Ah, maybe I missed that. Good to know đź‘Ť
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Orion Browser Brings WebKit Speed and Privacy Focus to Mac Users
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Think that's because they can talk for themselves and say they have zero telemetry by default, and that's what MacRumors can say about Orion, while it's on competitors to be more transparent about what data they collect or allow others to collect. But yes, it's kinda vague.
Kagi (same domain name) used to be an online payment processor I used ~20 years ago for shareware I sold for the Mac, anyone know if there is any relation to the original company?
What's the business model here to keep it going? FREE isn't sustainable. No Data collection so no revenue there. $5/mo subscription that very few will pay. How long will this product be free?
Sad to say extension support is not all it’s cracked up to be
Of all the extensions I tried some works but others are frustratingly broke and its not like it’s because they’re tied to something specific chrome does because another WebKit based browser, SigmaOS, manages to make them work properly
I reported an issue with one of these extensions two years ago, it was set in review and never looked at again
Now the extension in question works even less (it used to partially work)
Of all the extensions I tried some works but others are frustratingly broke and its not like it’s because they’re tied to something specific chrome does because another WebKit based browser, SigmaOS, manages to make them work properly
I reported an issue with one of these extensions two years ago, it was set in review and never looked at again
Now the extension in question works even less (it used to partially work)
No, they just bought the domain since it was available and they wanted a recognizable brand name. https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2024/12/24/ep-416
Their primary source of revenue is via their Kagi search tool. They're quite open about all of this stuff – if you want to ask more questions, check out their Discord. The founder and team are very active.
An example of their transparency: https://kagi.com/stats
You can get a rough extrapolation of their revenue from that page. I think they've also discussed this in other places, but I can't remember where at the moment.
Here's something that Orion can do that Safari can't:
Toggle javascript off/on with a simple keyboard command (accessible through the "developer" menu).
I set it up to use "command-J".
Reason why this is important:
Some websites are overly intrusive, by either:
- barrages of ads (popups, etc.)
- forcing you to provide an email address before they'll show you content
- demanding paid subscriptions
- other automated popups and garbage "coming at you".
... In many instances, you can substantially defeat such behavior by disabling javascript and reloading the page.
You may not see all (or any) embedded content (videos, audio, etc.),
BUT
You can then READ the articles without all this "interference".
Safari USED to have a "disable javascript" command in its developer menu, but Apple removed it. You now have to open settings, go to "security", and uncheck a checkbox. MUCH more difficult.
The developers of Orion saw the value of leaving it alone.
Toggle javascript off/on with a simple keyboard command (accessible through the "developer" menu).
I set it up to use "command-J".
Reason why this is important:
Some websites are overly intrusive, by either:
- barrages of ads (popups, etc.)
- forcing you to provide an email address before they'll show you content
- demanding paid subscriptions
- other automated popups and garbage "coming at you".
... In many instances, you can substantially defeat such behavior by disabling javascript and reloading the page.
You may not see all (or any) embedded content (videos, audio, etc.),
BUT
You can then READ the articles without all this "interference".
Safari USED to have a "disable javascript" command in its developer menu, but Apple removed it. You now have to open settings, go to "security", and uncheck a checkbox. MUCH more difficult.
The developers of Orion saw the value of leaving it alone.
Browsers are mature products, I mean, I get what you say, but, for experimental exciting new features there other browsers with vertical tabs and what not?
Theres also Safari Technology Preview or whatever it's called if you want quarterly updates, for most people a once a year new features update works just fine IMO.
I enjoy having Orion in my quiver and use it here and there.
I'm still a Firefox person all the way. The FF customization and extensions, and particularly their PiP that works truly everywhere (in a way no other browser PIP does), continue to make it indispensable for me.
The real star here from Kagi continues to be their main product (Kagi search).
I love it so much and have been using it since it was first available.
Paying for Kagi Search, Fastmail (mail/contacts/calendar) and 1Password -- all just phenomenal services.
(oh, and iCloud storage, but only because I've been lazy about picking an alternative.)
I'm still a Firefox person all the way. The FF customization and extensions, and particularly their PiP that works truly everywhere (in a way no other browser PIP does), continue to make it indispensable for me.
The real star here from Kagi continues to be their main product (Kagi search).
I love it so much and have been using it since it was first available.
Paying for Kagi Search, Fastmail (mail/contacts/calendar) and 1Password -- all just phenomenal services.
(oh, and iCloud storage, but only because I've been lazy about picking an alternative.)
Orion is free to use – are you referring to the Kagi search engine?
It's totally optional and adds nothing that's actually needed if you prefer to pass on it.
Regardless, it’s good and very important to have multiple web engines out there. If Google controls that, they’ll abuse it
Orion is fantastic. Support for Firefox extensions means support for UBlock Origin. This thing is also really, really fast - more so than Safari even on M4 Pro.
My favorite part though is the Kagi integration. It's a great search engine for anyone that hates search. If you wanted to use it in Safari, you'd have to install an extension, it intercepts Google searches, it's super hacky because Apple is obtuse about search engines.
I cannot wait for the first Linux betas to come out!
My favorite part though is the Kagi integration. It's a great search engine for anyone that hates search. If you wanted to use it in Safari, you'd have to install an extension, it intercepts Google searches, it's super hacky because Apple is obtuse about search engines.
I cannot wait for the first Linux betas to come out!
It's paid for partly from Kagi Search (the subscription search engine where you're the customer, not the product) in addition to donations from end-users sold as Orion+.
You don't actually get anything out of buying or subscribing to Orion+ outside of access to early betas.
Killer feature for me would be built in darken web page mode (as opposed to relying on an extension).
Does Orion support right clicking any video and saving it to disk?
If a browser can download the data to display a video, it can save the data locally…
If a browser can download the data to display a video, it can save the data locally…
Kagi is truly some of the best money I spent every month. Wonderful that they exist.
In my opinion, users here should be focused on privacy and security over Firefox and Chrome extension use. Focus, gents.
I will not go back to Safari until it supports proper vertical tabs.
Does this browser support vertical tabs?
Long time Kagi user here - can't recommend this company enough - their search engine is amazing. They do a lot of great work - their staff and CEO are very visible in their company Discord - I've even had the CEO respond to some of the stuff I've posted. Crazy cool company.
Yes, Orion supports vertical tabs.