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horbito NOVA — A new kind of web browser, made for the neoworkers.
NOVA is a new kind of web browser designed for the way we interact with the web today, made for the neoworkers.
Turn any website into an app so you can start interacting with windows, not tabs. Welcome to the Operating System of the web.
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Jake Tran
is this a chromium based? what about apps that would work better with extensions on chrome? does this support that?
EDIT: I am enjoying it so far, but please find a way to manage the taskbar, or at least allow me to drag and drop. Managing the taskbar and windows is lil bit nightmare here. Also, please allow managing cookies and history as well, or maybe an omnisearch to look for history and windows/ tabs management.
Also, I use Google to log in to Raindrop and Raindrop failed to open the login window of Google. Spotify is unable to play music in there. Any fixes?
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@jake_tran Hello Jake! Yes, we're based on Chromium so every webapp will work as fast as it does in Google Chrome. We're currently working on supporting plugins from the Chrome Store, which plugins would you love to have available?
You can manage the taskbar using right click over the icons and selecting (remove from taskbar or move up/down), same if you right click over the icons in the launchpad (add to taskbar). We know drag&drop would be more convenient but we wanted to launch the MVP as fast as we could!
@jake_tran Regarding the Google error while trying to log in to Rainfrop I'll report it to my team so we can discover what's happening.
About Spotify, we're having issues with DRM but we've already managed to talk with Google to get Widevine support so it will be fixed in a few days! :)
@robby2023 Hi there, thank u for replying. For now, I just uninstalled it because its still not responsive enough for my daily usage (I'm a Windows user btw). But I am very looking forward to it. The reason that I do, and also prefer this over Station.io because you guys don't forget the root: that it is still a web browser. The problem w/ Station is, there are times, I still need to wandering around the web, and go to pages that are not necessarily apps. So kudos for you guys add tabs to apps and still have a browser in there
And also, because of my fast workflow, I find the current interactions for managing taskbar is still a burden for me, since I add like tons of apps on it. Maybe also considering tab and bookmark management since I could easily open 20+ sth tabs lol. However, i think i already subscribe to you guys, so I will keep an eye on this closely.
For plugins, for now, I would probably need adblock, some security plugins, and official plugins that support all the apps in your app store. Yes, I know its a tall task but keep em' coming lol.
@jake_tran Amazing feedback, you're awesome! Everything you mentioned is actually in our product roadmap so we'll slowly get there. I'm sending you a message right now because I would LOVE to test with you new ideas or features and get such an amazing feedback.
Hello Product Hunt!
We're really excited to share NOVA with you today and get all your feedback.
Google Chrome was launched more than 10 years ago and it still works exactly the same way (although the way we work has drastically changed). We now live online and always work using our browser, we don't really use our OS anymore, our web browsers have actually become the real Operating System which we use to access the programs we need. If so, why doesn't it behave like such?
Introducing NOVA, a web browser where you interact with your webapps using an OS-like interface, with icons, badges and windows. Add new apps using the App Store or turn any website you want into an app through Vintage Browser.
Although the product is not finished (we want to add plugins support, SSO, cookie sync, better integrations...) we wanted to share our MVP with you ASAP to get the most feedback possible and improve NOVA as fast as we can.
Please ask any question you might have, @javiergarmon and I will love to answer absolutely any doubt or suggestion you might have!
Thank you!
@javiergarmon @robby2023 Hi, first of all congrats on the concept, I think browsers are due a refresh (no pun intended).
I installed the Windows 10 version and the first thing I got is a login prompt, with no way to go around it. I feel this was not communicated at all in the presentation or on the website, and also nowhere does it say why I -must- have an account.
Especially since it's an MVP, It would be nice if access is unrestricted, so as many people try it out. I don't want to create an account for no reason, so I'll wait until there is more information about the authentication requirement, or (preferably) there is a way to skip it.
@robby2023 Thanks @serbancarjan !
We've been thinking a lot about this first initial sensation. NOVA is based on horbito (which is free too) and for having a Cloud based environment it's neccesary to have an account in the service.
As you has metioned, that first impresion is tough. We're going to work on that ASAP. Thank you for your feedback!
