Guys, i created a lightweight productivity Browser for linux (Tested on 1-core CPU),it's called gLinksWWW

[Rio Burhan]

Hi everyone,
As a developer, I was tired of browsers eating up all my RAM while I was trying to code. So I built gLinksWWW, a specialized productivity browser designed for efficiency and low-end hardware.
I’ve been stress-testing it on a Lubuntu VM with only 1-Core CPU and 2GB RAM, and it actually stays responsive! (I even managed to push it to 4-5 tabs before the mouse started lagging, lol).


Why use gLinksWWW?

Performance First: Optimized to run on minimal specs where mainstream browsers feel bloated.

Built-in 9-Slot Clipboard: Copy and manage up to 9 different items instantly. It uses LocalStorage for zero-latency and syncs via Supabase.

Focused Design: Hard-limited to 7 tabs to prevent "tab hell" and keep your workflow clean.

Deep AI Integration: Quick-access searching for Perplexity AI and other tools built right in.

Session Control: Smart cookie management for different websites.
It's open source, and I’d love for the Linux community to tear it apart (or hopefully like it!). If you're running a lightweight distro or an old laptop, please give it a shot.

Absolute Privacy: I have no access to your data. All data is stored in your LocalStorage and your personal database. There is no central server collecting your information—it's physically impossible for me or anyone else to see what you copy or browse.

Check out the project here: https://github.com/rio719/gLinksWWW-browser
(github release link for download: https://github.com/rio719/gLinksWWW-browser/releases/tag/v1.2.4 )

(Please see the attached screenshot of my CPU crying at 100% while testing!)

 

[f33dm3bits]

Hello and Welcome! It's not very nice to only join a forum to promote your own project, it's normally better first to participate a bit first with the community. I'll allow it hoping you are planning on doing that. Quite cool to see an independent web-browser, are you planning more features for it or is it just created for your personal use and are you just sharing it for whoever wants to use it?

 

[Rio Burhan]

Hello and Welcome! It's not very nice to only join a forum to promote your own project, it's normally better first to participate a bit first with the community. I'll allow it hoping you are planning on doing that. Quite cool to see an independent web-browser, are you planning more features for it or is it just created for your personal use and are you just sharing it for whoever wants to use it?

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Hi f33dm3bits, thank you for allowing my post and for the feedback!

To answer your question, this project started from my personal need for a browser that doesn't freeze my low-end dev environment, but I definitely plan to expand it.

My roadmap includes:

• Optimizing resource management even further (The goal is a stable 7-tab experience on 1-core CPUs).
• Enhancing the 9-slot clipboard sync logic.
• Adding more privacy-focused tools for developers.

I'm sharing it because I believe there are others out there struggling with bloated browsers on lightweight distros. I'm excited to participate more in this community and learn from you all!

 

[Rocketing-warp9]

Nice! Will look into it for my old Mac on MX. only 2 gigs of ram. Welcome!

 

[nikNiz]

I couldn't find the source code. Just a few HTML and JS files, while the executables are 100 MB.
That's why I'm not downloading it.

 

[f33dm3bits]

I couldn't find the source code. Just a few HTML and JS files, while the executables are 100 MB.
That's why I'm not downloading it.

I checkout the source from the releases.

Release gLinksWWW v1.2.4 - Official Release · rio719/gLinksWWW-browser

gLinksWWW: The Retro-Classic Privacy Browser Finally, the official release is here! gLinksWWW is a lightweight, privacy-focused browser designed for power users who love a touch of retro vibes. Key...

github.com

Extracted the tarball release and there's only a license file there.

 ls -al gLinksWWW-browser-1.2.4
drwxr-xr-x maarten maarten  14 B  Thu Jan 22 00:27:18 2026  .
drwxr-xr-x maarten maarten 106 B  Fri Jan 30 21:19:10 2026  ..
.rw-r--r-- maarten maarten  34 KB Thu Jan 22 00:27:18 2026  LICENSE

@Rio Burhan can you explain?

 

[KGIII]

Given the above posts, I'd recommend not downloading this.

Readers, I would put off commenting until the OP has addressed @f33dm3bits' question.

 

[Rio Burhan]

I couldn't find the source code. Just a few HTML and JS files, while the executables are 100 MB.
That's why I'm not downloading it.

Sorry for the confusion! Yes, gLinksWWW is an Electron-based browser. As a student developer, I focused on optimizing the UI and the multi-clipboard features using JavaScript. I'm still learning how to properly structure the full build source on GitHub. I will update the repository so you can see how it's built. Thanks for the catch!

 

[Rio Burhan]

I checkout the source from the releases.

Release gLinksWWW v1.2.4 - Official Release · rio719/gLinksWWW-browser

gLinksWWW: The Retro-Classic Privacy Browser Finally, the official release is here! gLinksWWW is a lightweight, privacy-focused browser designed for power users who love a touch of retro vibes. Key...

github.com

Extracted the tarball release and there's only a license file there.

 ls -al gLinksWWW-browser-1.2.4
drwxr-xr-x maarten maarten  14 B  Thu Jan 22 00:27:18 2026  .
drwxr-xr-x maarten maarten 106 B  Fri Jan 30 21:19:10 2026  ..
.rw-r--r-- maarten maarten  34 KB Thu Jan 22 00:27:18 2026  LICENSE

@Rio Burhan can you explain?

