The Lunascape Blog

A New Blog Site

2010-06-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

We've move to a new Blog site!

http://blog.lunascape.tv

Lunascape Version 6.1.6. Release: Improved Features and Bug Fixes

2010-06-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here we are, Lunascape version 6.1.6 is released today! This is most likely to be the last minor updates on v.6.1.x.

As you know, we've been mainly focusing on bug fixes before going into ver.6.2.x. So, this ver.6.1.6. is yet another bug fixed version of Lunascape with some feature improvements.

One of the bugs that I am personally happy to see fixed is ...

"The strings, which were typed in the Address Bar and the Search Bar at the time of the previous shutdown, briefly reappear right after launching Lunascape."

I've been noticing my Lunascape showing the last URL I've typed in the Address Bar whenever I relaunch Lunascape. And now, it is fixed.

There are 18 bug fixes in this version. So, please update your Lunascape.

For more details, please refer to the Release Note.

Lunascape Version 6.1.5. Release : Improved Installation/Upgrade Speeds

2010-06-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today, we've released another minor upgrade of Lunascape, version 6.1.5.

What's new with this version?

It is very simple this time. Lunascape ver. 6.1.5. has faster installation and update. Period. As I've said during the last version release, "Our focus now is to resolve as many open bugs as possible and to optimize speed and process before we move forward to ver. 6.2.x."

So, here we go. Optimizing speed and process of installation/upgrade of Lunascape itself. I hope we're making a good progress towards your experience of using the Lunascape browser.

Version 6.1.5. Release Note

Lunascape Version 6.1.4. Release: Urgent Bug Fixes

2010-05-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like we've been releasing minor version updates of v.6.1.x pretty often nowadays and hope this is not driving you too crazy... In case if you're wondering, we will likely to have two more minor updates before going into v.6.2. And today, we're releasing ver.6.1.4 that includes some urgent bug fixes.

The major bug fix is resolving an Gecko engine specific issue, which pressing the backspace key during text inserts in a form acts as "back" to go back to a previous page in the browser. Some of you might have encountered this issue and got annoyed by it every time your typed-in form gets disappeared using Gecko engine. But it is now over, thank you for your patients waiting for the fix!

Another bug fix is resolving an issue of discoloration of words in the smart engine selection button at particular environments. Believe it or not, I've had this issue with my environments and not noticed it is a bug until I've upgraded one of my testing environments. So, I bet some of you may not know this is a bug either. To find out what's been wrong, please see the following images. Who has a word in purple?

Wrong:

Correct:

Our focus now is to resolve as many open bugs as possible and to optimize speed and process before we move forward to ver. 6.2.x. We hope these upgrades will improve your daily experience of using the Lunascape browser!

Ver. 6.1.4. Release Note

Lunascape Version 6.1.3. Release: Optimized Startup Speed

2010-05-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yet another minor release of Lunascape is available for download today.

Lunascape ver.6.1.3 is all about optimization. We've made some changes to the source code to fine-tune the browser startup processes and increased its speed. This change should be more apparent for some of the users who are using slightly lower spec PC.

Based on our internal test, the startup speed is increased by approximately 13% compared to the last version of Lunascape v.6.1.2. This test has been conducted in the following environment.

OS: Windows XP SP3
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6750 2.66GHz
Memory: 3GB
Graphic: ATI RADEON HD2400XT 128MB

If you've been using latest PC with high spec graphic card, you may not notice the differences. However, if you are on the low side, you should be able to feel the optimized speed at the time of the startup.

Hope you'll enjoy it.

Its release note is available from the Lunapedia.

Releasing ver 6.1.2 with New Online Help!

2010-04-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

It has been just 10 days since ver 6.1.1 release, but we have another one for you.

This one includes revised Gecko engine (revision 1.9.1.9 - same as Firefox 3.5.9) and about a dozen of bug fixes.(Please check release notes for detail) The reasons we didn't include Gecko engine for Firefox 3.6.x at this point are some security concern and add-on incompatibility. However, please rest assured that when these issues are cleared up, we will upgrade the engine.

Another big news is that we have revamped Lunascape Help. We had been wanting to do it for so long and I am so happy to present it to you today. It's a bit rough around the edges, but we will continue to work on the look and content. I hope this new system is much easier for you to use and better enables you to personalize Lunascape exactly the way you want. Let us know what you think - any feedback will be much appreciated.

So take it away and enjoy!

