View source for Arachne (web browser)

{{short description|Graphical web browser for DOS and Linux}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox Software
| name                   = Arachne
| logo                   =
| screenshot             = [[File:Arachne VESA Mode.png|200px|Arachne in VESA mode]]
[[File:Arachne CGA Mode.png|200px|Arachne in CGA mode]]
| caption                = Arachne GPL web browser using its VESA and CGA display modes, respectively
| developer              = Michael Polák<ref name="Polák"/> and contributors
| released               = {{Start date and age|1996|12|22|df=yes}}
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2021|12|23|df=yes}}
| latest release version = 1.99
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system       = [[DOS]], [[Linux]]
| language               =
| genre                  = [[Internet suite]]
| license                = [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]
| website                = {{url|https://www.glennmcc.org/}},<br /> {{url|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201105844/http://arachne.cz/?page=soft}}
}}
'''Arachne''' is an [[Internet suite]] containing a graphical [[web browser]], [[email client]], and dialer.<ref name="Rakitin"/> Originally, Arachne was developed by Michal Polák<ref name="Polák"/> under his xChaos label, a name he later changed into Arachne Labs. It was written in [[C (programming language)|C]] and compiled using [[Borland]] C++ 3.1.<ref name="Arachne_Labs"/> Arachne has since been released under the [[GNU General Public License|GPL]] as '''Arachne GPL'''.

Arachne primarily runs on [[DOS]]-based operating systems, but  there are also builds available for [[Linux]].<ref name="NOAA" /> The Linux version of Arachne utilizes SVGALib, allowing it to function without requiring a display server.

=={{anchor|DGI}}Background==
[[File:Arachne EGA Mode.png|thumb|Screenshot of the Arachne web browser using the 640×350 graphics mode. The screenshot contains 14 colors.]]

Arachne supports many file formats, protocols and standards including video modes from [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] 640×200 in monochrome to [[VESA]] 1024×768 in high color mode ({{val|65536}} colors). It is designed for systems that do not have any [[windowing system]] installed.<ref name="Stutz"/>

Arachne supports multiple image formats including [[JPEG]], [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]], [[BMP file format|BMP]] and [[animated GIF]]. It supports a subset of the [[HTML 4.0]] and [[CSS 1.0]] standards, including full support for tables and frames.<ref name="freedos"/> Supported protocols include [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]], [[NNTP]] for [[USENET]] forums, [[POP3]], [[SMTP]] and [[Gopher (protocol)|Gopher]]. Arachne includes a full-fledged TCP/IP connection suite, which has support for some dial-up and Ethernet connections. However, Arachne has no support for [[JavaScript]],<ref name="Rakitin"/> [[Java (programming language)|Java]]<ref name="Rakitin"/> or [[Secure Sockets Layer|SSL]]. Arachne can be expanded with the use of add-ons for such tasks as watching [[DivX]] movies, playing [[MP3]] files, [[IRC]] chat, [[RSS]] and viewing [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] documents. Arachne also supports ''DOS Gateway Interface'' (DGI), a unique feature similar to [[Common Gateway Interface]] (CGI) scripting on the client.

The first version of Arachne with a known release date was 1.0 Beta 2, which was released on 22 December 1996. The final and official version by Arachne Labs was 1.70R3 for DOS (released 22 January 2001) and 1.66 beta for Linux (released 20 July 2000). While there have been several more DOS versions,<ref name="Archive"/><ref name="Evolt_BrowserArchive"/> Linux development lay dormant until 24 May 2008 when a beta version 1.93 for Linux<ref name="Arachne_Linux"/> was released. The current DOS version, maintained by Glenn McCorkle, is 1.99 as of 23 December 2021. In 2006, there also was an experimental [[DOS Protected Mode Interface|DPMI]] port of Arachne by Udo Kuhnt, named DPMI Arachne.<!-- Alpha 2 2006-11-07 http://www.drdosprojects.de/index.cgi/other.htm -->

