Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#1

Post by jmercouris » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 2:31 PM UTC

Thanks to a new design Next is now available for Linux!: https://next.atlas.engineer/article/technical-design.org

What is Next? Next is a Lisp based productivity focused browser. You can read more about that here: https://next.atlas.engineer/article/the-next-thesis.org

You can download a binary from here: https://next.atlas.engineer/download

You can view our GitHub here: https://github.com/atlas-engineer/next

Thanks for your time, I'm very interested in the HN Community feedback, thanks!

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#2

Post by dmortin » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:00 PM UTC

Demo videos: https://next.atlas.engineer/#features

I don't get the choice of Lisp. I don't mind it, I use Emacs, but a more popular language can have more complete platform bindings:

> Sadly, the GTK bindings are not in a shape that is enough to fulfill our needs. We've tried to get Next running with CL-CFFI-GTK on GNU/Linux for many months, to no avail.

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#3

Post by jmercouris » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:05 PM UTC

dmortin wrote: post #2

Demo videos: https://next.atlas.engineer/#features I don't get the choice of Lisp. I don't mind it, I use Emacs, but a more popular language can have more complete platform bindings: > Sadly, the GTK bindings are not in a shape that is enough to fulfill our needs. We've tried to get Next running with CL-CFFI-GTK on GNU/Linux for many months, to no avail.

Well, the Lisp part is for the reprogrammability of it all, the inspectability. You can on-the-fly edit a compiled version of Next, which is pretty cool I think!

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#4

Post by dmortin » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:07 PM UTC

jmercouris wrote: post #3

dmortin wrote: post #2

Demo videos: https://next.atlas.engineer/#features I don't get the choice of Lisp. I don't mind it, I use Emacs, but a more popular language can have more complete platform bindings: > Sadly, the GTK bindings are not in a shape that is enough to fulfill our needs. We've tried to get Next running with CL-CFFI-GTK on GNU/Linux for many months, to no avail.

Well, the Lisp part is for the reprogrammability of it all, the inspectability. You can on-the-fly edit a compiled version of Next, which is pretty cool I think!

Isn't there some popular language with the same capabilities? Is it a Lisp speciality?

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#5

Post by ncmncm » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:09 PM UTC

dmortin wrote: post #2

Demo videos: https://next.atlas.engineer/#features I don't get the choice of Lisp. I don't mind it, I use Emacs, but a more popular language can have more complete platform bindings: > Sadly, the GTK bindings are not in a shape that is enough to fulfill our needs. We've tried to get Next running with CL-CFFI-GTK on GNU/Linux for many months, to no avail.

Lisp appears to be the whole point of the effort, so Lisp problems are just to be endured and, they hope, overcome.

Not having a flagship modern application has kept Lisp on the margins. Emacs no longer suffices to maintain the language's edge, not least because Emacs Lisp is not a modern dialect. It remains to be seen what improvements to the language or its ecosystem will be needed to support this development, but there is no substitute for trying.

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#6

Post by jmercouris » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:10 PM UTC

dmortin wrote: post #4

jmercouris wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the Lisp part is for the reprogrammability of it all, the inspectability. You can on-the-fly edit a compiled version of Next, which is pretty cool I think!

Isn't there some popular language with the same capabilities? Is it a Lisp speciality?

It is a Lisp specialty, yes. Lisp has other facilities as well, such as meta-programmability, you can define new syntax, make macros etc, it is a very powerful language!

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#7

Post by nepeckman » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:13 PM UTC

I remember installing this browser after one of the first releases, but lost track of it after a little while. Nice to see all the growth its had, I'll have to reinstall it!

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#8

Post by jmercouris » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:16 PM UTC

ncmncm wrote: post #5

dmortin wrote: post #2

Demo videos: https://next.atlas.engineer/#features I don't get the choice of Lisp. I don't mind it, I use Emacs, but a more popular language can have more complete platform bindings: > Sadly, the GTK bindings are not in a shape that is enough to fulfill our needs. We've tried to get Next running with CL-CFFI-GTK on GNU/Linux for many months, to no avail.

Lisp appears to be the whole point of the effort, so Lisp problems are just to be endured and, they hope, overcome. Not having a flagship modern application has kept Lisp on the margins. Emacs no longer suffices to maintain the language's edge, not least because Emacs Lisp is not a modern dialect. It remains to be seen what improvements to the language or its ecosystem will be needed to support this development, but…

well said! another hope is indeed to increase the popularity of Lisp by providing a "killer" application. Next is still in its infancy, but we have had barely any time at all, and it is on its 5th rewrite, and already it is quite powerful!

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#9

Post by kbumsik » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:20 PM UTC

It looks like a direct competitor to Qutebrowser which uses PyQt5 + QtWebEngine: https://qutebrowser.org/

Interesting to see that Next Browser integrates Lisp with WebKitGTK+.

Re: Show HN: Next Browser native on Linux

#10

Post by se7entime » Wed, Dec 05, 2018, 3:26 PM UTC

kbumsik wrote: post #9

It looks like a direct competitor to Qutebrowser which uses PyQt5 + QtWebEngine: https://qutebrowser.org/ Interesting to see that Next Browser integrates Lisp with WebKitGTK+.

also qutebrowser is vim-like keybinding, and nextbrowser is emacs-like keybinding