I know this is a lame question, but what new browser should I try on an XP system?

[Nomen]

I know it's lame to just jump in here and ask, I know that a lot of work has gone into exploring, modifying, creating these browsers, but I just don't have time to come up to speed and understand it all. A computer I built for a relative on hardware that's about 10 years old is running XP but the browser is holding him back and the choice is to either find a browser that works or somehow put windows 7 on the PC. So I'd like to try what-ever is the most turn-key solution to giving an XP system the most reliable, compatible and secure (malware-free) browser. So can someone point me to which-ever browser project fits that bill?

[NotHereToPlayGames]

You basically MUST take the TIME to try them YOURSELF, to be perfectly honest.
Browser choice is, and always has been, a PERSONAL PREFERENCE.
There are Firefox Folks that cannot be UNBIASED regarding Chromium Forks.
And there are Chromium Folks that cannot be UNBIASED regarding Firefox Forks.
It's been that way for twenty years (in my opinion, the very essence of that opinion alone can be debated by those standing in their respective "corners").

My only suggestion can actually be isolated to ONE web site as a "test".
There are a lot of "modern" javascript 'functions' that older browsers simply can not "perform" - this is why the computer that you cite has its browser "holding him back".

I can break these "modern" javasctipt functions into THREE categories but let's use only ONE of those three for starters.
That "function" is called regex unicode property escapes.

You only need ONE website to "test" if your brower can perform this function or not.
It's a bank account website and you do not need an account to "test" - either the username/password fields "show up" or they do not.
If you opt to use a browser where this web site does NOT work, then you only leave yourself open for OTHER unknown websites that you have NOT ENCOUNTERED YET to also NOT WORK!

There are several Google web sites that require regex unicode property escapes and sure, you can "boycott" Google web sites - but Google "code" is used by non-Google web sites "all the time".
My ONE "test" is this web site - https://secure.ally.com/
Go to that web site without any extensions installed.
If you get an error on that web site, the browser cannot perform regex unicode property escapes - if you cannot perform regex unicode property escapes then you WILL encounter other websites that also do not work on that browser.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

Here are two example browsers that "work" on XP and also can perform regex unicode property escapes.
One is based on Chromium 86.  One is based on Chromium 75.  You should decide for yourself if you want 75 or 86.
Open Task Manager and sort your columns by "Mem Usage".  One will use more RAM then the other.  You should decide for yourself if this is important to you.

[jaclaz]

Well, can you post where these browsers can be found, so that the OP can try them?

jaclaz

[NotHereToPlayGames]

In-process - I was taking the time to screencap several first.  Had to delete some other screencaps in profile attachments just so I could post more screencaps.

Edited November 8, 2022 by NotHereToPlayGames

[NotHereToPlayGames]

This is Serpent 55.  Has a very large MSFN Following.  Does not perform regex unicode property escapes.  You should record how much RAM this uses on your system.
Only one "process" but many users opt to enable multi-process.

Edited November 8, 2022 by NotHereToPlayGames

[NotHereToPlayGames]

This is Serpent 52 (despite having a lower version number, it's actually "newer and more modern" then Serpent 55).  Also has a very large MSFN Following.  Does not perform regex unicode property escapes.  Also uses a lot of RAM.
Only one "process" but many users opt to enable multi-process.

Edited November 8, 2022 by NotHereToPlayGames

[NotHereToPlayGames]

Without screencaps (not enough storage space to save them all) - BNavigator, ArcticFox, NM27, NM28, and K-Meleon  --  none of these will perform regex unicode property escapes.  Some will show the error, others just show a blank white screen.
You must decide for yourself if this is important to you or not.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

360Chrome v11 and 360Chrome v12 both do perform regex unicode property escapes.  But these will require "polyfill" addons to PARTIALLY resolve the other TWO of THREE categories mentioned earlier.

Those same TWO of THREE can also be PARTIALLY resolved or have been built-in-resolved in Serpent 52, Serpent 55, and NM28 - but not in K-Meleon, NM27, ArcticFox.  Unsure on BNavigator (I opt to not update my BNav).

But that ONE of the THREE (regex unicode property escapes) is the "modern" javascript function that will break your XP browser and has NO FIX if that browser does not handle it on its own.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

That's enough to get you "started".  Heading off to work and will report back once you've digested this much.

[Nomen]

Roytam came up with Retrozilla - yes? I've been using that for a while now on my win-98 systems (which do not log into any websites). I usually have to set the View Style to None to make a site useful to view, but it works for what I do on those systems. Regarding chrome - I've stayed clear of chrome on any other PC I have (which are win-7) because of my "perception" (which could be wrong?) that chrome is tied in too heavily to google (in terms of backdoor, telemetry, etc). Is my perception correct? I would feel comfortable using a "chromium" based browser if it was as disconnected from Google as Firefox is (or can be) from Mozilla. Are there links to download packages / installers for the top candidates mentioned here (360 Chrome and DC Browser) or do I have to figure out how to actually get my hands on them?

[dmiranda]

My taste:

Roytam1 builds are robust. I like serpent 52. Depending on hardware, you can run e10s on it (see second pinned article in this thread), and all the good (and modded) addons of late. Pre-ff83 too (even prior to 82 the numbering was funny).

You can find roytam's thread in MSFN below, and his builds here in https://rtfreesoft.blogspot.com/search/label/browser. 

  

Edited November 10, 2022 by dmiranda

[theelf]

After many test with browsers,   finally i end with 360browser 13.5 artic fox version, and Palemoon 29 for DRM content (netflix for example)

 

Like this version of chromium because is easy to mod and give a more "legacy" skin, in my case i decide to emulate netscape. Of course, it needs at least 2GB ram for smoth web browsing

 

[NotHereToPlayGames]

13 minutes ago, theelf said:

finally i end with 360browser 13.5 artic fox version

  I've sent you a PM regarding v13.5.

[theelf]

12 minutes ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

  I've sent you a PM regarding v13.5.

thanks a lot!