@javiergarmon @robby2023 Hi Guys! I just LOVE the presentation of the product & the design of the app. I installed Horbito nova, but it looks more like a new OS rather than a new browser. Am I wrong?
Top Hunter
@javiergarmon @robby2023 I mean, site specific browsers have been around for a while... so I'm struggling to imagine how you call this is "the first web browser where you interact with your webapps using an OS-like interface, with icons, badges and windows".
@iTod built his own browser generator called Fluid 11 years ago...
@javiergarmon @franz1 Thank you so much Franz!! It does look more like a new OS indeed, it's a web browser with an OS-like interface. Instead of accessing the apps through a URL you would add them using the App Store or turn them into apps using "Add to taskbar" inside Vintage Browser.
Then, when you boot NOVA you would open and interact with the apps in a very similar way you would use a compuer. We believe it makes much more sense to interact with webapps this way today instead of the traditional way of changing through hundreds of tabs.
Before tabs, before Chrome, there were... wait for it... windows! I can't try this because it's not available for Linux yet, but from the video, it looks a lot like Franz/Rambox/Wavebox etc. etc. With added windows. I'm not entirely convinced but I will keep an open mind and give the Linux version a go when it's available.
@frassmith sure, we'll release a Linux version ASAP, the demand is really high!
Before tabs, windows were the only option indeed. NOVA allows you to have contextual windows for every app. For example, your Gmail app is in a window but you can have several tabs inside Gmail app. It allows you to create contexts for your work.
Also we believe this is a good solution to don't get lost in a sea of tabs and create a browser that adapts to your workflow and exalt your most used apps/websites.
@javiergarmon This is an interesting idea, I'm giving it a try. :)
You mention having several tabs for each app window. How can I open a second tab in Gmail app, for example?
@javiergarmon @maitane Use the click from your mousewheel or cmd/ctrl + click and it'll open a new tab with the link
I watched the promo video and thought that this must be amazing! First disappointment was that I discovered I have to make an account in order to use it. Second disappointment was that it was not just a browser but something that resembles a virtual machine environment. It’s like a computer with its own operating system inside my computer. I don’t use Horbito’s services and I don’t intend to (i’m not the target user anyway) so I couldn’t care less about the chat and storage integration since I don’t use either of those things. I would’ve much preferred a browser that works just like the promo video without trying to draw you into an echo system. Other negatives are that it is a pain to re-order icons in the dock and after adding lots of new items from the “store” I had to restart the program in order for them to actually show up.
Pros:Great idea, Great UI, great promo video
Cons:You need an account in order to use it, not just a browser but a whole system
Not convinced... Seems like an idealistic approach of the web. I prefer to dock some chrome tabs to windows task bar and use franz for few web apps. But good luck to you.
@raphael_chabaud No problem! Each person has a different way of solving the same problem, we just give a simple and convenient way from the start but if you already have your way of doing it sounds great!
Love the product - Looks like it has huge potential. Just out of curiosity, how an who did your videos? I like the whole 3D screen moving thing. :)
@ross_macfarlane1 We have a crazy good designer which has done an amazing job, @octavian_rosca might give you more info
@ross_macfarlane1 Hi! I'm glad you've like it. I used After effects to animate it in 2D and then in another composition used the integrated cameras and 3d functions of after effects to make the views. Hope it helps ✌🏼
Love the video.
Also this is really cool, I setup a instance with websites I use daily, it feels so natural and frictionless.
As most people have already mentioned a few key features missing, but I see myself using this everyday.
Kudos guys, this reimagined idea of how we interact with the web is dope :)
@findabhilash Thank you so much for your great feedback Abhilash! What key features are you missing? We would love to solve all of them so you can use NOVA everyday.
Hi Roberto,
Accepting any new integrations now? If yes, where should I write down my suggestions? Thanks 🙌
@andrei_marcel Hello Andrei, you can add absolutely any website in the world as an app, you don't require us to integrate the webapp. If you have any question or you're looking for an in-depth integration please contact me at rgomez (at) horbito (dot) com
- an amazing idea that has been really well-executed. - love the real-time sync between my Macbook and iMac Pro. - automatic grouping/tabbing of pages from same app is really useful. - windows based UI helps multi-tasking. Drawbacks: - Is not able to keep tab states between different sessions - need to reopen tabs and app everytime Nova is opened. - is at least six months away using this as a primary browser. Looking forward to the extension and cookie sync support.
