Sleipnir (web browser)

Sleipnir was originally developed by Yasuyuki Kashiwagi. In November 2004, the computer containing Sleipnir's source code was stolen. In 2005, Kashiwagi established Fenrir & Co. to start development of a new version of Sleipnir. Starting with version 2, the new versions are not compatible with the original. As of 2006 Sleipnir had 6% market share in Japan. Sleipnir was one of twelve browsers originally offered in a browser ballot screen on the EU edition of Windows 7 (and XP and Vista with an update), so users could choose between Internet Explorer and other browsers during the installation process. The stable version 5.0 was released on December 24, 2013 with the latest Blink engine. ==Features==

In the Windows version, the browser's layout engine can be changed. Internet Explorer's Trident and Mozilla's Gecko were supported. As of version 3.5.0.4000, support for the WebKit rendering engine was implemented and Gecko rendering engine support was terminated. Other features include tab grouping, mouse gestures, page zooming, a search bar, Greasemonkey-like user script support, and plugin support. Bookmarks on Sleipnir can be synced with different platform, using a function called Fenrir Pass. Sleipnir version 5 and onward introduce a proprietary text rendering visually resembling Mac OS text rendering. The feature is not mentioned in their Mac feature set. ==Platforms==

Sleipnir 2 for Windows: Sleipnir 2 features customizable functions and add-ons created by users. Sleipnir 3 for Windows: Includes tab options, tab groups, Touchpaging to flick between tabs using your mouse, and mouse gestures. Sleipnir 4 for Windows: Sleipnir 4 for Windows has introduced minor interface improvements; Smart Tabs - adding, positioning and deletion of tabs is determined based on relationship with previous and next tabs; 150 mouse gesture functions added; Google Chrome extensions support. Sleipnir 4 for Mac: Thumbnail Tab Navigation - open tabs are not shrunk anymore, instead they are presented in a scrollable list, with tab titles appearing on mouse hover; Portal field - a bar with a double functionality of navigation bar and search; TiledTab - view mode that gives an overview of the opened tabs and allows sorting tabs into six groups; Improved gesture controls. Sleipnir 5 for Windows: Sleipnir 5 for Windows has integrated all of the features introduced in Sleipnir 4 for Mac; Smooth OSX-like font rendering engine introduced; "Site Updates" feature shows personalized recommendations of articles from the often visited sites; Added touch screen support. Sleipnir 6 for Windows: Sleipnir 6 for Windows adds FavTab for quick navigation to favorite sites; SmartSearch for searching via highlighting; resizable portal field. Sleipnir 6.5 for Windows: Sleipnir 6.5 for Windows is a customizable web browser that offers advanced tab management, non-member social feeds, mouse gestures and privacy protection features. Sleipnir Mobile: The following mobile versions of Sleipnir for smartphones have been released: Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. ==Reception==

Early Gecko-based versions of Sleipnir for Windows scored positive reviews from CNET for the design and functionality, most noticeably, for the inclusion of gestures. “The action is very smooth and natural and a lot like scrolling through pages on your phone with your thumb.” The OSX version review by MakeUseOf followed generally the same line while additionally bringing attention to the convenient tab management. MacWorld, while reviewing Sleipnir 4 for Mac has praised how the URL bar was changed. “Opera pioneered that idea, but Sleipnir’s tabs remain constantly visible and strike a nice balance between being large enough to identify but small enough not to intrude on the main browser window.” Despite this, version 4 was criticized for its poor performance, compared to other browsers using WebKit. Later versions of Sleipnir received positive reviews from Softpedia, due to the browser's customizability, features and the availability of mobile versions. “Sleipnir proves to be a stable and fast web browser that comes with innovative functions and various customization possibilities. The extra security features, together with smartphone and web apps linking are features that make it a viable alternative to its more popular competitors.” In 2012, multiple performance tests were performed by ''Tom's Hardware'', where the Android version of Sleipnir was placed on the third spot as the best browser for Android, outrun by Dolphin and Maxthon. ==See also==