I've been looking for a new browser to replace IE. I like using IE but the vulnerability list just keeps growing and growing. Netscape doesn't cut it and I don't really like Opera either. About the only other browser I've ever used that I've liked is Lynx.

I like the way K-Melon looks and was about to download it when I saw it wants server rights. I really don't want to open any ports for it, even if it is just talking to itself.

What is the general concensus about security and stability issues using K-Melon among those in the know. It seems like quite a while since there has been an update.

Try using NetWorker.

>server rights

You are using Zone Alarm.
the server rights alarm from zone alarm is really stupid !

The Mozilla core inside K-Meleon opens 2 localhost ports for internal communications.
There is no security problem because external connections are not accepted.

You should try a better firewall. (there are a few very good freeware firewalls like kerio, tiny...)

This ffirewalls are blocking and warning only if someone trying to access an open port.

"You are using Zone Alarm."

Who do you think you are? Ms. Cleo? If you look at my original post you'll see that I hadn't even downloaded K-Melon when I posted. I read in another post where someone else said it wanted server rights.


"the server rights alarm from zone alarm is really stupid !"

I don't use ZoneArarm, but stupidity seems to be your area of expertise so I'll take your word for it.


"The Mozilla core inside K-Meleon opens 2 localhost ports for internal communications."

Reading comprehension must not be your strong point. I already knew the ports were opened for K-Melon to talk to itself.


"There is no security problem because external connections are not accepted."

My firewall would block any connection attempt there wasn't a pre-existing rule to allow anyway.


"You should try a better firewall. (there are a few very good freeware firewalls like kerio, tiny...)"

I already have one that provides SPI, sequence number hardening, and packet analyzation. Kerio and Tiny don't provide those features.


"This ffirewalls are blocking and warning only if someone trying to access an open port."

If I thought I needed advise on ports, protocols, or how a firewall operates I would ask somewhere other than a browser forum.

It depends on what version you are using. The browser itself is very secure and has good stability although as a pre 1.0 release, there are always cases of flakiness and pages that have caused crashes. Do you have specific security concerns that you wanted addressed?

Thanks for the reply.

I just wasn't familiar with the Geko engine and didn't know about any possible security issues associated with it. After using IE I'm used to worrying about browser security.

How is K-M at handling CSS and XHTML? Some of the other alternative browsers I've been looking at only support a few HTML 4.01 tags and not much CSS.

I've got the public release of K-M now and am going to try it out. If I like it I'll see about getting a newer beta version.

To make long story short - Gecko engine is the best out there for displaying (X)HTML, CSS and Javascript. It has wider CSS1 & 2 support than IE6, correct-to-the-letter DOM1 (& best partial DOM2) support and it comes with Javascript 1.5 (multiple catch clauses, function expressions). Latest Geckos also include TransforMIIX for doing XSLT. That one is kind of raw at the moment but getting better. Latest KM doesn't have that one included, yet.

As for security - I'd be amazed if you dare to browse the web with IE, at the moment there are like 3 ways to read local files in IE and none in Gecko/Mozilla. Although, special case must be made for KM here - whereas Mozilla usually gets fixed and relased withing a day, KM can only use new engine when you either build it yourself or developers release new version. Still you'd be way safer browsing around with Gecko engine than IE.

When I do use IE I never enable Scripting, Java, or ActiveX, which are the basis of most of it's exploits. I stay aware of the new ones, some get patched and some never do, which is why I'm ready to change browsers.

I've been using the public release of K-M and like it a lot.

I've got a few pages at Geocities that use XHTML 1.0 and CSS 2.0 with one in frames. Everything displays very much the same as in IE. I visited a few different message boards and it did a much better job of displaying them the way I'm used to seeing them than Opera.

It didn't seem to recognize the backspace command I had mapped to one of my mouse buttons so I don't have to hit the back button on the browser, but I can live with that. My only request, unless I just missed the way it's done, would be a way to disable downloads until I'm ready to download something.

All things considered, I think K-M is just what I've been looking for and will be my standard browser from now on.

Glad to see you like it so far

But keep in mind that this is just beta software and it has known bugs. Public 0.6 release is also based on older Mozilla, I think on 0.97 and has some quirks that have been resolved by now.

Also, be sure to check out resources section for additional skins and advices how to build custom macros, how to customize menus, context menus and toolbars. Nice thing about KM is that you can redefine *all* menus, *all* buttons and write custom helper macros for various tasks.

Hmmm Very informative...

