IBrowse 2.5.6 + AmiSSL v5 Released

[cugar124]

Originally Posted by desiv

Finally loaded the demo version of the latest iBrowse on my A1200 with an 030/28mhz and 64M RAM.

Yes, it is much better at rendering than AWEB and it works with SSL (something I have not yet gotten the latest 68k AWeb APL Lite version to do without crashing).

And, it is really really really kual to see the rotating boing ball on the top of the EAB page on my Amiga. I was expecting that to be static...

However, I think mostly because of the javascript, the EAB main page to AGES to load. Minutes. (Not five, but more than one...)

That's just not worth $59.99 to me...
Yeah, if/when I get a PiStorm or if I want to run it in WinUAE (why would I do that if I can just run a Windows browser on the same machine) or something like that, it might be nice... But I still don't see it as $60 nice to me...
Not saying it isn't worth it. It is impressive...
Just, I think, a much smaller market out there for people who will really pay that much for it...
Would I pay $25 (maybe $30?) for the novelty of it on my current machines, slowness and all... Possibly... Maybe probably. I can be impulsive and that spinning boing ball is neat.. ;-)
Part of me thinks that if they dropped the price to that, they might have a LOT more registered users...
But I am NOT a software business person, so take that with a lake of salt... ;-)

Either way, it is pretty nice and it did just work for me...

I get where your coming from and in the world of PC where everything is free its understandable. With the Amiga its not just paying for the software its keeping the platform alive with such a small user base its hard for anyone to fund this type of project with out these sorts of prices. But that being said as with everthing Amiga its your choice buddy.

[desiv]

Originally Posted by cugar124

I get where your coming from and in the world of PC where everything is free its understandable. With the Amiga its not just paying for the software its keeping the platform alive with such a small user base its hard for anyone to fund this type of project with out these sorts of prices. But that being said as with everything Amiga its your choice buddy.

I get that, and I buy a fair amount of Amiga software (OS 3.2 and a fair amount of games). I paid for WHDLoad not too long before it went free. You're welcome. ;-)
It's not the paying for it that is an issue. It's just the price point for something I wouldn't be using all that often. Of course, I buy software I don't use all that often frequently, because I am impulsive and have very little self control. That's how I got a lot of my newer Amiga games...

And I do wonder if a lower price might sell to a broader audience, actually generating more money in the long run...
For instance, it 2.4 was available for like $25, I would have done that.
And then I would have probably done like $15 for 2.5. And now I am a customer and hooked. ;-)

I wonder how many other Amigans might be similar.

It might be interesting to find out about the game sellers.
I am much more likely to buy the $10-$20 Amiga games.
I wonder, total money brought in, how those compare to the $40 games?
Of course, the flaw in that is that the less expensive Amiga games are usually less involved/polished...

Either way, for those who can use it, impressive software...

[Futaura]

Originally Posted by desiv

Finally loaded the demo version of the latest iBrowse on my A1200 with an 030/28mhz and 64M RAM.
[...]
However, I think mostly because of the javascript, the EAB main page to AGES to load. Minutes. (Not five, but more than one...)

Try disabling JavaScript? Are you loading EAB via the https: or http: URL? HTTPS is I'm afraid not going to be fast on an 030

[desiv]

Originally Posted by Futaura

Try disabling JavaScript? Are you loading EAB via the https: or http: URL? HTTPS is I'm afraid not going to be fast on an 030

Yeah, that was with Javascript on and HTTPS (I didn't even realize EAB had plain HTTP available. ;-) .
Trying it now with no HTTPS and Javascript ON.
Still pretty slow. ;-)
I'll try it with Javascript off to see if it renders well. So many sites seem to depend on Javascript, CSS, and/or HTML5 to render wall nowadays. (That isn't a problem. Just a statement. Makes sense for them to do that...)

Yeah, it's much faster with Javascript disabled and renders pretty well still...

The AmiSSL on my 030 is really just a test, as I know that will never work well/speedy.
I do also have WebOne proxy set up on my Windows machine, so I can use that for HTTPS sites when needed...
Of course, if/when I get a PiStorm32, that might change... ;-)

Thanx!

[Futaura]

Originally Posted by desiv

I get that, and I buy a fair amount of Amiga software (OS 3.2 and a fair amount of games). I paid for WHDLoad not too long before it went free. You're welcome. ;-)
It's not the paying for it that is an issue. It's just the price point for something I wouldn't be using all that often. Of course, I buy software I don't use all that often frequently, because I am impulsive and have very little self control. That's how I got a lot of my newer Amiga games...

