GloWeb is a modern web browser for the Sega Dreamcast based on the NetSurf browser engine and its framebuffer frontend.
This project is focused on making a modern and retro web browser as useful as possible on real Dreamcast hardware while remaining practical within the console's memory and performance limits. It's Still Thinking!
GloWeb 1.0.1 includes:
- Sega Dreamcast framebuffer frontend
- Dreamcast controller navigation (slow analog movement)
- Dreamcast keyboard and mouse support
- DreamPi dial-up networking
- Broadband Adapter support (painfully slow)
- W5500 Ethernet placeholder support
- HTTP browsing
- HTTPS/TLS support
- Protoweb Classic Web Archive support (No flash yet)
- One-click Protoweb / normal-web switching
- VMU-backed browser settings
- Browser Hub
- Bookmarks
- Recent history
- Downloads interface
- Internet/network settings
- Local Dreamcast GloWeb-oriented start page
- Lightweight search and retro-web links
GloWeb 1.0.1 can connect directly to the Protoweb Classic Web Archive.
The browser includes a Protoweb mode that configures GloWeb's Dreamcast HTTP fetcher to use the Protoweb proxy and allows restored websites to be browsed directly from the Dreamcast.
Use the ENTER PROTOWEB control on the GloWeb homepage to enter Protoweb mode.
Use NORMAL WEB to return to ordinary Internet browsing.
The Sega Dreamcast has approximately 16 MB of main system RAM, so large modern websites can exceed practical memory and rendering limits.
Some modern JavaScript heavy sites won't function correctly.
JavaScript support is compiled into the Dreamcast build but is disabled by default but can be activated from the menu.
Flash, modern web video, and other browser plugins are not currently supported. Maybe soon!
GloWeb is under active development.
GloWeb is currently developed with KallistiOS and the Dreamcast SH-4 toolchain.
The source tree is located in:
Source/
The convenience build wrapper is:
./build.sh
The current development setup expects KallistiOS at:
/opt/toolchains/dc/kos
and Dreamcast NetSurf dependencies under:
$HOME/netsurf-dreamcast-prefix
The CDI builder uses mkdcdisc-data-data.
If it is not installed in your PATH, specify it with:
export GLOWEB_CDI_TOOL=/path/to/mkdcdisc-data-data
Optional paths can also be overridden:
export GLOWEB_SOURCE=/path/to/GloWeb/Source
export GLOWEB_PREFIX=/path/to/netsurf-dreamcast-prefix
export GLOWEB_CDROOT=/path/to/cdi-data
export GLOWEB_OUTPUT=/path/to/build-output
export KOS_ENV=/path/to/kos/environ.sh
Then build with:
source /opt/toolchains/dc/kos/environ.sh
./build.sh
The Dreamcast build environment and required NetSurf/KOS libraries must already be installed.
The build helper creates the GloWeb CDI resource staging tree automatically from the files in this repository, including the browser resources, homepage, icons, fonts, and Dreamcast TLS CA bundle.
GloWeb/
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── build.sh
├── Source/
└── Tools/
Source/ contains the modified NetSurf source and Dreamcast frontend.
Tools/ contains development/build helpers used by the Dreamcast build.
GloWeb is based on the open-source NetSurf web browser.
NetSurf: https://www.netsurf-browser.org/
GloWeb contains modifications and Dreamcast-specific code for its framebuffer frontend, networking, user interface, VMU integration, and other console-specific functionality.
Please retain the original NetSurf copyright notices and attribution when redistributing modified versions.
See LICENSE and Source/COPYING for the complete licensing terms.
The inherited NetSurf source is distributed under NetSurf's licensing
terms, including the GNU General Public License version 2 for source code
and separate terms for artwork as documented in Source/COPYING.
GloWeb Internet Browser is a sort of functioning project for the Sega Dreamcast.
Version: 1.0.1