7 ms·

Thoughts on Arc Browser

99 points by chrishannah 4y ago

Rudeg 4y ago
5 invites if anyone need: edit: gone
jimlongton 4y ago
Giving all my passwords, bookmarks and possibly browser history and credit card information to a closed source browser from an unknown company sounds too risky for me. How do they even plan to make money?
- chrishannah 4y ago
  That's a good point about monetisation. I did wonder how they plan on making money, but to be honest, I didn't do much research on that topic.
  - rhaway84773 4y ago
    I would suspect the easiest way would be the way Mozilla does. Search engine kickbacks and clearly defined ads on the new tab/page links.
  - prkr 4y ago
    I asked this question through their in product feedback form and got this response: > Arc is currently free, and we'll always have some version of the product that is free. In the future, we'll charge for premium and team features.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
mmcclure 4y ago
On the other side of this, I've been using Arc for ~4 months now, and there are definitely quirks, but overall I've been quite happy with it. One of the primary complaints in the post is password syncing, and I'm not sure that's a fair knock against Arc since it seems like OP would struggle to switch to any browser that's not Safari (and they say as much just generally in the conclusion). > I use iCloud Keychain for passwords on all of my devices, and of course, my bookmarks are synced via Safari. So when I tried to use Arc, nothing was in sync. My experience was much better since I use 1Password. The extension was a little clumsy at first, but I gave the feedback and things were improved in the next release and I haven't had any issues since. Really any third party password manager with a Chrome extension should work fine. Arc is weird, it's a different way of thinking about a browser. I've personally enjoyed it, but I can totally see why others wouldn't. The tl;dr of the post is "if you just want Safari you'll be happier with Safari" and I think that's a totally fair assessment.
- chrishannah 4y ago
  It's good to see someone enjoying Arc. It's definitely taking a fresh look at what a web browser should be. Just turns out it wasn't for me.
- genkiuncle 4y ago
  Similar here, I've been using Arc for a couple of weeks and I'm pretty happy with it. I really enjoy the way it handles tabs, spaces and profiles. Personally, I use 1Password for passwords & credit cards, and Raindrops.io for bookmarks, so jumping between browsers were fairly smooth for me.
amadeuspagel 4y ago
Have never tried arc. Commenting on the article, not the browser. > For a moment I was mesmerised by its features, how it behaved, and the quirkiness of it. I think the most important job for a browser is to stay in the background and let the user focus on the website. Chrome does this beautifully. It's elegant, but not eye-catching. It takes up little space for its own UI, and leaves most space to the website. > At the start, I would use the command bar to quickly make a web search, open a new tab, (try to) launch an existing tab by entering the name of the page, and even perform actions like pinning the current tab. These are all things you can already do in the addressbar, except for opening a new tab, which is just as easy as opening the command bar.
- nateberkopec 4y ago
  > I think the most important job for a browser is to stay in the background and let the user focus on the website. Actually, this is my favorite part about Arc. Most of the time when using Arc I'm working in fullscreen mode with 100% of the UI hidden. There is literally zero on my screen except the page itself. If I mouseover to the left (or hit cmd-S) I can see the sidebar/addressbar etc. It's absolutely wonderful and really puts the focus on the content. I find it much better than how Chrome handles fullscreen.
  - yukirock 4y ago
    If you haven't tried, after you use Cmd-Ctrl-F to make Chrome fullscreen you can use Cmd-Shift-F to toggle the UI elements (tabs, search bar & bookmark bar). Although it doesn't follow your mouse hover which is somehow annoying.
    - darinf 4y ago
      fullscreen != fullwindow Cmd+s in Arc just hides all the UI of the browser but does not change the size of the window frame. This is more akin to Chrome's add shortcut to desktop feature, except that it is easy to toggle on/off with a keyboard shortcut. So if you have a web app you want to just focus on, you can just do so.
  - 4y ago
bananarchist 4y ago
I love that it deletes all the tabs I've opened and not interacted with recently. I needed that in my life. When FF incorporates that and putting tabs on the side, I'll switch back. I don't really care about the rest Arc's got going on.
- thatloststudent 4y ago
  Tree style tab [0] exists, and you can change Firefox's userChrome.css [1] to hide the tab bar. To make old tabs sleep (not quite delete, but close), use Auto Tab Discard [2]. 0 - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tree-style-tab/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tree-style-ta... 1 - https://gist.github.com/akersten/8fa7d36960b10c5ae18c01ada3d778bd https://gist.github.com/akersten/8fa7d36960b10c5ae18c01ada3d... 2 - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-tab-discard/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-tab-disc...