Sorry for the confusion. The 'Releases' section is intended only for binary downloads (.exe, .deb). You can check the full source code (including package.json and main logic) right here in the main repository: https://github.com/rio719/gLinksWWW-browser

It's an Electron-based project, so most of the core logic is in the JavaScript files. Thanks for pointing it out!

 

[KGIII]

As a student developer,

Does your teacher tell you to go promote your project on sites like this one?

 

[Rio Burhan]

Does your teacher tell you to go promote your project on sites like this one?

No, my teacher didn't tell me to. I'm just a passionate student developer who wanted to share my work with the Linux community. I'm sorry if it felt like too much promotion!

 

[KGIII]

No, my teacher didn't tell me to. I'm just a passionate student developer who wanted to share my work with the Linux community. I'm sorry if it felt like too much promotion!

Thanks. We get people from your general area doing the same thing - coming here to try to make their project more popular.

 

[kibasnowpaw]

Isn’t this a niche case? I mean, I can see this being useful on really old laptops or a Raspberry Pi, but aren’t we talking about a 1% use case here?

 

[Rio Burhan]

Isn’t this a niche case? I mean, I can see this being useful on really old laptops or a Raspberry Pi, but aren’t we talking about a 1% use case here?

To be precise, it focuses on the multi-clipboard feature.

 

[kibasnowpaw]

To be precise, it focuses on the multi-clipboard feature.

That makes more sense. Framed as a workflow-focused browser with a built-in multi-clipboard, it’s a much clearer goal.

My original point wasn’t that the project is useless just that the low-end hardware angle feels like a niche audience compared to the broader “browsers are too heavy” narrative. As a focused productivity tool, it actually fits better than as a general browser alternative.

 

[Rio Burhan]

That makes more sense. Framed as a workflow-focused browser with a built-in multi-clipboard, it’s a much clearer goal.

My original point wasn’t that the project is useless just that the low-end hardware angle feels like a niche audience compared to the broader “browsers are too heavy” narrative. As a focused productivity tool, it actually fits better than as a general browser alternative.

That's right.

 

[Rio Burhan]

That makes more sense. Framed as a workflow-focused browser with a built-in multi-clipboard, it’s a much clearer goal.

My original point wasn’t that the project is useless just that the low-end hardware angle feels like a niche audience compared to the broader “browsers are too heavy” narrative. As a focused productivity tool, it actually fits better than as a general browser alternative.

I built this browser because I hate how others collect my personal data through my browsing history. So, I blocked it from saving any history. Also, I made it so you can search with an AI engine right from the home screen.

 

[kibasnowpaw]

I built this browser because I hate how others collect my personal data through my browsing history. So, I blocked it from saving any history. Also, I made it so you can search with an AI engine right from the home screen.

That clarification helps, thanks.

On the privacy side specifically, I think this is where the “scope” question matters. If the primary goal is preventing browsing history from being stored and limiting data collection, that problem is already largely solvable with existing tools. A hardened Firefox profile with history disabled, automatic data clearing on close, strict cookie isolation, and uBlock/ETP already covers most of that without introducing a completely new browser surface.

At the network level, you can also reduce exposure significantly with something like Pi-hole or a dedicated router/firewall setup. I personally run a separate router/firewall/Pi-hole box that filters traffic before it ever reaches the browser, which addresses a lot of tracking regardless of which browser is used. Even a standalone Pi-hole does a lot of heavy lifting there.

That’s why I see this as a lot of engineering effort for a relatively narrow gain. You’re solving a real concern, but mainly for a very specific workflow and threat model. For most users, tightening an existing mainstream browser plus basic network filtering gets them 80–90% of the benefit with far less complexity and far better site compatibility.

That said, as a focused productivity/privacy experiment, it’s interesting. I just think it makes more sense framed as a specialized tool than as a general alternative to mainstream browsers.

 

[Rio Burhan]

Hi everyone, it's Rio again.

A few months ago, I introduced gLinksWWW(graphical Links World Wide Web) here—a productivity browser tested on a 1-core CPU. I received great feedback, but one thing kept bothering me: Electron's memory overhead.

So, I’ve been busy. I’m excited to announce that gLinksWWW 2.0.0 is officially here, and it has been completely rewritten from Electron to PyQt6 (QtWebEngine)!

What changed?

• Engine Swap: By moving to PyQt6, the browser is now snappier and significantly lighter.
• 18-Slot Multi-Clipboard: Doubled from 9 slots! You now have 18 independent slots (0-9, F1-F8) for heavy-duty multitasking.
• Memory Efficiency: It now uses ~60MB less RAM than Chrome on the same site.
• Refined Privacy: Improved our per-website cookie manager and maintained our strict "Zero-History" policy.

The "1-Core" Spirit lives on:I’m still committed to low-end hardware. Version 2.0.0 feels much more stable on minimal specs. If you have an old laptop or a tiny VM gathering dust, this was built for you.

Key Hotkeys for the 18-Slot Clipboard:

• Copy: Ctrl + Shift + [0-9 / F1-F8]
• Cut: Alt + Shift + [0-9 / F1-F8]
• Paste: Ctrl + Alt + [0-9 / F1-F8]

Check out the source & New Releases:
GitHub: https://github.com/rio719/gLinksWWW-browser
v2.0.0 Release: https://github.com/rio719/gLinksWWW-browser/releases/tag/v2.0.0

I’d love to hear from the Linux community again. Does it feel faster on your machines? Let me know!

(some screenshots of gLinksWWW)

 

[f33dm3bits]

Moved your new topic into your existing one since it's about the same project.