or Windows.
Reference:
And just because something starts out being telemetry free, there's no guarantee it will stay that way and you can't fork the 'last known good'.
Not sure how is this related to Orion as it has no such traffic.
> there's no guarantee it will stay that way
If it doesn't stay that way then it is not zero-telemetry any more.
With multiple cross-platform FOSS browsers already on the market, being FOSS is a baseline expectation for any new web browser that I hope Orion will eventually meet.
Agreed.
I argued something different though, and that is that a zero-telemetry browser is more trustworthy (from a privacy perspective) than an open-source browser that has telemetry by default.
The simple reason for this is that literally anyone can test and verify zero-telemetry claim by installing a free web proxy and monitoring connections.
Proving trustworthiness for a browser with telemetry, even if client is OSS, is much harder.
> A web browser interacts with so many servers
A zero-telemetry browser, especially one blocking ads and trackers by default like Orion, does not.
Just one such rogue connection found by anyone on the web would be enough to destroy zero-telemetry browser's entire reputation and credibility.
> A FOSS browser has no such concerns since the code can be checked for malicious behavior.
That is somewhat an illusion. For example server side code that is receiving and processing browser telemetry (including personal information such as IP addresses), is not open source and can not be checked for any major OSS browser, as far as I know. Even if it was FOSS, the user would have no way of knowing that is the code that is actually running on the servers.
With a zero-telemetry browser there is no such concern. This is why zero-telemetry is a much more powerful claim if trust and privacy are of concern.
Ultimately, what defines trustworthines overall is the business model of the browser, because that is what defines incentives of the browser vendor. As an average user, would you rather trust a browser with a business model where users pay for the product, or a browser depending on the world's largest ad and tracking network for revenue?
Most browsers depend directly or indirectly on ads/tracking business models for revenue. Orion is again a rare breed in this regard, as it only generates revenue off of the users directly paying for it.
With or without telemetry, any web browser interacts with the numerous servers that host the content on the pages users load. A malicious closed source browser could alter its behavior in any number of ways while resisting detection.
It can change the timing or content of requests to and responses from specific domains. It can manipulate content displayed to the user. It can alter the behavior of scripts. Importantly, it can do any of these things in extremely targeted situations, such as when the user's environment meets certain conditions.
FOSS browsers don't have this concern because the source code can be verified to ensure that the browser doesn't manipulate its behavior in any situation.
> As an average user, would you rather trust a browser with a business model where users pay for the product, or a browser depending on the world's largest ad and tracking network for revenue?
The maintainers of the telemetry-free LibreWolf, Mull, and Ungoogled Chromium browsers don't depend on search engine revenue. An average user wouldn't see any problem with these forks, and an informed user would recognize their FOSS nature as an additional benefit that Orion could also gain should it become FOSS in the future.
For many browsers today, users are not the same as customers, and this is problematic from a standpoint of trust and alignment of incentives, regardless of whether they are FOSS or not.
Totally disagree. Unless you are reviewing the software yourself (like not), you’re just hoping that somebody else reviewed it and they are competent, and that any vulns are reported and fixed.
That’s a lot of trust ok a system that may or may not work as intended.
Might as well be closed source at that point.
If you're assuming this about me, then you're wrong. I frequently review source code for FOSS I use, especially the parts that I submit issues and pull requests for.
I also know that others are reviewing the source code, since they are submitting issues (that reference portions of the code) and pull requests, too.
> Might as well be closed source at that point.
No, if a piece of software ever behaved suspiciously, the software being FOSS would enable someone to inspect the code and determine the root cause of that behavior. This examination would be made much more difficult if the software were closed source.
Second, "FOSS = safe" from a privacy perspective is not nearly the reason you want FOSS. You want a FOSS browser for many, many reasons that are above and beyond privacy assurances.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Of course they may need multiple instances to search in parallel, but the math per user/search would remain the same.
It’s still nice that someone is making paid search though, and that alone would be enough reason to pay :)
You're a web browser using a software to browse. The software has no agency: YOU are the browser of last order, IT is only an intermediary.
Like, who's driving the screw driver: you. You're the screw driver...
Humm doesnt work as well as I thought when I started. Fine, you're a screwdriver captain or whatever.
Most people should wait for the new beta release, or at least make sure they get the new update that has been in the oven for some weeks now. The Orion Team cranks new features and new UIs like crazy!
(1) While not all extensions don't work out of the bat, reverse engineering how each works usally results in how to integrate with it. A good example is bitwarden and touch id integration. Search the Orion feedback page and you will see what I mean.
(2) Absolutley love vertical tabs. When I go down rabbit holes of investagations it makes all the tabs easy to organize and remove tabs that don't serve any purpose anymore.
(3) The privacy settings that it offers make your digital footprint just a little smaller compared to other offers. Biggest plus is browser profile isolation.
(4) Combaitibility mode is fantasticly convient to find and use and makes broken experiences easier to fix.
(5) Big bummer is streaming services don't always work, but the developers promise to work towards a solution.
Kagi search is really nice though. Switched to usit exclusively.
Orion is about to release in-place window switching that sorta matches up with Arc's behavior, but I still prefer Arc as the command palette UX, as well as being able to use back/forward mouse buttons to switch 'in-place' windows, is just the superior affordance.
// I pay for Kagi, and use Orion for certain extensions.
(Heck, I wish Firefox natively implemented it.)
Specifically user scripts extensions (Tampermonkey, ViolentMonkey, a few others) and some ad blocking extensions (AdGuard) will not work. uBlock Origin did work, but the browser stability suffered in my testing when put under heavy load while using quite a few filters. Support for other power user focused extensions was hit and miss, even if you try the Firefox or Chrome version of popular extensions.
