Dillo 3.1, the minimalist web browser, makes a long-awaited return

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Published release of a minimalistic web browser Dillo 3.0, written in C/C++ using the FLTK library. The browser is characterized by its small size (the executable file is about a megabyte when assembled statically) and minimal memory consumption, with a graphical interface with support for tabs and bookmarks, support for HTTPS and a basic set of web standards (there is support for HTML 4.01 and CSS, but no JavaScript). Dillo's functionality can be extended via pluginsfor example, there is a plugin for protocols IPFS And Gemini. Project code distributed by under the GPLv3 license.

The last major release of Dillo 3.0.0 was published in 2011, and the last corrective update 3.0.5 in 2015. In 2016, one of the key developers of the project died, after which in 2017 the development of Dillo completely stopped, and in 2022 the payment deadline for the project domain expired and dillo.org was lost. In January 2024 an attempt has been made revival of the project, the results of which are presented as part of Dillo 3.1. A branch was also created in 2023 Dillo+ (Dillo-Plus), which included the backlog of fixes (the last change in Dillo-Plus was added two months ago).

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Major changes in Dillo 3.1:

  • Added support for floating HTML elements and CSS properties “float“.
  • HTTPS support has been significantly improved and enabled by default. For HTTPS operation, the OpenSSL, LibreSSL and mbed TLS libraries can be used. Added the “http_force_https” setting for forced forwarding from HTTP to HTTPS.
  • A continuous integration system has been implemented for testing builds for Ubuntu, MacOS, FreeBSD and Windows (cygwin).
  • Added automated tests to check the correctness of HTML rendering.
  • Expanded CSS support: added support for 'width' and 'height' attributes for all elements, implemented 'min-width', 'max-width', 'min-height' and 'max-height' properties, added support for 'display: inline' -block'.
  • Added support for the “‹main›” HTML tag and expanded support for the “‹button›” tag.
  • Widgets have been redesigned.
  • The aspect ratio is preserved for images whose resolution parameters are specified as a percentage.
  • Added 'adjust_min_width' and 'adjust_table_min_width' settings.
  • Prioritization of resource loading is provided (images are loaded with lower priority).
  • Added the http_persistent_conns setting and provided the ability to reuse HTTP connections.
  • Added support for HTTP STS (Strict Transport Security), which can be disabled using the http_strict_transport_security setting in dillorc.
  • Added ui_tab_height setting to set the height of tab buttons.
  • The ability to switch tabs using the mouse wheel is enabled.
  • Improved detection of XHTM documents.

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