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Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

help.kagi.com

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Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#151
post #9

It seems weird to run a closed-source browser on an open-source operating system when so many open alternatives exist—I certainly wouldn’t do it, and I’m a Kagi customer. Does Kagi plan to open-source Orion on Linux?

It seems weird to worry more about that than about the Chromium hegemony to where Chromium is becoming the only way to move money online.

What do you mean by "move money?" Do banks not support Firefox or Safari?

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#152
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Requiring it to be open source is not just about trusting the publisher. There are a bunch of other possible reasons, including wanting to support open source as a counterbalance to proprietary software. For me, it's a big deal (although not a dealbreaker) for that reason. If I have the option of two different pieces of software, one being open source and the other proprietary, I'll choose the open source one every t…

Side thought: nobody's ever asked us to open source Kagi Search. Curious why the expectation differs.

About half a year ago, I ran into an instance of a user who requested more openness[0] regarding the sources Kagi used - initially there was a list that was available, and then it was removed. I know it's not exactly the same, and it's been a long time since that request was made, but if you happen to read this, I second their request.

Personally, I think it would be incredible if you open sourced your search engine. But like someone else said more eloquently, software runs on our computers. And to me, open-source software is table stakes when there are viable alternatives.

https://kagifeedback.org/d/252-show-source-of-results/49

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can work around the Widevine issues by pirating the content you're interested in.

This is the way. Widevine is a cancer that only serves to lock down the browser market to a small handful of web engines that have been approved by Google. If your browser isn't based on Chrome, Firefox, or Safari you're out of luck. Most people will not use a browser that can't open youtube videos and they know and exploit this with extreme precision.

If you are already paying for the streaming service that offers the content and they restrict you from watching because of your OS are you harming the industry by downloading it? Nothing is stopping you from buying a 4k webcam and recording your computer monitor.

You're already paying the monthly fee to stream it, you're just streaming it in a more friendly way. Granted if you cancel the service, you should delete the content.

Many won't though and that's the problem but that problem is caused by the fact that you're being restricted in the first place.

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#155
post #46
post #9

It seems weird to run a closed-source browser on an open-source operating system when so many open alternatives exist—I certainly wouldn’t do it, and I’m a Kagi customer. Does Kagi plan to open-source Orion on Linux?

Especially because WebKit’s lineage goes all the way back to KHTML. It’s nice to see KHTML come home to Linux but it does need to be open source.

Come home? It never left it. Konqueror, the software where it all started, still is a core KDE app. WebKitGTK, arguably the most portable WebKit distribution and what Orion itself uses, has always been Linux-first.

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#156
post #37
post #9

It seems weird to run a closed-source browser on an open-source operating system when so many open alternatives exist—I certainly wouldn’t do it, and I’m a Kagi customer. Does Kagi plan to open-source Orion on Linux?

Just curious, but is this really a big deal? As a customer, you already trust Kagi enough to feed them your entire search history, so I guess you don't think they're bad actors. Thus, why you find problematic the (momentary?) "unopeness" of the browser? I'd gladly try it (I'm on Arch), even just out of curiosity (unlikely to make it my main, though). Jeez, downvoted for asking about context? People, calm down.

> you already trust Kagi enough to feed them your entire search history

Not necessarily, Kagi provides a feature[1] that anonymizes all your searches. I set it up and haven't thought about it since.

1. https://help.kagi.com/kagi/privacy/privacy-pass.html

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#157

This is a healthy thing to happen to the Linux browser ecosystem imho. We talk a lot about browser diversity, but on Linux and Windows, it is a lie. You have firefox (gecko) and fifty flavors of chromium. Webkit on Linux has essentially been relegated to embedded devices or the GNOME epiphany browser, which I'll admit while is a noble effort, lags a bit in the stability and power-user features department. Big reason…

The actual important part is consumer-grade. Because WebKitGTK itself is already commercially incentivized, developed primarily by Igalia (a quite underrated firm regarding their contributions in open source) who are offering consulting services mainly in embedded-related industries.

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#158
post #89

This is a healthy thing to happen to the Linux browser ecosystem imho. We talk a lot about browser diversity, but on Linux and Windows, it is a lie. You have firefox (gecko) and fifty flavors of chromium. Webkit on Linux has essentially been relegated to embedded devices or the GNOME epiphany browser, which I'll admit while is a noble effort, lags a bit in the stability and power-user features department. Big reason…

> Webkit on Linux has essentially been relegated to embedded devices or the GNOME epiphany browser Don't forget about https://falkon.org . It's a browser I enjoy using. WebExtension support will be big if it lands in Orion though. EDIT: apparently Orion is not open source. Not particularly interested in a closed source browser, TBH. In 2022 they said they plan to open source "when there is merit"[1], whatever that me…

I find it strange because it seems to me that outside of their bread and butter products (Kagi Search, Assistant), there really isn't a business secret or proprietary technology to keep secret no? Perhaps integrated browser LLM tooling they don't want to give out for free.

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#159
post #9

It seems weird to run a closed-source browser on an open-source operating system when so many open alternatives exist—I certainly wouldn’t do it, and I’m a Kagi customer. Does Kagi plan to open-source Orion on Linux?

Kagi founder here. Orion isn't open source yet primarily because we're a 5-person team that spent 6+ years building this and created significant IP doing so, and we're not in a position to defend our work against a well-funded company using it as a base (we care very much about the business model of the browser surviving). Restrictive licenses help in theory but enforcing them against a company with a larger legal bu…

The GPL has pretty good legal precedent, and so does the MPL in the browser space (though, Firefox has mozilla behind it so it gets the enforcement benefit). If the SFC wins its vizio case, would you look into freeing orion?

Re: Kagi releases alpha version of Orion for Linux

#160

If I'm a linux user who uses firefox currently, what's the value prop for this browser? I already get privacy and extensions, is it just for testing my app on webkit?

The main benefit is that Orion (contrary to Firefox) has a business model. The downside is that it's not open source. They have some explanation on why, but it might be a deal breaker for someone.

Firefox has a business model, it is mostly "google search referrals"
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