Merge pull request #2 from autonome/move · burrito.space/peek@7331f4b

+63 -22

README.md

··· 1 1 # Peek 2 2 3 - ![peek logo of eyeball peeking up from bottom](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/autonome/Peek/master/icons/banner.png) 3 + Please meet Peek, a web user agent application designed for using the web where, when and how you want it. 4 + 5 + ** WARNING** 6 + * Peek is not a web browser! There are no tabs, and no windows in the browser sense of them. If that's what you're looking for, there are a few decent browsers for you to choose from. 7 + * Peek is not safe for general use yet! It is a crude proof of concept I whipped up while on vacation. While I have thoughts on security model and user interface, I have not written it up into a proper security model yet. 8 + 9 + ## Features 10 + 11 + You can use Peek in three ways, with more coming: 12 + 13 + * Peeks - Keyboard activated modal chromeless web pages mapped to `Opt+0-9` 14 + * Slides - Gesture activated modal chromeless web pages which slide in from left/right/bottom/top 15 + * Scripts - Scripts periodically executed against a web page in the background which extract data and notify on changes 16 + 17 + ### Peeks 18 + 19 + Peeks are keyboard activated modal chromeless web pages mapped to `Opt+0-9` and closed on blur, the `Escape` key or `cmd/ctrl+w`. 20 + 21 + ### Slides 22 + 23 + Slides are gesture activated modal chromeless web pages which slide in from left/right/bottom/top, and closed on blur, the `Escape` key or `cmd/ctrl+w`. 24 + 25 + ### Scripts 26 + 27 + Scripts periodically load a web page in the background and extract data matching a CSS selector, stores it, and notify the user when the resulting data changes. 28 + 29 + Ok, so not really "scripts" yet. But safe and effective enough for now. 30 + 31 + ## Why 32 + 33 + Some thoughts driving the design of Peek: 34 + 35 + * Web user agents should be bounded by the user, not browser vendor business models 36 + * Windows and tabs should have died a long time ago, a mixed metaphor constraining the ability of the web to grow/thrive/change and meet user needs 37 + * Security user interface must be a clear articulation of risks and trade-offs, and users should own the decisions 38 + 39 + # Architecture / Implementation 4 40 5 - Quickly peek at your favorite web pages without breaking your flow. 41 + Peek is designed to be modular and configurable around the idea that parts of it can run in different environments. 42 + 43 + For example: 44 + * Definitely planning on a mobile app which syncs and runs your peeks/slides/scripts 45 + * I'd like to have a decentralized compute option for running your scripts outside of your clients and syncing the data 46 + * Want cloud storage for all config and data, esp infinite history, so can do fun things with it 6 47 7 - Peek lets you choose 10 web pages to open with a keyboard shortcut, without opening a new tab, and able to close with the `escape` key. 48 + ## Desktop App 8 49 9 - I use this for: 50 + Proof of concept is Electron. By far the best option today for cross-platform desktop apps which need a web rendering engine. There's really nothing else remotely suited (yet). 10 51 11 - * Translating text 12 - * See my Github notifications 13 - * Calendar schedule 14 - * Check email periodically instead of having it open all the time 15 - * Stock or cryptocurrency prices 16 - * Slack instances I don't want loaded all the time 17 - * Check the weather 52 + The user interface is just Tweakpane panels and modal chromeless web pages rn. 18 53 19 - ## Usage 54 + TODO 55 + * Need to look at whether could library-ize some of what Agregore implemented for non-HTTP protocol support. 56 + * Min browser might be interesting as a forkable base to work from and contribute to, if they're open to it. At least, should look more at the architecture. 20 57 21 - * Create up to 10 bookmarks with "peek#" plus the number 0-9 in the title. Eg "My favorite website peek#1". 58 + ## Mobile 22 59 23 - * Use the keyboard shortcut `alt+shift` plus the number you put in the bookmark title to peek at that URL. 60 + TBD 24 61 25 - * A new minimal window will open with your chosen URL loaded. 62 + ## Cloud 26 63 27 - * Hit the `escape` key to close the window. 64 + * Going full crypto payments for distributed compute on this one. 28 65 29 - (If no bookmark is configured for an index, Peek will just load about:home.) 66 + ## Future 30 67 31 - ## TODO 68 + * GCLI - not just a command bar, but like the Ubiquity extension 69 + * Lossless personal encrypted archive of web history 70 + * Implement the Firefox "awesomebar" scoring and search algorithm so that Peek *learns* you 71 + * Extension model designed for web user agent user interface experimentation 72 + * Panorama 32 73 33 - * ESC doesn't work sometimes 74 + ## History 34 75 35 - * test on windows/linux 76 + Peek was a browser extension that let you quickly peek at your favorite web pages without breaking your flow - loading pages mapped to keyboard shortcuts into a modal window with no controls, closable via the `Escape` key. 36 77 37 - * fix window to have a maximum size 78 + However, as browser extension APIs become increasingly limited, it was not possible to create a decent user experience and I abandoned it. You can access the extension in this repo [in the extension directory](/autonome/peek/extension/). 38 79 39 - * add feature to long-press links to peek (in pb mode?) 80 + The only way to create the ideal user experience for a web user agent that *Does What I Want* is to make it a browser-ish application, and that's what Peek is now. 40 81

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