If your looking for a new browser don't count on this website to give it to you. .7 is long overdue and i wouldn't be surprised if it never came out. You see there is the layered windows , the opera hotlist........ and other nonsense . But thats just a developers way of putting off a new release. Which has been successfully done for almost a year now . So if they want to keep making plugins instead of the task at hand( the .7 release ) then let them. It will be out sometime. Just pick a date if your desperate for this long awaited browser to come out. Then come back and see if its out. If it isn't then move on to a different browser. Hell if you want a K-Meleon browser so bad just do a custom install of mozilla. Its the same rendering engine just a different browser.

Which options do you have to set for a custom install of Moz for it to be the same as K-M generally?

to do a custom install of mozilla just install the browser and security manager all the other stuff on a custom install is just bloat

Yeah, you proabably still don't get it why people prefer KM to Mozilla

> to do a custom install of mozilla just install the browser and security manager all the other stuff on a custom install is just bloat

Ignorance at it's highpoint
Fits well together with the KM bashing 2 post higher

* You probably use mIRC instead of Chatzilla, presumably because you like getting viruses.

* You probably use MS outlook instead of Mozilla mail, becuase you don't just want to GET viruses, you like to spread them to all your e-mail friends too.

* You have no need for the doom inspector, becuse you probably don't even know how to code a webpage.

* You don't see the use for the automatic crashreporter, becuase you don't want fatal bugs to be fixed ASAP in your browser.

* When you see the word Debugger, you go hu, whats that?!?

And that compleats the list of "bloatware" in mozilla...

Kmeleon certainly has promise, but it is quite out of date. I keep checking for the .7 release, and it may eventually come, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Alternatives include Beonex, which is Mozilla with the debug code removed, and a better installer. Beonex lets you install as much or as little as one wants. I just installed the Browser. I use Pegasus for e-mail. I especially like the cookie and Javascript controls. You can get Beonex at http://www.beonex.org

My Beonex folder size is 17+ mb(browser only installation) and kmeleon is 38mb! This is interesting. I will have to investigate this. Comments?

Smallest browser I think:
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/forum/read.php?f=1&i=4504&t=4504

My K-Meleon folder is only 12.5 MB.

"Kmeleon certainly has promise, but it is quite out of date. I keep checking for the .7 release, and it may eventually come, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Alternatives include Beonex, which is Mozilla with the debug code removed, and a better installer. Beonex lets you install as much or as little as one wants. I just installed the Browser. I use Pegasus for e-mail. I especially like the cookie and Javascript controls. You can get Beonex at http://www.beonex.org"

If you do a "custom" install with Mozilla, you can also install as much (the works) or as little (just the browser) as you want.

"My Beonex folder size is 17+ mb(browser only installation) and kmeleon is 38mb! This is interesting. I will have to investigate this. Comments?"

Taking into account the cache as well, perhaps?

Has anyone other than Peter tested Beonex? Just wanna see how it compares with KM (objectively speaking bc im no expert)

"Has anyone other than Peter tested Beonex? Just wanna see how it compares with KM (objectively speaking bc im no expert)"

Beonex is just a "polished" version of Mozilla 1.0, so a fairer comparison would be between Mozilla and Beonex, as they are both *very* similar, not just in appearance. So, K-Meleon is still streets ahead as it doesn't suffer from the XUL bloat which goes along with Mozilla, Beonex etc.

"My Beonex folder size is 17+ mb(browser only installation) and kmeleon is 38mb! This is interesting. I will have to investigate this. Comments?"

My k-meleon-folder is 10.3 mb. This size is without the Profile-Folder. Your k-meleon-folder probably includes the profile- and cache-folder.

My observations so far:
1.kmeleon 's favorites cannot be arranged ,beonex' bookmarks can.
2.I can make http://www.greyphone.com pc to phone calls in beonex ,not in kmeleon.
3.beonex has a offline mode,none in kmeleon.

"kmeleon 's favorites cannot be arranged ,beonex' bookmarks can."

K-Meleon Bookmarks can be arranged, but you can also use IE's favorites without having to import them.

"I can make http://www.greyphone.com pc to phone calls in beonex ,not in kmeleon."

Install the plugin in K-Meleon then you can.

"beonex has a offline mode,none in kmeleon."

I have never seen a use for this option.

"Install the plugin in K-Meleon then you can."

Yes I tried installing the plugin manually but km still does not display the phone dialler. Jason,have you tried this? Please tell me what you did. Beonex installs the plugin automatically.

"I have never seen a use for this option."

Unlike most of you here(I assume). I still use a modem dial-up for internet. My ISP in Oman charges a premium for every minute on the web so I load the pages including this forum and view them offline later. Yes I can put the cache check to "never" in the options but it is easier if there was an offline button. Look, IE,NS,Mozilla and Opera have this option(ofline) so I believe a lot of people asked for it.