Pros:The UI is really simple, modern and intuitive (very GNOME-ish). 25GB of free storage (Y)
Cons:Lack of Chrome extension support - this is a deal-breaker.
This reinforces the same thinking that has led us down the computing rabbit hole we are in today; we have created a divide between programmers and users. I would love to see products/projects that give people agency to create in the digital world, not just *consume*.
Pros:The video production quality is great.
Cons:The video makes the claim that this is a new browser, but its just chromeOS running on Mac or PC. This is not new.
Hello William,
I don't really understand what do you mean. As we say in the video, NOVA is "a new kind of web browser", it doesn't look like a traditional browser but it's definitely one. We know at first it can be weird because we're not used to interact with websites through apps and windows but for us it makes much more sense than doing so in a traditional manner.
Regarding being a "chromeOS running on Mac or PC" I don't really get the comparison due to chromeOS being a version of Google Chrome in fullscreen, it's like saying "it's just Chrome running on Mac or PC".
Best,
Roberto
@davidj Our current users have been really impressed with the overall performance our NOVA, we're based on Chromium and the nature of our browser makes you use less tabs/windows which means less consume!
If you suffer any high memory usage please contact us.
I've been using station daily for many months now, and one of the core things that really matters to me is speed. hotkeys + quickswitching specifically. I'm actually fine with having to use a browser alongside station for normal search needs, bc I mostly want to jump back and forth between specific notion pages and slack channels in station. If this had easy ways to jump around, I think I could use it over station+chrome, but rn it kinda feels like an ubuntu vm that is hard to switch between apps on
@evan_farrell Hello Evan, thank you so much for your feedback, I'm sending you a message right now to get more info regarding which hotkeys or quickswitching you'd like to have.
"neoworker" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It sounds forced and unrelatable, even if I were considered the target demographic.
Interesting software, nevertheless. I can't decide if it solves problems or focuses on minor inconveniences to justify its existence. Regardless, I wish you success and it does look like a quality product.
@javiergarmon @robby2023 Thank you for this tool which is very cool !
Pros :
- Easy to use
- Nice to make website clickable app
Cons :
- Issues with some apps : I don't know if other people have the same issue but I do have some app which don't work well for now. Indeed, some app allow us to click but nothing happen (I do have this essue for Spotify and Google Drive).
- Any way to make the windows organizing "themselves" ? Windows help us to organize multiple app on one screen with shortcuts as "Windows+right/left/up/down". It would be great to have something similar in NOVA beacause the concept is based on windows.
Thanks for trying to modernize our old web usage!
@javiergarmon @vletessier Thank you so much for your feedback! We're having some issues with Spotify and Netflix due to DRM issues although we've already managed to get to an agreement with Google regarding using Widevine so we'll solve the issue really soon.
Regarding shortcuts, it's pretty easy for us to add new shortcuts all the time to the browser so please send us any improvement you might think of while using NOVA!
Eh, I'm sorry but I don't get this at all. Web browsers are not "completely outdated", that statement is absurd. And all web browsers already have the ability to use windows instead of tabs - there's a reason people use tabs :-p
It's nicely designed and it looks like y'all did a great job on it. I just don't get why I'd want an OS inside my OS. When it's open, I have a dock with icons to the left, and the MacOS dock on the bottom of my screen. Inception!
I guess this might be for people who don't ever leave the browser. Maybe the same folks who consider buying a Google Chromebook. I don't know. Sorry for the negativity, I just don't understand.
@moonlightluke Don't worry! We know our product is not a perfect solution to everybody, it's just that we believe there is a reason why people are moving away from using webapps inside the browser and installing native apps in their computers (Slack, Telegram, Gmail...). It's much more convenient to move around webapps and interact with them using icons/windows.
Everything is moving to the Cloud and we now always work online, in a couple of years 100% of the apps we use will be web and we won't use our "real" OS anymore.
Installed the app, clicked icon to run, and got a dialouge box almost the height of my monitor about broken JavaScript processes, modules not loading and all sorts of other things. Looks maybe rolled out to early or should still be in Beta.
