Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness

UniSuperBox · 1 Jun 2018, 21:48

browser-ng is an experimental web browser for Ubuntu Touch. Rather than using Oxide, it embeds QtWebEngine, an up-to-date Chromium based browser engine. This provides a number of improvements upon the standard browser (improved security and compatibility with Chromium add-ons for example). We're planning on shipping this as the default browser in a future version of Ubuntu Touch, but you can install it on your own 16.04 device by following these instructions.

Note that the packages installed in this process will be removed on each OTA so you will need to repeat the process to use the app again. You will be changing your system image for this process, please be aware that this may have adverse affects. If you experience any adverse effects after following this guide, you can reinstall Ubuntu Touch using the UBports Installer to get back to a clean state.

Download the browser-ng package from UBports Nextcloud. (sha256: 67c8dec479ad49af1cde83328029c11aaa7c9ec7847abcf303a306f0dbcdada2)
Push the package to your device using your preferred method (adb push works great if you're in developer mode, otherwise you can drop the package in your home folder)
Install the package by running this command on your Ubuntu Touch device: pkcon install-local --allow-untrusted [path/to]com.ubports.browserng_0.1_armhf.click
Allow modifications to your system image: sudo mount / -o remount,rw
Install the required qtwebengine package: sudo apt update && sudo apt install qml-module-qtwebengine

You may need to refresh your app scope by pulling down on the home screen, but you should now see "Browser Next" listed under apps. Take it for a spin!

Some issues that I've found in my testing (we'll get a proper repository open for discussion of issues soon):

Keyboard avoidance is a bit too extreme. When you tap a text field, almost the entire browser viewport gets out of the way.
The name of the app is not translated to all languages, it may show up incorrectly if you're not using en-US.

stefwe · 30 May 2018, 18:16

installation works like described. thanks for sharing this experimental new web browser.

HendriXXX · 31 May 2018, 09:11

Wow, with this new browser, I can finally access to my Bank- website. Current stock UT- browser is blocked.
Can I install it to vivid?

UniSuperBox · 31 May 2018, 11:57

@HendriXXX, no, you cannot install it on 15.04.

flohack · 1 Jun 2018, 14:51

This post is deleted!

flohack · 1 Jun 2018, 14:53

com.ubports.browserng-0.1.armhf (installed:click,removable=1,app_name=clock) => why the app_name is clock xD

zubozrout · 1 Jun 2018, 17:23

This is cool :). The old browsers crashes for me a lot, e.g. https://github.com/ubports/webbrowser-app/issues/26
But with this one all seems to work quite well so far.

There are only a few minor issues I've noticed including the ones mentioned:

you can't search anything but a valid url put in address bar (so e.g. Google search won't work)
scaling is probably a bit too low on MX4 (but it would be cool if this could be also adjustable via some settings like on Desktop)

Anyway, once the keyboard avoidance is resolved and all the dependencies are part of system images I will very happily switch over :).

Thank you very much for letting us try this.

domubpkm · 1 Jun 2018, 21:48

@unisuperbox To supplement : to make it a little easier, also we can use UT TWEAK TOOL to do the 2 and 3 steps that is to say to install the .click downloaded on the Ubuntu 16.04 device. It works well, i did it.

Marathon2422 · 2 Jun 2018, 02:44

@domubpkm Real easy when you know,but I get:: Not enough room : Var/cache/apt/archives.

doniks · 6 Mar 2018, 18:39

1 I get network error 303 protocol is unknown when trying to download
2 after some manic tapping around it seems it did download.... But I couldn't figure out where to. Its not in Downloads folder
3 I copied the link and fl with whet in terminal... Result is called 'download' which I renamed to br.click... That I could install with uttt

Afterwards it works, well, mostly:

On ubports.com I cannot open the link under -> Community -> Forum, nor Documentation
in the forum, there is some strange white space overlaying the page, has about the size of the keyboard ...

doniks · 3 Jun 2018, 18:33

@marathon2422 does sudo apt clean help?

advocatux · 3 Jun 2018, 18:51

@doniks did you download that package and installed it using only your device? It's comfier to use the computer, you know in which directory you're downloading the file and you don't need to rename it

doniks · 3 Jun 2018, 18:54

modules:composer.user_said_in, @advocatux, Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness

@doniks did you download that package and installed it using only your device? It's comfier to use the computer, you know in which directory you're downloading the file and you don't need to rename it

Well, sure, though, in an ideal world, I'd like it to be really comfy to download files on the device ... but that's a separate issue ... speaking of which, it seems to be impossible to download that click package in the new browser as well

advocatux · 3 Jun 2018, 18:55

@doniks I'll try it later, the new OTA removed the browser as expected.

Marathon2422 · 6 Mar 2018, 20:29

@doniks I will give it a try, I am having fun downloading it to the downloads folder,then when i try to install its not there ?

i have been using UT tweak tool, damn clever stuff

Marathon2422 · 6 Mar 2018, 21:15

@doniks

no.
i get
E: You don`t have enough free space in /var/cache/apt/archives/.

this is on my m10 fhd an original ubuntu, try on my pro 5 now.

Pro5 didn`t work ,the download shows in the Browser Downloads but not in the phablet Downloads
bit late on Sunday for me now ..later

zubozrout · 3 Jun 2018, 22:04

@advocatux Funny. I had two OTA updates since I first installed the browser and it still works. That is click is obviously still there but I didn't have to reinstall the deb packages either. So maybe those dependencies landed in the system base already? ( haven't checked though)

hummlbach · 6 Mar 2018, 22:06

@marathon2422 Mhmm you could try to enlarge your root partition a bit by cloning this to your device: https://github.com/timsueberkrueb/plasma-phone-dev-setup. If I remember it right you have to adjust the size you want your root partition to have afterwards in usr/bin/resize-root-partition and execute it. Now the usual disclaimer should follow... Thanks to @TimSueberkrueb for having this on his git account!

Marathon2422 · 6 Mar 2018, 22:36

@hummlbach
Hey Thanks ,I shall do some studying.
I hope someone has figured a way to work this into the upgrade from 15.04 to 16.04 on the Pro 5

stefwe · 4 Jun 2018, 06:16

@zubozrout for me the same. I do some OTA's and the browser is still working without reinstall the deb packages.