The official iCab thread: Experiences, tweaking, discussion



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Author	The official iCab thread: Experiences, tweaking, discussion (Read 36517 times)
68040 512 MB Posts: 950 68k - thy kingdom come, thy will be done !	Reply #15 on: November 01, 2022, 23:40 I like to point again at the (significant) speed increases by relocating the browser cache to RAM.

cballero 1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever	Reply #16 on: November 02, 2022, 01:18 Of course, this would hold true to any web browser (and enough spare RAM of course) I also used the RAM disk trick for games and other programs as well. And when all else failed, you could also rename your program to 'Finder' then replace it in the System Folder to free up the Finder's RAM (that used to be when you really had too little RAM)

Bolkonskij Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023	Reply #17 on: November 18, 2022, 16:54 Knezzen and me were just on Hotline discussing the chances of running iCab through a proxy server which would strip the SSL encryption of websites, effectively allowing us to access https sites with iCab. However, I can't open the proxy settings. Clicking on the button just does ..nothing !? Can anyone confirm? Screenshot here: http://revontulet.org/2022/11/18/icab-prefs.jpg

Knezzen Administrator 512 MB Posts: 608 Village idiot	Reply #18 on: November 18, 2022, 19:08 Seems like it uses "Internet Config" settings, so configure it using that

MTT 256 MB Posts: 394 SSW7 Oldtimer	Reply #19 on: November 21, 2022, 05:50 One thing regarding iCab 2.9.9 that I haven't read in this thread so far, is there is no spelling checker. Or if there is one, I can't find it A work-around for me is to use SpellTools to do the checking. It works quite well as a universal spelling checker and is very lightweight. The big downside for much of humanity when using SpellTools however, is there is only a (US) English dictionary on board. System requirements for SpellTools on the MG page state System 7.5 and later, but as I'm using it without problems in System 7.1.1, I think there is some leeway in that comment.

ovalking 128 MB Posts: 199	Reply #20 on: November 21, 2022, 11:07 Proxy settings button brings up the Internet Control Panel on later systems with that.

ShinobiKenobi 256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan	Reply #21 on: March 19, 2024, 23:54 Quote from: Bolkonskij How does iCab corrupt files? Can you further elaborate as to what the problem is? Maybe we can help to solve it. An alternative for download on System 7 would be using a software like Monica? Just paste the URL and go. At your request, I'm replying to you in this topic. But to answer your question, it's been over a week ago, so my memory is a little hazy. I downloaded files from Macintosh Garden, and when I checked their MD5s with Checksum 1.3 they were wrong. I don't remember how many files I noticed it on, or which ones. But I had remembered reading something about making sure to save links as, because that would preserve some types of files instead of just clicking normally on the link. Although that was mentioned for another browser, it made me wonder if the same thing was happening. But when I saved the links "as" by using Netscape, their MD5s were correct.

cballero 1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever	Reply #22 on: March 20, 2024, 01:34 What an odd issue, try out my tips and retest it to see if the issue clears up for you! Here is yet another tip, but it absolutely works best with insane amounts of RAM: you can create a system RAM disk and do one of these two things or both: 1. move the cache folder to it as 68040 suggested (by far the best speed hack for web browsing, especially for 68k Apps and Macs, but works a treat for PPC web browsers as well) 2. move a completely stripped-down copy of the system folder (to conserve RAM space) and move your web browser and set its cache to it as well then select it as the startup disk and reboot; then everything will run on RAM and it will literally fly (even faster than just moving the cache folder to a RAM disk) and if you happen to need a bit more room, then the renaming the web browser as Finder trick and ditching the Finder will also work (I usually add an alias* of the startup control panel to the Apple Menu folder to access it from the web browser)* just you will boot right into the web browser, and when you're done, you can open the startup CP, switch it back to the regular System Folder and once you quit it will give you the restart option The option-control-delete key will force quit the last program you opened in order, so you can add more programs to the apple menu (or even use a control panel like task menubar) then open and force quit them at leisure (however, a few programs can bomb that way too) these RAM tricks are of course usually more for the fun and sport of it than actual necessity
Last Edit: March 20, 2024, 01:48 by cballero
Bolkonskij Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023	Reply #23 on: December 04, 2024, 15:15 Anyone of you around with a 601 / 603(e) or 604 PPC Mac and (ideally) Mac OS 7.6.1 ? This is the second time that I cannot get the PPC build of iCab 2.9.9a (available at the official website) to run. The thing will always crash on me. I've had this issue on the 8600, I'm experiencing the exactly same issue on the 7500 as well. I think it's something with that build. I'm now using the 68k version (iCab 2.9.9b) which works just as perfectly fine as it did on the 8600. I wonder if somebody else can confirm my experience so that we can officially call the PPC 2.9.9a of iCab a bugged version?

