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February 28, 2006

Maxthon: the browser that rocks

Ouriel Ohayon

148 comments »

MaxthonMaxthon is in my view the best alternative to Internet Explorer. Firefox and Opera are doing a great job (both in product and buzz) but they just don’t catch up with Maxthon.

Founded by the very young and brilliant Jeff Chen in 2003 in China (under MyIE name), Maxthon became very quickly popular in Asia (awarded last year in Red Herring Asia ) and all over the world. The big difference with other browsers is that Maxthon is based on IE code which makes the software very familiar from the beginning but with a few twists. Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable and brings a unique browsing experience as it enables you to customize nearly any part of the software. Like Firefox, Maxthon brings tab browsing, embedded RSS and podcast reader (a very cool one), search bar… but without necessity to add any extension.

The key strength of Maxthon is that it enables you to customize totally your browsing experience with extreme simplicity. A few examples: URL shortcuts. Instead of typing a URL or clicking a bookmark (ok it takes less than 2 sec but still) you can set up a URL alias (”2″ for instance) and type directly in the URL bar which will lead you to the URL of your choice (eg: your flickr page). You can change easily skins, a wide choice is offered. Mouse gesture is also great just like super drag and drop features to save an image or initiate a search on a given word within web page.

There are too many features to cover them all here. I believe you should play with it first (tip: use your right click nearly anywhere). All those I know who tried it loved it. It sounds maybe too much like FireFox in some way but again it is not. To better understand the pros of Maxthon read this article from Internet Week.

Maxthon 2.0 exclusive screenshots

We could get exclusive intial screenshots and news on next 2.0 version to come up soon. I believe Maxthon will become even better. They are building right now a better interface with greater possibilities of customization, data sharing, multi window browsing, cool blogging features and many other things kept secret for now.

Maxthon

Maxthon

Great quality leads to great popularity and Maxthon just passed 50 million downloads (announced on their blog but also on Daily OM)

Maxthon

Beyond a good product and critical size, Maxthon has great assets for success: first a great team including Netanel Jacobsson as SVP Bus. Development (ex AOL/ICQ guy). Second, strong shareholders including Morten Lund (a Skype early stage investor) and WI Harper.

Maxthon is not yet very popular in the US, but i bet it’ll change soon.

Now let’s see if this post can generate a debate just as hot as the one from the original post in TechCrunch France :)

  • Sphere It

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Comments

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  1. Mike J

    February 28th, 2006 at 5:52 am

    The only problem is that this browser is just a wrapper for IE’s rendering engine - which means you still have all the problems that IE has with security and standards. I can appreciate the features it has, but honestly I can get all I need (and more) with Opera - without the risk.

    I had used Maxthon until I was subjected to silent installs infecting fully-patched machines - several times from normal sites. So now the only browser I use is -truly- a better browser, not just good window dressing on a bad one.

    To quote Tyler Durden: Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken. Unfortunately for Maxthon, the same is true in the browser market - Playing dress-up does not make you a safe, standards-compliant browser ;)

  2. Mauro

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:03 am

    What about extensions like in Firefox?

  3. Johnny

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:05 am

    it doesn’t mater if it’s IE you use as your main browser or a browser built with the IE core, its not the websites you visit that cause the problems to your computer such as spyware, viruses, trojans, etc…

    it’s the user that uses the computer is what causes the problem.

  4. Nathan

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:12 am

    These browser discussions are endless. There are many browsers out there doing a good job. Weather one likes it or not is strictly of personal matter.

    I have given up telling Internet users why they should such or such browser. At the end of the day you select a browser that suits YOUR needs, enhances YOUR experience and makes YOU a happy user…

    In terms of security and compliance, I believe that any company working towards these issues is worth having its product on the market. Again, if you don’t go to dodgy websites, download anything suspicious, you can use IE and never catch anything that will harm your machine…

    Browser providers like Microsoft, Opera, Mozilla, Maxthon and the like should indeed focus on the user experience (interface, security, compliance etc.). However, I believe their main objective (and challenge) is to develop users’ awareness of the risks users exposed to on the web.

    Happy Browsing!

  5. C:\arlo

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:16 am

    IMHO, the fact that Maxthon is based on IE’s code is a fault, rather than a selling point: I use Maxthon instead of IE, but only when it’s strictly required.
    I’d never choose an Internet Explorer shell over standard-compliant, full-featured and safe browsers like Firefox or Opera (even without extensions, it comes with an amazing set of features: tabs, RSS reader, email client, download manager, aliases, flexible privacy/security srttings, session saver, magic wand, IRC client, spell checker… and [really] more), not to mention the great communities behind these tools. :)
    To be honest, I can’t see in which field Opera and FF just don’t catch up with Maxthon. :)

  6. Stephen

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:34 am

    Does Maxthon run in a different ‘instance’ of IE so it is not running as the the logged on user with elevated privileges?

  7. Richard

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:38 am

    Instead of typing a URL or clicking a bookmark (ok it takes less than 2 sec but still) you can set up a URL alias (”2″ for instance) and type directly in the URL bar which will lead you to the URL of your choice (eg: your flickr page).

    Uhm, you are aware of the fact that this is exactly like the “Keyword” field in the Firefox bookmark manager, right? Which by the way does not require an extension either.

  8. Joe

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:40 am

    SVP of business development? Whats the business model for Maxthon?

  9. Orli Yakuel

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:41 am

    Maxthon truly rocks.
    lot’s of great extensions!
    but the most important and useful feature is the way that Maxthon keep all the sites in memory, that were open, if the browser suddenly collapse or if you close it by mistake.

    Give it a try, it’s work just great!!