  - bananarchist 4y ago
    I don't use extensions
    - mozball 4y ago
      You should. The extensions mentioned by parent comment are mozilla 'recommended'. i.e. manually reviewed and vetted by Mozilla.
sf4lifer 4y ago
I absolutely love Arc. The way I used chrome was I had a separate window with tabs for relevant workflows instead of one tab with 30 windows. I'd always lose where the tab was and just open a new tab basically until my computer required a reboot. With Arc I have 5 spaces each with the 10 most used tabs pinned. I now have 3 windows, Arc + Slack + Zoom. I know where everything is...
- imbnwa 4y ago
  This, 100%. Arc's best feature is eliminating window management if you're the type who keeps a tree of research open, and the command bar means you get to any point in the graph without having to remember 'where did I put that'? Easel and notes behavior is the cherry on top for keeping thoughts together with those branches. It's a much, much more useful superset of behavior that obsoletes bookmarks and multiple windows with various tabs. But admittedly, this is a very power user feature set that makes it alluring to me, I would expect most people won't find those useful, and tab hoarders in particular will be VERY confused and frustrated when the archive feature vacuums up all the tabs they didn't pin in a space 12 hours after they last looked at it (the default, which can be extended but not disabled). If you're not that high sprawl but organized type though, and are on macOS, I'd recommend Orion browser[0] if you still want a non-ugly and native vertical tab bar implementation with your browser that also supports webRequest API and is both fast and better with energy use since it uses WebKit. They also have a public bug tracker [1] and a responsive discord. [0]https://browser.kagi.com/ https://browser.kagi.com/ [1]https://orionfeedback.org/ https://orionfeedback.org/
dang 4y ago
Related: The Browser Company’s Darin Fisher thinks it’s time to reinvent the browser - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33414565 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33414565 - Oct 2022 (90 comments) Arc Browser Company: Chrome and Safari face a new challenger - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31544988 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31544988 - May 2022 (125 comments) Others?
satvikpendem 4y ago
I've used it, it's fine I guess, nothing super outstanding. I don't want to be that guy on HN, but the way they market themselves as being some revolution in browsing while simply wrapping Chrome like others like Vivaldi (which also has a lot of customization), Edge, Opera etc is not that interesting. It's even less so when I would lose adblocking due to Manifest v3 because, really, how long will these browser makers continue keeping a fork around before eventually giving up? A true browser revolution would be something written from scratch like the recent SerenityOS one. Of course, the average person won't use it, but that's what it would take to truly be revolutionary. In the meantime I'll continue using Firefox.
- soulofmischief 4y ago
  I envision a browser inspired by the likes of foobar2k in which core engines are open source and interchangeable, and any browsing experience is achievable through a rich plugin and layout system. The browser itself would be little more than scaffolding and an SDK.
  - parker_mountain 4y ago
    That's more or less what manifest v2 allows for. But, you can use that to block ads. It simply had to go!
  - imbnwa 4y ago
    Isn't this what XUL was? Admitedly I'm aware its arch was too complex to compete with Chromium's speed and security features, but way before Electron, I was using desktop apps built with XUL like Songbird for my music app, as well as a Twitter client whose name I can't recall now (of course, Thunderbird as well). Maybe they threw the baby out with the bath water a little bit by electing to concede to WebExtensions API since now Electron (read: Chromium) is filling exactly the niche that XUL provided.
    - soulofmischief 4y ago
      Yeah, Electron and Chromium fill a close enough niche that I don't think the market is really demanding what I envision. Try giving foobar2000 a spin or checking out some screenshots to get an idea for what I mean. Unlike Chromium, the browser should be extendable, at runtime, via a component system and editable layout tree. Runtimes, backends, common libs, fonts etc should be managed using a repository system. Chromium requires recompilation (and know-how) in order to make any big change. Comparatively, a user should be able to completely reskin their browser, switch JavaScript engines, etc. on a per-domain, per-group or per-tab basis in seconds without restarting the browser.
nbzso 4y ago
Tested it. Moved back to Brave. Wish I can hide the url field on chrome based browsers. This is the only thing that I like in Arc. In my view the problem with Arc is the UX. It is hidden and complex and as a result lacks a natural discovery flow. It seems targeted towards the small audience of specialists which will have no problem giving a lot of their data. And I hate the size of the borders:) Make them small or remove them completely.
- FractalHQ 4y ago
