Peppermint OS's Single-Site Browsers
upstart writes:
SSBs on Linux and when they may be most useful.:
These days, users can usually assume that Linux has the same functionality as other operating systems. The application may differ, but the functionality is available. Occasionally, though, Linux may lack any equivalent. A case in point is Single-Site Browsers, aka Site-Specific Bowsers (SSBs). Although Wikipedia lists a number of SSBs, Peppermint OS's Ice and its successor Kumo are the only free software versions of SSBs available on Linux. Fortunately for those who want this functionality, Peppermint OS is a Debian derivative, and both can be installed on Debian and most other derivatives.
As the names imply, SSBs are web browsers that open to a single URL. They are one effort to address the dichotomy that exists on modern computers between local applications and Internet resources. That is to say, while local applications are in a user's control -and can be positioned as desired on a workplace or on the desktop panel or menu - Internet resources are ordinarily accessed through the extra step of opening a web browser. Moreover, while most users long ago became accustomed to web browsers, they add another level of complication with bookmarks, tabs, and extensions that is often unnecessary and not needed with an SSB. The idea is that by creating SSBs, Internet resources can be accessed in the same way as local applications, making for a simpler, more efficient user experience. Moreover, an SSB can be isolated as a security measure. In addition, companies can install SSBs without a web browser so that employees access selected Internet resources but not use the web for personal purposes during work hours. A business might also use SSBs to view its intranet or web page.
Since SSBs first appeared in 2005, they have been available on both Windows and macOS. On Linux, however, the availability has come and gone. On Linux, Firefox once had an SSB mode, but it was discontinued in 2020 on the grounds that it had multiple bugs that were time-consuming to fix and there was "little to no perceived user benefit to the feature." Similarly, Chromium once had a basic SSB menu item, Create Application Shortcut, which no longer appears in recent versions. As for GNOME Web's (Epiphany's) Install Site as Web Application, while it still appears in the menu, it is no longer functional. Today, Linux users who want to try SSBs have no choices except Ice or Kumo.
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