  10. SalimFadhley

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:44 am

    If you absolutely need Microsoft stuff (e.g. ActiveX, IE style rendering), then Maxthon is much nicer than plain old Internet Explorer. Web developers who work on 100% micorosoft shops will appreciate this software.

    If you dont need any of that microsoft proprietary stuff then you might as well dump it.

    Firefox is way more usable.

  11. Mike

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:46 am

    “Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable”

    I tried using Maxthon for a while, but abandoned it after it kept freezing.

  12. Andrius Mažeika

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:54 am

    IE rendering engine? all CSS bugs? Is that what is called a good browser? the one that do not support web standards?
    to hell with it.

  13. Moritz

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:54 am

    >> Maxthon is based on IE code

    maybe a stupid question, but how exactly does that work? where do they get the code from? did not know microsoft went open source…

    moritz

  14. henri

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:00 am

    For Maxthon’s users this this the extensions you need to install into firefox in order to use firefox as maxthon : http://www.2803.com/2005/12/30.....s-firefox/

  15. Mike J

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:11 am

    “it’s the user that uses the computer is what causes the problem.”

    “Again, if you don’t go to dodgy websites, download anything suspicious, you can use IE and never catch anything that will harm your machine…”

    Quite frequently, yes, this is the core of the problem. But it does not encompass the full extent of the issue.

    I am a software developer, and as such am not a typical user ignorant of the dangers of the web. I have had machines brought to their knees with less than 10 minutes of using IEs engine at work on fully patched machines from standard sites. And I’m not the only one.

    The notion that sticking to “safe” sites will keep your machine safe just doesn’t cut it anymore. It may have been true a couple years ago, but no longer.

    I think it is good for a user to choose which browser suits them best, but honestly it has gotten to the point with IE where I recommend to clients I work for to disable it on their whole network. Personally, Opera works great for me - if someone wants to use Firefox or any other browser because it fits their needs, that’s fine. But IE is now where I draw the line.

  16. Bob Ackman

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:27 am

    I’ve been using Maxthon for a few years now and still think it’s the best out there. Firefox is getting closer but it’s still not quite there, especially out of the box.
    No, Maxthon is not a browser you get your grandma set up on but I have no sympathy for the tired IE security complaint. How about installing some security software (anti-ad/spyware, firewall, registry monitor, etc.)? Plenty of free options out there and it’s good to have regardless of your browser.

  17. Mike J

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:28 am

    The security complaint is not tired - that’s the problem. I have all those items, but it serves as scant protection these days.

  18. Nelson

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:42 am

    How do you call a browser whose FAQ (http://faq.maxthon.com/) and plugins main page (http://maxthon.tarapages.com/) don’t even open?

  19. Chris

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:50 am

    I will take the Avant browser over Maxthon browser. Avant also has Orca which uses the Firefox engine.

    http://www.avantbrowser.com/

  20. smurf

    February 28th, 2006 at 7:55 am

    “Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable”

    Haha come on, all they did was put a Mink coat on a bucket of vomit and call it Platinum. Same old crap, new retarded skins.

  21. Greg

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:15 am

    You have got to be kidding me, right?

    Maxthon *is* Internet Explorer. As others have noted, Maxthon is a user interface wrapped around the Internet Explorer rendering engine. Which means statements like this:

    “Unlike IE, [Maxthon] is very fast, safe and very stable”

    are outright lies. L-I-E-S.

    Maxthon can’t be any safer or more stable than IE, because it is IE under the covers. Maxthon can’t change the rendering flaws, ignorance of standards, and security holes that make IE a piece of garbage.

    Who are you shilling for, Ouriel?!?

  22. SamD

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:16 am

    The URL shortcuts thing is nothing new at all. Someone else mentioned that it is doable in Firefox. Opera does it too.

    With a search string attach if you so desire.

  23. Bill Minton

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:18 am

    I’ve been using Maxthon (actually a donator) for a looong time…since it was MyIE2. I use Firefox and Opera at times, but for the most features and compatibility, Maxthon can’t be beat.

  24. Dhaval Shah

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:36 am

    My only suggestion to people is to actually use Maxthon before writing it off as another ‘IE skin’. It is indeed a ‘power user’s browser’. Few points:

    1. Instead of trying to develop a ‘limping’ IE7 why Microsoft just did not buy out Maxthon ? It is a no brainer to me.
    2. Google needs to make sure that Google bar works in Maxthon.
    3. I haven’t seen people comment on ‘Super drag and drop’ feature, which is a one of the best little feature Maxthon.

  25. Bob Ackman

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:40 am

    By the way, I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned in the original post but Maxthon can be configured to use the Gecko engine.
    File -> New Tab -> Use Gecko Engine
    I can’t vouch for that option but it’s there.

  26. Netanel Jacobsson

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:57 am

    Wow, I am amazed the emotion this post caused. Choosing a browser is not a religion or a way of life. It’s just a browser, if you like it - you use it, and if you don’t, so don’t. Not everybody likes to drive a Ferrari…Seriously, give Maxthon a fair try and forget about whether it runs on the IE kernel or not - it not more important than if your car runs on 95 or 98 Petrol. And yes, you can use the Gecko engine too..

  27. Ouriel Ohayon

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:03 am

    What i like about Browsers is that when you post about them it really gets passionnate. Obviously here it is the case. My first comment would “Relax it is just about a browser!”

    I think i can accept people will not agree with me or with the millions of users that just love maxthon. But i think if you have to get into Maxthon you just have to do it right and respectfully.

    Maxthon is very stable very safe and very fast. It is not an opinion, it is a fact.

    Many product do the same thing. It is just about user experience and little details (think about Ipod vs other mp3 players) Maxthon has many features you can find in other good browsers. It is just about how you feel it. To me Maxthon does it right and simple.