And I do wonder if a lower price might sell to a broader audience, actually generating more money in the long run...
For instance, it 2.4 was available for like $25, I would have done that.
And then I would have probably done like $15 for 2.5. And now I am a customer and hooked. ;-)

When 2.5 was released, it was intended for existing IBrowse users, hence the targetted upgrade prices. To be honest, the retro market never really crossed my mind at that point.

Would you and others really be happy paying $25 for just a 2.4 key? HTTPS/SSL is not going to work in 2.4. If this is what the retro market wants, then I might just consider it. There are some changes coming up for IBrowse soon, as this option may fit well. However, I'm sorry to say that the upgrade price would remain the same as it is now, to protect those who have already paid for IBrowse.

[nikosidis]

Originally Posted by Futaura

When 2.5 was released, it was intended for existing IBrowse users, hence the targetted upgrade prices. To be honest, the retro market never really crossed my mind at that point.

Would you and others really be happy paying $25 for just a 2.4 key? HTTPS/SSL is not going to work in 2.4. If this is what the retro market wants, then I might just consider it. There are some changes coming up for IBrowse soon, as this option may fit well. However, I'm sorry to say that the upgrade price would remain the same as it is now, to protect those who have already paid for IBrowse.

I think it is to easy to use IBrowse without paying anything.
I would suggest that with the new version coming up that you limit use to something like 5 mins. per session, not possible to download etc.
Would it be possible with a more easy way to install truetype fonts?

[desiv]

Originally Posted by Futaura

Would you and others really be happy paying $25 for just a 2.4 key?

I get that and I don't disagree...
And you're right, I don't think people would be happy paying $25 for a key nowadays, when almost all sites want SSL.
I was just saying that IF it was $25 several years ago for a 2.4 key, then I probably would have bought it and would have been more invested in keeping current. That's all..

And I get it that you are targeting a different market. That's fine.
And I don't even know if there are a lot of more people like me who would be interested in that. I'm one of those people who would rather register shareware, and that already puts me in a minority. ;-)

And who knows, if/when I get a PiStorm32, I might then be joining your market at the current price and being happy about it...

So you can just ignore me. ;-)

Thanx

[BSzili]

Originally Posted by nikosidis

I think it is to easy to use IBrowse without paying anything.
I would suggest that with the new version coming up that you limit use to something like 5 mins. per session, not possible to download etc.
Would it be possible with a more easy way to install truetype fonts?

Most of the people who are willing to pay €55 for an Amiga browser in the current year already did. Crippling the shareware version would simply make others to stay with the last one before these limitations were added. I understand you have good intentions, but this is not the way to go about it.

[Phantasm]

Maybe offering different levels of price and functionality in future versions is a way to cater for different markets without leaving people stuck on an older version

[Futaura]

Originally Posted by nikosidis

I think it is to easy to use IBrowse without paying anything.
I would suggest that with the new version coming up that you limit use to something like 5 mins. per session, not possible to download etc.
Would it be possible with a more easy way to install truetype fonts?

Even I would say a 5 minute timeout may be a little excessive . I think the point of the demo mode is to show off the features available without crippling it too much. If it is crippled too much, people would more likely give up on it without even reaching the 30 minute timeout. If somebody is using IBrowse enough to find the 30 minute limit annoying, then that is incentive enough for many to register. Maybe the limit could be reduced, but 15/20 minutes, not 5.

It maybe also needs to be made clearer the features that are already not available in the demo version. A single browser window with a maximum of two tabs is fairly limiting, likewise only two connections, no ftp, gemini, gopher, etc, only 4 search bar entries. Those are mentioned on about:, although there may be others.

Regarding fonts, if you can install these on the OS, IBrowse can make use of them (including anti-aliasing on supported systems) via the font style/mapping settings. In the future, maybe I will expand this option to allow for direct automated mapping to already installed fonts.

[nikosidis]

Originally Posted by Futaura

Regarding fonts, if you can install these on the OS, IBrowse can make use of them (including anti-aliasing on supported systems) via the font style/mapping settings. In the future, maybe I will expand this option to allow for direct automated mapping to already installed fonts.

That would be sweet

[Bruce Abbott]

Originally Posted by Futaura

When 2.5 was released, it was intended for existing IBrowse users, hence the targetted upgrade prices. To be honest, the retro market never really crossed my mind at that point.

I was an existing IBrowse user, and I still have the original disks, manual and box that I purchased new. But this is IBrowse 1.1. Being 12,000 miles away in New Zealand I couldn't see the point of sending in the 'Hardware Warranty Registration' card, and I didn't upgrade to later versions because I switched to using a PC for browsing the net.