  On MacOS I use the fullscreen window shortcut (followed by browser fullscreen shortcut) to hide the UI for a more Vivaldi-esque experience.
  - nbzso 4y ago
    On a laptop. On a 30" display, full-screen apps are unusable.:)
wahnfrieden 4y ago
Is there interest in a similarly innovative/functional browser that wraps WebKit for iOS/iPadOS/macOS? I see people complain about wrapping Chrome but don't know if the Apple ecosystem community values this.
- arm 4y ago
  You’re looking for Orion: https://browser.kagi.com/ https://browser.kagi.com/ https://blog.kagi.com/orion-features/ https://blog.kagi.com/orion-features/
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    Thank you, maybe there is a market for this
- bentheklutz 4y ago
  As I understand, everybody shipping a browser for ios and ipados is wrapping webkit because apple requires that it be that way.
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    yes but all the popular ones i've seen which have both macos and ios treat ios as an unfortunate 2nd class citizen rather than a flagship experience
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
TranquilMarmot 4y ago
I've been using Edge on Windows, macOS, and Android for the past year or so and have been really happy with it. I signed up for Arc and haven't gotten an invite yet but, looking at this article, it doesn't really seem to be that much of a game changer? At least not as much as the pretentiousness of "The Browser Company of New York" (gag) would have you think. Edge has vertical tabs with the exact same "pinned tab" system. You can also switch back to horizontal tabs if you so wish. It also has tab grouping, password/history/extension syncing etc. etc. With the huge added bonus that it's available on all of my machines and phones, syncing across all of them (and giving what I'm sure is an uncomfortable amount of data to MSFT...) The only "missing" feature would be the command bar which, even as a "browser power user", I don't see any use for. How is it any better than the usual omnibox?
- FractalHQ 4y ago
  Edge is nice but it’s extremely invasive. Brave is a great drop-in replacement that prioritizes privacy without sacrificing features that people love from chromium browsers.
  - TranquilMarmot 4y ago
    Maybe I'll give Brave another try. I don't really mind the invasiveness of Edge, but I know I'm kind of an outlier on Hacker News in that regard.
- tipiirai 4y ago
  LOL. They wrapped Chrome, made it IE, and called it a revolution.
nikolay 4y ago
I keep waiting for the invite... it's becoming pathetic, honestly! Why would desktop software want to use an invite system?! It makes zero sense! And worst of all, to make people wait for months!
- tontonius 4y ago
  I have some invites, let me know how to DM you and I'll send one right away
  - nikolay 4y ago
    You can email me at my username here at hey dot com.
marban 4y ago
I've 5 invites left: https://arc.net/gift/c5adb5f4 https://arc.net/gift/c5adb5f4 Edit: Gone
gleb-arestov 4y ago
1. You may find interesting https://beamapp.co/ https://beamapp.co/. Browser + hypertext note-taking tool (webkit based) 2. I was first engineer at https://meetsidekick.com https://meetsidekick.com you may find it interesting too. (as engineer with 14 years of experience in this area ready tell you about best way to architect js app in isolated environments like main/render process of electron, background/view pages in chrome extensions) 3. > I am a big fan of relatively-small websites, personal blogs, and any website that is free of the usual bloat. I'm indie/solo making linkkraft browser (to make a living from it). To let myself observe intensive web in a non-intensive way. It could be useful for someone who make decisions (and money) from processing a lot of information from mass of tabs. (product managers, hr head hunters?) Linkkraft visualizes your steps as tree and auto-makes html snapshot for your each step. So, you can pause your research confidently (or part of it to free CPU/memory) and restore full context even offline. (Ping me if this would make you effective) linkkraft tree vs chrome tabs https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/comparing/linkkraft-vs-chrome.mp4 https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/comparing/linkkraf... offline snapshots for each step in twitter SPA https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/trails-tree-plus-offline-for-tool-for-thoughts/linkkraft-fresh-offline-spa.mp4 https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/trails-tree-plus-o...
Fnoord 4y ago
Command palette is a feature I miss in my current browser. Though there's probably some Alfred extension for it, I use Firefox on macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows. There's Plotinus [1] for Gtk3 (Linux) but that won't work on Gtk4, nor is it cross-platform. Firefox also has a sidebar (I use TTS extension) and permanent pages (Pins) as well as containers e.g. against FAMAG tracking. TTS has themes. Its a bit annoying hiding top tabs but it can be done with some CSS. [1] https://github.com/p-e-w/plotinus/issues/45 https://github.com/p-e-w/plotinus/issues/45
- K0nserv 4y ago
  > Command palette is a feature I miss in my current browser. Vimium[0] has something like it with `shift+T`(searches active tabs) and `shift+O`/`o`(searches bookmarks, history, and active tabs). 0: https://vimium.github.io/ https://vimium.github.io/
