[nickm]

Friend: Hey, what browser is that?
Me: OmniWeb. Check out the cool features!
Friend: Oh yeah... Firefox, Camino, and Mozilla do that, too.

I don't think you are being fair here. Omniweb has a number of unique features, and many features that are only available through extensions on other browsers. See this post for more info on this.

The completely unique OmniWeb features are:
* share bookmarks via rendezvous
* navigate using speech control
* site-specific preferences
* search on seen page content in history and bookmarks
* separate text edit windows

Things that only we do out-of-the-box but other browsers can do with additions:
* javascript console
* RSS feeds
* custom search engines in the search box (i.e. user setupable shortcuts)
* saved sessions (i.e. workspaces)

Now, I don't use all of those features, but I use a lot of them, especially: site preferences, history searching, seperate text edit windows, and workspaces

[nickm]

I suppose the other point to make about Omniweb's features is that they are more than just checks in a table, but are clearly designed to work well together. I feel like I am using an integrated product with Omniweb and don't worry that updates will break features I've come to rely on, something that can't be promised with the Safari+additions path.

[cpac]

d'oh - there's no need for this thread to get bogged down in what ultimately amounts to personal preference. (which is what I've been saying in all the "which browser?" threads for a while).

OW's definitely the way to go for me, but it isn't (and never could be) perfect for everyone. For me, the saved state, graphic tabs, shortcuts, ad blocking, and per-site preferences alone are worth the licensing fee.

And just to address your point about having to upgrade: There was no additional fee between OW 4.0 (2000?) and 4.5 (2003) - in that time there were HUGE changes to rendering engine (including a complete swap-out between 4.2 and 4.5) and countless other improvements. A license bought when 4.0 was released kept you nicely equipped for many years (which, when you consider that Safari, and it's upgrades have cost you some percentage of $130 on a much more frequent, yearly(!), basis is one hell of a deal). OW 5.1 isn't going to be a paid upgrade either....

[Macanoid]

For those with access to the UK edition of MacUser, have a look at page 29. A glaring review of OW%. And rightly so :-D

[JKT]

Originally posted by Macanoid:
For those with access to the UK edition of MacUser, have a look at page 29. A glaring review of OW%. And rightly so :-D

I think you mean "glowing" review, right?

You can find it online at Macuser in the Reviews>Latest section.

[Macanoid]

No, I do mean 'glaring' which as far as I know is synonymous to glowing, but I could be wrong.

[cpac]

Originally posted by Macanoid:
No, I do mean 'glaring' which as far as I know is synonymous to glowing, but I could be wrong.

to glow is to emit light - and in the review context a "glowing review" is a good one.

to glare is to stare at and has a negative connotation suggesting that the "glarer" is somehow irked by the "glaree." I've never before heard the term used to describe a review, but it suggests to me a close, critical examination - something certainly not synonymous with a "glowing review."

[Macanoid]

Thank, will keep that in mind. English is not my native language so I'm learning something here. Although I did find a number of reviews using the word 'glaring' in a positive way.

Back to OW5 :-D

[JKT]

Originally posted by Macanoid:
Thank, will keep that in mind. English is not my native language so I'm learning something here. Although I did find a number of reviews using the word 'glaring' in a positive way.

Back to OW5 :-D

No criticism of yourself is intended by this, but fwiw, the typical use of "glaring" in this context would be someone had made a "glaring error" (that is, glaring is being used to describe something that is striking, highly visible and obvious). Also, something that shines brightly in your eyes in such a way it is painful to look at is glaring... and so endeth today's lesson in the idiosyncrasies of the English language.

Bringing it back to the subject, the review, is it true that pop-up windows are inactivated by default in OW5, and is the other complaint the reviewer had about the defaults also true? I suspect that they aren't and that what has happened is that the reviewer had previously used OW4.x and didn't realise that OW5 adopts the prefs of prior versions.

[Rickster]

Yes, popup blocking is off by default, as it is in Safari. As for the font default, I'm not sure what they're talking about... we do use a different default font than Safari (Lucida Grande instead of Times), but the default point size is the same.

