iCab

Shareware; $25

Current Version: 3.0.5 (January 1, 2008) / 4.1.1 (May 5, 2008)

iCab is a feature-packed but relatively slow browser that does just about everything that Netscape Communicator and MSIE do (except for email and Usenet news), while offering a legion of features that aren't supported by many other browsers, such as:

• Filtering advertising banners and much more - iCab can block undesirable images, it can also prevent pop-up windows containing advertising from opening automatically. It is very easy to modify these filters. Simply control-click on any image you wish to block in the future. Also many other settings can be automatically configured based on the URL of the page you're visiting, so you can have individual browser settings for different web site.
• Kiosk mode - While in Kiosk mode, iCab will cover the whole screen and all other applications are blocked. The Kiosk mode is the ideal environment when the computer is accessing a public place (like fairs, exhibitions, hotels etc.) where users should be able to obtain information, yet prevent any external access to your system. Additionally, the access can be restricted to certain pages (even refusing referrals, if you choose).
• Error protocol (Smiley) - iCab records all HTML errors of Web pages. A smiley-face will indicate if the HTML code is OK (has no HTML errors, or hazards). In such sites, the smiley face will be green (and smiling). Errors make the smiling face red and sad. By clicking the red smileys, iCab will open a window where all the errors are identified with a small description. At http://validator.w3.org/ you can also test web pages using the official validator of the W3C.
• Portable web archives - HTML pages can be stored in a compact ZIP-file, including all images of the page. The advantage of the ZIP format is that you can use it under DOS/Windows, Unix/Linux -and nearly all other operating systems as well. The ZIP archive uses highly efficient compression, to save hard disk space.
• Download manager - HTML pages can be downloaded automatically. This allows you to access the content off-line at your convenience, without having to go online again. The download specifications are highly configurable: The path/depth of downloaded files can be configured to get (only) the specified file, all linked files, all html, all images, all files on the same site, or even all linked files from all external linked sites. Additionally, you can exclude any specific file type(s)
• Link manager - When selecting this handy menu utility, a convenient split window opens with all page links identified and listed on the left side. Pick any link, and the respective site appears on the right side of the window. Using the link manager you can comfortably search through long lists of links (for example the result of a search engine) without the need to open any new windows. This way you can avoid sites you do not wish to visit, or information sources which are not be useful to you.
• Source code manager - When selecting this handy menu utility, the source code of a page will be displayed in any (chosen) editor, or directly in iCab. iCab can automatically reload and re-display the entire page whenever the HTML code is saved in the editor. You can easily access all files which are used in the current page from a list, where the files are sorted by type (images, HTML code, CSS code, JavaScript code, etc)
• No system extensions - iCab doesn't install any system extensions, does not create any "invisible files", and iCab doesn't modify the system or any system settings.
• Open web page in new window or tabs - With this command, a link can be opened in a new window or a new tab. New windows and tabs can be also opened in the background so that the main page remains on top and can be read first. When you are finished with the main page you can switch to the underlying pages, which will be fully loaded.
• Highly configurable - iCab is highly configurable. You can configure which Cookies should be accepted and which should be rejected. You can select which menu items are displayed in the contextual menu. Utilizing Apple "Text-to-Speech", web pages can be read aloud.

iCab supports Java, JavaScript/ECMAScript, plug-ins, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). It also prints Web pages with more intelligence than either of the "big boys," providing not only a feature-filled print preview, but allowing the proper printout of backgrounds and transparent graphics. It is - without a doubt - the most customizable and flexible browser available for the Mac. iCab's only down sides are its rendering speed (it's just not as fast as IE or Netscape) its incomplete/slightly buggy Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) support, which does continue to get better with each release.

iCab 4.0.0 was completely rewritten and is now based on Cocoa instead of Carbon. It is much faster than iCab 3, has a polished user interface, and includes some new features. iCab 4 is available as Universal Binary for all PowerPC and Intel Macs running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer. Version 4.1.1 makes the following additional changes:

• The GUI is now available in French as well, and the help files in English.
• The Tab Overview is a feature similar to Exposé but for Tabs.
• Support for Geo Tagged web pages.
• The automatic form fill out feature has some more options.
• The contextual menu can now be opened without the need to hold down the control key even with a single-button mouse.
• Many other improvements
• Many bugfixes

iCab 3.0.5 is only recommended if you're still using an older version of Mac OS X (older than 10.3.9) or if your still using the "Classic" Mac OS. When using a Mac with G4, G5 or Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.3.x or newer, the Universal Binary version should be used instead of the PowerPC version.