I'll stick with Waterfox for now, but will keep an eye on Orion since I really want a webkit-based browser like Safari that offers all the Apple niceties like deeper integration with native macOS functionality while also allowing usage of Firefox/Chrome extensions.
That is not my website I found about it here on HN. I wonder how Orion compares to other browsers.
Fair disclosure from the "About" page, for anyone reading it and noticing Brave's subtly-aligned checkmarks. I'm willing to assume goodwill in a lot of places, but if this was a Firefox or Chrome employee I'd be saying the same thing.
Almost nobody uses the default settings… the results are misinterpreted by most people.
The problem though, is that the browser is my window into so much high-trust data and credentials, there's no way I will entrust it to a browser that's either a) not open source, or b) not built by a well-established company with a track record.
I still wish the authors the best of luck in becoming the (b) from above.
It’s sad because 1Password is such an important thing that I need to properly work that it’s making me use Orion less than I want
Besides that I think Orion (and Kagi, like people mentioned here) is great. That and Arc is a lot of fresh air in the browser space
1. The download button doesn't work on Pale Moon / WhiteStar browser (v32.0.0) - clicking it does nothing. Perhaps it is a bug or some settings I enabled. But it should be a no-brainer that a Browser company design a site that works fine in all browsers so that others can download and switch to it easily!
2. Orion is still very buggy and keeps freezing occasionally. Cannot use it as a daily driver.
3. The uBlock Origin extension still doesn't work perfectly (if at all). That should be a priority, and not just a marketing talking point.
4. Please display / add version number on the website and the download file.
I still recommend it to others but you guys need to produce a stable version soon.
This must drive developers nuts. It is in Beta. That means it has bugs and is not yet in wide release. A user should have no expectation of it being their daily driver for anything critical. Providing constructive feedback is great, but the closing complaint is just not appropriate at this stage of the product.
1. Indeed, should be fixed now
2. Most common cause for this are extensions. The extension support is still experimental and try to reduce use to minimum/essential.
3. Known issues have been reported here https://orionfeedback.org/d/718-ublock-origin-doesnt-work-so... if you have anything else to add let us know
4. Good idea, added
This is a bit uncharitable - the browser is currently in beta.
- it's awesome to have more browsers;
- Orion is very impressive already, but not quite ready for daily using if your browsing needs are above average;
- vertical tabs are the biggest selling point for many people.
I also wanted to mention how responsive the team are. I submit my thoughts and bug reports from time to time on the official forum [0], and the team cares a lot, which is fascinating.
[0] https://orionfeedback.org/d/2783-random-thoughts-on-arc-orio...
Been using Brave for many 5 years now but this could easily become my new default browser.
But I’ve slowed my transition lately, since Brave now offers vertical tabs if you set the flag. Would love to see true tree-style tabs, but even just vertical tabs makes me much less likely to switch away.
Kagi search and Orion browser enter public beta - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31584791 - June 2022 (201 comments)
My next main browser: a review of Orion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30610651 - March 2022 (149 comments)
Orion is a new WebKit-based browser for Mac - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28799049 - Oct 2021 (184 comments)
0.0.0.0 ocsp.apple.com
It seems they at least still respect that. Search HN for "ocsp.apple.com" to find a lot more interesting discussion.Additionally, macOS talks to the OCSP endpoints of several different CAs, not just Apple.
That probably means they won't, which is disappointing.
Although a browser that's not open source is also a non-starter. The main differentiating features are tree-style tabs which is available as an extension to other browsers anyway. And zero-telemetry, except it doesn't run on a zero-telemetry OS, so again if I want zero-telemetry this is essentially useless to me.
Separately: what does an "X" on "zero telemetry by default" mean for Firefox? My understanding/distant memory is that Firefox asks users to enable developer metrics, but that it's (1) opt in, and (2) distinct in kind from the telemetry the other browsers might collect by default.
The devil is in the details. Firefox still phones home a lot.
The ability to use both Chrome and Firefox extensions is mindblowing. An inbuilt adblocker is good. The profiles look amazing to tab groups. I am very positive this will make my default browser.
I’m still sticking with it for now, because I use Kagi search and I like their ethos. But I am getting slightly frustrated with it. So I may switch soon (I’ll continue using Kagi though, that I really rate)
At least it’s not Chromium. We don’t need Big G dictating the web.
There are horrible bugs in Webkit that have not been solved for more than 8 years. Developers that had to build something complex on the web, with lots of custom interaction, animations, etc. learned to hate Webkit with passion (and Safari, and the worst of the worst - Safari on iOS).
The Webkit team focuses on implementing new standards instead of trying get the engine to at least be decent when compared with the alternatives.
It does work ok for most things, and it uses less energy, but it's objectively the worst mainstream browser engine nowadays.
I would happily pay for it though. Unless it's not a subscription.
Look, the product quality both for kagi and orion is average. If they want to compete as a privacy first product they must at least offer bitcoin payment and a legally binding clause about not logging IP addresses.
The reference browser (produced by the OS manufacturer) on macOS is Safari. It sets a standard for what a 'native' browser following HIG should look and feel like.
You could also say that the reference web rendering engine on macOS is WebKit, which is not only made by Apple but is also the fastest, most resource efficient (probably what OP refers to) and comes with many native system integrations built-in.
In all these regards, Orion is indeed a native app on Mac and many other browsers are not.
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/as0tf0/why_a...
https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360022806212-How...
It will take me awhile to go through all the tools and features for developers but I'm pretty sure I'll be using this as my goto browser for testing my work.
Shout out to napolux for sharing this here!
on ios the UI is so good! but it keeps freaking out and being slow. it's still my main but let's see for how long. I used insight before orion.