[Tim2 at Omni]

Originally posted by Rickster:
Yes, popup blocking is off by default, as it is in Safari. As for the font default, I'm not sure what they're talking about... we do use a different default font than Safari (Lucida Grande instead of Times), but the default point size is the same.

I guess you haven't checked on those defaults in a while, Rick!

Popup blocking is set to "Automatic" mode by default. One can make arguments either way as to whether this is a good thing.

Our default font is Lucida Grande 14, and Safari's is Times 16. I personally prefer Safari's default font over ours, and I wanted to change it, but I was shot down by some of the powers-that-be and powers-that-were at Omni.

[argod]

What is Omni's position on 4.6. Is there going to be an update?

[Rickster]

Heheh. Oops.

[Nacente]

I'm using Shiira!!! Go, go!

[TimmyDee51]

Originally posted by Tim2 at Omni:
Our default font is Lucida Grande 14, and Safari's is Times 16. I personally prefer Safari's default font over ours, and I wanted to change it, but I was shot down by some of the powers-that-be and powers-that-were at Omni.

No! No! Keep Lucida Grande!!! I know it's a little thing, but whenever I move over to Safari (and that's only when I have to) I miss the clean lines of Lucida Grande in OmniWeb.

Let's keep OmniWeb unique! Down with Times!

P.S. I know it's personal preference, but that won't keep me from voicing my opinion.

[Mike S.]

Originally posted by TimmyDee51:
whenever I move over to Safari (and that's only when I have to) I miss the clean lines of Lucida Grande in OmniWeb.

Why not just change Safari's preferences to use Lucida Grande as well?

All of my browsers have a uniform font configuration.

[TimmyDee51]

Yeah, I know, but I usually use Safari if I'm on a computer that doesn't have OmniWeb (that's when I miss it).

[yskar]

Originally posted by TimmyDee51:
No! No! Keep Lucida Grande!!! I know it's a little thing, but whenever I move over to Safari (and that's only when I have to) I miss the clean lines of Lucida Grande in OmniWeb.

Let's keep OmniWeb unique! Down with Times!

I feel exactly the same way! Lucida Grande looks more beautiful in OW than Safari especially in boldface, whereas Times not so.

[ratlater]

Originally posted by yskar:

I feel exactly the same way! Lucida Grande looks more beautiful in OW than Safari especially in boldface, whereas Times not so.

Yeah, another vote for Lucida. Down with change!

-matt

[Krypton]

What's the latest news on the Omni forum? Tech support told me it was almost ready, but things are still quiet - I have lots of feature refinements I'm after that tech support keep insisting I don't need

[tjr124]

I like OmniWeb quite a lot. I wasn't sure about the tabs at first, but after using them for a while, I find other implementations to be somewhat frustrating and limited.

I do, however, think that there is quite a bit of room for improvement in the way OmniWeb displays RSS feeds. I would love to see an implementation that combines the best of the NewsFire Application with the Sage extension available to Firefox. I don't think it would be necessary to change the current usage for those that are satisfied with the setup just the way it is, just ad to it.

This type of RSS display reworking, along with the updates already scheduled for 5.1, would make just about the perfect browser for me.

[pliny]

Yeah, I'm a convert to OW tabs too, when I use other tabbed browsers I miss being able to drag a link into the tab drawer.

I also vote for Lucida Grande as default!

[Rickster]

5.1 isn't a features update. (For one thing, we're trying to keep UI changes minimal on that line of development, so that our third-party & volunteer localizers can translate it to other languages.) It's all about component updates -- newest WebCore & the Java plugin -- which lead to performance and compatibility improvements. You may see some very minor feature additions in 5.1.x releases (which are planned mostly to add localizations & fix bugs), and a few features added in 5.2 and beyond, but those won't be for awhile yet.

About the only thing holding up the 5.1 release at this point is getting a date scheduled and coordinated with the various people involved... very soon.

[yskar]

Originally posted by Rickster:
About the only thing holding up the 5.1 release at this point is getting a date scheduled and coordinated with the various people involved... very soon.

Wow.

[BZ]

Just figured out how OmniWeb 5.0 can help pay for itself...

NetFlix RSS: http://www.netflix.com/RSSFeeds?lnkctr=sbRssF

So, if you were considering buying NetFlixFreak ($15, which I own and love) you can now do at least some of the features of it with your beloved browser.

