Lightning works on WebView
Ironfox
Wish Librewolf was here…
Mull is gone, fyi
For Gecko-based I have Fennec and am exploring Ironfox as it develops.
For those who prefer chromium-based, I suggest Cromite and explore Aosmium as it develops.
Thank you for your informative posts. Much appreciated.
In the meanwhile, I learnt my “mistake” while searching for a web browser. I searched with the string, “web browser”, which is why I “failed to find many of the working web browsers”.
I should instead have searched for “browser” and would have had a better result.
Coming from the Debian Open Source ecosysem, I couldn’t anticipate that a “web browser” could be shortened to “browser”. To me a “browser” could be the either of a “File Broswer” or a “Web Browser”. Yes, “File Browser” is commonly called “File Manager”. I guess I have learnt my lesson 
.
Thank you, Mr. vdbhb59 and Mr. Cue for your inputs.
I searched for cromite, the fork of Bromite’s WebView, on the web-browser (sorry, browser) based version of F-Droid repo search engine, but the search throws up only ffupdater.
From what I gather, it would the best for me to settle down on one wrapper with the Gecko engine, and one with the SystemWebView engine, with perhaps ffupdater installed in addition.
Is there a comparative statistical record available on the number of users using some of the most popular wrappers, either for the Gecko or the SystemWebView engine?
Fennec has a huge file size. ironfox I didn’t find. I have chosen to be limited by whatever is available in the F-Droid repository.
I have temporarily zeroed in on lightning web browser and Free Browser.
There is a hitch: Free Browser says that it is based on the built-in Android webview. What is lightning based on? Gecho or webview`?
Should I open a separate thread to ask how to replace Android native WebView with Bromite’s SystemWebView?
Lightning, privacy browser, foss browser, etc they all use your system installed webview.
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Cromite has a repo: Cromite Browser
Add it to your fdroid client under repositories section.
For replacing WV, you need to be rooted and suggest using Magisk for such systemless changing of WV. You can find lots of tutorials on Magisks github and XDA etc.
Rest ones Licaon has reverted already.
Happy to assist further. 
Thank you, Mr. vdbhb59, for your reply to my queries.
As a new entrant to this ecosystem I am not aware why in case of the Cromite Browser it is this way, and not the usual way of the other apps downloadable from the F-Droid repo, like searching and installing a particular package from the search result of a particular app?
This is presently beyond my capability. My domain is different. So I have to pause presently. But learning the nitty gritty is always good for the future. So I will have this info registered. I will get back to it when I can.
I will try to buy an Open Source hardware based smartphone without any of the usual restrictive policies, have the ISOes/ROMs of the various Open Source OSes saved, and then experiment. Until then, I have to control my inquisitive nature to experiment with risky apps and websites.
I have already partially locked my phone with Paid NetGuard. If required, I will install another internet blocker. I have restricted the apps’ sending my personal (and whatever else) data and also lost a bit of productivity shortcuts as a result. I can no longer speak to type my SMSes, or use Google’s TTS, for instance.
But I have to live with the choice taken, given [people like Air- or water-billers everywhere]([random link]). So be it!
/LE: edit by L_K
Postscript: the xDOTcom link with the video was very educative. Anyway, moderator’s choice has to be complied to.
Cromite have their own repo.
F-Droid does not have any Chrome based browser included.
get Sayboard | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
or Whisper | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
Ironfox for the users who have used Mull. There is a separate repo at F-Droid. More details here:
please rephrase… it’s a separate repo that you need to add, it’s not built by F-Droid
Thank you, Mr. Bellini, for your post to inform me.
Regarding this and Cromite – I am a little unsettled by the questions that come to my mind:
- Why doesn’t F-Droid host the said apps in its repository?
- If F-Droid doesn’t host the said apps in its repository could F-Droid assure the integrity of the said apps on the aspect of data leakage?
Regarding No.1, I have observed many elaborate and complex apps in its repository. Which means their source codes have been scrutinised. So why not these two?
That some users have been using some apps without unintended incidents can’t ensure those apps’ integrity regarding the security of private data. It needs a team of really penetrative eyes to find the areas of weakness, bugs, glitches, data pilferage and/or backdoors.
So …
FD has never hosted google or chromium based browsers. These are individual repositories outside the direct realm of FD.
FD cannot assure the integrity, and it will not be most likely an easy job, given the unnecessary complex nature of chromium code source, or even that in simpler terms it is not our remit nor our requirement to scrutiny those.
Having said that there are several audits done by several people, places online and shared every now and then.
Also, the reason of having code open is for users/public to be able to scan those and come to decide for themselves.
Ironfox too has been requested already to be added to FD repo (source or +reproducable), but that is not going to happen in the near future, as I can see. You can scrooge the ironfox and chromium posts here (search).
Thank you, Mr. vdbhb59 for replying to my queries.
From my perspective I depend on the penetrative eyes of experienced source code readers and programmers to ascertain if the code needs to be questioned/changed or ready to go.
Novice users such as us can’t be expected to scrutinise the source code. We only keep the ecosystem rolling with direct or indirect contributions in the form of buying a particular equipment or a software, or this or that.
To me, it isn’t judicious to leave some matters for the public and letting them decide. The public depends on the ecosystem to be guided to make a choice. The aspects that we are discussing on are some of those matters that need professional attention.
Debian for instance hosts the Chromium browser, which is why I use it, for my PCs. I use some packages from GitHub as Debian hosts them.
Similarly, F-Droid.
For me, Debian and F-Droid are the shields that I would like to have against the air-water billers.
Presently, I won’t install. I would be keenly keeping a tab on the discussion.
So what I observe is this: Gecko-based ones don’t seem to have a similar problem. Or do they?!
Tbvh, every application, every software has some sort of issue or the other. How much of it matters to one or impacts one is individual decision. Honestly, I usually do not suggest Chromium based browsers, but there are few sites which do not run properly unless run on chromium. Even if cross. You can safely use Cromite as till date there has been no eye saying Cromite has any backdoor. Gecko ones too.
But no matter what you use, backdoor are present everywhere, and even outside of the browsers which link on them. So safety is just a net with holes everywhere.
You can minimize the chances of leak, but never leaking is for Tony Stark or Hulk kind of pros.
2 Likes
Excellently articulated, Mr. vdbhb59! Thanks.
I will check if I could still use Rapido, Ola, Uber, etc., to book a ride with the Chrome Browser disabled. If I can, I am good, and need to further use of the browser on my smartphone. In fact, I seldom use my smartphone. Prefer PCs instead. From within the shield of Debian.
Will await the ecosystem to mature. Had earlier waited for 10 years for the GNU/Linux ecosystem to mature before taking the plunge in 2008.
For me in this Android smartphone universe, though it has been 11 years, with F-Droid, only a few months.
So let’s hope for the best and wait a little further.
Thank you for staying with me.
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May I know why?
Cromite is based on gecko/ff?
No Cromite is based on Chromium.
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Yes I checked it later. Waiting for @vdbhb59 bro’s answer why he doesn’t suggest chromium based browsers but cromite.
Sorry. I did not mean to suggest cromite. The only reason I use cromite is for few sites which will not open in any other browser at all. Otherwise I do not use cromite.
Update: FYI, even changing user agent those sites do not work. So have to use Cromite on Android and Ungoogled Chromium on desktop.
Only Fennec