Odyssey 3.0 Alpha vs 1.23r5

I recorded a few minutes of video comparing version 1.23r5 with the latest Alpha version. As is often the case with early versions, not everything works as it should, especially since, just like in the initial releases for AROS, the engine is still several years old. Nevertheless, out of the 10 problematic pages, each shows some progress, to a greater or lesser extent.

@mufa
Nice progress!

@mufa

It works well, but is slow on my old AmigaONE-XE,
and it needs a lot of ram, I run out ram if I open the web browser twice.

the right scroll bar is not usable:
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I don't know if try update page in the event loop, but if it does its a bad idea, should be done after the event loop, maybe also measure the time, it can be useful to to not try to render the page more often then hardware possible can.

Scroll wheel works fine, and page up and page down, works.. so its not a show stopper.

@LiveForIt

for an alpha version is awesome!!!

@LiveForIt

Quote:

This version of OWB 3.0 is based on the AROS 64-bit version of Deadwood. In fact, to get the most out of OWB 3.0, you would need to have much more RAM.

On AROS 64-bit, we use a minimum of 4/6 GB of RAM to watch YouTube videos as fast as on a Windows PC. AROS 64Bit has no RAM limits.

https://youtu.be/0OeMbB2rGXc

@AMIGASYSTEM

I have 512mb ram, I think not easy or possible to install 2Gb, system will most likely start crashing. AmigaONE-XE is a tricky computer, if manage to get it running stable don't touch it. i think most AmigaONE-XE and SE models have 256 mb ram. I think at least 1GB ram for this web browser, to be on the safe side.

I think this be a different story on a AmigaONE-X1000.

No, even on X1000 you rapidly reach the limit and it crashes.

Really nice evolution, many sites working at last but too memory hungry for the moment.

Let's wait for the future versions (still using Browservice at thje moment, working like a charm).

As Deadwood confirmed. New Odyssey require at least 2GB to works correctly. I'm trying to do some optimization on caches but don't expect miracles

Exec Extended Memory could help maybe?

On quitting the 3.0 alpha it produces this. Workbench was still showing more than 40 MB RAM available.

Guys.. there are problem on the exit. it is a well known problem. Unfortunately I didn't find a proper way to fix it. So at moment just reboot

@afxgroup

Hi,
could you please implement in the next compilation the ability to type with ISO-latin 2 keyboard characters such as "ęóśżżń"? In the old version 1.23r5 this obviously worked.

@afxgroup

I could exit without crash when going into the prefs and click cancel -> the browser just closed without warning

That is another reported bug. Unfortunately there is no crash at all.. I have no clue..

AmigaOS developers should actively support the NetSurf web browser project, as it represents one of the most realistic and sustainable options for keeping modern web access alive on classic and hobbyist computing platforms.

Firstly, maintaining a fully modern web browser is an enormous challenge for a small development team. Browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are maintained by hundreds of engineers and rely on massive codebases that require constant updates to keep pace with evolving web standards. For a small or volunteer-based team, such as the AmigaOS community, building or maintaining a comparable browser from scratch is simply not feasible. Supporting an existing lightweight open-source project like NetSurf makes far more sense.

Secondly, NetSurf is designed to be efficient and lightweight, unlike mainstream browsers that assume modern hardware with gigabytes of RAM and fast CPUs. Amiga computers, both classic and NG systems, typically operate with limited memory and processing power. NetSurf’s modest resource requirements align perfectly with the constraints of AmigaOS hardware, ensuring acceptable performance and responsiveness even on older systems.

It is true that NetSurf is not yet as feature-rich or fully compatible with all modern web technologies as the major browsers. However, it is steadily improving. The project continues to evolve, with active development and growing standards support. Each release brings better rendering accuracy, improved JavaScript handling, and enhanced usability. By joining forces with the NetSurf team, AmigaOS developers can help accelerate this progress and tailor it to the unique needs of the Amiga community.

In addition, contributing to NetSurf’s development would allow the AmigaOS community to influence its direction, for example by ensuring better integration with AmigaOS GUI systems, file handling, and custom graphics libraries. Such collaboration would also strengthen AmigaOS’s visibility in the wider open-source world, showing that the platform remains alive and relevant.

Finally, relying on and supporting NetSurf would foster collaboration instead of fragmentation. Instead of multiple Amiga developers working on separate, incomplete browsers, pooling resources toward a single capable and efficient project increases the chances of long-term success and usable results.

In short, supporting the NetSurf project is a practical, community-minded, and forward-looking decision. It ensures that AmigaOS users can continue to access the modern web within the limitations of their beloved machines, while helping an open, evolving browser become even better.