Lunascape version 6.1.1 Release: Updated Webkit Engine and More Stability

2010-04-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all your reviews and feedback on v.6.1.0 RC. Now, an official version of Lunascape 6.1.1 is available to you!

It has an updated version of Webkit 533.3, a new smart engine selection button, better shortcut keys enforcement, 100 bug fixes and over 30 feature improvements and enhanced usability.

Here is an overview of What's New in Lunascape v.6.1.1.

A Smart Engine Selection Button

You can now switch rendering engines more easily by using the smart engine selection button.

The button is placed right the end of the address bar for easier views, and a simple one click will rotate engines among Trident, Gecko and Webkit. You can also right-click on the button to select your preferred engine.

Change In Shortcut Key Enforcement

You can use shortcut keys for application better than ever with Luanscape v.6.1.1. It now prioritizes Application's shortcut key enforcement first before Lunascape's when you're using Gecko or Webkit engines. This will allow you to use shortcut keys easier and the way you've wanted to with an application.

More Stability and Improvements

100 bug fixes and 33 feature improvements are made toward the release of Lunascape v.6.1.1. Some of the improvements are, auto-focus on the address bar when opening new tabs, display Gecko and Webkit version on 'about Lunascape' window, more edit options on tab groups, a wheel click to open a link in a new tab (Trident), a change in default settings for Ctrl+E and Ctrl+D shortcut keys, etc. For more details, please see the Release Note.

We hope you'll like v6.1.1 better and enjoy some of the new features. Any questions and comments are welcomed. You can also visit out Support Forum to place feature requests, ask how-tos, or report any troubleshoot.

Lunascape 7 alpha WAVE is here - who would've thought?

2010-04-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

You probably know that we love being the "world's only" and "triple" everything here at Lunascape.

This time, let us present you the world's first and only Triple Input browser! Lunascape7 Alpha Wave lets you use your "brain wave" to navigate the web, in addition to a mouse and a keyboard. Check this out!

You know what day it is today, right? I hope you enjoyed.
By the way, this version is actually available in English. If you'd like to try it out, download it here.

Verion 6.1 RC is now open for a test drive

2010-03-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Hope you are enjoying early sign of spring.

As we promised, we have worked on a lot of bug fixing and prepared a test version (RC: Release Candidate) of the next release 6.1. Total number of new feature & improvement is 31 and bug fix is 98, to be exact. Whew. We certainly hope that we fixed many of your concerns. (You can check out nuts and blots of what changed here.)

The test version is available only in English, but if you could try out and see what you asked have been implemented or fixed, we'd appreciate it very much. If you find issues, please report them to our support forum. We may not be able to respond to them as we normally do, but we'd certainly get your feedback into finalizing the next version.

You can download the test version here. We appreciate your feedback as always.

Version 6.0.3 is out with the latest Gecko engine

2010-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

In the midst of winter Olympics, we just released updated version 6.0.3. (Now we can sit back and enjoy the last few days of the games!)

We have updated Gecko engine to the latest revision 1.9.1.8, which is the same as Firefox 3.5.8. As you can see from Mozilla's release note here, this includes several security and stability fix and we strongly encourage you to update yours soon.

We have also fixed some bugs such as memory issues wrt favorites, WebKit font issues, etc. Please check our release note for details of what changed.

We are also working towards a larger update, so please stay tuned.

Version 6.0.2 is available now

2010-02-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Thanks for waiting. Update version 6.0.2 is released earlier today.

We did a bit of engine tuning so that you will feel it is faster and more stable. It includes 13 bug fixes as well.
Oh yes, that annoying bug of search button is now fixed. Please check out our release note for details.
http://en.lunapedia.lunascape.tv/index.php?title=Release_Notes#Feb_2.2C_2010_Ver_6.0.2

We know that there are more bugs to fix (thanks to your diligent reports!) and we are planning to do a big feast on that.

Until then, please enjoy the 6.0.2.

Protect Yourself with Triple Engine

2010-01-22T01:27:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Many of you have probably heard of the recent IE vulnerability issue which German and French government acted quite strongly. (If you haven't, you can read it here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/7018669/France-warns-against-Internet-Explorer-use.html)

Internet security is a lot to do with individual's system setup and behavior, and it is difficult to be 100% safe. But, when times like this, Lunascape's triple engine becomes really handy.

When a security hole of a browser is being exploited, what would you do? You won't access the Internet until the hole is patched? Or would you go through the process of downloading another browser and learning how to use it from scratch? And what happens when the new browser you switched to encounter different vulnerability issues?

