April 10, 2025

3 Months of Updates in 1 Read

Written by Eleanor McKeown
3 Months of Updates in 1 Read

3 Months of Updates in 1 Read

Author
Elly
Date
Apr 10, 2025 02:06 PM
Slug
notes-come-to-horse-browser
Tags
Blog
Description
Read a round-up of what’s happening at Horse Browser, from our new notes feature to improving Horse Browser on Windows and how to deal with hate mail

Welcome to the Rider’s Digest blog, where we share behind-the-scenes updates on Horse and what it’s really like to build an indie browser from scratch.

Hello Riders, We’re back from our annual vacation with a round-up of what’s been happening at Horse Browser, from our notes feature to hate mail and everything in between. Three months of developments in one easy read.

➤ We've added 2 new types of Trails: Areas and Projects with notes ✍️

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We’ve recently added two new types of Trail to Horse Browser: Areas and Projects. An Area is a Trail with a dedicated header for your sidebar, making it easier to keep your research tidy. Projects are Trails that contain note-making so you can write notes directly in Horse Browser. No need to open a separate notes app. Stay in flow and keep it all in your trusty steed. Check out our new how-to guide to use these features.

➤ We’ve improved Horse Browser on Windows 🧡

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We’ve been working on making improvements to the Windows version of Horse Browser. Our old Dell was getting a little outdated for testing so Pascal built a PC from scratch that mirrors the average computer. To read more about the build and all the specs, read Pascal’s blog post. We are now using Horse Browser on this PC so we bump into our own issues. Some of the issues we’ve fixed so far are:
  • Fullscreen video fixed
  • No more windows defender popups
  • Better settings screen
More improvements coming for our Windows users soon. Feel free to let us know about any Windows bugs you’ve come across or post them in our community Discord.

➤ We have new articles to read in Resources 🛠️

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We’ve been adding more articles to our website to show you how to get the most out of Horse Browser and be extra productive. We’ve given the Resources page a cleaner layout to make things easier to read. Plus, we’ve just added a Menu to the website to make it easier to navigate. Head over to the Manual to read our new user help articles.

➤ What else has been going on? ⌨️

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As well as Area and Projects, we’ve recently added configurable keyboard shortcuts to Horse Browser. This was a top request among our power users so we know it’s a pretty important feature for some of our Riders. We hope it’ll help you navigate easier and faster along the Trail.
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And, in case you missed it, we also recently launched our in-built Password Manager, named Saddlepack. So you can now securely save all your passwords directly in Horse Browser.

➤ When life gives you lemons… 🍋

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Building in public means you’ll run up against some online negativity. But when we received this hate mail, it was so over-the-top, that we decided to post it online with a funny tweet. People found it hilarious and someone on Twitter suggested we make a promo code named ‘HORSESHIT’. We were really happy to welcome new ‘incredibly and undeniably stupid’ riders to our ‘so-called browser’.
In all seriousness, thank you to everyone who used the code and sent us funny replies! 🐎🥹
Yours in code and kindling,
Pascal and Elly

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Japanese TeasGoogle Search
Green TeaWikipedia
Matcha TeaWikipedia
Sencha TeaWikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sencha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sencha tea leaves and brewed tea

Sencha tea leaves and brewed tea

Sencha (Japanese: 煎茶) is a type of Japanese ryokucha (緑茶, green tea) which is prepared by infusing the processed whole tea leaves in hot water. This is as opposed to matcha (抹茶), powdered Japanese green tea, where the green tea powder is mixed with hot water and therefore the leaf itself is included in the beverage.

History

Sencha was first created in Japan in the 18th century by Nagatani Soen, a tea farmer from Uji, Kyoto. The process developed by Nagatani, which involved steaming, rolling, and drying the tea leaves, resulted in a tea that was more stable and maintained its quality during transportation. This innovation revolutionized the Japanese tea industry, replacing the previously common offering of matcha.

Production

After harvesting the leaves are steamed for about 15-45 seconds to prevent oxidization of the leaves. This step creates the characteristic flavor of Japanese green tea by deactivating the enzymes that are responsible for oxidation. The leaves are then cooled and dried in a bamboo tray by air, and then are shaped by pressing and rolling into the characteristic needle shape.

Grades

Sencha comes in different grades, depending on the quality and the parts of the tea plant used:

  • Shincha: First harvest of the year, has a fresh, grassy flavor and higher caffeine content.
  • Gyokuro: Premium grade shaded green tea, with a sweeter, more umami taste than regular sencha.
  • Asamushi: Lightly steamed sencha, with a more fragrant, lighter taste.
  • Chumushi: Medium-steamed sencha, balancing aroma and flavor.
  • Fukamushi: Deeply steamed sencha, with a stronger flavor and less bitterness.

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Pascal and Elly at Disneysea Tokyo

About us

Hello! We're Elly and Pascal. Thank you for supporting our little indie browser. Read on for the personal Trails that brought us to where we are today.

Pascal and Elly at Disneysea Tokyo