==Support==
Arachne supports a limited subset of stylesheets and HTML. Known support as of version 1.93:<ref name="freedos"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Style
! Aliases
! Options
|-
| color
|
| #rgb or #rrggbb or a color name
|-
| background-color
| background
| #rgb or #rrggbb or a color name
|-
| font-size
|
| %, px, pt
|-
| font-style
|
| i[talics]
|-
| font-weight
|
| b[old]
|-
| text-decoration
| font-decoration
| u[nderline]
|}
{{clear}}

== Derivatives ==
{{Main|DR-WebSpyder}}
xChaos software licensed the source code of Arachne to [[Caldera UK]] in 1997. Caldera UK added [[Novell]]'s dialer and [[TCP/IP]] stack, [[JavaScript]], [[Secure Sockets Layer|SSL]], implemented their own support for frames, added support for animated GIFs, audio output, printing on a multitude of printers, an optional on-screen keyboard for mouse and touch panel usage ([[SoftKeyboards (Caldera)|SoftKeyboards]]), user profiles, and they completely changed the design of the browser (customizable), using [[Allegro (software)|Allegro]] for graphics. Also, they ported it to compile as a 32-bit protected mode extended DOS application (utilizing [[DOS Protected Mode Interface|DPMI]] using [[DJGPP]], a GNU compiler for DOS),<ref name="Arachne_FAQ"/> while Arachne is a 16-bit application. This program was sold as [[DR-WebSpyder]] in 1998; the name was to associate it with [[DR-DOS]], which Caldera owned at the time.

When Caldera had transferred DR-DOS to its branch company [[Caldera Thin Clients]], which renamed itself into [[Lineo]] in 1999, the browser was referred to under the name [[Embrowser]].<ref name="Caldera_1999_Lineo"/><ref name="Smith_1999_Lineo"/> Since 2000, the Linux port of the browser has been called [[Embedix Browser]].

