Interview with assembly author Maxthon Ru-Board Edition

    Not so long ago in my blog I wrote about the Russian assembly of the famous Maxthon browser. But just a review of the program seemed to me not enough and I decided to arrange an interview with the author of the assembly. It was interesting to talk with a person who supports and promotes a specific program in Runet;)

    Is this a hobby or a job? How is the assembly done? And why is it chosen Maxthon, and not some other browser? Vadim Popov kindly answered these and other questions of mine. The resulting interview seemed to me rather informative, so I decided to share it with the Habra users =)

    Freealt.net: So, the first question that just begs to be asked :) Tell about yourself - occupation, hobbies, etc.

    Vadim:My work is my main hobby :) I am engaged in consulting: marketing, advertising, promotion methods. This year will be 10 years old. And Maxthon is like a hobby for the soul.

    Freealt.net: How long have you been using Maxthon? Tell us how did you get the idea to create your own assembly? After all, this is not just a selection of plug-ins and customization “for yourself”, but much more work. And a lot more responsibility - to users. Were there any difficulties in organizing the work?

    Vadim:I have been using Maxthon for more than three years - before that I was “sitting” on MyIE2 (the project from which Maxthon grew up), and I did not immediately switch to Maxthon because its first versions were not very stable. I don’t remember exactly when it was - I remember that the people constantly asked the question “Well, when will the Russian assembly be?” - many got used to the Russian assembly MyIE2 (it was made by another person) and waited for something the same with Maxthon. But the former collectors for some reason did not rush, and then I thought about whether I could do something like that. After a while, my first build appeared, it was almost 3 years ago.

    The very first version was whipped up - I was afraid that if I dig in a lot, I won’t be able to finish :) Literally immediately versions came out, corrected and supplemented in accordance with the wishes of users - thankfully, the board allows you to receive feedback immediately :) The assembly was distributed the first few months, and was named after him when the project received its own website. The Maxthon user community helped me cope with all the difficulties, for which I am infinitely grateful to him, and I express this both in gratitude on the site, and in the comments to the assembly, and here and now.

    Freealt.net: Why did you decide to build exactly Maxthon, and not, say, FireFox or Opera? (I suspect that the answer is obvious - because you yourself use Maxthon'om =)

    Vadim:Yes, and if Opera now has something like a build - Opera AC (there is just a completely different approach), then FF still has nothing of the kind. And the Russian assembly of Maxthon was a continuation of the tradition - the Russian assembly of MyIE2.

    Freealt.net: In this case, a fair question arises: have other browsers tried, and if so, why did you decide to stay on Maxthon? After all, there are a lot of plugins for FF (as for Opera - I don’t know for sure, there are probably a lot of it too) and you can make an assembly with similar capabilities. (that is, the question can even be reduced to "why is the browser on the IE engine, and not some other?", because the necessary functionality can be twisted with plugins)

    Vadim:Of course, I tried (and try) other browsers, and now I have 4 pieces installed :) But Maxthon is most convenient for me personally. Let's just say: other browsers have separate advantages over Maxthon, but it takes it with the totality of its capabilities, their sum, which as a whole does not “interrupt” with any other browser.

    It would be interesting to look at a similar assembly of FF, but as far as I know, nothing like this exists yet - although I think it would be in demand, first of all by beginners. And although the IE engine has its drawbacks, it has many advantages: universal orientation to it on the network, compatibility, general settings, cookies, etc., use of the system’s resource - the engine does not need to be dragged along, as a result the distribution weighs less at times. And users have a choice - and this is probably the most important thing. Interestingly, Western browsers often see the “big three” of browsers this way: FF, Opera and Maxthon :) Although, in my opinion, Maxthon is primarily an alternative to IE, and then Opera and FF, although it’s quite capable of competing with them that he is successful and does :)

    It’s just that each person must decide for himself what it is more convenient for him to work with - and how else to do this without having tried the program in practice? A browser is such a thing, in choosing which you should rely only on your own experience. You don’t even have to take my word for it :) Just download and try, and you will know for sure whether it is yours or not :)

    Freealt.net: Maxthon, which you use, is probably still different from the assembly. For example, with some additional plugins ... If so, tell me if they will be subsequently included in the assembly?

    Vadim:I constantly test new plugins for Maxthon, selecting the most successful ones for inclusion in the assembly, so I have several dozens of them installed. But only 9 pieces are always included and used :) About a dozen more I connect if necessary. Maxthon, which I use, is most similar to a testing ground :) Although the skin, for example, I have only one, is Ever. There are still a lot of small differences, of course - mostly preferences in the settings, since Maxthon allows you to change a lot of things. It is this flexibility that makes it so convenient to use.

    Freealt.net: How many people are currently working on the project and how much time is spent on support (including the site)? Share further plans for the development of the project;)

    Vadim:One person is working directly on the project - that’s me :) But there isn’t much to be done without the support of other users - there is about an “active core” of about seven out of seven, and the assembly is by and large the result of our collective work. It takes time in different ways :) Since the project is non-profit, it rests only on enthusiasm, and everything is done in free time from the main work, but this is always less than we would like :) I think it will be three or four working days a month.

    Huge plans :) But there is not enough time and other resources for their implementation. You need to do help for Maxthon2, you need to raise the forum on the build site, and there is still the idea of ​​making such a blog "one piece of advice per day" on working with Maxthon. Who else would do all this? :)

    Freealt.net:Are Maxthon developers aware of the Russian assembly? Do you somehow agree on the work - for example, do they inform you about the release of new versions in advance?

    Vadim: The developers, of course, are in the know. Unfortunately, even translators of language files are not informed about the release of new versions in order to update them in the distribution kit in advance - for this reason, files from previous versions usually appear in it :( But I hope this policy changes soon. Updating the assembly is not problem, especially since it takes time to test the new assembly, so it always comes out with a slight delay. I’m required not to violate the license agreement and indicate the authorship of the program, which I’m doing. In addition, I support the official Russian language site-screw Maxthon - http://www.maxthon2.ru/

    Freealt.net:My build questions are over :) Let's talk about free software in general. What do you think are the prospects for free software in Russia? Will people (in connection with the new copyright law) increasingly pay attention to freeware or will they continue to use the hacked software without fear?

    Vadim:It depends on several factors - the effectiveness of legislation, the culture of users, their monetary viability. I think the warez will never die, it’s just that the proportion of people who use it will decrease over time. And of course, people will always look at freeware with interest and use it, especially since now many programs offer related services, which are also free. The share of free software will grow, but nevertheless, paid programs will not go anywhere, just more legitimate users. There will always be competition between paid and free software - both have advantages and disadvantages, and users have a choice - this is the main thing.

    Freealt.net: What free programs do you use? Which would advise readers of the blog?

    Vadim:In addition to Maxthon, I use Miranda, FeedDemon, Media Player Classic Homecinema, Comodo Firewall Pro, Download Master, Dynamic Security Agent, True Launch Bar, TrueCrypt, WinAmp, WinDjView, XP Tweaker and many more utilities that help me in my work - such as Autoruns . Everything that I listed can be considered a recommendation :) Although, I think, many users already have their own preferences. However, if you haven't tried Maxthon yet, be sure to give it a try! :)

    Vadim Popov, author of Maxthon Ru-Board Edition answered questions , for which many thanks to him =)

    Also popular now: