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DR-WebSpyder

From Alfawiki
Caldera UK
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySoftware
Founded1997
FounderRoger Alan Gross (general manager DR-DOS/NIOS team)
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Key people
Roger Alan Gross, Ransom H. Love, Bryan Wayne Sparks, Matthew R. Harris
ProductsDR-WebSpyder (web browser, email client, runtime environment)
ParentCaldera, Inc.

DR-WebSpyder is a web browser, email client, and runtime environment designed for DOS, created by Caldera UK in 1997. Constructed atop the DR-DOS platform, it integrated networking elements from Novell alongside the Arachne browser developed by Michal Polák of xChaos software. Tailored for entry-level desktop machines, it supported booting from disk, ROM, or network sources, making it ideal for x86-based thin client devices and embedded systems regardless of disk drive presence. Primarily operating through its web browser interface, it was also utilized in kiosk systems and set-top boxes. In 1999, the software was adapted to run on Linux under the name Embrowser, later rebranded as Embedix Browser in 2000.

NIOS and IOS

The origins of DR-WebSpyder trace back to the NIOS project (Novell Internet Operating System), initiated at Novell’s European Development Centre (EDC) in the UK in 1994. Led by DR-DOS engineer Roger Alan Gross within Novell’s Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) program, NIOS sought to develop embedded applications that connected intelligent devices to NetWare networks. The concept focused on delivering a thin client operating system that provided Novell with a graphical environment for running web applications hosted on NetWare servers, supporting a Novell-centric SaaS approach independent from Microsoft's Windows. NIOS combined 32-bit iterations of Novell’s 16-bit DOS components including DR-DOS, Novell’s modem dialer and TCP/IP stack derived from LAN Workplace for DOS / NetWare Mobile, along with licensed third-party modules such as the Kaffe Java virtual machine, Allegro graphics library, and Mosaic web browser.

WebSpyder, WebSpyder 32 and DR-WebSpyder

The trajectory of Gross's project shifted when Caldera, Inc. acquired the remaining assets of Digital Research, including DR-DOS, from Novell on 23 July 1996—though without retaining the original development team. On that day, Gross reached out to Caldera’s Ransom H. Love to propose forming a new DR-DOS development group independent of Novell. He subsequently joined Caldera as general manager of the Digital Research Systems Group (DSG) in December 1996 and reinstated the UK-based DRDOS/NIOS team to create a new operating system and web browser. Under Caldera's direction, NIOS was renamed IOS (Internet Operating System). The initial plan to utilize Mosaic was abandoned; instead, Caldera obtained the source code for the 16-bit DOS web browser Arachne. The team replaced Arachne’s dialer and packet drivers with Novell’s modem dialer, ODI drivers (sourced from Personal NetWare), and TCP/IP stack. Enhancements included support for animated and scaled GIFs, an optional on-screen keyboard (SoftKeyboards) optimized for mouse or touch input, and an installation utility. The browser’s customizable user interface chrome was redesigned, Netscape-compatible frame support was implemented, Allegro was employed for graphics rendering, and "execute links" functionality was introduced to launch DOS programs and batch scripts through the web client—a feature previously known as the DOS Gateway Interface (DGI) in Arachne. In May 1997, IOS was rebranded as WebSpyder. Subsequently, it was ported as a 32-bit protected mode extended DOS application using DJGPP and DPMI technologies under the name WebSpyder 32, before adopting the final name DR-WebSpyder in early 1998.

On 11 May 1998, Caldera launched DR-WebSpyder 2.0 featuring both an HTML 3.2-compliant web browser application and a dedicated browser OS. To expand its market reach among OEMs, Caldera established a sales and support branch in Taiwan on 1 June 1998.

A subsequent maintenance update, DR-WebSpyder 2.0a, was released on 19 August 1998.

Caldera provided a free demonstration version of DR-WebSpyder 2.0a on a self-booting disk that operated the DR-WebSpyder OS based on DR-DOS 7.02. This included memory management, RAM disk functionality, modem support, LAN connectivity, mouse input, and display drivers—all functioning without altering hard disk contents—highlighting its applicability for diskless workstation environments. Users could immediately access browsing or email upon login. An enhanced international edition incorporated multi-level compression techniques enabling support for additional languages and keyboard layouts customizable by OEMs or end users.

On 2 September 1998, the Digital Research Systems Group along with Caldera UK were spun off into an independent entity named Caldera Thin Clients (CTC), which had been incorporated earlier that August.

DR-WebSpyder gained commercial momentum in September 1998 when selected as the internet set-top box solution within a satellite internet access system.

Caldera announced version 2.1 of DR-WebSpyder on 3 November 1998; Beta 2 became available from 7 November with the final release issued on 30 November. This update introduced support for JavaScript, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), cookies management, audio playback capabilities, printing across multiple printers, user profiles, multiple email account handling, scrollable QVGA support tailored for low-resolution LCD screens, and optional TV mode featuring anti-aliased fonts optimized for television displays.

Although Caldera UK investigated incorporating full-fledged Java and JVM functionality, progress did not extend beyond prototype phases due to prerequisites such as long filename (LFN) support and Unicode compatibility within DOS environments. Caldera’s DPMS-enabled dynamically loadable LONGNAME driver offered VFAT-style LFN handling internally using UCS-2 encoding. Matthias R. Paul explored methods to integrate expanded character sets with minimal system impact by enhancing .CPI font files to accommodate wider code pages akin to DOS/V systems. This approach combined with updated COUNTRY.SYS files and improved NLSFUNC drivers introduced in DR-DOS 7.02 could have facilitated optional UTF-8 compatibility similar to DBCS integration strategies.

Following Roger Alan Gross's departure in January 1999, Caldera Thin Clients shuttered its UK development office in February 1999 shortly after releasing DR-DOS 7.03.

Embrowser and Embedix Browser

On 20 July 1999, Caldera Thin Clients underwent a rebranding to become Lineo, guided by Bryan Wayne Sparks.[1][2] At this time, DR-WebSpyder was renamed Embrowser and adapted for Linux.[1][2]

In 1999, a version of DR-WebSpyder was created specifically for IMS REAL/32, which succeeded Digital Research's and Novell's Multiuser DOS.[3]

Starting in October 1999, Lineo offered a DOS edition of DR-WebSpyder 2.5 (also known as Embrowser 2.5) through their website.[4]

Lineo introduced a thin-client Linux distribution named Embedix, with the Linux adaptation of the micro web browser being designated as Embedix Browser by April 2000.[5][6]

In April 2002, Lineo divested certain assets via auction and restructured as Embedix, Inc. under the leadership of Matthew R. Harris.[7] Later that year, on 17 December 2002, Motorola's Metrowerks acquired significant Embedix assets, which may have included the browser.[8][9][10] Whether the DOS variant (DR-WebSpyder) was included in this transaction or sold separately remains uncertain; it might have been transferred to DeviceLogics/DRDOS, Inc., the entity that acquired DR-DOS assets.

See also

Further reading

  • Caldera WebSpyder 32 User Guide - BETA 1 Draft (1998-02-05), Caldera, Inc.

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Caldera_1999_Lineo
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Smith_1999_Lineo
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Sprague_1999_REAL32
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Lineo_1999_EMB25A
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Lineo_2000_Browser
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Lineo_2000_Flyer
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Correia_2002
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Metrowerks_2002
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Metrowerks_2002_Embedix
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Metrowerks_2002_Web
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Caldera_1998_Broschure
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