With Lunascape's triple engine, protecting yourself is just two clicks away. When there is a problem with IE, you change your default engine to Gecko or WebKit. Similarly, if there is a problem with Firefox, you can instantly change it to WebKit or Trident. And you can do all that having the same UI, favorites, bookmarks etc. that you are familiar with. No re-learning involved. No productivity lost.

Yes, each of our engine is susceptible to the same security issues and, in this case, we strongly encourage you to apply the emergency patch provided by Microsoft to your IE (Trident) . But, you won't really hear that security issues of all major browsers are targeted at the same time, Therefore, you will be much safer using Lunascape and having control over which engine to use at any given time.

Hadn't thought about this merit of triple engine? Well, now you know.
Take charge and stay safe.
You can also help your friends in Germany and France by informing this alternative.

What's under the Christmas tree? A little gift from us!

2009-12-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

It's Christmas eve here in San Francisco. We have got a little something to be delivered to you over night.

We are releasing updated version 6.0.1 in a couple of hours. That includes the latest Gecko engine (same as Firefox 3.5.6), option to select IE8 native mode, higher resolution capability, and some bugs and language fixes.

It's not a big one (that's why 6.0.x) as official release was just a couple weeks ago, but we wanted to get you something for the holiday season.

So, once you find the gift under the tree, unwrap and enjoy it.

It's been a great year for us, thanks to all of you. We hope that many more people get to know Lunascape in the coming year. Please continue to help us in that and let us hear what you need and want.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season. May the coming year bring you a lot of joy.

Lunascape 6.0 ORION is Now Official

2009-12-11T04:18:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Whew, what a day! We just released Lunascape 6.0 as official /stable version.

Many of you have helped us improving the product by trying out test versions and giving us feedback. Without your help, we could not make it. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

We hope you enjoy the new Triple Engine + Triple Add-on Lunascape. Please upgrade soon, as support for ver 5 will end shortly.

As you know, we won't stop here. Keep coming with good suggestions!

RC3 for English

2009-12-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Quick update. RC3 for English is out including fixes for issues reported on RC2.
If you've updated to RC2 yesterday, update one more time to RC3. Sorry for the inconvenience!

RC and RC2 for English version

2009-12-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Thanks to all of you trying out the test version of 6.0, we are making steady progress.

RC version for English was released on Nov 30 and another update was released today as RC2. Update today and let us know what more we can do!

Thanks again! We are getting pretty close to official release.

Finally, International BETA is out

2009-11-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Thanks for your patience! We just released Beta version of Lunascape 6.0 in 9 languages other than English.(Chinese - traditional & simplified, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish)

We appreciate that many of you have tried it out even in alpha stage. Now, it's grown up to Beta - translations are done and many bugs are fixed. We certainly hope that many more people will go for test drive.

Please let us know if you find bugs and mistakes in translation!

Lunascape 6.0 ORION Beta2 (English) is now available

2009-11-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

We hope you are enjoying test-drive of our new Lunascape 6.0!

Thanks to your input, we have fixed 57 bugs so far and released it as Beta 2. If you'd like to get the latest, please make sure to download it at our website.

Users of international versions other than English, please wait for a little bit more to get beta version. We are working on the catch-up translation right now.

And please keep giving us feedback so that we can incorporate that into the official release!

Thanks for your help.

Finally it's here. Lunascape 6.0 ORION released

2009-11-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the wait. Today we released our new product Lunascape 6 ORION as test versions. For English it’s a beta and for other languages, alpha version is available for download.

With this version, Lunascape goes beyond the Triple Engine and adds Triple Add-on support, achieving the greatest degree of extensibility and flexibility among Web browsers.

Many of you have asked for compatibility with Firefox add-ons and now you have it! You can now utilize the vast array of add-ons for Firefox in addition to IE add-ons and Lunascape plug-ins, in a single platform.

Transferring your existing Firefox add-ons is easy and adding new ones to Lunascape is intuitive. And we have added a smart add-on organizer as a “gecko toolbar” so that you can manage add-ons easily with no clutter.

Other new features include:

New interface design (Orion) - sleek, simple, and easy to use
Split tab display - you can view a website in 3 engines side-by-side (hooray for web designers and developers!)
Sidebar 2.0 - The floating sidebar can handle multiple sidebar add-ons (e.g. minimap) at a time (only from beta) and can be separately displayed anywhere including another monitor.