raydiatian 4y ago
This idea has been on product hunt at least once before. Just different wrapper. Can’t remember the name. It looks neat and I’ll give it a shot, even though it isn’t exactly “new”
rambl3r 4y ago
I've been trying on and off to give Arc a try for the past few months. I've had trouble for all the reasons that the linked article names. What brought me around was the Easel feature for scrapbooking pieces of multiple web pages onto a single page. For some kinds of research, being able to see everything at once beats anything I've been able to do with multiple tabs or window arrangements. I used to arrange screenshots onto a photo editor's canvas, but doing it in-browser is an easier workflow, and Arc makes it easy to get back from the clipping to the source. I believe that Beam is similar to this feature, except (pro) better support for daily notes, and (pro and/or con) clippings are in a list instead of arranged in 2D. That fact that these blocks can optionally be live also makes it useful for constructing ad-hoc dashboards. [1] "Arc | Collect Your Internet with Easel" https://youtu.be/ukquBSOpmTk https://youtu.be/ukquBSOpmTk
tibbydudeza 4y ago
It seems like another Flock browser - interesting but meh. Chrome has won the wars, even Microsoft saw the writing on the wall and making it better (I personally like Edge) - it is time to move on to solving interesting problems and not the same low hanging fruit like crypto blockchain, another overcomplicated JS framework or another replacement for C++.
sMarsIntruder 4y ago
I mean, it’s fine to have other opinions, but seriously? Safari for “heavy”/professional usage? I personally love Arc and their dedication to add features that you would need a chrome extension for any of them.
tontonius 4y ago
Got invited this summer and was a bit skeptic at first (been trying different browsers on and off for the last couple of years). I knew nothing about the browser and had no real expectations. I have to say I was a bit impressed by the onboarding, the UX, and the attention to detail. (Perhaps because I work in UX) Thought I'd try it for a week before eventually switching back to Chrome because of some missing feature or functionality – in reality it has been the opposite. I dread using Chrome again, and whenever I'm forced to, it feels like going back in time, but not even in a nostalgic way. Just a sense of "this is what we used before?" Anyway, I have 5 invites if anyone wants to try it out.
- garretraziel 4y ago
  I’d like to try it. Signed myself up, but I’m still waiting for the invite to arrive.
- ypc149 4y ago
  I’d like to try it as well if you still have any invites left. Thanks
- _1tan 4y ago
  Would love to check it out. Email is in my profile.
- tontonius 4y ago
  in case anyone of you ever come back to this thread lol https://arc.net/gift/1138fc8b https://arc.net/gift/1138fc8b
Markoff 4y ago
What's the point in writing about software which I can't download and install and Try button leads to some e-mail spam? Satisfied Vivaldi user
KhuYam 4y ago
> For a moment I was mesmerised by its features, how it behaved, and the quirkiness of it. Maybe it was because it was the new and shiny toy I wanted to play with. Regardless, the way in which I want to use a web browser doesn't quite fit with Arc. I had the same thing - at first you enjoy and admire it, but after a while it becomes uncomfortable and I went back to Safari - and it was like putting on my most comfortable shoes
city17 4y ago
Had to get used to it initially, but now I really love Arc. On other browsers I always used to bookmark things and never look at them again, because it's such a hassle to remember where you put something. The 3-tier system of pinned items (frequently used apps like youtube, discord, slack etc), pinned items per space, and then normal tabs works great. I do think Arc will remain a niche browser though, because to get the most out of it you really need to use the command palette and I don't think the average user will bother with that.
nabilahsf 4y ago
I still haven't got my invite :l
ndimares 4y ago
I knew I was a distractible person, but I never realised the degree to which having the URL and tabs at the top of my browser was a drag on my productivity until I began using Arc. Now, I basically always keep Arc in focus mode and it has had a really positive impact on my concentration. There are definitely things about the browser that bother me, but this one benefit has been enough to make it my new default.
- chrishannah 4y ago
  That's interesting. Not seeing the address bar and tabs were a negative for me.
hiidrew 4y ago
The command palette is a feature I've been enjoying and wishing I could use in chrome on my work laptop. Another is using 'shift-cmd-c' to copy the current URL, small feature but one of my favorites! I don't use easels because I'm afraid of the company folding and me losing all my notes/easels. I wish they had something like Obsidian's set-up where it auto-generates .md files in a folder. I'll always welcome new browsers, even if they are just wrapped versions of Chromium. Another similar concept is https://sail.online/ https://sail.online/, they're doing the superhuman type onboarding but it's interesting, would describe it as a collaborative browser on a spatial canvas.