I don't expect to get a discounted upgrade price, but until recently money was tight so I have been 'evaluating' the demo version. The only things holding me back now are procrastination and nervousness over whether the license key will work.

There are some changes coming up for IBrowse soon

That's good news. Any hints as to what might be in it?

If it is crippled too much, people would more likely give up on it without even reaching the 30 minute timeout. If somebody is using IBrowse enough to find the 30 minute limit annoying, then that is incentive enough for many to register. Maybe the limit could be reduced, but 15/20 minutes, not 5.

30 minutes is perfect. Long enough to thoroughly evaluate it and just short enough to be annoying. There are the other restrictions to consider too, such as only having 2 windows and 2 parallel connections, no ftp etc.

One interesting thing I noticed is that on my machine (A1200 with 50MHz 030, CNET PCMCIA Ethernet card, Roadshow) the IBrowse program archive downloads much faster than stuff from other sites like aminet. Is this because you have a super-fast server, or did you cripple the download speed on other sites?

[Futaura]

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

I was an existing IBrowse user, and I still have the original disks, manual and box that I purchased new. But this is IBrowse 1.1. Being 12,000 miles away in New Zealand I couldn't see the point of sending in the 'Hardware Warranty Registration' card, and I didn't upgrade to later versions because I switched to using a PC for browsing the net.

I don't expect to get a discounted upgrade price, but until recently money was tight so I have been 'evaluating' the demo version. The only things holding me back now are procrastination and nervousness over whether the license key will work.

You probably will have seen all over forums if there were cases where the key doesn't work - I'm 100% confident you won't find any such cases . The only time it doesn't work is when the end user's mailer renames the attachments, adding a .dat extension (renaming it resolves the issue).

You are very welcome to use the upgrade discount if you have a valid IBrowse 1.x license. You'll need to install it first, if you haven't already, using your serial number (which is usually on the label on the back of one of the disks).

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

That's good news. Any hints as to what might be in it?

I can't really say right now, other than development is continuing and no registered users will lose out.

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

One interesting thing I noticed is that on my machine (A1200 with 50MHz 030, CNET PCMCIA Ethernet card, Roadshow) the IBrowse program archive downloads much faster than stuff from other sites like aminet. Is this because you have a super-fast server, or did you cripple the download speed on other sites?

IBrowse certainly doesn't cripple speeds on other sites and I don't think our actual web server is that fast either. We are using Cloudflare though, so the program archives are usually cached on their servers around the world. Therefore, it is probably faster as it is downloading from a super-fast Cloudflare proxy/cache located in NZ, rather than our actual server in the UK or Aminet's in the US (IIRC, they are using Dreamhost for hosting - the first company that I used for my own hosting many years ago).

[StevenJGore]

Did the price of a full 2.5 license drop slightly recently? Anyway, I decided to take the plunge.

I've just started running IBrowse with anti-aliased fonts and it looks 10x better. But I agree with others that Amiga-related sites should work better, they're not exactly pushing the boundaries of modern web standards.

Looking forward to the upcoming changes!

[kamelito]

Amiga sites should work on Amiga browser. I wonder how far Ibrowse can be pushed

[wiz12]

IBrowse 3.0 released today

• <security> Now requires AmiSSL 5.12 for secure connections
• <html> Don't add unnecessary whitespace between images or form elements
• <install> Fixed missing IBrowse drawer icon when migrating old version
• <install> Added the MorphOS native NList classes

https://www.ibrowse-dev.net/download.php

[StevenJGore]

I think that's the IBrowse 2.5.9 changelog? The full 3.0 change list is here: https://www.ibrowse-dev.net/whatsnew/.

Also, looks like a new 3.0 keyfile is required. I only just registered 2.5.8, but it's "only" £7.99 I suppose.

EDIT: I take that back. If you have a 2.5 keyfile for 68k and PPC, then it uses the existing 2.5 keyfile at no extra cost.

Error: IBrowse 3 will use your existing IBrowse25Key file, which the IBrowse 3 installer will copy if you migrated your 2.5 installation.

Can't wait to check it out!

[arcanist]

Really happy to see iBrowse still actively developed.

The 2.5 key I bought two years ago ("IBrowse 2.5 [68K/PPC] New License") works with 3.0.

[StevenJGore]

Originally Posted by arcanist

The 2.5 key I bought two years ago ("IBrowse 2.5 [68K/PPC] New License") works with 3.0.

Yep, I just realised that and updated my post above before I'd seen yours.

[vulture]

That's fantastic news!