Knezzen Administrator 512 MB Posts: 608 Village idiot	Reply #24 on: December 04, 2024, 18:49 That's the version of iCab I'm using on the 8600 in 7.6.1 I think it needs Internet Config to work and without it, it will crash. Not sure what the 68k version uses, but maybe it's not that dependant on it or something.

cballero 1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever	Reply #25 on: December 05, 2024, 02:06 I wonder if there's any previous versions of iCab that might be worth fixing their time bomb for System 7?

Bolkonskij Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023	Reply #26 on: December 05, 2024, 12:01 Quote from: knezzen That's the version of iCab I'm using on the 8600 in 7.6.1 That is the PowerPC version? Wow, so it does work, eh? I'm getting the same results with or without Internet Config (lib) installed, so it must be something else. Quote from: cballero I wonder if there's any previous versions of iCab that might be worth fixing their time bomb for System 7? Yes, I've been wondering the same thing too. iCab 2.9.9 brings some features to the table that I wouldn't need in a (retro) browser as of today. Stuff like CSS1, JavaScript, HTML validation in the browser etc. In fact, what would the ideal iCab version capable of? - It should display HTML 3.2 table webdesigns including images - Handles basic form elements such as search boxes and logins - Offer a Bookmarks list - Support Plugins (such as Quicktime for Cornica entertainment!) - And be faster than 2.9.9, more reliable and with a smaller footprint. If we could find such an older version of iCab, we may have a new browser king for System 7!
Last Edit: December 05, 2024, 12:04 by Bolkonskij
wove 1024 MB Posts: 1363	Reply #27 on: December 05, 2024, 17:28 Just poking about today I came across this which talks of running iCab on System7 & 6. It is in German. I did not translate it so I do not know if it is of any use to this discussion. <http://www.knubbelmac.de/themen/system-7/system-7-tuning.html> I rarely used iCab and am not really familiar using it.

cballero 1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever	Reply #28 on: December 05, 2024, 18:33 Nope that article covers using modern programs like iCab on earlier versions of the the OS that can run System 7.0-7.1.x, so while perfect info for older Macs that can run pre-7.5 OSes, the PM 7500 needs at least System 7.5.2 great little German site by the way, I remember coming across it sometime in Spring of '21, I believe?

Bolkonskij Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023	Reply #29 on: March 19, 2025, 09:34 I've been reading an old interview with Oliver Joppich from the iCab team in a German MacWorld issue 06/2000. Thought I'd share some of the info here: iCab was (is?) entirely created by two people in Germany, and nearly 100% of code is written by its programmer Alexander Clauss. Oliver Joppich relentlessly claimed that iCab was so much faster than Internet Explorer (version 5.0, I think) :-) At the time they had 150,000 downloads of iCab and assumed to have 100,000 users worldwide. At the time they were pondering creating a HTML editor (think Dreamweaver) as a second product because they thought the existing ones weren't good. I wonder what happened to that, never seen anything to that regard. At the time of the interview, iCab 1.9 was just out and offered new rudimentary JavaScript support. No CSS support implemented yet. That, in turn, means that if we're looking for the best compromise in speed/capabilities for low end System 7 Macs, it might be worth taking a closer look into iCab's version 1.8. There's a PPC version on the Mac Garden, but we have no 68k version of it yet.
Last Edit: March 19, 2025, 09:38 by Bolkonskij
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