    Finally i would like to say that no soft is perfect. Including FF. But i believe it is the right attitude to give respectful and constructive criticism. Maxthon and others are doing a great job. Let s encourage them to do better.

  28. Orli Yakuel

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:07 am

    a little extension for the upper bar that i just wrote (a script for techcrunch favorite):
    http://www.hevre.co.il/images/.....397588.zip
    ————————
    open the file->extract all files->copy the file, then go to my computer->program files->Maxthon->Plugin, and place the file there.
    close the browser and open it again.

    screenshot:
    http://img528.imageshack.us/im.....een9tb.jpg

    enjoy :)

  29. Rod Edwards

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:13 am

    Ouriel, some of the commenters are having issues with the fact that you are suggesting that Maxthon is more stable, fast, or secure than IE - which isn’t possible if IE is running underneath providing the page rendering service. Same thing with Gecko (if its an option in Maxthon) - you can’t say that Maxthon is a better Gecko than Gecko itself if its actually using Gecko. Maxthon may wrap some nice tools around IE or Gecko, but the fundamental service level attributes of whatever rendering engine its using aren’t changed.

  30. Peter Cooper

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:20 am

    I say live and let live. There’s no point in really arguing over browser choice, since it’s like arguing over car choices.

    Some people would rather drive SUVs and slowly kill our planet, and some people would rather not. You can’t convince everyone all the time, whether its cars, religion, best bookmarking services.. ;-)

  31. Ankit Desai

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:37 am

    I used Maxthon since it was known as MyIE2 and think it is a wonderful browser. Don’t let all the “IE wrapper only” comments scare you. I didn’t have any of the security problems that people think you will get by using an IE-based browser. Most of those “security” problems have been fixed by hotfixes. Also, IE6 SP2 is a much more secure browser than previous iterations.

    I tried Mozilla Phoenix and Firebird (Firefox now, but older and different versions) and didn’t like them. However, with the recent 1.5 release of Firefox, I have now switched over to it. I still have my wife using Maxthon and still keep a copy of it on my desktop/laptop and work computers. Why? There is one feature which I miss in Firefox and that is the “Groups” feature. Firefox has something like this but it pales in comparison to how Maxthon has it implemented.

    My recommendation is to download it and give it a whirl. You may continue to use your current browser, but it will change your opinion of Maxthon for the better.

  32. Andy

    February 28th, 2006 at 9:43 am

    It looks interesting, but I don’t think it will replace Firefox for me. I haven’t seen anything that Firefox doesn’t do natively or isn’t supported with an extention. Plus I didn’t see that it was portable, which is a big selling point for me at the moment.

  33. Patrick

    February 28th, 2006 at 10:27 am

    IE has ‘aliases’ too, but just doesn’t brag. Save a Favorite call it MyFav. Type MyFav in your address bar in IE and VOILA there it is.

  34. Ted

    February 28th, 2006 at 10:41 am

    Firefox is such a memory hog that I might almost give this a chance… but not quite.

    I’m waiting for a lite version of firefox which can not suck up so much memory!

  35. arjun

    February 28th, 2006 at 11:09 am

    i don’t get the fuss…ie7 is just as good if not better.

  36. MK

    February 28th, 2006 at 11:10 am

    “Maxthon is not yet very popular in the US, but i bet it’ll change soon.”

    Yeah, especially after this post.

  37. MK

    February 28th, 2006 at 11:10 am

    Ted, try K-meleon.

  38. teddy

    February 28th, 2006 at 12:11 pm

    First of all: just try it.
    Only fanboys judge browsers just by one post (and it seems there are a lot of FF-fanboys-that-really-need-a-life here)

    @arjun: Maxthon has way more options than IE7 or almost any browser.
    For people that like to customize their browser completely Maxthon is a great choice!

    Can IE7 close all tabs on the left/right/from same domain/blank/error in 2 clicks?
    Can you lock a tab, make a tab/favorite sticky?
    Does IE7 have a content filter that can block almost all ads?
    Does IE7 or FF have a system tray-icon?
    Can you access webservices like translating pages from/to more than 10 pages in 2 clicks?
    Does IE7 have a special toolbar with external applications that allow you to easily access those programs and give them parameters like the current URL for example?
    Can you disable scripts/images/applets/flash in 2 clicks?
    Can you see your current memory usage in the statusbar?
    Or your current network-usage in the statusbar?
    Do IE7 or FF have mouse gestures?

    Well, with Maxthon you can do all that and more!
    And now I’m only talking about Maxthon 1.x, Maxthon 2.0 can do much more!!

  39. Mike

    February 28th, 2006 at 12:19 pm

    teddy:

    Firefox can do all those things with extensions. I wouldn’t want a browser that has it all built-in; this is what we call “feature bloat”. I personally can’t stand mouse gestures, but have heard of at least two competing extensions for firefox that mouse gesture lovers swear by. Looking at your list I can see only two that I’m not sure there’s a current extension for (sticky tabs, systray) - but the framework is in place for it to appear if there’s enough demand, and the users who don’t want those features don’t have them hamper their experience with clutter.

    And yes, I tried maxthon back when it was “MyIE”(2?) You’ll no doubt say that it’s a changed beast and that I’d love it if i tried it now, but tell me this - does it have a web developper toolbar? Greasemonkey/Stylish equivalent? Can it show me rendered source code? Can I modify it so that it doesn’t use a plugin for PDFs but instead asks me whether to download, open or view as HTML?

    And maybe most importantly - does it have AdBlock (or equivalent) with automatic updater?