Pros:Not sure, it didnt work.
Cons:Couldnt get the app to run on my MacBook Pro Mojave 10.14.
Hey guys, great concept! Some feedback from me:
- I don't think I can use this for my 'neo'work without a password manager, especially since closing the browser doesn't save the login states. I just gave up on the fourth time I need to login to Spotify that lead to me needing to login to Facebook.
- I don't know if this is just me but just typing this comment in the ProductHunt app in the NOVA browser seems to make the fans ramp up on my 2017 Macbook Pro (non-TB).
- The UI condition: default wallpapers are somewhat grainy, the app icons/system icons (settings gear, upload cloud icon) aren't crisp, and the app titles cutting off at the bottom; they're currently just an annoyance during my testing but those would be hygiene factors if I am to make NOVA my daily driver.
Of course all of these are kind of forgivable in a v1.0, hopefully you guys can have it refined quickly because it's a really refreshing idea to escape tab-purgatory.
P.S 20 minutes in while using this, my mind just popped an idea of "man this would be a killer app if this exact same thing is built for an iPad". Obviously the T&C might complicate things, but there you go.
@maryunani Hello Maulanna!
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback. Let me answer to some of your concerns:
- Passwork manager is a must, we're working on it. However, you shouldn't have to login every time on each app, we store your cookies (like a traditional browser does) so the moment you click on the icon it launches already opened. Does it only happen with Spotify?
- That's weird, we're based on Chromium so performance should be exactly the same as Google Chrome, we'll investigate the issue.
- We'll check with our designer, it seems we might be having some issues with Retina computers.
We're working really really hard on improving NOVA as fast as we can so you can start using it as your default browser.
Thank you so much!
Roberto
It's a new, fun yet practical way to use a browser. I couldn't see from the website where you are based. Spain? I'd push the European-ness if so. I love to use home grown products!
Pros:Really simple, modern interface. Intuitive. 25GB of storage. Built in communication with your people.
Cons:I'd like to edit the app icons the vintage browser creates. Twitter: great, The Guardian: a bit boring. Hideable horbito NOVA bar.
Thank you so much for your feedback Jared!
You're totally right about editing the icons created for the apps, we're looking into how we can make a easy and smooth process to enable users to edit the icons. Also, being able to hide the taskbar is a must!
Some of the things I wish Nova covers by next version: -No support for in-app extensions like Grammarly for Gmail -Spotify title bar is hiding under Nova's title bar - doesn't allow you to minimize or close -The previous state of my browser isn't saved and there is no option to do so. I need to login to Spotify every time I close and open Nova - When I uninstall an app, the browser just moves to the home screen. I need to click on Nova to see whether it was uninstalled or even to uninstall another app. Ideally, it should stay on Nova
Pros:It is easy to Use and much better than Tabs. Actually works really well for workplace since the work stack is limited
Cons:There are some UX problems which I have listed down.
Hello Siddartha! Thank you so much for your feedback. Let me answer your concerns:
- Extensions: You're totally right, we're working on adding the most used plugins. Due to being based on Chromium we'll be able to do so very soon!
- Spotify: Weird error, maybe it's due to window being to big for the screen, we'll definitely investigate the issue.
- State not saved: Are you selecting "Remember me" when doing login? If you don't the cookies are removed from the browser for secutiry purposes.
- Uninstalling apps: I'm having some trouble understanding the issue, I'm sending you a message right now to get more info.
Thank you so much!!
I love the idea behind this product, I agree we all use the web differently since few years.
Pros :
A unique vision on how we consume the web, based on web apps and not on websites.
Also the workspace, the chat and the feed is a really neat idea, and it's well executed !
Cons :
If only it was based on a popular web engine like Chromium or Gecko, it would enable extention support and I really cannot use it without KeePass for example.
Also, it's still an app that gathers all your web apps, the integration with the OS is still not perfect.
I dream of a browser that would put all my web apps in the taskbar, next to my other "non web" apps, for a seamless integration.
I don't want to be too harsh because I have a lot of respect toward this browser, it takes a road that not much people use. Keep up horbito NOVA