Hello, I'm just wondering if anybody knows of a "Minimalist" web browser or plugin that would let you browse the web with all the fluff of CSS images and other unnecessary bandwidth hogging elements removed.
My brother lives in the middle east and his internet is restricted to 500MB a month, and he's finding that very easy to use up quickly. So I'm looking for a "Helvitibrowser" if you will.
Full Version: Minimal Web Browser
Oh, he also said he'd really like it if he were able to browse without images (which he's able to do in Safari) but selectively load images as he wants to see them. So he'd see that they're there, and he can selectively load them as needed.
Lynx? 
The image part is tricky. I was going to suggest Opera since it's easy to turn whatever you want off in that browser. But I realized it does not show placeholders for images. Maybe that's configurable though. I don't know.
Can't resist to mention my favorite, OffByOne (yes, I actually like it). I checked and it does show placeholders. It really doesn't understand either CSS or JS, so you can't turn them on, should you want to. If you get hold of an older version it doesn't understand frames either.
http://offbyone.com/
Do you stem from Iceland?
The image part is tricky. I was going to suggest Opera since it's easy to turn whatever you want off in that browser. But I realized it does not show placeholders for images. Maybe that's configurable though. I don't know.
Can't resist to mention my favorite, OffByOne (yes, I actually like it). I checked and it does show placeholders. It really doesn't understand either CSS or JS, so you can't turn them on, should you want to. If you get hold of an older version it doesn't understand frames either.
http://offbyone.com/
QUOTE
"Helvitibrowser"
Do you stem from Iceland?
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 6 2009, 08:14 PM) 
I was going to suggest Opera since it's easy to turn whatever you want off in that browser. But I realized it does not show placeholders for images.
It does, at least in Opera9 and if the IMG has dimensions specified. Without dimensions it collapses to inline ALT text.
Firefox doesn't show placeholders though, unless you use CSS extensions to force it.
QUOTE
It does, at least in Opera9 and if the IMG has dimensions specified. Without dimensions it collapses to inline ALT text.
Half the images on the web have neither dimensions nor alt text...
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 7 2009, 06:55 AM)
QUOTE
It does, at least in Opera9 and if the IMG has dimensions specified. Without dimensions it collapses to inline ALT text.
Half the images on the web have neither dimensions not alt text...
Maybe one could put the following in a user style sheet:
CODE
img[alt=""] {
border: solid pink;
content: "[image placeholder]";
}
border: solid pink;
content: "[image placeholder]";
}
If you wish you might also add some min-width and min-height.
It wouldn't match if there is no alt attribute.
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 6 2009, 02:14 PM)
QUOTE
"Helvitibrowser"
Do you stem from Iceland?
Heh, no, but you know the whole Helvetica craze going on. Helvetimail Helvetical Helvetireader Helvetwitter
So... apart from wether the image placeholders are there or not. In Opera it looks like you are able to right click where the image is and select "reload image" so that's cool! That might be just what he needs.
I wish I could find a webkit powered browser that does the same thing though.
No, I had no idea about those things. I didn't think an American would know a word like helviti, or *beep* as we say in my language, so I thought you must have a granny from Iceland or something. 
DARN word censor! 
For the sake of education, the beeped word was h e l v e t e.
For the sake of education, the beeped word was h e l v e t e.
heh, ok, whatever that means 
You should check out Helvetica the film. It's really a good documentary by Gary Hustwit http://www.helveticafilm.com/ That film started the whole helvetica craze. He just made a new film called Objectified that I'm really looking forward to. It'll be available on iTunes next week
You should check out Helvetica the film. It's really a good documentary by Gary Hustwit http://www.helveticafilm.com/ That film started the whole helvetica craze. He just made a new film called Objectified that I'm really looking forward to. It'll be available on iTunes next week
You don't know? Helviti is the old Norse word for hell. I believe it's still the same in modern Icelandic, but in modern Swedish it's h e l v e t e, which also happens to be a swear word and that's why it's beeped, I guess. A little discriminatory since English hell is allowed. I protest!
I didn't get those gadgets got their name from the name of the font. Helviti would have been so much cooler.
I didn't get those gadgets got their name from the name of the font. Helviti would have been so much cooler.
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 7 2009, 02:32 PM)
It wouldn't match if there is no alt attribute.
True, but in such cases it seems Opera does display the word "image" with a little 3d-border around it.
I got curious and tried to come up with some additional CSS anyway, but this doesn't work:
CODE
img:after {content: "image";}
img:after[alt]{content: attr(alt);}
img:after[alt=""]{content: "empty ALT";}
img:after[alt]{content: attr(alt);}
img:after[alt=""]{content: "empty ALT";}
Apparently the generated content from the first rule persists despite the rules following.
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 7 2009, 04:59 PM)
A little discriminatory since English hell is allowed. I protest!
Obviously the board has been configured with you in mind.
QUOTE
True, but in such cases it seems Opera does display the word "image" with a little 3d-border around it.
Either it's new, I don't have the latest, or it's a user setting. I made images totally disappear without a trace.
Good if it works that way now.
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 7 2009, 10:14 PM)
QUOTE
True, but in such cases it seems Opera does display the word "image" with a little 3d-border around it.
Either it's new, I don't have the latest, or it's a user setting. I made images totally disappear without a trace.
I don't have the latest either, and I don't think I've ever changed anything like this.
That's because of the empty ALT:
so you need my user style sheet also.
I have Opera 9.64 and get a default border around the missing images (probably due to the dimension attributes).
CODE
<img src='http://forums.htmlhelp.com/uploads/av-7.jpg' border='0' width='100' height='83' alt='' />
so you need my user style sheet also.
I have Opera 9.64 and get a default border around the missing images (probably due to the dimension attributes).
I did. I didn't like what I did when I wasn't using it, so it's eradicated. When I had it, I noticed it had very few settings, so how could it help with this? Can you really turn images, JS and CSS off?
QUOTE(pandy @ Oct 27 2009, 01:15 PM)
I did. I didn't like what I did when I wasn't using it, so it's eradicated. When I had it, I noticed it had very few settings, so how could it help with this? Can you really turn images, JS and CSS off?
Oops, I deleted the post you're replying to (advocating Google's Chrome browser) since it looked like signature spam. Didn't notice your reply.
And no, Chrome doesn't let you do any of this AFAIK.
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