  40. FT1

    February 28th, 2006 at 2:47 pm

    I can’t help but think we are seeing some aggressive viral marketing when people say stuff like:

    “Seriously, give Maxthon a fair try and forget about whether it runs on the IE kernel or not”

    Forget about it running on the IE rendering engine!!!!

    Say what!!!

    Not to mention the security flaws of IE, as a (hobbyist) web developer, all I know is that my standards compliant pages don’t render correctly in IE 6 (patched to the max) and they work beautifully in Firefox.

    The odds of my using Maxthon = 0%

  41. apettit

    February 28th, 2006 at 3:29 pm

    not a bad browser -

    unfortunately, i can’t use my netvibes start page!!! :( … that put an end to usage immediately.

    i’ll definately check out 2.0 however, if they fix that and whatever problems i didnt care to discover, i’ll switch for sure

  42. Whatever

    February 28th, 2006 at 4:55 pm

    Maxthon? Safe? Ha!

    I respected your opinion, but not anymore.

  43. Garry

    February 28th, 2006 at 6:29 pm

    All “shell browsers” base on IE will die when IE 7 come. They just a Shell.

    The future belong to Firefox or Opera.

  44. Thanh

    February 28th, 2006 at 8:39 pm

    I’ve tried Firefox, Opera, Netscape, K-Meleon, and Avant, but Maxthon by far is the best one. Each of these browser has its own strength, but using any is just a choice. For me, any browser that serves well my need will be used. It is Maxthon for me.

  45. Tycho

    February 28th, 2006 at 10:00 pm

    I absolutly cant believe that a blog that is all about Web2.0 actually would recommend a browser that uses the IE render engine. Nuff’ said.

  46. Quell

    February 28th, 2006 at 10:02 pm

    Maxthon sounded like a pretty good browser when I first read the article, but the IE part was a real turn off for me. Plus, Maxthon cannot be ran on anything other than Windows (I believe.. correct me if I’m wrong.) Since I use Linux for a server and (usually) desktoping (I use Windows for gaming..), I’m guessing that I will probably stick to Firefox for my browser. Of course, I’ll give Maxthon a prod, but only with a long stick :)

  47. Michael Geary

    March 1st, 2006 at 12:33 am

    JavaScript in Maxthon is extremely slow.

    I have a complex page that’s generated dynamically in JavaScript. It takes .8 seconds to render in Firefox 1.5, 1.2 seconds in IE6, and 2.8 seconds in Maxthon!

    I wonder why Maxthon is so much slower than IE given that it’s the same engine?

  48. Rob B.

    March 1st, 2006 at 2:00 am

    Maxthon rocks pure and simple.

    I have tried all the major browsers and this is it. Don’t listen to all the drooling IE haters here, Maxthon is the best browser around.

    I am an avid web surfer and Maxthon improves the experience in ways no other browser can.

    Isn’t that what it is all about instead of worrying about rendering engines?

    Because it uses the core of IE the microsoft haters start spitting at the computers. Ignore them. Really try Maxthon. It is fully customisable and uses less resources. Also their forum community is totally top notch! I have never seen such helpful people in my life. I haven’t had any issues with the browser and any minor questions are answered very quickly. Also plug-in installation is a breeze.

    Do I hate FF? No. But I cannot stand the slavish bleary-eyed cultists who worship it.

    To them I say stick to your rotary telephones and 8-track players…for the rest of you, try Maxthon.

    Rob B.

    ————
    Firefox:Maxthon::8-track:CD

  49. scruffpot

    March 1st, 2006 at 2:40 am

    Maxthon is great.
    I have an very old computer (PII 400mhz running win 98, it works, I cant afford to update or buy a new one),Have tried many differnt apps/browsers over the years, and have come to settle with maxthon. I find if your machine has little memory ram etc and dont want something hogging the system like firefox, or opera then maxthon fits the spot, it seems to run on less memory then IE itself even though its based on IE, I have no idea why? I like it, it works and helps block out some of the nasties which get on to my computer. Sometimes it does have its moements and stops working or the font goes wrong. But it works for me. Keep up the good work maxthon. superb.

  50. John

    March 1st, 2006 at 4:22 am

    Maxthon is an all around great browser. Mouse gestures are just an amazing thing. I’ve imstictivly tried using them in MacSafari, Windows Explorere and Winamp just because I’m so used to them in maxthon.

    Its far and away, the best browser I’ve ever used. If your and open minded person, try this browser.

  51. Tabster

    March 1st, 2006 at 5:04 am

    I have used Maxthon/MyIE2 for many years. The number of times I visited a site that wasn’t rendered correctly because of CSS issues = maybe 2. So those two occasions I used Opera.
    Maybe I should give up using Maxthon and leave all my Groups, plugins, etc behind..? Nah! not a chance.

  52. Ernesto

    March 1st, 2006 at 5:50 am

    There are two things I thought about immediately after reading this post. I started reading all comments and I’m glad to see I am not the only one.

    Quell wrote: “…Maxthon cannot be ran on anything other than Windows…”

    Safari/Konqueror/Maxthon/MSIE/Epiphany they all lack a most important feature: portability. Thus Opera rocks in this respect (and FF too).

    And the other thing I wanted to point out is something Tycho already expressed above: “I absolutely cant believe that a blog that is all about Web2.0 actually would recommend a browser that uses the IE render engine”

    It’s not about being a fan-boy. I personally prefer Opera, but it’s not about imposing or evangelizing my browser of choice, or ranting against IE for no apparent reason, or for blindly ranting against anything from MS. It’s the crude reality that the most used browser on earth is a shame in terms of standards-compliance, and this has been making a huge negative impact on web developing.

    Oriel said: “Maxthon is very stable very safe and very fast. It is not an opinion, it is a fact.”

