Supermium

Supermium
Developer(s)Shane Fournier[1]
Initial release115.0.5744.0 (May 9, 2023; 18 months ago (2023-05-09))[2]
Stable release
126.0.6478.254 R4[3] Edit this on Wikidata / 18 October 2024
Repositoryhttps://github.com/win32ss/supermium
Operating systemWindows XP SP1 or later[4]
Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later[4]
PlatformIA-32, x86-64
LicenseBSD-3-Clause
Websitewin32subsystem.live/supermium/ Edit this on Wikidata
Supermium running on Windows Vista

Supermium is a free and open-source web browser developed by Shane Fournier.[1] It is a fork of Chromium with its main feature being support for old versions of Microsoft Windows that are no longer supported by Chromium; this includes all versions prior to Windows 10,[5] starting with Windows XP.[1] Supermium has other features not supported by Chromium, including the Google Chrome Sync service.[1] The developer plans to introduce features such as Windows 2000 support, WebGPU for D3D9 rendering, and support for Manifest v2 extensions in future versions.[6]

Supermium has 32-bit and 64-bit executables.[1] Its version numbers are parallel with Chromium's.

History

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Supermium debuted in May 2023 to supersede the developer's previous approach to bring modern versions of Google Chrome to Windows Vista. Initial efforts consisted of a collection of modified system binaries (bundled in an installable package called the Extended Kernel) that adds system functions in order to make the browser compatible with Vista. This approach reached it's limit when Google dropped support for Chrome on versions of Windows earlier than Windows 10 with version 110, in February 2023. The initial goal centered on Vista became insufficient, which lead to the creation of the Supermium project.[7]

Initially, the objective of the first versions of Supermium were to bring back support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, and progressively add support for older versions of Windows as far the project stabilizes, in a decreasing order.

The first version published online, 115.0.5744.0 (based on Chromium 115), was released as a proof-of-concept for future versions, and to demonstrate the feasibility of such a project. This initial version of the browser can run on Windows 8 and later. It can also run on Windows 7 and Windows Vista with the Extended Kernel with sandboxing features disabled.[8]

Version 119 marks the arrival of the full support for Windows Vista, which no longer requires the presence of the Extended Kernel,[8] as well as the initial efforts to add back support for XP, such as the re-implementation of the GDI rendering. Support for Windows XP was added in Version 121.[8]

As the project progressed, some unique features started to arrive on Supermium. In parallel of the re-addition of XP compatibility, Version 121 started to implement some appearance flags to give the browser the look of older Chromium versions, starting with trapezoidal-shaped tabs similar to those in Chromium versions prior to 67, and a compact UI option to get the proportions UI elements have in version 49. Those cosmetic features went a step farther in the subsequent v122 releases, with the additions of several flags to better replicate the classic look.

The browser also includes several flags from the ungoogled-chromium project for users that have concerns about their privacy and to prevent connections to Google services.

Requirements

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Supermium is compatible with Windows XP SP1, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and above.[9] It requires at least a 32-bit processor with support for the SSE2 instruction set. It has been reported to run on processors as old as the Pentium 4.[6]

Reception

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In a positive review, Softpedia's Roberto Samir wrote, "Given how powerful nostalgia can be for those who grow tired of the rather sterile and minimalist design of nowadays' operating systems, a brief return to the past can be made easier with Supermium whenever internet browsing is part of the equation."[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Proven, Liam (2024-03-06). "Supermium drags Google Chrome back in time to Windows XP, Vista, and 7". The Register. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  2. ^ "Releases". GitHub / win32ss / supermium. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  3. ^ https://github.com/win32ss/supermium/releases. Retrieved 20 October 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Supermium Web Browser". win32subsystem.live. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Chrome browser system requirements". Chrome Enterprise and Education Help. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b Tkachenko, Sergey (2024-03-07). "Supermium Browser brings the newest Chrome engine to Windows 7, Vista and even XP". Winaero. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  7. ^ "Supermium Web Browser - About". win32subsystem.live. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  8. ^ a b c "Supermium Web Browser - Release History". win32subsystem.live. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  9. ^ Václavík, Lukáš (2024-04-09). "Supermium je moderní prohlížeč pro Windows XP a jiné vykopávky. Stačí mu i 20 let starý hardware" [Supermium is a modern browser for Windows XP and other relics. It can even run on hardware that is 20 years old.]. Živě.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  10. ^ Zamfir, Roberto (2024-05-20). "Supermium". Softpedia. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
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