Basilisk Browser (32-bit)
Basilisk Browser is a free and open-source XUL-based web browser that uses the well-known Firefox interface and function. It is based on the Goanna layout and rendering engine (a Gecko clone) and is built on the Unified XUL Platform (UXP), a fork of the Mozilla source base that does not include Servo or Rust. The tool is a modern, feature-rich web browser. It tries to keep useful technologies that its sibling Firefox has eliminated.
The app serves primarily as a reference application for the development of the XUL platform on which it is based, as well as a prospective Firefox alternative.
Basilisk is development software. This means that it should always be regarded as "beta"; it may have bugs and is offered as is, with potential flaws. As with any other Free Software community effort, it is provided without warranty or promise of fitness for any particular use. "That being said: of course, we will do our best to provide as stable and secure a browser as possible with every official release of Basilisk Browser for PC".
It should be emphasized that, because of this emphasis on platform development, the browser itself (the application code) will be released and kept mostly unchanged, with little change or development to the user interface or browser front-end functionality. As the platform evolves, some Firefox-specific capabilities may be removed; please do not anticipate this application to stay the same forever.
Features & Highlights
- JavaScript's ECMAscript 6 standard is fully supported for modern web browsing.
- Support for all NPAPI plugins (e.g., Unity, Silverlight, Flash, Java, authentication plugins).
- Mozilla-style extensions are supported in XUL/Overlay format.
- WebExtensions are receiving experimental support (in gecko-target mode). Please be aware that some Mozilla-specific WebExtension APIs are not currently available.
- Linux supports ALSA.
- Support for WebAssembly.
- Support for advanced graphite font shaping features.
- Support for current web cryptography, including TLS 1.3, modern ciphers, and HSTS.
Important changes with Mozilla Firefox
- Uses Goanna as a layout and rendering engine. In certain ways, Goanna differs from Gecko, which may result in differing web page displays. For example, Goanna creates gradients in a more accurate color space (not premultiplied).
- Builds on the UXP and XUL platforms are currently in development. As a result, XUL is still functional in this internet browser and will not be deprecated.
- Some long-standing known problems with the Mozilla code base have been resolved (for example, CVE-2009-1232).
- It does not use Rust or the Photon UI. You can expect a familiar UI, as seen in Firefox between versions 29 and 56.
- It does not employ electrolysis (e10s, multi-process browsing).
- It does not require a walled-garden extension signature.