    Well, I say: IE does not respect standards, IE is a security hole in itself, IE is windows-only. These are not opinions, these are facts.

    And these are all “features” of the rendering engine, and are thus features of Maxthon too.

    Rob B. said: “Don’t listen to all the drooling IE haters here, Maxthon is the best browser around. ”

    Many may say I am one more MS blind-hater. But I am not.

  53. Ouriel Ohayon

    March 1st, 2006 at 6:03 am

    wow! i think we are on the way to hit a record on comment activity. First thanks to all of you for all those comments. Most of them are really smart even in criticism and will surely help Maxthon make a better browser.

    I just want to say that it does not matter what you like or what you don’t. Maxthon is a beautiful piece of soft just as FF or Opera. Play with the one that fit you best… As long as you read, ping and comment on TechCrunch :)

  54. LeeSH

    March 1st, 2006 at 7:32 am

    I have used Maxthon for many years, from MyIE to MyIE2, MyIE2 to Maxthon. I have tried many different type of IE Based browser: Netcaptor, Avant Browser, Green Browser, Fast Browser, Slepnir, Neoplanet and… finally I choose Maxthon.

    Maxthon(formerly known as MyIE) already have the ad block, tabbed browsing, extension function since three/four years ago. On that time, Firefox not yet born.

    I like to use Maxthon because the speed is fast. I can drag and drop the link from a website to open new tab for browsing, up to 20 tabs at the same time and it used only a bit of memory. Maxthon can also block activeX.

    I also install Firefox and Opera on my computer, but I used Maxthon most of time.

  55. Stuttgart_GhOsT

    March 1st, 2006 at 8:35 am

    Well, that is definitely fantastic, looking forward to seeing it. But the preview pic is much too small~~

  56. Julian Ellison

    March 1st, 2006 at 8:51 am

    If you like Maxthon, you might like Tablane even more. If you don’t, the you still might like it. It is also based on IE, but has some features you won’t find anywhere else, like lanes, which allow you to view multiple websites concurrently.

  57. Alex Ezell

    March 1st, 2006 at 8:55 am

    Why is this on TechCrunch?

  58. Bjorn

    March 1st, 2006 at 10:05 am

    It’s not a browser at all. Just a skin.

  59. musick

    March 1st, 2006 at 10:51 am

    If you are mac user, it will strongly suggest using Camino browser. It is really fast and stable browser. It is a native mac browser (works only on mac).

    for review of Camino go to
    http://www.rajlogs.com

  60. AnonyMous

    March 1st, 2006 at 12:57 pm

    Hey, next time you translate something, get a native English speaker to proof-read it. I couldn’t make it past the first paragraph because the language was so awful.

  61. Ouriel Ohayon

    March 1st, 2006 at 1:18 pm

    #62 why is this on TechCrunch? because TechCrunch wanted to cover it and thought it would interest its readers. It is obviously the case for some of you (more than 65 comments…)

    #64 Camino is indeed a good option for mac users.

    #66 be brave and show your face..i will show you how good my english can be

  62. Ben

    March 1st, 2006 at 1:20 pm

    I’ve used almost every browser that’s out there for use in Windows. NONE of them hold a candle to Maxthon. It works great immediately after install.

    Firefox is good, but those memory problems are a real buzz kill. So is having to constantly update every extension when there’s a new update for the browser (yes, I know there’s an extension to make sure your extensions work… that’s brilliant).

    Besides, I want a browser that can handle bad coding and not come to a screeching halt when it finds something it can’t understand. The IE engine can do that.

  63. Stormy_2021

    March 1st, 2006 at 3:37 pm

    Maxthon is a multi-tabbed browser based on the IE core (IE 5.x/6 required).
    Maxthon can open multiple web pages within one browser window, and uses little system resources.

    Maxthon has a greatly integrated & highly customizable interface which supports:

    RSS Feeds
    Mouse Gestures
    Saving/Filling Of Forms & Passwords
    Disabling/Enabling Of Flash Images
    Disabling/Enabling Of ACTIVEX, JAVA, & JAVASCRIPT
    Skins
    Plug-Ins
    Side Bar Plugins
    IE Extensions
    & Specific IE Toolbars

    Maxthon also has 6 AD blockers/filters:

    an Auto POPUP Blocker
    a Web Dialog Blocker
    a Floating AD Blocker
    a POPUP Filter List
    a Web Page AD Filter List
    an ActiveX Filter List

    All list filters support Wildcard entries.

    With too many other Options & Features to list… try out Maxthon to see what it can do that other Browsers & browser-shells can’t!

  64. Philip

    March 1st, 2006 at 4:32 pm

    You seem to have quite a few “technical” readers who aren’t actually familiar with how browsers and operating systems work.

    The straight facts (from a software developer / IT administrator):

    1. Maxthon is a wrapper shell for the free-beer IE rendering engine.

    2. Maxthon has an impressive feature set. Most alternative browsers sport the same features built-in or through extensions.

    3. Maxthon cannot render pages visibly faster than IE, nor can it be considered safer. The Internet Explorer registry options affecting security and privacy apply to Maxthon as well.

    4. Maxthon is Windows-only. A PowerPC version could be made, based on the IE5.5 engine (last IE engine made available on Mac), but a Linux version would be legally troubling. You can install the IE engine into Wine or CrossOver, but legal experts have yet to decipher the IE EULA to determine whether there is actually a requirement that IE 6 is run in conjuction with a valid Windows Licence.

    Opinion: Maxthon is a good alternative to IE when considering features, but doesn’t provide any enhanced rendering speed or security, which is usually the reason most people have dumped IE.