== See also ==
* [[Comparison of web browsers]]
* [[DosLynx|Lynx]] (text-based)
* [[FreeDOS]]
* [[List of web browsers]]
* [[Minnesota Internet Users Essential Tool|MINUET]] (graphical)
* [[List of Usenet newsreaders]]
* [[Comparison of Usenet newsreaders]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Polák">{{cite web |title=Michael Polák<!-- international nickname --> |language=cs |author-first=Michal<!-- birth name, no typo! --> |author-last=Polák <!-- |author-link=Michal Polák (programmer) --> |date=2018 |work=[[Česká pirátská strana|Pirátská strana]] |url=https://wiki.pirati.cz/lide/michael_polak |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190531134936/https://wiki.pirati.cz/lide/michael_polak |archive-date=2019-05-31}}</ref>
<ref name="Rakitin">{{cite journal |author-last=Rakitin |author-first=Jason |journal=[[Network World]] |date=1997-10-27 |title=Review: Alternative Web browsers |url=http://www.networkworld.com/news/1997/1027browser2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128041314/http://www.networkworld.com/news/1997/1027browser2.html |archive-date=2007-11-28}}</ref>
<ref name="Arachne_Labs">[http://www.arachne.cz Arachne Labs]</ref>
<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/sec508/htm/browsers.htm |title=Section 508 Alternative Browsers |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Stutz">{{cite magazine |author-last=Stutz |author-first=Michael |title=Czech Browser Won't Do Windows |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=1997-06-06 |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/06/4293 |access-date=2017-03-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202110249/https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/06/4293 |archive-date=2008-12-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Archive">{{cite web |title=Arachne file archive |url=https://freedos.pri.ee/files/net/arachne/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624031600/http://freedos.pri.ee/files/net/arachne/ |archive-date=2008-06-24}}</ref>
<ref name="Evolt_BrowserArchive">{{cite web |title=Arachne |work=Evolt Browser Archive |url=https://browsers.evolt.org/browsers/archive/arachne |access-date=2020-02-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208104922/https://browsers.evolt.org/browsers/archive/arachne |archive-date=2020-02-08 |quote=[…] 1.2_beta7 2002-05-03 […] 1.41b 2006-06-13 […] 1.43_beta2 2002-05-03 […] 1.47b 1999-08-21 […] 1.66_beta 2002-05-03 […] 1.70 2002-05-03 […] 1.73 2006-06-13 […]}}</ref>
<ref name="Arachne_Linux">{{cite web |title=Arachne v1.93;GPL for Linux |author-first=Glenn |author-last=McCorkle |date=2008 |url=http://www.glennmcc.org/aralinux/ |access-date=2008-07-02}}</ref>
<ref name="freedos">{{cite web |title=Arachne HTML support |date=2008-07-10 |work=[[FreeDOS]] |url=http://www.freedos.org/freedos/news/technote/235.html |access-date=2008-11-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713081441/http://www.freedos.org/freedos/news/technote/235.html |archive-date=2008-07-13}}</ref>
<ref name="Arachne_FAQ">{{cite web |title=Arachne Frequently Asked Questions |date=2005-03-02 |publisher=Arachne Labs |url=http://home.arachne.cz/arachne-faq.html#3 |access-date=2018-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050302181238/http://home.arachne.cz/arachne-faq.html#3 |archive-date=2005-03-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Caldera_1999_Lineo">{{cite web |author=Caldera, Inc. |author-link=Caldera, Inc. |title=((Embedded Linux moved to top priority at Lineo, Inc. formerly known as Caldera Thin Clients, Inc.)) |type=Press release |date=1999-07-20 |location=Lindon, UT, USA |url=http://www.maxframe.com/DR/Info/fullstory/lineoprl.html |access-date=2017-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625000805/http://www.maxframe.com/DR/Info/fullstory/lineoprl.html |archive-date=25 June 2017 }}</ref>
<ref name="Smith_1999_Lineo">{{cite web |title=Caldera Thin Clients renamed to focus on embedded Linux - Lineo, Lineo -- wherefore art thou, Lineo? |author-first=Tony |author-last=Smith |date=1999-07-20 |publisher=[[The Register]] |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/07/20/caldera_thin_clients_renamed/ |access-date=2018-02-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822205953/https://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/07/20/caldera_thin_clients_renamed/ |archive-date=2018-08-22}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |title=Ansichtssachen - Alternative Web-Browser für Windows, MacOS, Linux, OS/2 und DOS |language=German |author-first1=Jo |author-last1=Bager |author-first2=Dirk |author-last2=Brenken |author-first3=Jürgen |author-last3=Schmidt |date=1998-03-30 |journal=[[c't - magazin für computertechnik]] |issue=7 |volume=1998 |publisher=[[Heise Verlag]] |pages=116– |url=https://www.math.uzh.ch/doc/cd/ctrom98/html/98/07/116/art.htm |access-date=2018-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825235549/https://www.math.uzh.ch/doc/cd/ctrom98/html/98/07/116/art.htm |archive-date=25 August 2018 }} [https://web.archive.org/web/20180826001129/https://www.math.uzh.ch/doc/cd/ctrom98/html/98/07/116/pic25.htm]

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Arachne (web browser)}}
* [https://groups.io/g/ArachneDevelopment Arachne Development group & list]
* [http://www.glennmcc.org/ Arachne GPL]
* [http://www.glennmcc.org/apm/ Arachne Add-ons]
* [http://arachne.cz/ Arachne Labs homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070323161741/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/arachne4dos/arframe.htm Mel's Arachne4DOS UK Home page]
* [http://www.freedos.org/freedos/news/technote/235.html Arachne HTML support at freedos.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927051141/http://www.freedos.org/freedos/news/technote/235.html |date=2011-09-27  }}
* [http://www.kompx.com/en/arachne-installing-and-setting-up-ethernet.htm Arachne web browser. Installing and setting up for internet connection via Ethernet network adapter]

{{Web browsers}}
{{Early web browsers}}
{{gopher clients}}
{{Internet suites}}
{{E-mail clients}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arachne (Web Browser)}}
[[Category:1996 software]]
[[Category:Discontinued web browsers]]
[[Category:DOS software]]
[[Category:Gopher clients]]
[[Category:Internet suites]]
[[Category:Web browsers for DOS]]
[[Category:Free web browsers]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]