99 points by chrishannah 4y ago

5 invites if anyone need: edit: gone

Giving all my passwords, bookmarks and possibly browser history and credit card information to a closed source browser from an unknown company sounds too risky for me. How do they even plan to make money?

chrishannah 4y ago
That's a good point about monetisation. I did wonder how they plan on making money, but to be honest, I didn't do much research on that topic.
- rhaway84773 4y ago
  I would suspect the easiest way would be the way Mozilla does. Search engine kickbacks and clearly defined ads on the new tab/page links.
- prkr 4y ago
  I asked this question through their in product feedback form and got this response: > Arc is currently free, and we'll always have some version of the product that is free. In the future, we'll charge for premium and team features.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

mmcclure 4y ago

On the other side of this, I've been using Arc for ~4 months now, and there are definitely quirks, but overall I've been quite happy with it. One of the primary complaints in the post is password syncing, and I'm not sure that's a fair knock against Arc since it seems like OP would struggle to switch to any browser that's not Safari (and they say as much just generally in the conclusion). > I use iCloud Keychain for passwords on all of my devices, and of course, my bookmarks are synced via Safari. So when I tried to use Arc, nothing was in sync. My experience was much better since I use 1Password. The extension was a little clumsy at first, but I gave the feedback and things were improved in the next release and I haven't had any issues since. Really any third party password manager with a Chrome extension should work fine. Arc is weird, it's a different way of thinking about a browser. I've personally enjoyed it, but I can totally see why others wouldn't. The tl;dr of the post is "if you just want Safari you'll be happier with Safari" and I think that's a totally fair assessment.

chrishannah 4y ago
It's good to see someone enjoying Arc. It's definitely taking a fresh look at what a web browser should be. Just turns out it wasn't for me.
genkiuncle 4y ago
Similar here, I've been using Arc for a couple of weeks and I'm pretty happy with it. I really enjoy the way it handles tabs, spaces and profiles. Personally, I use 1Password for passwords & credit cards, and Raindrops.io for bookmarks, so jumping between browsers were fairly smooth for me.

amadeuspagel 4y ago

Have never tried arc. Commenting on the article, not the browser. > For a moment I was mesmerised by its features, how it behaved, and the quirkiness of it. I think the most important job for a browser is to stay in the background and let the user focus on the website. Chrome does this beautifully. It's elegant, but not eye-catching. It takes up little space for its own UI, and leaves most space to the website. > At the start, I would use the command bar to quickly make a web search, open a new tab, (try to) launch an existing tab by entering the name of the page, and even perform actions like pinning the current tab. These are all things you can already do in the addressbar, except for opening a new tab, which is just as easy as opening the command bar.

nateberkopec 4y ago
> I think the most important job for a browser is to stay in the background and let the user focus on the website. Actually, this is my favorite part about Arc. Most of the time when using Arc I'm working in fullscreen mode with 100% of the UI hidden. There is literally zero on my screen except the page itself. If I mouseover to the left (or hit cmd-S) I can see the sidebar/addressbar etc. It's absolutely wonderful and really puts the focus on the content. I find it much better than how Chrome handles fullscreen.
- yukirock 4y ago
  If you haven't tried, after you use Cmd-Ctrl-F to make Chrome fullscreen you can use Cmd-Shift-F to toggle the UI elements (tabs, search bar & bookmark bar). Although it doesn't follow your mouse hover which is somehow annoying.
  - darinf 4y ago
    fullscreen != fullwindow Cmd+s in Arc just hides all the UI of the browser but does not change the size of the window frame. This is more akin to Chrome's add shortcut to desktop feature, except that it is easy to toggle on/off with a keyboard shortcut. So if you have a web app you want to just focus on, you can just do so.
- 4y ago

bananarchist 4y ago

I love that it deletes all the tabs I've opened and not interacted with recently. I needed that in my life. When FF incorporates that and putting tabs on the side, I'll switch back. I don't really care about the rest Arc's got going on.

thatloststudent 4y ago
Tree style tab [0] exists, and you can change Firefox's userChrome.css [1] to hide the tab bar. To make old tabs sleep (not quite delete, but close), use Auto Tab Discard [2]. 0 - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tree-style-tab/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tree-style-ta... 1 - https://gist.github.com/akersten/8fa7d36960b10c5ae18c01ada3d778bd https://gist.github.com/akersten/8fa7d36960b10c5ae18c01ada3d... 2 - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-tab-discard/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-tab-disc...
- bananarchist 4y ago
  I don't use extensions
  - mozball 4y ago
    You should. The extensions mentioned by parent comment are mozilla 'recommended'. i.e. manually reviewed and vetted by Mozilla.

