ProtoWeb Browser is a browser designed specifically to browse ProtoWeb. It is automatically configured to use the ProtoWeb proxy, no proxy configuration is required. It also does not affect the system proxy. You just download and install it and you can browse ProtoWeb right away. It works on Windows 98 or later, up to and including Windows 11. You can easily switch between the different ProtoWeb proxy servers from the settings window in the app.
ProtoWeb Browser is still under development and is by no means complete. It is currently in the pre-release stage.
ProtoWeb Browser can only be used to browse sites on ProtoWeb. It cannot be used as a general purpose browser.
ProtoWeb Browser is written in C# and .NET Framework 2.0.
There are two ways to get ProtoWeb Browser. You can download the installer or you can download the portable version. The portable version is just the executable, configuration file, the .reg file to register the PWB protocol and this readme.
Windows 98 requires the original version of .NET Framework 2.0, SP1 and SP2 do not support Windows 98.
.NET Framework 2.0 has a prerequisite of Internet Explorer 5.01 or later on Windows 98.
Windows 2000 with SP3 or later can use .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 but not SP2.
On Windows XP you can also install .NET Framework 3.0 or 3.5 as they also include .NET Framework 2.0.
Windows Vista and 7 should have .NET Framework 3.0 installed by default which includes .NET Framework 2.0.
Windows 8/8.1 and later should prompt you to install the proper .NET Framework when attempting to launch the app if you do not already have it installed.
Note that .NET Core 2.0 and .NET Standard 2.0 are NOT the same thing as .NET Framework 2.0.
ProtoWeb Browser Pre Rel 4 and later have support for the PWB URL Protocol. It allows for links to open sites directly in ProtoWeb Browser from a modern browser. These links can be anywhere a normal HTML link can be, like a blog post or a social media post. You just click the link, and it opens the site in ProtoWeb Browser. The URL protocol must be registered in the registry for this to work. This is done automaticly by the installer. The portable version includes a .reg file to register the protocol. You must change the path to the DefaultIcon and command keys in the reg file to the location of the ProtoWeb Browser exe file on your computer. This can be done by manually editing the .reg file or by making the changes in regedit after applying the file. ProtoWeb Browser will still function without registering the PWB protocol but you won’t be able to follow PWB links. It is recommended to use the installer if you want PWB protocol functionality.
The link must be in the following format:
pwb:www.microsoft.com
This feature will work on all of the versions of Windows ProtoWeb Browser supports but is intended for use on modern versions of Windows.