Breach
Dev tools
extensible browser
SHOW HN2014
How HN took it
15 positive, 47 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 21 critical, out of 87 comments about the project. Thread score -0.07.
Idea: 12 for, 3 againstExecution: 1 for, 11 againstDesign: 2 for, 3 againstPerformance: 0 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Modular, JavaScript-scriptable design is a great idea
From 3 comments
This is a great idea. I've wanted to build something like this for a while, but never got around to it. I think people here are missing the point. Firefox and XUL is also a…
psawaya on HNWell, I think this is extremely cool. The concept is great, the minimalist mod_strip is thoughtfully designed, and even as someone who isn't a fan of JavaScript I think it makes…
integraton on HNI love the idea of modules, using web tools to hack our own UX should be the standard in future softwares. Great job !
syldor on HN
Customisation potential for browser UI
From 2 comments
Cool project. The fact the whole UI and app is scripted/built with JS should make modifying your browser trivial. I like.
Mikeb85 on HNThis is very cool - I just figured out how to shrink the top strip to 25px from its original 45px in about 5 minutes. Very refreshing compared to modifying Firefox.
0x420 on HN
Objections
Built on a large C++ codebase, so not purely JavaScript
From 2 comments
Neat project, but the marketing's a little disingenuous. It's not "entirely written in Javascript", it's a Javascript layer on top of Chromium, an enormous codebase written in C++.
portmanteaufu on HNJavascript except for the millions of lines of C++ code that make up the actual browser (chromium embedded using the content api). Cool hack though.
serge2k on HN
Unstable and crashes on several platforms
From 3 comments
Seems to be very unstable on Yosemite Beta 2. I tried loading this thread, and it the HTML view froze immediately. I then tried to load up Reddit, and it just wouldn't load. It's…
dav- on HNLoaded initially, installed mod_strip, crashed, now crashes upon load. OSX 10.9
o_____________o on HNI would like to try this out but it crashes when I try to start it and dumps core. I raised an issue here: https://github.com/breach/breach_core/issues/95
iamtew on HN
No Windows or 32-bit Linux support
From 3 comments
I'm trying to put this as constructively as I can: Proudly dismissing Windows on the second line of your copy makes me not want to take you seriously. There's nothing wrong with…
skrebbel on HNI'm on Ubuntu 32-bit, and I'm only getting linked to the 64-bit download. Is there even a 32-bit version?
krrishd on HNbut not for windows.... fml.
apolymath on HN
JavaScript performance concerns
From 1 comment
The idea is great, but in a world where browser performance is a competition, writing a web browser in Javascript might not be the best. The interest here is learning, and it…
Artemis2 on HN
Requests
Windows support
From 2 comments
Neat, wish I could test on Windows. I'd love to see the performance.
OutThisLife on HNbut not for windows.... fml.
apolymath on HN
HiDPI support
From 1 comment
No HiDPI support :( Damn it.
owaislone on HN
URL error feedback and spell check
From 2 comments
One thing that hit me was typing a URL wrong provided no feedback to me that my input might be wrong (no dns records found, or server not on https, but happens to be on http)
cordite on HNAbsolutely love this! Great job, but I'm kind of annoyed that writing breach modules to improve my web experience threatens to derail my side projects. PS- Spell check doesn't…
politician on HN
Questions
How is it different from node-webkit, Conkeror, or Firefox XUL?
From 3 comments
Exciting! Can you detail how it’s significantly different from node-webkit?
epayne on HNAs a newfound convert to the Conkeror browser, which basically allows you to configure everything through JS and use MozREPL to talk to your browser instance purely through JS,…
616c on HNWhat about this doesn't also apply to Firefox? It too is open source and modular, and also written in Javascript (though combined with XUL rather than HTML, and using Gecko…
shawnz on HN
Is JavaScript support enough to self-host?
From 1 comment
The only question on everyone's mind: how's its JavaScript support? :) Enough to self-host?
logicallee on HN
Alternatives named
node-webkit
From 1 comment
Exciting! Can you detail how it’s significantly different from node-webkit?
epayne on HN
Firefox (XUL)
From 1 comment
What about this doesn't also apply to Firefox? It too is open source and modular, and also written in Javascript (though combined with XUL rather than HTML, and using Gecko…
shawnz on HN
Conkeror
From 1 comment
As a newfound convert to the Conkeror browser, which basically allows you to configure everything through JS and use MozREPL to talk to your browser instance purely through JS,…
616c on HN
uzbl and luakit
From 1 comment
This is a neat hack on current technologies. Reminds me of uzbl [0] in the separation of modules, each one being good at only one thing and doing it well. What eventually killed…
rakoo on HN