And, we are happy to tell you that we did a major catch-up with WebKit functionalities (for beta)! The included Gecko revisions are 1.9.1.4 for beta, 1.9.1.3 for alpha. And WebKit revisions are r50048 for beta and r47762 for alpha.

Oh, what’ up with the name ORION? We picked this codename after the constellation (you know the one with 3 ‘belt’ stars surrounded by bright 4 stars) as a symbol of unifying four major browsers into a single platform through triple engines and triple add-ons.

Please check here for more details and if you’d like to dig in nuts and bolts, check out the Release Notes.
Try it out and let us know what you think. (Don’t worry - you can use Lunascape 5 and 6 on the same machine)

Reminder: This is a test version release to get your feedback to further develop the product. It may contain significant bugs, so please use it with caution and help us by reporting issues at Support Forum.

Version 5.1.6 just got out of the door

2009-11-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

We just released a small but important update. We have updated Gecko engine to version 1.9.1.4 (same as Firefox 3.5.4). This includes 11 security fixes including 6 serious ones (according to Mozilla).

Please make sure to update to this version, if you use Gecko, to stay safe.

And you know what's coming after a small update, right? Stay tuned.

Some new initiatives #1

2009-10-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I think I mentioned that we were working on some new stuff at Lunascape, and would like to share that with you.

One of the initiatives is about feedback loop. We'd like to learn more about what users think and had set up uninstall survey. Not that we want you to uninstall it, but if you must, we'd like to know why. It would be great if you could participate, it takes less than 1 minute.

Another initiative worth mentioning here is the community. We are setting up Lunascape facebook page. We have support forum, but believe there are more ways to interact with you wonderful users! We intend to use it as an integrated platform for users all over the world. So don't freak out if you see languages you don't understand.

It is still rough (I learned it is not so easy to find the right apps for a page...), but we'd love if you could become fans and participate. You can leave comments, communicate with others, and upload files you created wrt Lunascape.
We'd love to see you all out there and will appreciate any suggestions or comments.

We have more stuff cooking - but that's for another time.

Until then,
Yuki

5.1.5 is released with the latest engines

2009-09-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, we hope you had a wonderful summer.

I know you were waiting for this as it's been a little over a month since the last version update. Let me tell you, it's worth the wait!

Just released 5.1.5 comes with Gecko version 1.9.1.3 (same as Firefox 3.5.3) that fixes some more vulnerability such as Chrome privilege escalation with FeedWriter. Webkit version is 532.0 and that achieves 20% faster JavaScript speed compared to its previous version included in 5.1.4.

And we fixed A LOT of bugs that you’ve reported to us. Thanks for your great input. There are too many to list out here, but it includes default browser setting, correct title bar, IE history issues, and smoother install and uninstall etc.We have also added some new features such as tab activation options using a mouse wheel.

Additionally, we are kicking off some new initiatives to improve Lunascape experience, which I'd write again in a few days. So please stay tuned.

Go ahead and try out the new version. You can go to Help > Check for updates or wait for version update notification. And don't forget to let us know what you think!
(Note: I was told that manual update may not be available for today due to traffic control. Sorry for the inconvenience)

Summer gift from Lunascape - Ver 5.1.4

2009-08-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Yet again, we released new version. We have updated Gecko engine to revision 1.9.1.2 (same as Firefox 3.5.2), which overcomes some more security issues. Furthermore, we have fixed bugs related to title bar buttons, freeze during server connection dialog, and occasional crash at closing the last tab while using Gecko.

There are 2 released versions for 5.1.4. If you downloaded on Aug 7, you might have 5.1.4.4. On Aug 10, we have done subsequent release as 5.1.4.5 due to another important bug fix. The bug is related to deleting IE history while changing current directory. It is not a common problem, but we encourage everyone to update it to 5.1.4.5.

To make it easy, we have renewed update patch system so that you won’t miss our latest version any more. This might be a bit shaky in the beginning, so please let us know if you have problem. I will keep my eyes on it.

During the hot summer season, we hope browsing with Lunascape is at least a breeze for you guys.

Just released 5.1.3

2009-07-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I wasn't kidding when I said that dev team in Japan never sleeps. Today, we released version 5.1.3.