sf4lifer 4y ago

I absolutely love Arc. The way I used chrome was I had a separate window with tabs for relevant workflows instead of one tab with 30 windows. I'd always lose where the tab was and just open a new tab basically until my computer required a reboot. With Arc I have 5 spaces each with the 10 most used tabs pinned. I now have 3 windows, Arc + Slack + Zoom. I know where everything is...

imbnwa 4y ago
This, 100%. Arc's best feature is eliminating window management if you're the type who keeps a tree of research open, and the command bar means you get to any point in the graph without having to remember 'where did I put that'? Easel and notes behavior is the cherry on top for keeping thoughts together with those branches. It's a much, much more useful superset of behavior that obsoletes bookmarks and multiple windows with various tabs. But admittedly, this is a very power user feature set that makes it alluring to me, I would expect most people won't find those useful, and tab hoarders in particular will be VERY confused and frustrated when the archive feature vacuums up all the tabs they didn't pin in a space 12 hours after they last looked at it (the default, which can be extended but not disabled). If you're not that high sprawl but organized type though, and are on macOS, I'd recommend Orion browser[0] if you still want a non-ugly and native vertical tab bar implementation with your browser that also supports webRequest API and is both fast and better with energy use since it uses WebKit. They also have a public bug tracker [1] and a responsive discord. [0]https://browser.kagi.com/ https://browser.kagi.com/ [1]https://orionfeedback.org/ https://orionfeedback.org/

dang 4y ago

Related: The Browser Company’s Darin Fisher thinks it’s time to reinvent the browser - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33414565 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33414565 - Oct 2022 (90 comments) Arc Browser Company: Chrome and Safari face a new challenger - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31544988 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31544988 - May 2022 (125 comments) Others?

satvikpendem 4y ago

I've used it, it's fine I guess, nothing super outstanding. I don't want to be that guy on HN, but the way they market themselves as being some revolution in browsing while simply wrapping Chrome like others like Vivaldi (which also has a lot of customization), Edge, Opera etc is not that interesting. It's even less so when I would lose adblocking due to Manifest v3 because, really, how long will these browser makers continue keeping a fork around before eventually giving up? A true browser revolution would be something written from scratch like the recent SerenityOS one. Of course, the average person won't use it, but that's what it would take to truly be revolutionary. In the meantime I'll continue using Firefox.

soulofmischief 4y ago
I envision a browser inspired by the likes of foobar2k in which core engines are open source and interchangeable, and any browsing experience is achievable through a rich plugin and layout system. The browser itself would be little more than scaffolding and an SDK.
- parker_mountain 4y ago
  That's more or less what manifest v2 allows for. But, you can use that to block ads. It simply had to go!
- imbnwa 4y ago
  Isn't this what XUL was? Admitedly I'm aware its arch was too complex to compete with Chromium's speed and security features, but way before Electron, I was using desktop apps built with XUL like Songbird for my music app, as well as a Twitter client whose name I can't recall now (of course, Thunderbird as well). Maybe they threw the baby out with the bath water a little bit by electing to concede to WebExtensions API since now Electron (read: Chromium) is filling exactly the niche that XUL provided.
  - soulofmischief 4y ago
    Yeah, Electron and Chromium fill a close enough niche that I don't think the market is really demanding what I envision. Try giving foobar2000 a spin or checking out some screenshots to get an idea for what I mean. Unlike Chromium, the browser should be extendable, at runtime, via a component system and editable layout tree. Runtimes, backends, common libs, fonts etc should be managed using a repository system. Chromium requires recompilation (and know-how) in order to make any big change. Comparatively, a user should be able to completely reskin their browser, switch JavaScript engines, etc. on a per-domain, per-group or per-tab basis in seconds without restarting the browser.

nbzso 4y ago

Tested it. Moved back to Brave. Wish I can hide the url field on chrome based browsers. This is the only thing that I like in Arc. In my view the problem with Arc is the UX. It is hidden and complex and as a result lacks a natural discovery flow. It seems targeted towards the small audience of specialists which will have no problem giving a lot of their data. And I hate the size of the borders:) Make them small or remove them completely.

