12175
Also included with the caveat that it's still In the experimental settings - it's now possible to switch off iCab's storing the URL of saved web pages or downloads in the Spotlight comment of the file. This can be useful for users of Finder replacements like "PathFinder". The Spotlight comment is private data of the Finder and not stored in the file system. So the Finder must be running to set the spotlight comment. And it can be annoying for PathFinder users if the Finder is launched as soon as a file is saved.

Another new feature that will be very conveninet for absent-minded folks like me is that closing a tab can now be undone. The Undo feature works only for single tabs, not for whole windows. Also cool is that it's now possible to enable a new button in the status bar of a browser window which shows the status of the downloads. If downloads are active, the button is enabled and when clicking on the button the information about all active downloads will be displayed.

Carried over froMay relatively recent version 4.6 major update, are a new TopTen feature that displays web sites similarly to Exposé as thumbnail overview, Bookmarks can now get color labels, IRI support (can be switched on/off), ability to display language-specific characters in URLs as clear text.

The "Top Ten" bookmark thumbnails are similar to Opera's pioneering Speed Dial and Safari 4's Top Sites features. iCab's Top Ten ( actually it's the top twelve) can be configured to display your Most Visited, Last Visited or Favorites pages.

The first time you open the TopTen pages feature, it can take a while (especially over a dialup connection like mine) to load all the thumbnails. iCab needs to count the number of times you open certain web pages for the "most visited" thumbnail display configuration, and it also needs time to get accurate counter values. Subsequent loads will open much faster because the page thumbnails are cached and reused.

Additions and enhancements introduced in recent iCab betas also include OS X 10.5.7 compatibility tweaks, Labels for bookmarks in the bookmarks window, and are JavaScript filter setting for disallowing JavaScript to "kidnap" Cmd-Clicks.

Changes

New Features In iCab Version Version 4.7 (2009/10/10)

New Features:

- iCab 4 is now available as 64/32 Bit binary for Mac OS X 10.5/10.6. This 64/32 Bit version works only under 10.5 and newer (Leopard and Snow Leopard), therefore there's also a second 32 Bit binary available which works under Mac OS 10.3.9 and newer.

* The 64 Bit mode can be disabled/enabled in the file information window for iCab in the Finder.

* In 64 Bit mode "Growl" support requires to install the new 64 Bit compatible Growl version 1.2.
Please note: on 64 Bit PowerPC Macs (G5 processors) Grows does not work in 64 Bit mode.

* When running iCab under MacOSX 10.5.x in 64 Bit mode you can't use most browser plugins anymore because almost all plugins are currently only 32 Bit compatible. Therefore it is recommended for MacOSX 10.5.x to switch off the 64 Bit mode for iCab or this download and use the 32 Bit version of iCab. Then all plugins will work as expected.

* Under MacOSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) the system is able to translate between some (but not all) 32 Bit plugins and 64 Bit Browsers. The most important plugins (like Flash) do work fine in 64 Bit Browsers and in 32 Bit Browsers. Therefore in most cases you can use iCab in 64 Bit mode under Snow Leopard without any limitations. But be aware that there are probably a few plugins which do not work in 64 Bit mode and if you need such a plugin, you can switch off the 64 Bit mode of iCab in the Finder. Also check for an update of these plugins, maybe a 64 Bit compatible version of the plugin is already available.

- In the experimental settings it's now possible to switch off that iCab stores the URL of saved web pages or downloads in the Spotlight comment of the file. This can be useful for users of Finder replacements like "PathFinder". The Spotlight comment is private data of the Finder and not stored in the file system. So the Finder must be running to set the spotlight comment. And it can be annoying for PathFinder users if the Finder is launched as soon as a file is saved.

- Italian translation added (Thanks to Alain Bez).

- Closing a Tab can now be undone. The Undo feature works only for single Tabs, not for whole windows.

- It's now possible to enable a new button in the status bar of a browser window which shows the status of the downloads. If downloads are active, the button is enabled and when clicking on the button the information about all active downloads will be displayed.

- In Kiosk mode it's no longer possible to drag the URL of the URL field.



Bugfixes:

- Kiosk Mode: The "private Browsing" setting was evaluated even when no Kiosk homepage was defined. But the "private Browsing" was meant to be a "Kiosk session" feature where the Kiosk home page is required.

- If iCab receives an OpenURL or GetURL AppleEvent where the URL domain contains special characters which were not encoded correctly (for International Domain Names - IDN), iCab will correct this now.

- When exporting bookmarks in HTML format, iCab will now add some (unnecessary) tabulator characters. This is because the Bookmarks import feature of Safari is broken and won't be able to parse the HTML code of the bookmarks without these tabulator characters.

- Under MacOSX 10.5 (Leopard) the URL loading system of the MacOS will sometimes append additional file extensions for downloads. The Cocoa URL loading system uses the file name "file.dmg.tar" if the original file name is "file.dmg" for example. In iCab these additional file extensions were removed again, so iCab did save the files with their original file name. In the experimental settings it is now possible to switch off the correction, so the files are now saved exactly as the Cocoa URL loading system suggests.

