Maxthon, originally known as MyIE2, is a free web browser for Microsoft Windows, and is also available on Android as Maxthon Mobile. The latest release, Maxthon 3, supports both the Trident and the WebKit rendering engines.^{[2][dead link]}

Maxthon won CNET WebWare 100 Awards in 2008^[3] and 2009,^[4] and was #97 in PCWorld’s list of the 100 Best Products of 2011.^[5] Maxthon is the top scorer on HTML5Test.com, a website which ranks browsers on the basis of support for HTML5 standard and related specifications. ^[6]

Browser History[link]

According to Maxthon International CEO Ming Jie "Jeff" Chen, Maxthon was based on MyIE, a popular modification created by Chinese programmer Changyou to customize Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser.^[7][8] Changyou posted most of the source code^[9] for MyIE on his Bulletin board system before leaving the project in 2000. Chen then continued independently developing MyIE and in 2002 released a new version, MyIE2.^[10] Users around the world were quite active in contributing to MyIE2's development, adding many plugins, skins and assisting with debugging. MyIE2 was renamed Maxthon in 2003.^[7][11]

Corporate History[link]

In 1999, Chen founded Hong Kong-based Mysoft International Limited to distribute the MyIE browser.^[12] In 2005 the company received seed funding from venture capital firm WI Harper Group and Morten Lund, the first Skype investor, and Chen moved the company to Beijing.^[13][14] In 2006 Maxthon received further investment from the US-based venture capital firm Charles River Ventures.^[11]

On April 10, 2007, TechCrunch reported that Google had invested at least US$1 million in Maxthon;^[15] this was denied the following day by Chen.^[16] However, in an interview with the Chinese portal Sina.com, Chen did not rule out future "co-operation" between the two businesses.^[17]

Maxthon was one of the twelve browsers Microsoft presented in 2010 at BrowserChoice.eu, a website that allows users of Microsoft Windows residing in the European Economic Area to choose which default web browser they would like to use on their computer.^[18]

Features[link]

• Tabbed document interface
• Saves open tabs in case of program shutdown or system crash
• Undo for any tabs accidentally closed
• AD Hunter - an ad-blocking utility that blocks pop-ups, Web banner and floating ads in webpages
• Adobe Flash, Java applet and ActiveX blocker
• Support for custom Skins
• Customizable tabs and interface
• Programmable mouse gestures and mouse chording
• External utility bar - a toolbar that allows you to open third-party programs
• RSS reader
• Supports many Internet Explorer plugins as well as plugins of its own
• Partial Gecko engine support with the use of a third-party program
• A user extensible search toolbar with 8 different search engines.
• Automatic updates
• Groups - the ability to bookmark & open multiple pages simultaneously
• URL aliases - open URLs by just typing a word in the address bar
• Simple collector - a small notepad-like utility, used to collect text from web pages. Scripts and macros can be run in the current web page
• Integrated web services - user extensible, including by default translators, Google's cached version of pages, Whois, and anonymous web proxies

Version 1.x[link]

Maxthon version 1, which continued version 0 of MyIE2, was an Internet Explorer shell that implemented a tabbed browser using the Trident layout engine which Microsoft introduced with Internet Explorer 4.^[19] As such, version 1 was compatible with every version of Windows from Windows 95 to Windows 7.^[20] Development of version 1 stopped in 2010 with the so-called Maxthon (Classic), version 1.6.7.35;^[20] earlier releases are available from Maxthon,^[21], and version 1.6.7.35, which fixed a bug in selecting the default search engine, is still available at other download sites.^[22][23]

The last Classic release, 1.6.7.35, functions properly with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 on Microsoft Windows XP Home, XP Professional, and all releases of Windows Vista and Windows 7. There are a number of add-ons available for Maxthon Classic^[24], and more are available through discussion forums.^[25] Specific threads may provide direct download links as well.^[26] Some add-ons are build-specific, but in that case, a clear indication of compatibility can often be found.

Version 2.x[link]

The latest release version of Maxthon 2.5.16.1000 is currently available for download on the official website.

New features include:^[27]

• Ad blocking
• Maxthon Security Updates
• Multi-user support
• Maxthon Smart Accelerator
• Password manager
• Link validator
• Favorite and Feed manager
• Automatic online favorite & feed synchronization
• Page find tool
• Plugin installer
• Tab manager
• Frameless mode
• Anti-Freeze
• Web Sniffer – a feature that will identify the ‘true’ URL of an element on a web page.
• Online Favorites
• URL aliases
• Screen capture with simple image editing tools.
• RSS reader
• Customized skins

Version 3.x[link]

Maxthon 3 was released in the fall of 2010, after a beta period of 8 months. It has both Trident and Webkit layout engines. Webkit, the default, is better at rendering modern web pages, while Trident may correctly render items like shopping carts and log-in pages on older, Microsoft–compliant websites when Webkit will not. New features include^[28]

• Mute audio on any tab
• URL Safety – pre-check urls from known ‘phishing’ domains before rendering.
• Video Popup/Save buttons – the ability to pop out any video embedded in a page and also save it for later viewing (including YouTube videos.)
• Multi Search – A single interface that will search all major search engines at once. The user can also add and remove search engines.
• Mouse gestures
• Super Drag & Drop – The ability to drag highlighted text and images to save and search.
• Smart Address Bar – An address bar that remembers past domains and will suggest them as you type in an URL.
• Private browsing
• New Work Space Window
• Online Notepad – a notepad that allows users to name and edit notes. Maxthon will then sync them to the user’s free ‘Passport’ account, making them available for when the user logs into Maxthon Passport.
• Sync System (Options & Quick Access only)
• Group Feature - add all tabs to favorites/groups
• Sidebar
• Spell checker
• Auto Refresh
• Allowed to share Ad Hunter rules with other Maxthon users
• Reader mode - Brings up text on page in a separate window for easier reading whilst darkening the rest of the page for more contrast.

Maxthon Mobile for Android[link]

Maxthon Mobile for Android, a version for Android phones, was first released in 2010,^[29] followed in 2011 by a version optimized for 10 inch tablets.^[10]

See also[link]

• List of web browsers
• Comparison of web browsers

External links[link]

• Maxthon official website

References[link]