Will Orion browser stay beta forever?

[AlixSPQR]

I've given up on Orion browser, although I like the idea. But it has been public beta for well over one and a half years now, with all the bugs and imperfections that follow.

Will it ever become stable and useful for most users?

Orion Browser by Kagi

kagi.com

 

[Apple_Robert]

It is probably due to finances.

From their website: About
"Orion was created in 2019 and is running on tight budget, bootstrapped by the founder's funds from the previous exit. Orion is based in SF Bay Area, and is being built by a fully remote team.."

If it has been in beta for 1.5 years, that means it is dead and you should probably look elsewhere, if Safari is not to your liking.

 

[AlixSPQR]

Maybe it's effectively dead, but it is still updated, regularly. As of December 26, the latest.

Orion Release Notes

kagi.com

 

[SoupyTwist]

According to the release notes page, it looks like a release candidate is available to paid members, so the free version may be coming out of beta soon.

Looks like an interesting project, will give it a try.

Edit: Seems like RC is just what they call the preview version for paid members, whereas in other projects it's been used to indicate the final beta version that (in theory) is polished enough to be released as a non-beta version.

 

[Fishrrman]

Orion in its current state works for me.
I don't use it for everything.
There are at least a few things for which I find it better than Safari (or others) -- YouTube in particular, for its ability to block out ads.

 

[lx-is]

During the end-of-year community event, the question of Orion's release was raised.

They are aiming for a full release within this next year, but a specific date wasn't given. There's still a lot of development work to do before they feel comfortable removing the beta label. Namely, they want extension support to have a greater percentage of compatibility.

It is probably due to finances.

Their business is quite stable. Kagi has more than seven years of runway at their current burn rate.

If it has been in beta for 1.5 years, that means it is dead and you should probably look elsewhere

It's still in active development, regularly receiving updates. They only have a few engineers dedicated to Orion compared to the hundreds that competing browsers have.

Will it ever become stable and useful for most users?

I would argue it's stable for most users, especially those who don't make heavy use of extensions. If you have a specific issue(s) you're experiencing, then you can report it on Orion's feedback tracker.

 

[jordii]

I've given up on Orion browser, although I like the idea. But it has been public beta for well over one and a half years now, with all the bugs and imperfections that follow.

Will it ever become stable and useful for most users?

Orion Browser by Kagi

kagi.com

Well, it's getting close. Latest version is a Release Candidate, not a beta.

Personally, I respect devs who do long beta periods. It means they take bugs seriously, and don't intend to simply release it half-assed and then log complaints, so users essentially test for them.

 

[AlixSPQR]

According to the release notes page, it looks like a release candidate is available to paid members, so the free version may be coming out of beta soon.

Looks like an interesting project, will give it a try.

Edit: Seems like RC is just what they call the preview version for paid members, whereas in other projects it's been used to indicate the final beta version that (in theory) is polished enough to be released as a non-beta version.

Well, it's getting close. Latest version is a Release Candidate, not a beta.

Personally, I respect devs who do long beta periods. It means they take bugs seriously, and don't intend to simply release it half-assed and then log complaints, so users essentially test for them.

That seems to be the same @SoupyTwist wrote about, please see above. It’s an RC of a beta.

”Orion RC (Release Candidate) is a an early preview release available to Orion contributors and Orion+ members. Orion RC will be eventually released as the next Orion beta.”

 

[jordii]

That seems to be the same @SoupyTwist wrote about, please see above. It’s an RC of a beta.

”Orion RC (Release Candidate) is a an early preview release available to Orion contributors and Orion+ members. Orion RC will be eventually released as the next Orion beta.”

Ah, sorry. OTOH it’s clearly actively developed, so extended beta is carefulness not futility. And the browser works super well for me, though I don’t use lots of extensions

 

[AlixSPQR]

Ah, sorry. OTOH it’s clearly actively developed, so extended beta is carefulness not futility. And the browser works super well for me, though I don’t use lots of extensions

Agreed. Do extensions update themselves? Last time I used Orion they didn’t.

 

[jordii]

Agreed. Do extensions update themselves? Last time I used Orion they didn’t.

Not sure. But there's something to be said for manual updates. Gives you a chance to read the notes first, avoid updating ones that are flipping to subscription model, etc.

 

[AlixSPQR]

Not sure. But there's something to be said for manual updates. Gives you a chance to read the notes first, avoid updating ones that are flipping to subscription model, etc.

True enough, but mostly, and definitely for me, it's just an unnecessary hassle. I don't know of any extensions that have switched to a subscription model. Do you? I don't have any paid extensions at all, on the other hand.

 

[jordii]

True enough, but mostly, and definitely for me, it's just an unnecessary hassle. I don't know of any extensions that have switched to a subscription model. Do you? I don't have any paid extensions at all, on the other hand.

Idunno, I've just been at this too long, having entered at System 7. Horror stories over the years where I screamed into the void re: an impetuous upgrade have left me gunshy.

Not a browser extension, but just last month I trapped myself by approving some thingee somewhere which became pay-only, and which would be a pain to downgrade. Not the first time.

I'm definitely too fast to approve manual upgrade queues of various type, but I feel less anxious if I know I control the process. Varying mileage etc.