Falkon Chromium-Based Midori browser Falkon browser

🧬 Origins as QupZilla (2010–2017)

2010: The project began as QupZilla, developed by David Rosca as a research initiative. The initial version was written in Python using the PyQt4 library. DataDrivenInvestor

2011: The source code was rewritten in C++ to create a portable, general-purpose web browser based on QtWebKit, aiming for visual integration with multiple desktop environments, including Microsoft Windows, GNOME, and KDE Plasma. Wikipedia

2014: Version 1.6.6 was released, which still supported Windows 2000. Wikipedia

March 2016: QupZilla 2.0 was released, marking the transition from QtWebKit to Qt WebEngine, which is based on Chromium. Wikipedia

🚀 Transition to KDE and Renaming to Falkon (2017–2018)

August 10, 2017: David Rosca announced that QupZilla had become a KDE project. Wikipedia

February 27, 2018: The project was officially renamed to Falkon, with KDE releasing version 3.0. Wikipedia

🔄 Integration into KDE Gear (2022–Present)

April 21, 2022: Falkon 22.04 was released as part of KDE Gear, adopting the same version numbering system as other KDE applications. Wikipedia

May 8, 2025: Falkon 25.04.1 was released, featuring bug fixes and improvements. Falkon

🛠️ Features

Rendering Engine: Utilizes QtWebEngine, a wrapper around the Chromium engine, providing a lightweight and privacy-conscious browsing experience. osnews.com

Built-in AdBlock: Includes an integrated AdBlock plugin that blocks ads by default. Falkon

Cross-Platform Support: Available on Linux, Windows, macOS, and Haiku. Wikipedia

Portable Version: Offers a portable version for Windows, allowing users to run the browser without installation. Wikipedia

📈 Reception

Performance: Falkon is praised for its speed and low resource consumption, making it suitable for older hardware. osnews.com

Privacy: The browser’s use of QtWebEngine, which is a stripped-down version of Chromium, enhances user privacy by excluding Google’s services. osnews.com

Falkon’s history is a story of pragmatic evolution, transitioning from a standalone project with its own engine to becoming an integral part of a larger desktop environment, all while maintaining its core focus on being a lightweight, Qt-based browser.

Phase 1: Origins as QupZilla - A Unified Qt Browser (2010-2016)

Initial Development (2010): The browser that would become Falkon was originally created by Czech student David Rosca (aka “nowrep”) as a personal project named QupZilla. The first public release was in 2010.

The “Why”: David Rosca’s goal was to create a unified, lightweight web browser that used the Qt Toolkit for its user interface and the WebKit engine for rendering. At the time, the default KDE browser, Konqueror, was powerful but complex, using the KDE-specific KHTML engine. QupZilla aimed to be a simpler, more modern alternative that could integrate well with any Qt-based desktop, not just KDE.

Key Features & Philosophy: From the start, QupZilla was designed to be a fully-featured “all-in-one” browser without being bloated. It integrated common features that typically required extensions in other browsers:

Growing Popularity: Over the years, QupZilla gained a loyal following, particularly among users of lightweight Linux distributions and those who preferred Qt-based applications. It was praised for its speed, low resource usage, and clean interface.

Phase 2: The KDE Adoption and Rebranding to Falkon (2016-2018)

The KDE Initiative (2016): The KDE community, which develops the Plasma desktop environment, had long sought a modern, well-integrated default browser to replace Konqueror, which was falling behind. They recognized QupZilla as a perfect candidate.

Official Adoption (2016): In late 2016, the KDE community officially voted to adopt QupZilla as a KDE project. The browser was moved under the KDE development umbrella.

Rebranding to Falkon (2017): As part of the transition to a KDE application, the browser was renamed from QupZilla to Falkon. The name “Falkon” was chosen as a nod to the Falcon bird, symbolizing speed and lightness, and it also avoided potential trademark conflicts.

Significance: This move guaranteed the browser a future with more dedicated developers and resources, elevating it from a one-man project to a community-supported official application of a major desktop environment.

Phase 3: The Engine Switch and Modernization (2018-Present)

The WebKit Stagnation: For years, Falkon (as QupZilla) used the WebKit engine. However, the WebKit project’s pace of development for the Linux port began to slow, especially as Google’s competing Chromium project (which uses the Blink engine, a fork of WebKit) accelerated.

The Pragmatic Switch to QtWebEngine (2015-2018): The critical technological shift was the transition from the pure WebKit engine to QtWebEngine. QtWebEngine is a Qt framework wrapper around the Chromium Blink engine. This was not a choice made lightly, but it was a necessary one for several reasons:

Modern Web Compatibility: It ensured Falkon could render the vast majority of modern websites correctly, as the web had become heavily optimized for Chromium.

Security: It leveraged Chromium’s robust and continuously updated security model.

Maintenance: It offloaded the immense burden of maintaining a complex rendering engine to the Chromium and Qt projects, allowing the Falkon team to focus on the browser’s features and UI.

Current Status as KDE’s Browser: Today, Falkon is the default web browser in KDE Plasma on many distributions. It remains a lightweight, fast, and highly integrated browser for the Qt/Plasma ecosystem. While it may not compete for global market share, it serves as a crucial, well-maintained component of a complete open-source desktop.

Summary: Legacy and Current Status

Falkon’s history is one of successful adaptation and finding a sustainable home.

From Solo Project to Community Project: It successfully transitioned from an independent project (QupZilla) to an official part of the KDE ecosystem (Falkon).

Pragmatic Technology Shift: It made the crucial decision to abandon the standalone WebKit engine for the Chromium-based QtWebEngine, ensuring its long-term viability and compatibility.

The Lightweight Qt Champion: Its legacy is that of a capable, feature-rich, yet lightweight browser that showcases the power of the Qt framework and provides a perfectly integrated web experience for KDE Plasma users.

Present Day: Falkon is in active development under the KDE project. It continues to be a refined, efficient, and privacy-respecting browser that stands as a testament to the health and independence of the Linux desktop ecosystem.