Spoon intros web application tool Browser Studio

SEATTLE, USA: Spoon, developer of application virtualization technology, has announced the availability of Browser Studio, a web application that configures and runs custom versions of popular web browsers.

Beginning with any version of Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Firefox, the user selects run times such as Java, Flash, and Silverlight, extensions such as Selenium and NoScript, and other configuration settings such as the homepage.

Browser Studio then automatically downloads and configures the browser, runtimes, and plugins, and launches it in an isolated virtual environment, said a company release.

"Because browsers run in the Spoon virtual environment, they can be used on any underlying Windows operating system, including Windows 8.1. By embedding runtime dependencies into the virtual browser, web applications can be used without the hassles and security issues associated with installing Java or Flash on the desktop," it added.

An optional redirection tool automatically launches an appropriate browser when the user enters a given URL.

"App virtualization is a powerful tool that assures continuity through OS upgrades, simplifies application deployment, and eliminates many desktop security vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, the difficulty of virtualizing applications has traditionally been a major barrier to adoption," said Kenji Obata, Spoon's chief executive officer.

"Browser Studio is the first tool to bring the power of this technology to a broad audience by hiding the complexity of the virtualization process behind an intuitive, easy-to-use interface," added Obata.

Developers can use Browser Studio to build customized browser test environments. IT managers can then deploy these pre-configured browser environments directly to end users, regardless of the underlying operating system or runtimes available on the desktop.

Browser Studio currently supports Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox; common runtimes such as Java, Flash, AIR, Silverlight, and the .NET Framework; and dozens of popular plugins such as AdBlock, Selenium, and NoScript. Configuration options include a customizable homepage, browser name, icon, and description.