This includes the latest Gecko engine (same as Firefox 3.5.1), which overcomes vulnerability issues. And yes, this also supports HTML 5 including native support for Ogg Theora encoded video and Vorbis encoded audio.In addition, we have fixed some bugs related to Windows Vista/XP and crash issues specific to Gecko.

Check it out and let us know your thought as always.

Updated version 5.1.2 is out

2009-07-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for those of you who downloaded our official release 5.1 a little less than 2 weeks ago. I hope you are liking it.

Well, we don't stop there. Today, we released a bit of update. We have fixed issues regarding occasional crashes and freezes that you have kindly taken time to let us know. And we have improved speed in page load. You will feel it is much snappier with this new version.
(I think the dev team in Japan never really sleep...!)

For those with 5.1, you will receive update notice shortly, so make sure to click on it. For the folks who have not tried Lunascape yet, you really have no excuse ;-) Try it yourself.

As usual, please let us know what you think (good or bad) via comment here or at our support forum at http://en.bbs.luna.tv.

Lunascape 5.1 Official Release! Improved Launch Speed and Sidebar Usability

2009-07-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

Lunascape, the world’s only triple rendering engine browser with unmatched speed and usability, has made its leap again. Lunascape 5.1 Official Release has just arrived!

Our three in one (“Trident” in IE, “Gecko” in Firefox, and “WebKit” in Chrome & Safari) browser has been known not only for its broadest website coverage compatibility, but also for the top class JavaScript processing speed and usability. Since the prior Beta version, Lunascape has focused on getting the basics right: speed, stability and usability.

Below are key improvements made on Lunascape version 5.1 Official Release:

The Latest Rendering Engines
In this version, Lunascape is equipped with the latest versions and revisions of the rendering engines, namely Gecko 1.9.1, the same as just released Firefox 3.5, and Webkit r45367. But remember, Lunascape’s technology optimizes three engines and achieves even faster JavaScript speed than the original guys. Yes we did it again against latest Firefox 3.5!

*Please refer to our website for testing environments

Faster Launch and Shutdown through Refactoring
We know browser start-up speed is something we can’t look over when it comes to faster browsing experience. Lunascape has improved 25% since the Beta version through refactoring process. This also enables faster shutdown speed.

Floating Sidebar
Detachable floating sidebar is one of the examples of Lunascape’s heightened usability that competitors do not offer. In this version, we have listened to user’s feedbacks and made it more easy and intuitive. Check out how we tweaked it as you use favorite buttons and auto hide modes

Netbook Mode
Lunascape has prepared Netbook mode that utilizes limited display areas. By hiding the upper section of the browser toolbar, the display area of a site is widened. Switching between the modes is easy with a function key or mouse-over.

Snappier Features
Lunascape is a feature-rich browser. It comes natively with many useful features such as Mouse Gesture so that you don’t have to deal with the obsolete plug-in mess when in newer version of the browser. Since the Beta version, we have fixed a lot of bugs, and it’s now snappier than ever.

New Forum!
Hope you’ll enjoy this new version. If you run into any issues, we're very interested in feedback, so we can fix them quickly. Any other question, comments are also welcom! To place your comments, please visit our new forum at http://en.bbs.luna.tv/

Let us know what you think!

Lunascape5 Genesis rc2 Released! Focuses on International Languages Support

2009-05-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for your continued support of Lunascape. We've been burning the midnight oil in Tokyo and have just released Lunascape5 Genesis rc2. We're very excited! This new version supports 10 languages from around the globe including:

Chinese (simplified)
Chinese (traditional)
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portugues
Russian
Spanish

We've also worked hard to increase stability and speed. To download and try it out yourself please go here.

Please note: For those of you wanting to install Lunascape in another language than you already have installed, if you install in "For Admin" mode, it will completely overwrite you current version. Please use "For non Admin" mode.

If you run into any issues, we're very interested in feedback, so we can fix them quickly. Please do a quick, free registration on our Lunascapse - Global Bulletin Board System (BBS) and let us know what you think.

Netbooks: The Next Computing Craze?

2009-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

As consumers have demanded smaller and more portable computing devices, there has emerged on the scene a slim version of the laptop called the Netbook. Netbooks generally have smaller screens and keyboards than ordinary laptops, and have streamlined processors designed to handle basic functions like web browsing and email. The New York Times speculated today that Netbooks are "poised to reshape the PC industry" because they offer a much cheaper and lighter alternative to other computing hardware and pose a threat to traditional chip and software vendors like Intel and Microsoft .