    If an intelligent technical person were to use Maxthon, I’d recommend disabling ActiveX and Java immediately, and enabling JavaScript only on a per-site basis. Then you would be reasonably secure from silent and not-so-silent malicious software installations.

    On a side note, IE doesn’t render standards-compliant websites perfectly all the time, and isn’t Web 2.0 all about standards-compliance (with a dash of AJAX)?

  65. fytte

    March 1st, 2006 at 5:45 pm

    期待2.0
    我说MAX怎么这么久没跟新罗！

  66. Stormy_2021

    March 1st, 2006 at 6:54 pm

    Comment by Philip:

    3. Maxthon cannot render pages visibly faster than IE, nor can it be considered safer. The Internet Explorer registry options affecting security and privacy apply to Maxthon as well.
    —————————————-

    I have to disagree with you…
    As you stated later on in your post:

    “I’d recommend disabling ActiveX and Java immediately, and enabling JavaScript only on a per-site basis”

    That, in and of itself, makes Max safer… as it allows you to do all that quite easily.
    If you don’t want to disable ActiveX, Max also comes with a built-in ActiveX filter which alerts you to anything trying to download and/or “install” itself.

    With the built-in Web AD blocker, you can block (and keep from downloading) ADS, web bugs, specific javascript… just about anything.

    This allows pages to render much faster than IE… especially for us poor dial-up users.

    Have you even tried Max for more than 3 minutes…?

  67. Tendo Okaido

    March 1st, 2006 at 7:35 pm

    Maxthon rocks,I’ve been using it for more than 2 years, and it really works fine, and concerning to security, hey dudes, no security at all anywhere or with any tool you might use when surfing the net, just “confidence grades” spanish translated “grados de confidencia”, or at least if you avoid those “sites” that you know are filled with bad behaived programs, you’ll end up with a clean surfing, otherwise prepare yourself…

  68. A Internet User

    March 1st, 2006 at 11:06 pm

    You all are saying Maxthon is just a shell to IE…well read this…

    Maxthon is to IE as Firefox is to Mozilla therefore Firefox is also a shell, so stop using the Maxthon is just an IE shell if you don’t want to admit that Firefox is just a shell of Mozilla.

    Enough said.

  69. zhaoying

    March 1st, 2006 at 11:15 pm

    as i know, there are few users even in China to Maxthon, how can you generate so big buzzes here? why not applause for Firefox greasemonkey or it’s open architecture as a replacement?

  70. Aaron

    March 1st, 2006 at 11:29 pm

    For those who say Maxthon is just a “skin”, what do you think Firefox is? It is a “skin” for the Gecko engine. Since IE is on every Windows operating system, Maxthon can be run on all of them.

    I guess if every fanboy (mostly Firefox by the looks of it, figures) is making such a huge fuss over this browser, it must be great contender. I have been using Maxthon since the early MyIE2 days.

    I hope Maxthon grows stronger so it can sit side by side with Opera (Firefox has too many problems at the moment).

  71. Erick Watson

    March 2nd, 2006 at 1:38 am

    Hey.

    I’ve read all of these comments and alot of them are just Firefox or Opera users bagging Maxthon like there was no tomorrow.
    “It’s not a browser at all. Just a skin.”
    Was one of the comments, this reflects many of the other comments here.
    I would like to say “Hey! Shut the hell up!” but I obviously can’t. So instead I’ll explain how Maxthon, Firefox, Opera , Netscape Navigator (remember that?) and Internet Explorer work.

    First thing they need is a browsing engine. Think of it like a car engine, but instead of fuel it churns data. Many DIFFERENT types of data. Kind of like a car on Petrol, Gas, Electricity and Hydrogen all at the same time switching between these constantly.
    Then you need something to work it. A program (IE, Maxthon, Opera, Firefox).
    Kind of like an engine computer.
    It tells the engine how to distribute all the fuel throughout the engine and which pistons to fire and so-on.

    Then we have the body, holding the engine and computer.
    This would be the skin.
    The skin is just the GUI. The piece of the software that the user generally touches and intereatcs with.
    It gives acces to the engine computer and lets you change all the ways that you can USE the engine. But certain engine computers only work with a few engines.

    Hope I didn’t lose ya.

    Now the way Maxthon works is that it is just a different engine computer. It still uses the IE engine, but replaces is computer with it’s own. And then around that a different body.
    Pretty much just the same ENGINE, but worked together with a better computer and body. To deliver a better package.

    That’s their aim at least.

    Anything’s better than IE right?

  72. Greg

    March 2nd, 2006 at 5:22 am

    Repeating incorrect information doesn’t make it true, Ouriel.

    A direct challnege to you Ouriel:

    Given

    (1) that the known and continuing security flaws of Internet Explorer are based in the Internet Explorer rendering engine (not on the default Microsoft IE skin wrapped around that engine)

    and given

    (2) that Maxthon has not altered the IE rendering engine

    then

    (3) how can you justify statements such as “Maxthon is…very safe.”

    I find such a statement to not only be blatantly incorrect, but grossly irresponsible. You’re implying that there Maxthon has some security benefit over other browsers, when it simply does not.

    Maxthon is neither more nor less secure than IE. It cannot be, because it *is* IE.

    The features of the Maxthon skin may very well be cool and useful, but if you wrap a turd in silk, it’s still a turd.

  73. thewind

    March 2nd, 2006 at 5:25 am

    Maxthon is powerful, but for me GreenBrowser is comfortable.

  74. Ouriel Ohayon

    March 2nd, 2006 at 5:30 am

    #80 Greg, i think if you take the time to read above comments, i would not have to answer your challenge. But what i am precisely meaning is that Maxthon is very safe in the sense that it brings solution to many security issues you can find in IE. Now, i am challenging you to prove the opposite :)

    I think you should forget that Maxthon = IE because it is based on the source code. It is a good piece of Soft not just a gadget or a shell. As you can read here many agree with me. But not everybody has to.