Subscribe to:
- Your queue
- Most recent activity
- Recommendations
- New Releases
- All sorts of categories

Pretty darn cool.

BZ

[pliny]

hmmm, latest webcore, pretty.

[Le Flaneur]

Originally posted by Rickster:
About the only thing holding up the 5.1 release at this point is getting a date scheduled and coordinated with the various people involved... very soon.

ASAP would be good. OW seemed wonderful when it was released, but its numerous bugs are getting extremely tiresome at this point.

[TimmyDee51]

What bugs? I haven't had a problem with it yet. Maybe 1 out of 80 sites don't render properly, and those are usually PC game-freak sites that are designed for IE to begin with. I can even use my bank's site with OW (just change the browser string for that site). I'd say OW is pretty bug-free and stable at this point.

Now extra speed is something different, and something we can all look forward to. . .

[CatOne]

Originally posted by TimmyDee51:
What bugs? I haven't had a problem with it yet. Maybe 1 out of 80 sites don't render properly, and those are usually PC game-freak sites that are designed for IE to begin with. I can even use my bank's site with OW (just change the browser string for that site). I'd say OW is pretty bug-free and stable at this point.

Now extra speed is something different, and something we can all look forward to. . .

My toolbar area gets junked up a lot. Up there to the left of the address bar, over where I have the "stop" and "bookmark" icons, I get portions of web pages drawn. Hiding and restoring the browser doesn't work (get it to redraw) -- I have to minimize it to the dock and restore it. Some sort of strange repaint issue.

[cpac]

Originally posted by TimmyDee51:
What bugs?

All the rendering an javascript bugs that were squashed by the updates to Webcore and Javascriptcore (there are/were lots), which we will soon enjoy the benefits of after 5.1 is released...

[Cadaver]

I'll be thrilled when 5.1 is released with the up-to-date WebCore.
The current (old) version's issues with animated GIFs and slowness is about the only thing holding me back from replacing Safari.

[MrBS]

Animated gifs are the bread and butter of any quality site.

~BS

[Cadaver]

Originally posted by MrBS:
Animated gifs are the bread and butter of any quality site.

~BS

Sure is. How am I supposed to get the full experience with only one head hitting a brick wall?

[juanvaldes]

Originally posted by Cadaver:
Sure is. How am I supposed to get the full experience with only one head hitting a brick wall?

it's not a bug it's a feature!

[aged]

Originally posted by MrBS:
Animated gifs are the bread and butter of any quality site.

~BS

so why do I have them set to not play and like the web better for it?

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by BZ:
Just figured out how OmniWeb 5.0 can help pay for itself...

NetFlix RSS: http://www.netflix.com/RSSFeeds?lnkctr=sbRssF

So, if you were considering buying NetFlixFreak ($15, which I own and love) you can now do at least some of the features of it with your beloved browser.

Subscribe to:
- Your queue
- Most recent activity
- Recommendations
- New Releases
- All sorts of categories

Pretty darn cool.

BZ

Agreed. Netflix feeds are pretty damn cool.

[osxisfun]

hi.
I got into this thread late.

Right or wrong

Basically, OW 5.1 will use the latest webcore and bring it up to date with the version currently being used by safari 1.2.2.


I looked but can not tell if OW will let me use a custom style sheet like i can in safari.?


thks.

[aged]

I believe it was mentioned that 5.1 would also use Apple's java plugin and not Omni's. I trust the OW folks were prepared for the just released java update and that they now have all the pieces in place to release 5.1.

[yskar]

Originally posted by osxisfun:
I looked but can not tell if OW will let me use a custom style sheet like i can in safari.?

Launch Terminal.app,

defaults write com.omnigroup.OmniWeb5 OWUserStyleSheetLocation (your CSS location)

You can drag & drop the CSS on to the Terminal window.

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by yskar:
Launch Terminal.app,

defaults write com.omnigroup.OmniWeb5 OWUserStyleSheetLocation (your CSS location)

You can drag & drop the CSS on to the Terminal window.

thanks!

