Gnome “Web” browser f/k/a “Epiphany” is going to be the supplied default browser on the Librem 5 Linux smartphone. Because of that and because I’m lined up to get a Librem 5, I decided to check it out.
I’ve tried Web on the desktop years ago and always found it to be too minimalist, too light weight for my needs on a desktop. But looking at it again I did find some really Good Things.
Good Things:
Rendering Engine: Web uses the same open source fork of WebKit that Apple’s Safari uses, or darn close to it. This is good because Safari renders very well on a smartphone screen. It’s tried and true and well supported with Apple, Gnome and others contributing improvements and refinements to the upstream. Plus it is NOT based on Chrome/Chromium so we help avoid a mono-culture.
Leanness: Web only uses 2MB of memory running on most Debian based Linux distros. While that leanness might be a liability on a full desktop computer (subjectively), it becomes a strength on a smartphone with a 6” touchscreen.
Firefox Sync: If you are a Firefox user, Web will sync with Firefox. This means your FF bookmarks, history and passwords will sync back and forth between Web and FF.
These three things do a lot to put my mind at ease about being restricted (at least at first) to Web as a browser on the Librem 5.
Even Linux users on the desktop might find Web to be just what they are looking for, so you might want to try it out.