  75. Bastich

    March 2nd, 2006 at 7:04 am

    The main gripe with Maxthon is its IE core and the security problems it carries. I found this free software Maxthon Bufferzone that acts like a virtual machine sandboxing maxthon and anything that it will download and execute. I have tried it out for 2 days and its stable with the latest MAxthon. Here’s the download link -
    http://www.download.com/Maxtho.....01946.html

  76. dav0

    March 2nd, 2006 at 8:49 am

    Although the feature list for Maxthon seems impressive it doesn’t seem to offer anything that Firefox extensions or Opera don’t already provide - tabbed browsing, gestures, maintaining sessions, etc.

    Now if they had done something about IE’s poor support for web standards then I would be impressed - I see that Ouriel has ignored this point completely. And, yes, FF and Opera are not perfect in this respect but IE6 is absolutely shocking.

    I am _far_ more excited about future versions of Firefox, Opera and IE - especially IE7 because of the promised CSS rendering fixes, new features and the sheer number of users that will either be forced to or willingly use it. It might even make coding CSS fun :-)

    Having said that, I’ll probably take a break from using Opera & FF for a little while to give Maxthon a spin and see what the fuss is about. Faster, leaner, safer? This I have to see!…

  77. dav0

    March 2nd, 2006 at 9:01 am

    @Ben

    “Besides, I want a browser that can handle bad coding and not come to a screeching halt when it finds something it can’t understand. The IE engine can do that.”

    The IE engine can come to a screeching halt when attempting to render perfectly valid stuff as well :p

    The ability for browsers to guess at invalid code has promoted even more sloppy code (even from content management systems and HTML editors). The problem with guessing at code is that the browser can misinterpret the code - i.e. get it wrong. I wouldn’t agree that this is a plus point. If the browser didn’t render invalid code then maybe the authors might have fixed the markup/CSS.

  78. Andrew Male

    March 2nd, 2006 at 9:42 am

    Wow. As a 3-4 year loyal user of Maxthon, I find the negative comments that have flooded in directed at Maxthon to be almost absurd. Lets…for the 90th time, look at some differences here.

    Those of you that claim to be ‘technologically inclined’ should be much less ready to proclaim that Maxthon, which utilizes IE’s rendering engine, is insecure. On my computers, I use a small set of security measures. Windows Firewall, Maxthon, AVG 7 Free, SpyBot S&D, and Adaware. I have never had a virus problem, unless someone is ignorant enough to go and seek one out.

    One of the main ‘draws’ for most people to Firefox, is that its more secure than IE. Maxthon, is more secure than IE. So, following this line of thinking, Maxthon shares that common selling point with Firefox. Want to compare how secure they are? Do it somewhere else, that wasn’t the argument being made here.

    Maxthon doesn’t render W3C compliant code perfectly. Want to know something funny? Neither does Firefox or Opera as far as I’m concerned. Having been a web developer for over 12 years, I feel I can easily say I’ve mastered making W3C compliant code. However, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made compliant code, that passes validation, and yet, even still, Firefox refuses to do what I tell it to. Don’t use that as such a fallback, the standards created by the W3C, though they are the only ones that exist, are too unreliable, regardless of which browser you’re using.

    Features, extension…this is a browser war, we can all flame each other constantly, or you can pick your side, stay loyal to it, and just make sure that you at least try a new thing once in a while. Beating up on Maxthon through a post like this will do nothing for you, unless you get some kind of strange pleasure out of feeling your tiny angry browser voice has been heard. I know I do… ;)

  79. Stormy_2021

    March 2nd, 2006 at 2:33 pm

    @ Andrew…

    :thumbs up:

    WOOT!…

  80. Tigerhawkvok

    March 2nd, 2006 at 4:23 pm

    Good job Andrew!

    I’ve been using Maxthon for almost 4 years, and only now am testing IE7… and still sometimes go back to faithful Maxthon. I personally abhor FireFox, with its bloat, lack of native features, and slow opening time. The only reason its even installed at the moment is because some sites don’t like the beta-ness of the IE7 core…. which, incidentally, is in the process of addressing many of the W3C concerns everyon eis chatting about! Honestly, when did you last run across a site that broke because it wasn’t compliant? Having standards is a good idea, but they’re not really *that* important for the time being. And this is coming from a web developer, too.

    Try Maxthon. You’d be surprised, it manages to be faster on the same core, and much lighter on the memory.

  81. Fernando

    March 3rd, 2006 at 6:39 am

    You may use genko render in Maxthon. You gotta install gecko dll, than in ‘new windows’ button in maxthon there is a “use gecko engine”. Restart and you´ll be rendering pages with gecko, like firefox does.

    Some feature of Maxthon will be lost with the new render.

    So, Maxthon may be half firefox half IE, just choose what you pefere.

  82. willem

    March 3rd, 2006 at 8:40 am

    anybody aware of the plans of Google launching their own browser? Yahoo has also plans? Anybody with insight, that will effect Maxthon too.

  83. willem

    March 3rd, 2006 at 8:41 am

    50 million downloads is not 50 million users, who knows the exact number of users?

  84. Josh

    March 3rd, 2006 at 10:59 am

    Funny to see, thta many of the features of Firefox 2.0 are well known from Maxthon… like the Undo-Button which restore closed pages if you accidentally closed them or the browser/system crashed or the ability to define own search engines for the searchbar with a few simple clicks.

