Editing GNOME Web (section)

== Features ==
[[File:GNOME Web 41 (released in 2021-09) — Preferences.png|thumb|The GNOME Web 41 preferences]]
[[File:Screenshot of tabs in GNOME Web.png|thumb|Tabs in GNOME Web]]

As a component of [[GNOME Core Applications]], it provides full integration with [[GNOME]] settings and other components like [[GNOME Keyring]] to securely store passwords, following the [[GNOME Human Interface Guidelines]] and the GNOME [[software stack]] to provide first-class support for the all new-adopted edge technologies such as [[Wayland (display server protocol)|Wayland]] and the latest major [[GTK]] versions,<ref name=FAQ /> multimedia support using [[GStreamer]], small package size (2.6MB)<ref name="Debian package"/> and very fast execution/startup time due to using shared components; other features include the ''reader mode'',<ref name=reader-mode-omg-ubuntu /> [[mouse gestures]], [[smart bookmarks]], praised [[web application]] integration mechanism,<ref name="makeuseof-5 Reasons"/> built-in [[ad blocking]], the "Insert Emoji" option in the [[context menu]] for quick and easy inserting of [[Emoji]] and ''[[Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs]]'' into the [[text box]]es, [[Google Safe Browsing]],<ref name="Google Safe Browsing"/> supports reading and saving [[MHTML]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/blob/master/NEWS#L1316|title=NEWS · master · GNOME / Epiphany|access-date=May 27, 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801035317/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/blob/master/NEWS#L1316|url-status=live}}</ref> an archive format for web pages that combines all the files of web pages into only one single file; and consume fewer [[system resource]]s than the major cross-platform web browsers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

=== Web standards support ===
The underlying [[WebKit]] browser engine provides support for [[HTML 4]], [[XHTML]], [[CSS]] 1 and 2, most of [[HTML 5]] and CSS 3,<ref name="webkit-secsupport" /> and a [[Web Inspector]] (web development debugging tool).<ref name="webinspector" />

[[Encrypted Media Extensions]] support is not a goal, as the standard does not specify a Content Decryption Module to use, all available modules are proprietary even if licensing is possible, and the system imposes [[digital rights management]] that hides what the user's computer is doing to make copying "premium content" difficult. However, [[Media Source Extensions]] is supported, as [[YouTube]] began to require this technology in November 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WebKitGTK+ 2.22.2 and 2.22.3, Media Source Extensions, and YouTube – Michael Catanzaro|date=November 2, 2018 |url=https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2018/11/02/webkitgtk-2-22-2-and-2-22-3-media-source-extensions-and-youtube/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-26|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801052541/https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2018/11/02/webkitgtk-2-22-2-and-2-22-3-media-source-extensions-and-youtube/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Apple Inc.|Apple]], which is the primary corporate backer of WebKit, rejected at least 16 web APIs because they could be used in a [[device fingerprinting|fingerprinting]] attack to help personally identify users and track them, while providing limited or no benefit to the user.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|title=Apple declined to implement 16 Web APIs in Safari due to privacy concerns|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-declined-to-implement-16-web-apis-in-safari-due-to-privacy-concerns/|access-date=2020-06-29|website=ZDNet|language=en|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629102118/https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-declined-to-implement-16-web-apis-in-safari-due-to-privacy-concerns/|url-status=live}}</ref> As [[HTML5test]] checks for most of these APIs, it artificially lowers WebKit's "score" in points (as does lack of DRM support).{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Web once supported [[NPAPI]] plug-ins, such as [[Java (programming language)|Java]] and [[Adobe Flash]], but support was removed in GNOME 3.34.<ref name="auto2"/> In the modern web platform, these have fallen out of favor and support has been removed from all major browsers. Flash has been deprecated by Adobe itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/25/get-ready-to-say-goodbye-to-flash-in-2020/|title=Get ready to finally say goodbye to Flash — in 2020|date=July 25, 2017}}</ref> Flash had gained infamy throughout the years for usability and stability issues, incessant security vulnerabilities,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=53&product_id=6761|title=Adobe Flash Player : List of security vulnerabilities|website=www.cvedetails.com|access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801080330/https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=53&product_id=6761|url-status=live}}</ref> its proprietary nature, its ability to let sites deploy particularly obnoxious web ads,<ref name=flash-chrome-block /> and Adobe's poor and inconsistent Linux support.<ref name=flash-linux-support /> Many of these issues were raised by [[Steve Jobs]], then CEO of Apple, in his essay [[Thoughts on Flash]].<ref name=flash-jobs />

=== GNOME integration ===
[[File:GNOME Shell with GNOME Web in mobile form factor, 300% scaling (both in version 3.36).png|thumb|Support for phone and tablet form-factors was added in version 3.34]]

Web reuses GNOME frameworks and settings,<ref name="linux-non-geeks_book" /><ref name="fedora-10_book" /> including the user interface theme, network settings, and printing. Settings are stored with GSettings and GNOME default applications are used for [[internet media type]]s handling. The user configures these, centrally, in GNOME's settings app.

