Crusta Browser
Version: GIT Web: https://github.com/ Crusta/crustabrowser
the family of Chromium-based web browsers is constantly growing. One distinctive branch is a group of Qtwebengine-based applications, of which the most well-known one is Falkon (formerly Qupzilla). But this time we take a closer look at another project: Crusta Browser. Based on the same engine and technology stack, it is a lighter alternative to Falkon or any other browser with Qtwebengine at its heart. What made us curious are a couple of unique features that make this underdog web browser a reasonable choice in certain conditions. Crusta Browser sports a modular design, and even though there are no ready-to-use plug-ins right now, it is relatively easy to extend the browser’s specs.
The main menu contains the ‘Plugins > Load unpacked plug-in’ item, which enables you to import a directory with custom code written in QML. Crusta expects the main.qml file to sit in the top-level directory of a plug-in, and even provides an example that prints the Hello message. QML is a simple markup language similar to Javascript and therefore writing a Crusta plug-in is much simpler than extending the functionality of Chromium or Firefox. Apart from this, Crusta Browser has a Responsive Design mode for emulating the screens of smartphones. This feature is a great aid for web developers that need to test their sites against different target devices and with custom screen resolutions.
History, cookies manager, private mode, sidebar and speed dial page also exist here, although such features are taken for granted these days. In any case, Crusta doesn’t aim to become your standard browser, but it is a nice companion for testing and developing websites, and also playing with home-made browser plug-ins for those who feel brave enough for that sort of things.
Build Crusta Browser using Qmake. The application lives right inside the build directory and does not need further installation, so run it right from where you have the source code.