Lunascape has paid attention to this trend, and in the most recent update to the browser, we've included new features that make Lunascape more compatible specifically with Netbooks. For instance, toolbar shrinking is a new, easy to use feature that allows users to shrink the toolbars at the top of the browser for a widescreen viewing mode particularly suited to small Netbook screens. In addition, with each new release, Lunascape focuses on lowering the CPU usage of the browser. Software that uses less power caters better to the smaller, low-power Netbook processors.

Netbooks seem ready to take flight this year. Lunascape will continue to update browser technology to remain consistent with the latest advances in hardware, software, and web standards. It's an exciting, fast-pased world!

Lunascape Named a CNET Webware 100 Finalist!

2009-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lunascape has been selected by CNET as a finalist in the Webware 100 Awards contest! The Webware 100 recognizes the best Web 2.0 applications and services in ten categories. Out of over 5,000 qualifying products, Lunascape was chosen to be among 300 finalists. Lunascape’s specific category, Browsing, includes 30 products, from which 10 will be chosen as winners at the end of the voting stage.

Now here’s where you come in! From March 31st to April 30th, you can go to CNET to vote for your favorite apps. We’ll need a lot of votes to beat the giants in the space, so feel free to send the link below to your friends, family, coworkers, dogs, cats, etc. Okay, we were kidding about the last two. If you enjoy the Lunascape product, we appreciate your vote!

The link for voting:
http://www.cnet.com/html/ww/100/2009/poll/browsing.html

Engine Switching for the Ordinary User

2009-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

We've been hearing from web developers and designers who appreciate Lunascape because it allows them to test their software in the three major rendering environments without having to open multiple browsers. While we certainly enjoy reducing headaches for developers, the benefits of engine switching are not exclusive to these types of users. Any person surfing the web can benefit from the choice that a "three-in-one" browser provides.

Dave Rosenberg discussed Lunascape last week on his Negative Approach blog at CNET. He recognized that many websites have incompatibilities with specific rendering engine technologies, which "often means a lack of functionality or a flat-out inability to use a site with the wrong browser." When you come across these sites, should you have to download and open a new browser and start from scratch? Instead, why not use the engine of your choice and be able to easily switch when you come across rendering problems? It's this choice that equips Lunascape users with the best technology, no matter where they are on the web.

To really understand why this matters to you, check out a short screencast that demonstrates engine switching in action.

Lunascape5 Genesis Beta Release

2009-02-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Beta of our global English version browser, Lunascape5 Genesis, was released on February 10th. You can download it at http://www.lunascape.tv. Since the initial launch in late November, we’ve been hard at work improving our state of the art triple-engine technology and taking in useful user feedback along the way on features and functions that are important to them.

What we’ve been hearing time and time again is that people want their browser to enable a rich, interactive experience on the web. As users are increasingly becoming more active on Web 2.0 sites and applications, networking and collaborating with other users in real time, they need their browser to be highly responsive to their actions and commands.

In other words, speed is more essential than ever. In a Web 2.0 world, what’s the best measure for speed? The graph below shows our latest SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark test. You’ll notice we’re still at the front of the race. Lunascape5 has also scored a perfect 100/100 on the Acid3 test, which measures a browser’s compatibility with web standards (such as JavaScript). But why is fast JavaScript execution important? What does that mean to you as a user?

JavaScript is a scripting language used in the development of many websites and web-based applications. As a dynamic language, JavaScript code is highly responsive to user actions in the web interface and is employed at the core of many powerful and dynamic web applications. Do you use Gmail or Google Docs? What about social networking sites like Facebook or video sharing platforms like YouTube? Whenever you type, make updates and changes, interact with others, or even watch video, JavaScript is fundamental to your experience. And when a browser executes JavaScript quickly, that means as a user, you can be more efficient and interact with the social web in a more natural, fluid manner.

Of course, while speed is important, that’s not the only thing we look for in a browser. You can download Lunascape5 Beta at http://www.lunascape.tv and discover all the other cool features we’ve got in store, including three engines ready to power your journey to any destination on the web. Stay tuned for more surprises that are just around the corner.

For more information on the current release, please see the release notes.
Key updates include:
-Lower CPU usage
-Improvements for Gecko, Webkit, and Trident

Lunascape 5.0 rc Released in Japan: Speed, speed, and more speed!

2009-01-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

The latest Japanese version of Lunascape was released in Japan on January 27th, boasting breakneck speeds, lower CPU usage, and higher overall stability. In general, over 30 new features and bug fixes were added.

