Maxthon 2.0 Beta Released!

 

Finally Maxthon 2.0 Beta has been released! After a long meditation, we are pleased to announce the Maxthon 2.0 version.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Advanced proxy function allows the use of different proxy for different web site automatically, ensuring the best browsing speed and web site accessibility.
• User Interface Multi-Thread technology greatly reduces the chance of browser lockup, e.g. caused by some ajax operations, and browser crash.
• Modular design loads only used components, ensuring the most efficient use of system resources.
• Highly customisable skinning and interface system supports from simple windows classic to the most crafted skins and advanced layouts.
• Ultra powerful filter system can filter not only any ads but also any malicious codes, removing web annoyances and improving browser safety.
• Multi-users password protected profile system protects users privacy without compromising program portability.
• Maxthon Web Acceleration greatly improves ordinary browsing speed, especially when the Internet connection is slow.
• Maxthon Security Updates reduces the risks of certain un-patched Internet Explorer vulnerabilities which might affect Maxthon.

For an illustration of the above click here. Go ahead an download it here.

Technorati Tags: Browsers, Maxthon, Maxthon2.0

Comments

[Robert Marchenoir]

Thank you for your advice, abc@home. I have now unchecked support for IE extensions, and will see what happens.

I have also unchecked recently the option "Free memory regularly", as advised by one user in the forum, but to no avail. By the way, the one site that kept hanging my Maxthon recently a) was the only one, b) worked fine under IE 6.

Just one question, since I understand this blog is not meant for technical support. When you say that Maxthon 2.0 beta 2 has fixed high CPU usage under certain network conditions, does it mean that it should not make any difference to me, since I have no network?

By the way, I have just checked the last version of Opera, and it seems to me they have made some impressive progress since I last tried them. Feature-wise, it is very interesting. However, I do not plan to adopt it shortly, since it is unacceptably slow on my PC (which is admittedly very old).

A quick examination of Firefox's last version led me to think that in order to satisfy my basic needs, several plug-ins are still required.

This is very unsettling when you consider the various incompatibilities and bugs reported by users, and the fact that no plug-in is endorsed by Firefox.

Maxthon's approach is more sound in that respect. The power user's needs are taken into account by the basic version.

Unendorsed plug-ins are available to provide yet more convenience, but if they fail to work properly, it is only a minor irritation, since they are but a luxury, so to speak.

Of course, all that is pretty useless if your browser keeps slowing down to a halt, and in that case, you might as well downgrade to good old IE just to get your work done...

[abc@home]

Hi guys,

Some webpages would freeze most browsers because of design. But if maxthon 1.x is freezing regularly on most webpages, or if CPU usage is constantly high, please try disable support for IE extensions: options > maxthon options > plugin > IE plugin > uncheck Support for IE Extensions.

Maxthon 2.0 beta2 (released on 23/12/2006) has fixed high CPU usage under certain network conditions, and has improved memory usage. But please note that Maxthon 2.0 is still under beta stage and may have more problems than a stable product. As for user interface Maxthon 2.0 can use traditional layout like 1.x, click the button left to the minimize button and select show window frame.

For more help please visit Maxthon Forum (forum.maxthon.com) ;)

[Robert Marchenoir]

I tend to side with Jay Paul. Haven't yet tried version 2.0, but I came here once again looking for a cure to the dreaded 100% CPU usage bug.

I hoped 2.0 might be the solution by now, but of course Jay Paul's experience put me off. I get the same hanging problem on some sites.

This thing has been happening to me for maybe a year now, on and off. I have been plumbing the depths of the forum to look for remedies. Some people were very helpful and responsive to my queries. I have upgraded, then downgraded, then recently upgraded again, now to 1.5.9 build 30.

I have even undergone in the meantime a clean hard disk formatting and re-install of everything from Windows up.

But it keeps coming up.

Now I tend to close and re-start Maxthon every so often in order to be able to move something on the screen.

This is really getting on my nerves. I am wondering whether I should switch to another browser altogether.

[jay paul]

Even though I was Maxton fan for quite a while now, and was advertising Maxthon to aall my friends, I stopped doing that.

The reasons are simple - I am considereing abandoning using Maxthon 1.x and 2.x altogether. Even thoung both of these browsers are excellent in their features, the implementation got worse with every new update.

Use of Maxthon 1.x has become very irritating - now it stops responding very often, and you have to close it and start again, some websites are just impossible to visit as Maxthon 1.x hangs on them constantly. I tried many tricks including disabling Ad Filtering and etc. - no, Maxthon 1.x considers it normal to become not responsive for several minutes while opening new page.

Maxthon 2.x being pretty good in terms of handling webpages, lost several critical features including groups, and now is just like any other browser that is out there.
The other HUGE problem is that now Maxthon 2.x became a freaking RESOURCE HOG - apparently the software forgets to release memory after uing it, and constantly requires half of the processor time.
After using Maxthon 2.x for about 10 minutes on my Athlon 2.2 Ghz and 750mb ram, Windows Task Manager will show Maxthon.exe using 50-80% of the processor and 150-200Mb of RAM - and this is WITHOUT ANY WINDOWS OR WEBSITES OPEN AT THE TIME!!!!!Which makes Maxthon 2.x Beta 2 totlly unusable. I do understand that it is a Beta and so on, but software feels more like a raw Alpha, being a resource hog and missing several critical features...

MAxthon needs to act, and act fast before it loses most of its core supporters...

[MOMO]

Forever Child, Stop complaining and look for answers in Maxthon forum.

[adamowy]

will it be ready on christmas? please. it would be a nice present :-)

[sandynata]

the interface is just great! but lack in the operation.. i always got crash when i open new tab and the preference option/setting are not saved, everytime i run this browser always back to default setting

[a]

The proxy settings are not working correctly. I couldn't get it working on my work en believe me, I tried everything.

[Forever Child]

I think new Maxthon just sucks so much.

* Option window for customizing plug-in doesn't work or doesn't open.
* Menu View->Fonts-> dissapeared.
* The whole design is very pour. I don't like the idea of having Menu on the right side of the program. It's not natural for me.
* While registering for Maxthon passport (using Maxthon) I entered the security code at least 10 times but every time got a message that code doesn't match the one on the picture. Finally registered with Firefox.
* Update button doesn't work. Even when there is an update it doesn't download it.

So, all of the facts mentioned above (+many others of which I don't remember now) make the use of the new Maxthon EXTREMELY unpleasant and irritating. I wouldn't want to run that version 2 once more. Maybe in a year, but not earlier.

[Ripper]

Looks very good and very promising.
However (there has to be "however", it is a beta after all :) ), what happend to the "Groups"? I hope it is not going to be left out in this version.

Really keen to see the upcoming updates. I really love this browser.

[tpny]

I love it!!! this made me fell in love with maxthon all over again. but there is one little thing that bugs me... can we move the file/view/favorite/tools bar to the top LEFT of the title bar instead of it being at the right? i'm forced to unhide the window frame and use the old style because it's so weird.. to have that bar at the right.

[Koogle]

that came pretty quickly.. Its getting better all the time.. but I'm still missing the icon/hotkey shortcuts for favourites/rss/history/email and a history panel which seems to missing. Hopefuly not long before these things come to maxthon 2.0 :)