  85. ZenWarrior

    March 4th, 2006 at 5:32 am

    Forget the war of the words. Let those who wish use Firefox, Opera, or whatever. Those of us who use Maxthon “get it.” That the others do not is of no real consequence.

    Maxthon has not all-but-silently reached 50 million downloads for no good reason (unless all of us 50 million are abject idiots) — and without a full-page and very expensive ad in a national newspaper. I’ll use my Maxthon; others may use whatever they wish. And occasionally, I use Firefox and Opera (and keep them fully updated) — to remain fully informed and open-minded about **all** browsers, and not blind to all the only browser directly in front of my eyes.

    Now, if only those other browser users would stop asking, “How did you do that?!” as they totally dismiss the tool (i.e., Maxthon) that amazed them when they saw it used by someone who knows it. And yes, that is exactly what I hear **every single time** when someone watches me work without knowing, “He’s not using Firefox! Horrors!” Now, back to the browser many here have dismissed without even using it.

    Oh, one thing that makes it infinitely safer than I.E. is that infinite capacity for customization (and without countless out-dated or conflict-causing extensions) about which some have taken time *not* to read or hear. Within seconds I can turn off every “unsafe” I.E. feature than remains “open” even on Firefox. In fact, and the absolute truth, the only malware I’ve picked up in the past year was when I exclusively used Firefox for a full week. Again, horrors!!!

    In sum, if you use Firefox then keep using it. The same applies to Opera users. And, enjoy your experiences. I’m certainly enjoying my Maxthon experience.

  86. ZenWarrior

    March 4th, 2006 at 5:41 am

    One thing more. Those who dismiss Maxthon because it uses the I.E. core are the same people who might say a NASCAR is still nothing more than a stock Ford or Chevy. And we all know just how ridiculous that statement is, right?

    I.E. = Ford or Chevy
    Maxthon = NASCAR-enhanced Ford or Chevy

    Thanks for offering me the well-designed, beautiful and safe Volvo (i.e., Firefox, Opera), but I’ll drive my NASCAR (i.e., Maxthon) — at 200 mph!

  87. Supreme

    March 4th, 2006 at 4:48 pm

    I think Maxthon would not last too long.

    It had very nice features but most of them are mediocre.

    Firefox will slowly take Maxthon’s place.
    Firefox plugins are getting better and better everyday while Maxthon is stuck at the same place.

    But Maxthon community sure rocks.

  88. Yoni

    March 5th, 2006 at 11:39 pm

    Using FF is like sleeping with your step-sister because she is the only girl you know when you live in Antarctica. Sometimes she makes pancakes tasty and sometime as bitter as hell, but again, when you think it’s cool to live alone in Antarctica - It looks normal, and fun, and you don’t even know that you are doing something wrong.

    Using Maxthon is like going to Sweden, chosing the blondest girl, knowing that she might not be the brightest girl in town, but all her pancakes comes out sweet and good, and best of all - it’s fun to live with!

    Yoni,
    Israel

  89. David Foltyn

    March 5th, 2006 at 11:39 pm

    I saw lot of posts above with comment “Maxthon uses IE engine thus it can’t be more secure than IE”. I can say such “simple” comment is completely wrong. Maxthon contain certain “changes/updates” to cover some of IE bugs and exploits and prevent them. Sure sooner or later they all become patched by MS but out-of-box Maxthon is more secure than IE6 alone. How i know? well i’m one of the active supporting members :) And about future :)) stay tuned as Maxthon 2.0 is on way…

  90. Patrick

    March 7th, 2006 at 5:07 pm

    Wow, what a lot of comments!

    Firefox is from Mozilla - it’s their product. If there’s a problem in Gecko then people working on Firefox are in a position to fix it. Tell me, how can Maxthon developers fix IE? That’s kind of different to just being a shell. You only have limited control over the IE control.

    With regards to ActiveX/Java/Javascript in IE - IE provides a plenty easy way to turn these off as well. I’m still not going to use it.

  91. Darren

    March 8th, 2006 at 11:38 pm

    Well I’ve been using Maxthon since it was MyIE. Way before most of today’s Firefox users had even heard of tabs. And I’ll start by saying that I have never had a virus or drive-by download etc infect my computer while using it. I just run it with ActiveX off by default.

    I installed Firefox the day version one was released and have the current version still installed. However Maxthon is still my default browser. I just don’t yet feel comfortable with Firefox’s clunky interface and toolbars that wobble around. And in reply to this comment earlier…..
    “I haven’t seen anything that Firefox doesn’t do natively or isn’t supported with an extention.”
    Well the ‘natively’ part is immensely optimistic, while the ’supported with an extension’ part is largely true. But for me that was the first disappointment with Firefox. Having to spend days and days installing and playing with extensions, trying to get it to mimic the functionality of Maxthon as it comes out of the box. And then finding that every Firefox update breaks half your extensions, so you have to wait till they’re updated before the browser features you’ve become accustomed to work again. If you can find those features of course, which unlike Maxthon when installed don’t just sit on a plugin toolbar. They’re scattered around various right click menus, toolbars and under various menu items.

    So while I’ve now finally got Firefox to the stage where it equals (and in some cases surpasses) Maxthon functionality (after playing with hundreds of Firefox extensions), it still feels rather clunky, and I’ll resist making it my default browser until Maxthon 2 arrives. At which time I’m reasonably sure there once again won’t be any comparison between the two.

  92. Guttu

    March 9th, 2006 at 8:48 am

    I truly agree with darren
    I too have been using Maxthon since it was MyIE2.Its definately better browsing than IE and Firefox. Because of the gr8 wow got to the Firefox it became famous. The credit goes to the marketing. But take Maxthon it got so much downloads on just mouth publicity. Thas I can say brilliant
    And I’ve to use