Do you care about speed? If so, this release is for you. And, yes, you'll need to be able to read some Japanese, too. But never fear. The global version, meaning the version in English, is right around the corner. You can test the alpha version here. (http://www.lunascape.tv)

For now, consider this a taste of what's possible.

For Javascript, when using the Gecko engine in Lunascape5.0 rc, compared with either Firefox3.1Beta2 or Google Chrome2.0.157.2, Lunascape comes out ahead as shown in the following SunSpider Javascript Benchmark test. The benchmark was conducted on January 23, 2009, Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, HDD 60GB, Intel Celeron M processory 420 (1.60 GHz) with 1GB of memory.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here, talk to us on our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/lunascape) or through our website, http://www.lunascape.tv

More information coming soon.

Navigating the Browser Wars: Freedom FROM Choice

2009-01-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

At Lunascape, we've been excited about building a fast, flexible, easy-to-use browser since we started coding in 2001 (founded company in 2004). 10 million downloads later and we still feel like we're learning new things every day. But browsers have become, more than ever, the center of many users’ computing life, and we're excited to be part of this part of the software industry.

Have you noticed? If your browser disappeared, or somehow wasn't functioning, how much work could you get done? Some? None? It has become a core technology in your life, along the lines of a telephone. Don't believe me? Try setting up your next business trip to Tokyo without using a browser.

Such a core function should not be co-opted by one company. Browsers must not become like the balkanized cell phone industry in the US, focusing on company territory, neglecting innovation, and innovative technologies. Browsers should be judged on the best code, the fastest test scores, the most interesting use of Internet technologies.

Let's talk about the technology in a browser for a minute. At the core, there is a rendering engine for the browser. The rendering engine is software that takes marked up content such as HTML, XML, image files, and formatting information such as CSS and XSL and displays the content on the screen. It renders all the various parts of a web page properly, in other words. Doing that quickly and efficiently is important.

There are three main rendering engines. Trident, the rendering engine from Internet Explorer, is used by many applications on the Microsoft Windows platform to render HTML, including the mini-browsers in Winamp and RealPlayer. Gecko, the Mozilla project's open source rendering engine, is used by a variety of products derived from the Mozilla code base, including the Firefox web browser. Same goes for WebKit, originally from Konquerer, and currently best known as powering Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome web browsers.

Which is best? Good question. We're not here to try to convince you to use one technology over the other. You should have the freedom to decide.

The problem is, people are already tending to argue which is best based on the company that's producing them, not the technology that’s in them. We're fans of Windows, though many people use IE because it comes installed on Windows. We're fans of open source, too, but that shouldn't be the only qualification for deciding whether you use a browser or not. Is that a good way to choose your most important piece of software?

At Lunascape, we're not pushing one over the other. The Lunascape browser includes all three. You choose. You always have the freedom to choose (you might even say the freedom from having to choose). No more web sites that don't work cause you're using the "wrong" browser. Each of the rendering engines has its good and bad points.

So how are the rendering engines different?

Trident
Trident is the engine of the world’s most popular browser Internet Explorer. Not surprisingly, websites around the world are designed to properly display when viewed in IE. However, a lot of W3C guidelines are ignored, and Trident's scores in Acid3 tests are extremely low. Another negative, as the most popular browser, IE is often attacked by hackers, so from a security point of view there's a little bit of worry. On top of that, in comparisons to Gecko and WebKit for handling Javascript, it's slower, and this is noticeable with web services like Gmail.

Gecko
Extremely fast for handling Javascript. However, for sites designed for Trident, there can be problems with display and there's the possibility of bugs when entering data into forms. In other words, for a country like Korea that embraces IE, there's not much room for users of Firefox (Gecko).

WebKit
Very fast, runs Javascript at the same speeds as Gecko. It also was the first engine to get a perfect score with the Acid3 test. And just like Gecko, there can be display problems with sites that are designed for IE. Sometimes there are issues with menus, for example.

There’s a quick summary. Obviously that are many issues on technical, aesthetic, or philosophical grounds. We’d love to hear back from you which you prefer and why.

We've heard it said that the next operating system wars will be on browsers. We've heard it said that the next platform play is on mobile. Heck, we've read that operating systems are irrelevant. All that breathless predicting makes us think that, well, that you can't predict next what people will predict.

We're going to focus on building great software. We'll let someone else do the predicting. We think you should do the choosing.