The built-in preference manager for Web presents basic browser-specific settings while advanced settings which could radically alter Web's behavior can be changed with utilities such as '''dconf''' (command line) and '''dconf-editor''' (graphical).<ref name="running-linux_book" />

Web follows the [[GNOME Human Interface Guidelines]] and platform-wide design decisions.<ref name="suse-unleashed_book" /> For example, in Web 3.4, the menu for application actions was moved to the [[GNOME Shell]]'s top panel application menu and the [[menu bar]] was replaced with "super menu" button, which triggers the display of window-specific menu entries.<ref name="ars-34_design" />

Since GNOME 3.32, Web can adjust to various form factors with the help of [[Libadwaita]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sneddon |first=Joey |date=2023-07-01 |title=Slick New Feature Added to GNOME's Web Browser |url=https://www.omglinux.com/epiphany-browser-slick-tab-overview/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=OMG! Linux |language=en-US}}</ref> It supports desktop, tablet and phone form factors. ("Narrow Mode").<ref name="modes">{{cite web |title=Work is Underway to Make the GNOME Web Browser Mobile Friendly |url=https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/05/gnome-web-browser-librem-5 |website=OMG! Ubuntu! |date=May 11, 2018 |access-date=8 May 2020 |quote="Web have two modes that I named normal and narrow. The normal mode is Web as you know it, while the narrow mode moves all buttons from the header bar but the hamburger menu to a new action bar at the bottom, letting the windows reach yet unreachable widths." |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801025625/https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/05/gnome-web-browser-librem-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Ad blocking ===
Since GNOME 3.18, Web is configured to [[Ad blocking|block ads]] and pop-ups by default.<ref name="gnome.org1"/> In GNOME 3.34, the existing ad blocker was removed. This code was only partially functional and had been the source of many bugs. Web adopted the "Content Blockers" system from the WebKit engine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/issues/288|title=Port the adblocker to the Content Blockers API (#288) · Issues · GNOME / Epiphany|website=GitLab|date=November 9, 2015 |access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801044839/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/issues/288|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://webkit.org/blog/3476/content-blockers-first-look/|title=Introduction to WebKit Content Blockers|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929191102/https://webkit.org/blog/3476/content-blockers-first-look/|url-status=live}}</ref>

One of the developers, Adrián Pérez de Castro, compared the old and new ad blockers. He found that the switch saved approximately 80 MiB of RAM per browser tab.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/merge_requests/178|title=Use the new WebKit content filters API for the adblocker (!178) · Merge Requests · GNOME / Epiphany|website=GitLab|date=February 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801031059/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/merge_requests/178|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Google Safe Browsing and security sandboxing ===
Since GNOME 3.28, Web has support for [[Google Safe Browsing]], to help prevent users from visiting malicious websites.<ref name="Google Safe Browsing">{{cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Epiphany-3.27.1-Released|title=Epiphany 3.28 Development Kicks Off With Safe Browsing, Better Flatpak Handling – Phoronix|website=phoronix.com|access-date=April 9, 2018|archive-date=April 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409043718/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Epiphany-3.27.1-Released|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since GNOME 3.34, Web explicitly requires a minimum of WebKitGTK 2.26 or later.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/commit/8c63e4b3c6f04f925c6339ba2fb416ddf21fdad8|title=Require WebKitGTK 2.26.0 (8c63e4b3) · Commits · GNOME / Epiphany|website=GitLab|date=September 13, 2019 |access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929183402/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/commit/8c63e4b3c6f04f925c6339ba2fb416ddf21fdad8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> This provides the "Bubblewrap Sandbox"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/686113/|title=Sandboxing for the unprivileged with bubblewrap [LWN.net]|website=lwn.net|access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929183358/https://lwn.net/Articles/686113/|url-status=live}}</ref> for tab processes, which is intended to prevent malicious websites from hijacking the browser and using it to spy on other tabs or run malicious code on the user's computer. If such code found another exploit in the operating system allowing it to become [[Superuser|root]], the result could be a disaster for all users of the system.

Making the sandbox a priority was brought on, according to Michael Catanzaro, because he was particularly concerned with the code quality of [[OpenJPEG]] and the numerous security problems that had been discovered in it, including many years of failing security reviews by Ubuntu.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openjpeg2/+bug/711061|title=Bug #711061 "[MIR] openjpeg2" : Bugs : openjpeg2 package : Ubuntu|website=bugs.launchpad.net|date=February 2011 |access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929211627/https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/%2Bsource/openjpeg2/%2Bbug/711061|url-status=live}}</ref> He further explained that web compatibility requires that sites believe that Web is a major browser. Sending them the [[user agent]] of [[Safari (web browser)|Apple Safari]] causes fewer broken websites than others (due to sharing the WebKit engine), but also causes caching servers to deliver [[JPEG 2000]] images,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=186272|title=186272 – [GTK][WPE] Support JPEG 2000 images|website=bugs.webkit.org|access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801035259/https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=186272|url-status=live}}</ref> of which Safari is the only major browser to support. There is no other usable open source option for JPEG 2000 support. Fixing OpenJPEG, which is the official [[reference software]], will be a massive undertaking that could take years to sort out. Enabling the Bubblewrap Sandbox would cause many vulnerabilities in this and other components to become "minimally useful" to potential attackers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2019/06/09/on-ubuntu-updates/|title=On Ubuntu Updates – Michael Catanzaro|date=June 9, 2019 |access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624124815/https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2019/06/09/on-ubuntu-updates/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In GNOME 3.36, Web gained native support for PDF documents by using [[PDF.js]]. Michael Catanzaro explained that having websites open [[Evince]] to display PDF files was insecure, as it could be used to escape the browser's security sandbox. Since Evince was the last user of NPAPI, this allowed the remaining support code for the obsolete plug-in model (where additional vulnerabilities could be hiding) to be removed. Since the NPAPI support had a hard dependency on X11, moving to PDF.js also allowed that dependency to be dropped.<ref name="blogs.gnome.org"/>