FractalHQ 4y ago
On MacOS I use the fullscreen window shortcut (followed by browser fullscreen shortcut) to hide the UI for a more Vivaldi-esque experience.
- nbzso 4y ago
  On a laptop. On a 30" display, full-screen apps are unusable.:)

wahnfrieden 4y ago

Is there interest in a similarly innovative/functional browser that wraps WebKit for iOS/iPadOS/macOS? I see people complain about wrapping Chrome but don't know if the Apple ecosystem community values this.

arm 4y ago
You’re looking for Orion: https://browser.kagi.com/ https://browser.kagi.com/ https://blog.kagi.com/orion-features/ https://blog.kagi.com/orion-features/
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  Thank you, maybe there is a market for this
bentheklutz 4y ago
As I understand, everybody shipping a browser for ios and ipados is wrapping webkit because apple requires that it be that way.
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  yes but all the popular ones i've seen which have both macos and ios treat ios as an unfortunate 2nd class citizen rather than a flagship experience

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

TranquilMarmot 4y ago

I've been using Edge on Windows, macOS, and Android for the past year or so and have been really happy with it. I signed up for Arc and haven't gotten an invite yet but, looking at this article, it doesn't really seem to be that much of a game changer? At least not as much as the pretentiousness of "The Browser Company of New York" (gag) would have you think. Edge has vertical tabs with the exact same "pinned tab" system. You can also switch back to horizontal tabs if you so wish. It also has tab grouping, password/history/extension syncing etc. etc. With the huge added bonus that it's available on all of my machines and phones, syncing across all of them (and giving what I'm sure is an uncomfortable amount of data to MSFT...) The only "missing" feature would be the command bar which, even as a "browser power user", I don't see any use for. How is it any better than the usual omnibox?

FractalHQ 4y ago
Edge is nice but it’s extremely invasive. Brave is a great drop-in replacement that prioritizes privacy without sacrificing features that people love from chromium browsers.
- TranquilMarmot 4y ago
  Maybe I'll give Brave another try. I don't really mind the invasiveness of Edge, but I know I'm kind of an outlier on Hacker News in that regard.
tipiirai 4y ago
LOL. They wrapped Chrome, made it IE, and called it a revolution.

nikolay 4y ago

I keep waiting for the invite... it's becoming pathetic, honestly! Why would desktop software want to use an invite system?! It makes zero sense! And worst of all, to make people wait for months!

tontonius 4y ago
I have some invites, let me know how to DM you and I'll send one right away
- nikolay 4y ago
  You can email me at my username here at hey dot com.

marban 4y ago

I've 5 invites left: https://arc.net/gift/c5adb5f4 https://arc.net/gift/c5adb5f4 Edit: Gone

gleb-arestov 4y ago

1. You may find interesting https://beamapp.co/ https://beamapp.co/. Browser + hypertext note-taking tool (webkit based) 2. I was first engineer at https://meetsidekick.com https://meetsidekick.com you may find it interesting too. (as engineer with 14 years of experience in this area ready tell you about best way to architect js app in isolated environments like main/render process of electron, background/view pages in chrome extensions) 3. > I am a big fan of relatively-small websites, personal blogs, and any website that is free of the usual bloat. I'm indie/solo making linkkraft browser (to make a living from it). To let myself observe intensive web in a non-intensive way. It could be useful for someone who make decisions (and money) from processing a lot of information from mass of tabs. (product managers, hr head hunters?) Linkkraft visualizes your steps as tree and auto-makes html snapshot for your each step. So, you can pause your research confidently (or part of it to free CPU/memory) and restore full context even offline. (Ping me if this would make you effective) linkkraft tree vs chrome tabs https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/comparing/linkkraft-vs-chrome.mp4 https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/comparing/linkkraf... offline snapshots for each step in twitter SPA https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/trails-tree-plus-offline-for-tool-for-thoughts/linkkraft-fresh-offline-spa.mp4 https://arestov.github.io/linkkraft-notes/trails-tree-plus-o...

Fnoord 4y ago

Command palette is a feature I miss in my current browser. Though there's probably some Alfred extension for it, I use Firefox on macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows. There's Plotinus [1] for Gtk3 (Linux) but that won't work on Gtk4, nor is it cross-platform. Firefox also has a sidebar (I use TTS extension) and permanent pages (Pins) as well as containers e.g. against FAMAG tracking. TTS has themes. Its a bit annoying hiding top tabs but it can be done with some CSS. [1] https://github.com/p-e-w/plotinus/issues/45 https://github.com/p-e-w/plotinus/issues/45

