Zen Browser: a New Firefox-based Alternative to Chromium Browsers

First released on July 11th, the Firefox-based Zen browser is 'taking a different approach to the user interface,' according to the blog It's FOSS.

The Register says the project 'reminds us strongly of Arc, a radical Chromium-based web browser... to modernize the standard web browser UI by revising some fundamental assumptions.'
[Arc] removes the URL bar from front and center, gets rid of the simple flat list of tabs, and so on. Zen is trying to do some similar things, but in a slightly more moderate way — and it's doing it on the basis of Mozilla's Firefox codebase... Instead of the tired old horizontal tab bar you'll see in both Firefox and Chrome, Zen implements its own tab bar... By default, this tab bar is narrow and just shows page icons — but there are some extra controls at the bottom of the sidebar, one of which expands the sidebar to show page titles too. For us, it worked better than Vivaldi's fancier sidebar.

The article concludes it's 'a new effort to modernize web browsing by bringing tiling, workspaces, and so on — and it's blissfully free of Google code.' One Reddit comment swooned over Zen's 'extraordinary' implementation of a distraction-free 'Compact Mode' (hiding things like the sidebar and top bar). And It's Foss described it as a 'tranquil,' browser, 'written using CSS, C++, JavaScript, and a few other programming languages, with a community of over 30 people contributing to it.'

The layout of the interface felt quite clean to me; there were handy buttons on the top to control the webpage, manage extensions, and a menu with additional options... The split-view functionality allows you to open up two different tabs on the same screen, allowing for easy multitasking when working across different webpages... I split two tabs, but in my testing, I could split over 10+ tabs... If you have a larger monitor, then you are in for a treat...

The Zen Sidebar feature... can run web apps alongside any open tabs. This can be helpful in situations where you need to quickly access a service like a note-taking app, Wikipedia, Telegram, and others.

On the customization side of things, you will find that Zen Browser supports everything that Firefox does, be it the settings, adding new extensions/themes/plugins, etc.

The Register points out it's easy to give it a try. 'Being based on Firefox means that as well as running existing extensions, it can connect to Mozilla's Sync service and pick up not just your bookmarks, but also your tabs from other instances.'

And beyond all that, 'There's just something satisfying about switching browsers every now and again...' argues the tech site Pocket-Lint:

Zen Browser's vertical tabs layout is superb and feels much better than anything available in standard Firefox. [Firefox recently offered vertical tabs and a new sidebar experience in Nightly/Firefox Labs 131.] The tab bar can be set to automatically hide and show up whenever you hover near it, and it also contains quick access buttons to bookmarks, settings, and browsing history. The tab bar also contains a profile switcher...
One of the greatest parts of the Zen Browser is the community that has popped up around it. At its heart, Zen Browser is a community-driven project... Zen Browser themes are aesthetic and functional tweaks to the UI. While there aren't a ton available right now, the ones that are show a lot of promise for the browser's future... I've personally gotten great use out of the Super URL Bar theme, which makes your URL bar expand and become the focus of your screen while typing in it... There's a lot you can do to make Zen Browser feel nearly exactly like what you want it to feel like.

The 'Business Standard calls it 'an open-source alternative to Chromium-based browsers,' adding 'Where Zen truly shines is it offers a range of customisation, tab management, and workspace management...'

Their theme store offers a range of options, including modifications to the bookmark toolbar, a floating URL bar, private mode theming, and removal of browser padding. In addition to these, users can also choose from custom colour schemes and built-in theming options... The Sidebar is another neat feature which allows you to open tabs in a smaller, smartphone-sized window. You can view websites in mobile layout by using this panel.

It's 'focused on being always at the latest version of Firefox,' according to its official site, noting that Firefox is known for its security features. But then, 'We also have additional security features like https only built into Zen Browser to help keep you safe online.' And it also promises automated Releases 'to ensure security.'

It's FOSS adds that you can get Zen Browser for Linux, Windows, and macOS from its official website (adding 'They also offer it on the Flathub store for further accessibility on Linux.')
And its source code is available on GitHub.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.