Since PDF.js internally converts PDF documents so that they can be displayed by the web browser's engine, it does not add security vulnerabilities to the browser the way that compiled plug-ins such as [[Adobe Acrobat]] or Evince could.<ref name="blogs.gnome.org"/>

=== Bookmark management ===
[[File:GNOME Web 41 (released in 2021-09) — Bookmark management 01.png|thumb|Bookmark management of GNOME Web in version 41]]

While most browsers feature a hierarchical folder-based [[Internet bookmark|bookmark system]], Web uses categorized bookmarks, where a single bookmark (e.g. this page) can exist in multiple categories (such as "Web Browsers", "GNOME", and "Computer Software").<ref name="Wallen01Jul10" /> A special category includes bookmarks that have not yet been categorized. Bookmarks, along with browsing history, are accessed from the address bar in find-as-you-type manner.<ref name="epiphany-smart-bookmarks" />

==== Smart bookmarks ====
Another innovative concept supported by Web (though originally from [[Galeon]])<ref name="galeon-history_website" /> is "[[smart bookmarks]]". These take a single argument specified from the address bar, or from a textbox in a toolbar.<ref name="FSM" />

{{-}}

=== Web Application Mode ===
[[File:GNOME Web 3.36 application manager.png|thumb|GNOME Web 3.36 (March 2020) in "Web Application mode", showing the Wikipedia main page]]
{{main|Site-specific browser}}

Since GNOME 3.2, released in September 2011,<ref name="gnome32_rn"/> Web allows creating application launchers for [[web application]]s. The subsequent invocation of a launcher brings up a plain [[site-specific browser]] (single instance) of Web limited to one domain, with off-site links opening in a normal browser.<ref name="web-application-mode_devblog" /> The launcher created this way is accessible from the desktop and is not limited to [[GNOME Shell]]. For instance it may be used with [[Unity (user interface)|Unity]], used on [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]].<ref name="install-wam-ubuntu_3rd" /> This feature facilitates the integration of the desktop and [[World Wide Web]], which is a goal of Web's developers.<ref name="web-comes_devblog" /> Similar features can be found in the Windows version of [[Google Chrome]]. For the same purpose [[Mozilla Foundation]] previously developed a standalone application [[Mozilla Prism]], which was superseded by the project [[Chromeless]].<ref name="mozilla-chromeless" />

Web applications are managed within the browser's main instance. The applications can be deleted from the page, accessible with a [[about URI scheme|special URI]] '''about:applications'''. This approach was supposed to be a temporary while a centralized GNOME web application management was to be implemented in GNOME 3.4, but this never happened.<ref name="git_news" />

=== Firefox Sync ===
Since GNOME 3.26 and until GNOME 47, Web had support for Firefox Sync, which allowed users to sync their bookmarks, history, passwords, and open tabs with Firefox Sync, which could then be shared between any copy of Firefox or Web that the user signed into Firefox Sync with.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2017/08/09/on-firefox-sync/|title=On Firefox Sync – Michael Catanzaro|website=blogs.gnome.org|date=August 9, 2017 |access-date=September 25, 2017|archive-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925132346/https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2017/08/09/on-firefox-sync/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In GNOME 47, it was disabled because of Mozilla changing the way Firefox Sync worked.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Making sure you're not a bot! |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/epiphany/-/issues/2337 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=gitlab.gnome.org}}</ref>

=== Extensions === 
Web once supported extensions and a package was maintained containing the official ones. This was later removed due to problems with stability and maintainability.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Some popular extensions, such as [[ad blocking]], were moved to the core application.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The project has expressed an interest in implementing support for the [[WebExtension]] add-on format used by Chrome, Firefox, and some other major browsers, if interested contributors can be found.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Web/Docs/FrequentlyAskedQuestions#Does_Epiphany_support_extensions.3F|title=Apps/Web/Docs/FrequentlyAskedQuestions - GNOME Wiki!|website=wiki.gnome.org|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=July 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717180810/https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Web/Docs/FrequentlyAskedQuestions#Does_Epiphany_support_extensions.3F|url-status=live}}</ref> Experimental support for WebExtensions was introduced in GNOME 43.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://debugpointnews.com/gnome-web-43-extension/|title=GNOME Web (Epiphany) Gets WebExtension Support, Coming in GNOME 43|website=DebugPoint NEWS|date=July 1, 2022|access-date=May 25, 2023}}</ref>