Product Overview: Rekonq
Introduction
Rekonq is a lightweight web browser designed to integrate seamlessly into the KDE desktop environment. It leverages the WebKit rendering engine, which is also used by popular browsers like Google Chrome and Apple Safari, and combines it with various KDE technologies.
Key Features
Rendering Engine and Performance
Rekonq uses the WebKit rendering engine, known for its speed and power. This engine allows for fast and efficient browsing, making it suitable for a wide range of web applications.
Integration with KDE
Rekonq is deeply integrated with the KDE desktop, utilizing KDE’s file dialog, KIO services, and other KDE technologies. This integration provides a cohesive user experience, allowing users to access features like the Places sidebar from Dolphin while opening or saving documents.
User Interface and Tab Management
The browser features a simple and customizable interface. It includes a New Tab page with preview thumbnails of favorite webpages, as well as panels for bookmarks, history, and a web inspector for web development. Users can rearrange tabs, detach, clone, or reload them using a context menu. Additionally, Rekonq supports full-screen mode and automatic session restore in case of a crash.
Adblock and Privacy Features
Rekonq comes with built-in Adblock support, including an automatic subscription to the Easylist filter, which is updated weekly. Users can also set up manual filters and import additional filter lists. The browser allows private browsing, enabling users to browse without retaining history, cookies, or other private data on their computer.
Web Shortcuts and Advanced Navigation
Rekonq supports web shortcuts, allowing users to quickly search the web using predefined keywords. For example, typing “gg:KDE” in the location bar will search Google for “KDE”. Users can also define custom shortcuts to search on their favorite websites.
KIO Support and File Management
The browser supports KIO services, enabling access to various protocols such as HTTP, FTP, and more. It also integrates with KIO-slaves for accessing ZIP files, archives, and other types of content. This feature enhances the browser’s capability beyond standard web browsing.
Plugin Management
Rekonq allows users to disable plugins from automatically loading, using a “Click-to-load” mode. This feature helps in speeding up webpage loading times by avoiding the automatic loading of plugins like Flash.
Current Status
While Rekonq was once a promising and lightweight browser, it has seen significant decline in recent years. The browser is now considered more or less dead, with many of its features and functionalities plagued by bugs and lack of updates. As a result, many KDE distributions have shifted to using other browsers like Firefox by default.