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by aged:
I believe it was mentioned that 5.1 would also use Apple's java plugin and not Omni's. I trust the OW folks were prepared for the just released java update and that they now have all the pieces in place to release 5.1.

thanks. sounds like a quick jump to 5.1. good stuff.

[absmiths]

Is anybody else NOT able to download this thing? I can't get it from their site or version tracker.

[cpac]

Originally posted by absmiths:
Is anybody else NOT able to download this thing? I can't get it from their site or version tracker.

which? 5.0 or 5.1? 5.1 hasn't been released yet - but maybe they're in the process of updating the server with it, so that 5.0 links dont work either?

[drainyoo]

Originally posted by absmiths:
Is anybody else NOT able to download this thing? I can't get it from their site or version tracker.

I cant download it either. Ive been trying for 2 days now.

[yskar]

Originally posted by drainyoo:
I cant download it either. Ive been trying for 2 days now.

As you pointed out, you can't download OmniWeb 5.0.1 from omnigroup.com. There seems to be some problems with the server. You can download OmniWeb 5.0.1 from http://public.www.planetmirror.com/ instead.

BTW, it's polite not to post a new thread when you may be able to solve your problem within this thread.

[drainyoo]

Originally posted by yskar:
As you pointed out, you can't download OmniWeb 5.0.1 from omnigroup.com. There seems to be some problems with the server. You can download OmniWeb 5.0.1 from http://public.www.planetmirror.com/ instead.

BTW, it's polite not to post a new thread when you may be able to solve your problem within this thread.

Thanks. I posted the thread before I found this post.

[drainyoo]

I just downloaded OW 5.0.1 and all I can say is WOW! This browser is just amazing. Definitely faster than Safari and I think I can get use to this style of tabs. I do have a few questions.

Why am I getting Warning and Check icons next to my bookmarks? I imagine its cause of the updating feature but how do I take them off?

Is there a way to make OW remember certain window preferences like position, size and keeping the tab drawer out? I tried making a workspace but it just defaults to the small window with the drawer closed.

Is the internal AD Blocker powerful or it has its limits? Im used to pithhelmut and that thing blocks everything but the one in OW misses a lot of stuff.

Im trying to get RSS feeds to work but for some reason it doesnt seem to be working. Im I just moron?

This browser is really great and Im going to play with it for a while. For now it has replaced Safari.

[cpac]

Originally posted by drainyoo:
Why am I getting Warning and Check icons next to my bookmarks? I imagine its cause of the updating feature but how do I take them off?

You're right - the green checks mean that the bookmark has been updated. You can get rid of the mark using the menu item to "mark as viewed" and you can keep them from coming back by choosing to not check bookmarks for updates. The warning means (i think) that OW was unable to reach the site to check whether it has been updated.

Is there a way to make OW remember certain window preferences like position, size and keeping the tab drawer out?

Window->Save Window Size will do what you want. The tab drawer may still disappear on occasion, but as soon as you command-click a link (to open in a new tab) it'll open. There's also the toolbar button and (I think -i'm at work so I can't check) a key combination that will do this.

Is the internal AD Blocker powerful or it has its limits? Im used to pithhelmut and that thing blocks everything but the one in OW misses a lot of stuff.

It's quite powerful. When you see something it misses (if it's not a flash ad), control-click on the image, and choose to block image. The URL of the image will get added to the black list and you can edit the URL with wildcard characters to block all the ads on a site. Look through this thread for several example patterns to use...

Im trying to get RSS feeds to work but for some reason it doesnt seem to be working. Im I just moron?

It depends what you're trying to do - please tell us what you're doing and what's happening, and what's not happening that you expect to happen.

[drainyoo]

CPAC, thanks for all the great info. I really appreciate it.

I figured out what I was doing wrong with the RSS, the site I was on doesnt have a feed! I told you I was a moron! I wonder if there is a list of sites that have feeds.

Ill read through this thread about the AD blocking. Thanks man!

[drainyoo]

For those baseball fans out there, I figured out how to make a shortcut field in the drop box that searches for players on ESPN.

create a shortcut and use the URL:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players?search=%@

Set the Method to Get.

Type in the players last name in the search area in OW and hit enter. You get the players page on ESPN. Works like a charm!