K0nserv 4y ago
> Command palette is a feature I miss in my current browser. Vimium[0] has something like it with `shift+T`(searches active tabs) and `shift+O`/`o`(searches bookmarks, history, and active tabs). 0: https://vimium.github.io/ https://vimium.github.io/

raydiatian 4y ago

This idea has been on product hunt at least once before. Just different wrapper. Can’t remember the name. It looks neat and I’ll give it a shot, even though it isn’t exactly “new”

rambl3r 4y ago

I've been trying on and off to give Arc a try for the past few months. I've had trouble for all the reasons that the linked article names. What brought me around was the Easel feature for scrapbooking pieces of multiple web pages onto a single page. For some kinds of research, being able to see everything at once beats anything I've been able to do with multiple tabs or window arrangements. I used to arrange screenshots onto a photo editor's canvas, but doing it in-browser is an easier workflow, and Arc makes it easy to get back from the clipping to the source. I believe that Beam is similar to this feature, except (pro) better support for daily notes, and (pro and/or con) clippings are in a list instead of arranged in 2D. That fact that these blocks can optionally be live also makes it useful for constructing ad-hoc dashboards. [1] "Arc | Collect Your Internet with Easel" https://youtu.be/ukquBSOpmTk https://youtu.be/ukquBSOpmTk

tibbydudeza 4y ago

It seems like another Flock browser - interesting but meh. Chrome has won the wars, even Microsoft saw the writing on the wall and making it better (I personally like Edge) - it is time to move on to solving interesting problems and not the same low hanging fruit like crypto blockchain, another overcomplicated JS framework or another replacement for C++.

sMarsIntruder 4y ago

I mean, it’s fine to have other opinions, but seriously? Safari for “heavy”/professional usage? I personally love Arc and their dedication to add features that you would need a chrome extension for any of them.

tontonius 4y ago

Got invited this summer and was a bit skeptic at first (been trying different browsers on and off for the last couple of years). I knew nothing about the browser and had no real expectations. I have to say I was a bit impressed by the onboarding, the UX, and the attention to detail. (Perhaps because I work in UX) Thought I'd try it for a week before eventually switching back to Chrome because of some missing feature or functionality – in reality it has been the opposite. I dread using Chrome again, and whenever I'm forced to, it feels like going back in time, but not even in a nostalgic way. Just a sense of "this is what we used before?" Anyway, I have 5 invites if anyone wants to try it out.

garretraziel 4y ago
I’d like to try it. Signed myself up, but I’m still waiting for the invite to arrive.
ypc149 4y ago
I’d like to try it as well if you still have any invites left. Thanks
_1tan 4y ago
Would love to check it out. Email is in my profile.
tontonius 4y ago
in case anyone of you ever come back to this thread lol https://arc.net/gift/1138fc8b https://arc.net/gift/1138fc8b

Markoff 4y ago

What's the point in writing about software which I can't download and install and Try button leads to some e-mail spam? Satisfied Vivaldi user

KhuYam 4y ago

> For a moment I was mesmerised by its features, how it behaved, and the quirkiness of it. Maybe it was because it was the new and shiny toy I wanted to play with. Regardless, the way in which I want to use a web browser doesn't quite fit with Arc. I had the same thing - at first you enjoy and admire it, but after a while it becomes uncomfortable and I went back to Safari - and it was like putting on my most comfortable shoes

city17 4y ago

Had to get used to it initially, but now I really love Arc. On other browsers I always used to bookmark things and never look at them again, because it's such a hassle to remember where you put something. The 3-tier system of pinned items (frequently used apps like youtube, discord, slack etc), pinned items per space, and then normal tabs works great. I do think Arc will remain a niche browser though, because to get the most out of it you really need to use the command palette and I don't think the average user will bother with that.

nabilahsf 4y ago

I still haven't got my invite :l

ndimares 4y ago

I knew I was a distractible person, but I never realised the degree to which having the URL and tabs at the top of my browser was a drag on my productivity until I began using Arc. Now, I basically always keep Arc in focus mode and it has had a really positive impact on my concentration. There are definitely things about the browser that bother me, but this one benefit has been enough to make it my new default.

chrishannah 4y ago
That's interesting. Not seeing the address bar and tabs were a negative for me.

hiidrew 4y ago

The command palette is a feature I've been enjoying and wishing I could use in chrome on my work laptop. Another is using 'shift-cmd-c' to copy the current URL, small feature but one of my favorites! I don't use easels because I'm afraid of the company folding and me losing all my notes/easels. I wish they had something like Obsidian's set-up where it auto-generates .md files in a folder. I'll always welcome new browsers, even if they are just wrapped versions of Chromium. Another similar concept is https://sail.online/ https://sail.online/, they're doing the superhuman type onboarding but it's interesting, would describe it as a collaborative browser on a spatial canvas.