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Web Browsers

Fluid

Home Page Release Notes Screen Shots License:
Freeware

Current Version: 0.9.6 (March 3, 2009)

Fluid is a new category of application that enables you to create what are known as Site Specific Browsers (SSBs).

From the Fluid home page: "Using Fluid, you can create SSBs to run each of your favorite WebApps as a separate Cocoa desktop application. Fluid gives any WebApp a home on your Mac OS X desktop complete with Dock icon, standard menu bar, logical separation from your other web browsing activity, and many, many other goodies.

"Fluid itself is a very small application. When launched, Fluid displays a little tiny window where you specify the URL of a WebApp you'd like to run in a Site Specific Browser. Provide an application name, specify a Location and an Icon, click 'Create' and you'll be prompted to launch the new native Mac app you've just created. Anytime you click a link to another site in an SSB, the link is opened in your system default web browser, keeping your SSB dedicated to the original site you've specified.

"Fluid was inspired by the excellent Prism (formerly WebRunner) project by Mozilla Labs. Check out Prism for much more information about SSBs and the benefits they provide to WebApp lovers. Fluid is very similar in nature to Prism, but is based on Safari's WebKit rendering engine. And SSBs created by Fluid are true, native Cocoa OS X applications offering seamless integration into the Mac OS."

Version 0.9.6 adds/changes the following:

  • FluidInstance.app: FIX for crasher when attaching files when Safari4 is installed
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX SSB browser window minimum width returned to 180px which is friendlier for iphone-optimized sites
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX Selected download folder now persists correctly.
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX drag/reordering tabs now works correctly (Before they were not *truly* reordered and you would see strange behavior when using keyboard shortcuts for next/prev tab)
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX Annoying "Are you sure you want to close this window?" dialog no longer shown when you close the last window with multiple tabs and "Closing the last window only hides the window" pref is set
  • FluidInstance.app: NEW added 'Download Linked File As...' context menu item
  • FluidInstance.app: NEW Preference: Hide all windows while not active
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX return of the 'Look up in Dictionary' context menu item for defining terms in Dictionary.app
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX for bug where tab at incorrect index would be selected when closing the tab at the first index in a window with multiple tabs open
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX only hide system menubar when entering FullScreen if the fullscreen screen is the screen with the menubar
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX URLs are only added to the recent URL auto-complete list when a URL load is successful
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX URLs can now be dragged from the location bar (via their favicon) to Firefox and non-webkit-based browsers to load the URL
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX URLs can now be dragged from the location bar (via their favicon) to the Finder to create .webloc files (property lists)
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX Removed crazy 1 second delay on SSB launch where first tab is visible and then hides.
  • FluidInstance.app: FIX better feed subscription handling for Google Reader SSBs
  • WebThumbnailPlugIn: FIX for crasher that could sometimes occur in Enhanced Google web thumbnail SERPs
  • BrowsaBrowsaPlugIn: NEW Preference for opening clicked links in system default browser
  • BrowsaBrowsaPlugIn: FIX "New windows open with" preference now defaults to "Home Page"
  • Fluid.app: NEW Drag image files (jpg, tiff, png), icon files (icns) or applications (app) to the Fluid window to specify your custom SSB icon.
  • Fluid.app: NEW Keyboard shortcuts for setting the installation locatoin to Applications, Home or Desktop
  • Fluid.app: FIX fixed strange issue where Fluid.app would not become frontmost app on very first launch (it kinda hid in the background)

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Also See . . .

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Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.

Related Links

Are you looking for an older version of a browser, but can't seem to find it? The evolt.org Browser Archive and Darrel Knutson's Macintosh Web Browser Page are the places to visit!

Also Consider . . .

These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!