How to create a browser?

A friend and I have embarked on a rather silly quest. Part of it involves creating our own browser, preferably in c++ (python might do the trick, tho). Problem is, none of us ever tried doing that!

Does anyone know where to find the stuff to program a standalone browser (i.e. one that does not use a lot of M$ proprietary functions)? As said, c++ or python are prefered, but hey, we’re flexible :smiley:

I don’t know for sure, but there might be a few very popular open source browsers floating around, might check that out…

Found a BUNCH of Open Source stuff… now it’s just a matter of seeing which of our mutual coder/programmer friends we can lure into our plan for World Conquest and subsequent Global Domination! :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :cool:

Here’s a few handy steps:

  • Close your eyes
  • Open up your webbrowser
  • Type in: “www.webkit.org
  • Press <Enter>
  • Open your eyes and enjoy the world Webkit

Hey guys lol I want to make an internet browser also. IE and Firefox and even Opera sucks. I was going to create one using vb studio 2003. Idk if you guys have or not. I would like to work with you if I had the tools. I have vb studio like I said. Anyway I wanted to base mine on a flowing network of controls. Make it look real nice. Maybe have glowing toolbars the like. I just never got past trying to open something from within my program. It always just opened a new window in IE. Idk but I would love to help.

Er… quite an ambitious task. Mozilla got a commercial code base as a starter and needed a few years until they got Firefox to a useful state…

I would strongly recommend to reuse browser work already done. Embedding an Internet Explorer ActiveX component and enrich it with a simple GUI is a task of minutes (e.g. here). If you don’t want to use MS stuff (which would exclude the use of Visual Studio) then you should think of using either Firefox as a base (it’s nearly completely customizable) or some of the other projects (namely KHTML, which is the base of the already mentioned Webkit).

If you are doing this to gain experience then you will learn a lot.

If you are doing this because you are not satisfied with your browser - well, there are easier ways. All major browsers can be customized and extended a lot; you won’t recognize them afterwards. Every aspect - design, functions, UI, input methods… - can be changed.

The reason Firefox, IE, and Opera “suck” as you put it, is because web browsers are very complicated programs. They have to be able to parse XML, HTML (all versions of it), CSS (all versions of this as well), and Javascript, as well as be able to load jpg, gif and png images, parsing them all exactly to spec.

I hate to rain on your parade, but making a web browser is very, very complicated. It may not seem like it, but you’ve really got allot of work ahead of you.

I once actually made a browser… goes off hunting through hard drive to find it

If you are in linux check out Dillo, it is open source and 100% C++.
Plus it is very small and easy to tweak :smiley:

I have to disagree.

A web browser doesn’t have to have everything and definatly does not have to support javascript (I would have it disabled if it wasn’t for the fact im too lazy to keep going into my settings to turn it on when needed for a few stupidly lame sites with javascript links),

In addition, text based browsers are evident of this.

As long as you are competent on programming /visual programming, then making a web browser is relatively easy, if not just time consuming.