Legacy Web Browsers for Linux
If you wish to go back in time and feel how web browsers used to function without much props. Or want to give yourself a break from all these flashy features of modern browsers and get a dose of nostalgia. Then you would be interested in these legacy browsers which are still being developed and are supported to this day.
- Legacy Web Browsers for Linux
- LIX Linux
1. Pale Moon
Pale Moon is an open-source web browser which aims to keep the earlier design and look of Firefox alive. Pale Moon developers, Moonchild Productions forked the Firefox’s code and have continued to build on top of it. Pale Moon experience is reminiscent of early Firefox design before major changes were introduced.
Pale Moon has a very light and calming feel to it. Compared to modern web browsers which are featured packed and often times feel too much. Pale Moon steers away from it to provide a clean browsing experience. Although, it lacks many features which you commonly find in most browsers today but Pale Moon distinguishes itself in the browser space with its own set of features such as customization options, allowing users to personalize their browser through themes, extensions. The advanced settings of about:config are available although limited. Additional features like tab grouping, a customizable UI, and enhanced privacy controls help to further modify browsing experience.
Many add-ons are available for Pale Moon and many legacy extensions can be added from the original source. Such as uBlock origin isn’t available in the default add-ons repository but its legacy version can be downloaded and added to it. The add-ons though not as abundant or developed as are on Firefox but they get the work done for what they are made for.
As a community-driven and open source project, Pale Moon continues to be actively developed. It may not be suitable to all users and some may consider it to be dated. But its focus on resource efficiency and speed optimization, makes it suitable for older computers and for those in need of a lightweight browsing experience and want to feel nostalgia of early Firefox days but with added commitment of development and compatibility.
2. Basilisk
Basilisk is an open-source created by Moonchild Productions but now under the leadership of a new developer. This web browser is based on the later version of the Firefox, matching closely to the pre-Servo version, just before the quantum update arrived and changed the current Firefox. Much like the Pale Moon project, it was designed to keep the earlier legacy of Firefox alive and the philosophy to offer a customizable and user-centric browsing experience is baked into it. It is powered by Goanna, the same rendering engine which power Pale Moon. It continues to provide support for Unified XUL Platform (UXP), so legacy add-ons and plugins which lost support in modern version of Firefox are still functional and available while integrating modern web standards and security features.
Basilisk focuses on performance and stability, making it suitable for users with an older device who wish to browse the web, check email and play some videos while retaining ability to customize the browser, enhance certain privacy settings and get some add-ons.
One of Basilisk’s key features is its lightweight and fast speed. Just like Pale Moon it requires little resources and runs quite well on older machines. With ability to choose from custom themes and use the legacy add-ons, thought not many remain in the market for use. And ability to customize the UI with offerings like tab grouping, taskbar layout changes, good privacy controls and advanced settings.
With a beautiful look reminiscent of the earlier days of Firefox. Although it may not pack a powerful punch of features. But to give the old days of web browsing a revisit to surf websites. This legacy browser continues to be developed under a new team and is here for users.
3. SeaMonkey
SeaMonkey is an all-in-one internet application and continuation of the Mozilla Application Suite. SeaMonkey is developed by the SeaMonkey council. It was created after Mozilla decided to separate and focus on Firefox as web browsing and Thunderbird as an email client. This led to the abandonment of the Application Suite. The SeaMonkey council has since taken on the project and continues to work on it, to provide users with a comprehensive set of tools for browsing the web, emailing, newsgroups, and web development.
Key components of SeaMonkey include a web browser, email client, HTML editor, IRC chat client, and more, all integrated into a single package. This integration allows for seamless transitions between tasks and to provide cohesive user experience across different internet-related activities
The browser component of SeaMonkey is based on Mozilla Firefox’s Gecko rendering engine, ensuring compatibility with modern web standards and providing a reliable browsing experience. It supports tabbed browsing, bookmarks, legacy add-ons, and customizable themes to personalize the interface.
SeaMonkey would be particularly appealing to users who prefer an all-in-one lightweight solution for their internet activities such as browsing the web, checking email, reading IRC chat message but not any heavy lifting or running modern web apps. SeaMonkey offerings are similar to older versions of Netscape Navigator but updated to meet contemporary web demands.