- Clicking the Reload button while holding down the Shift key should load all files of a web site from the server, regardless if the cached files are still up-to-date. Unfortunately this didn't work anymore when the new WebKit 4 (Safari 4) was installed. Because of a bug in the new WebKit engine, the HTTP header "If-Modified-Since" was always added to the server request within the WebKit engine. Now iCab will explicitly remove this header, if it is present.

- The default HTTP authentication of Cocoa didn't work in the Download Manager (at least not for certain MacOS releases). So iCab is now doing the HTTP authentication stuff itself.

- In case the user has dragged a Tab from one window into another window so that in the first window only one Tab remains, then the keyboard shortcuts for closing windows and Tabs did not always reflect the preferences for these shortcuts.

iCab's Download Manager got some tweaks in the Beta 72/Version 4.5 final build, which are appreciated, but unfortunately iCab's Download Manager still doesn't come close to matching Opera's for slickness, convenience, speed, or reliability. I found that while the iCab DLM will resume a paused download (the control labeling could be clearer on these functions, it seemed to have great difficulty in restoring download speeds above a crawl.

Of course there's all the returning iCab good stuff. One thing I love about iCab 4.x builds is that it's lightning starting up - maybe not quite as fast as Safari 4 but pretty speedy. Another is that while I've always liked iCab, going back to experimenting with a German-language version back in the late '90s, it's never been more likable than it is with these Version Apple WebKit-based 4.2.5 versions.

iCab is a niche player in the browser world, with less than one percent of the market, but it deserves a wider clientele on merit, and reminds me of long-running ad campaign for a brand of beer here in Atlantic Canada, which claims that "people who like it like it a lot." The same goes for iCab's fiercely loyal cohort of fans, and they have a point. There is an awful lot to like about iCab, which I consider the Mercedes Benz of browsers. It may not be the most potent powerhouse on the Information Highway, but it's a tour-de-force of solid and innovative engineering with a quality feel.

One new feature in recent builds of iCab is the Cache Browser that is now available in the Tools menu if you're running MacOSX 10.5 and later. Under Mac OS X 10.3/10.4 the Cache browser is not available because the format of the cache files is unknown under these MacOS versions. The Cache Browser window displays a list of all files that are stored in the web cache, and it's possible to filter out certain items by activating/deactivating the file type buttons or by entering some text. There's also a preview available for all files. Through the contextual menu it's also possible to save the files to disk. Very cool, especially for folks like me who spend a lot of time working offline and are stuck with a slow dialup connection..

Another very cool and handy new feature recently added to iCab is the ability to save Web pages as PDF files.

If you've never checked out iCab, or it's been a while since you did, give this little browser a look. You may get hooked. The only caveat is that while iCab has pledged from the outset that a free version would always be available, Now that Omni Group has made their OmniWeb browser freeware, iCab is the last OS X browser that requires a software license fee for full support. A single user license of "iCab Pro" costs $20/€15. Entering this code in iCab will switch off the "shareware reminder" box. At the moment, the only restriction of the free version is that pesky little "shareware reminder" box popping up from time to time, but I assure you it is annoying. Also users who have paid for a license are able to get newer (beta) releases of iCab like beta 75 earlier than other users who have to wait for final releases.

System requirements for iCab 4.7

This is getting a bit complicated. iCab has the commendable distinction of being the only Web browser offering versions compatible with everything from ancient 68k legacy and classic Macs to 64 bit mode in OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, so which version of iCab is for you? In a nutshell:

If you're using MacOSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or newer, you should download the 64 Bit version of iCab 4.7.

If you're using MacOSX 10.3.9 - 10.5.x, the 32 Bit version of iCab 4.7 is the recommended release for your system.

Note: The 64 Bit version of iCab 4.7 will also run under 10.5.x, but because there are no 64 Bit compatible browser plugins for 10.5.x available yet, you should switch off the 64 Bit mode for iCab under 10.5.x or alternatively download the 32 Bit version.

If you're using MacOSX 10.3.9 or OS 10.4 Tiger, iCab 4.7 is the recommended release for your system.

iCab 3.0.5 is only recommended if you're still using an older version of Mac OS X than 10.3.9, or if you're still using the "classic" Mac OS. When using a Mac with G4, G5 or Intel processor and Mac OSX 10.3.x or newer, the Universal Binary version should be used instead of the PowerPC version.

You can use iCab 2.9.9 if you're still using very old releases of the MacOS (older than 8.5) or when using a Mac with 68K processor. Make sure you download the right version for your processor (68K or PPC, G3, G4).

System Support:
PPC/Intel

$20/€15 Shareware/Freeware (NagWare)

For more information, visit:
http://www.icab.de/

Download:
http://www.icab.de/dl.php

Charles W. Moore

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