New Update Arc Browser - The Browser Company's Darin Fisher Thinks It's Time To Reinvent the Browser

Ink

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Student invite link for Academia

Create separate spaces for classes, clubs or interviews. Multitask between exams and shows all day, every day. Paint your browser your perfect shade.

Have fun online, again.

Screenshot from link above
Screenshot 2022-11-02 at 18.28.54.png
 
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oldschool

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BryanB

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Web browsers that aren’t Safari have long offered the ability to customize their look with themes. For example, the frame and buttons from Chrome and Firefox can look different with custom colors and other ways of personalizing their windows. Now Arc from The Browser Company wants to bring that same level of customization to the web.

Part of Arc’s design approach is getting out of the way when possible. Personalizing the browser window is not as impactful when there isn’t much browser window always showing. Instead, Arc is bringing the spirit of theming to the websites you regularly visit.

The new feature is part of Boost 2.0 within the Arc browser. The new version of Boost lets you customize colors of elements on web pages while also setting your own font. This goes beyond what some extensions do to add a dark mode preference to light mode websites.

You can basically become the web designer for your favorite sites. It’s very much like the days of MySpace when you could theme out your profile as sleek or gaudy as your heart desired.

 

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Security aspect and usefulness outside of the desktop view.
If you make a Boost you like, you can share it with other Arc users, who can install it with a click. The only limitation? Boosts that use JavaScript can’t be shared, which is a hedge against bad actors building sneaky code into their Boosts. Basically, you can ruin your own computer with JavaScript Boosts but not someone else’s.

[…] also built something called the Boost Gallery, where you can search for and discover those shareable customizations for various websites.

Some users will inevitably create Boosts that cause problems on a site or hide something that turns out to be useful; those users might even forget they made a Boost and just blame the website itself

[…] the fact that Boosts don’t work as well on mobile is proof to Fisher of how useful they are.
From Arc’s new Boosts feature lets you change the way any website looks
 

BryanB

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If you've wanted to customize (or simply deface) the websites you visit, you'll now have an easy time of it. The Browser Company has released its Arc 1.0 browser for the Mac, no waitlist required. The finished version includes a few features that have popped up in recent weeks, including an optional toolbar, a site "control center" and picture-in-picture support for Google Meet video calls. The software should be leaner and faster than previous versions, too.

As before, Arc rethinks some of the fundamentals of web browsers. You can personalize the look and layout of a website using Boosts that let you change colors, replace fonts and even "zap" sections you don't want to see. While this doesn't work perfectly for every website, you can share many customizations with other users. You can use coding and scripts to create Boosts, but they don't require that know-how.
 

silversurfer

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Arc browser has graduated from beta to version 1.0. The Browser Company's app is now available for all users on macOS.
Arc Browser for Windows is in the works, and is being built with Swift. It will be released in Winter 2023, you can join the waitlist for it now. Arc for Android is also being planned.
 

Ink

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https://releases.arc.net/release/Arc-latest.dmg
Size: 311 MB

Almost double that of Chrome browser (Enterprise) which weighs in at 180-190 MB for Mac, and 80-120 MB for Windows
 

silversurfer

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Arc browser for Windows​

As of now, Arc Browser is available for Mac users. However, we anticipate it to be accessible on Windows in the future as well. Arc Browser indeed introduces a set of unique features that may require some time for users to get accustomed to. But, for those who appreciate full customization of their browsing experience and wish to manage their web interaction in a full-screen mode without worrying about privacy issues, Arc Browser could be a dream come true.

The Browser Company team is diligently working on the development of Arc Browser, striving to create a more personalized internet experience for users. If you are someone who prefers keeping things simple, sticking with Google Chrome might be a better option for you. But, if you are open to exploring and experimenting, Arc Browser could indeed be an interesting choice. To join the waitlist, go to this link!
 

Ink

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I tried Arc and removed it pretty well straight away.

Safari is far superior IMHO and with Private Relay, more secure.
It was going to be a biased review from the start. Mac users tend not to try new trends, whereas Windows users are more experimental and bigger risk takers. It’s why I am willing to wait for the Windows beta version before reading the half-reviews.

Private Relay is a feature exclusive to Apple Safari on iOS/macOS. A dedicated privacy desktop VPN is superior. Period.
 

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