February 8, 2026
Potato-powered, drama-fueled
Arcan Explained – A browser for different webs
Bold ‘different web’ browser arrives—curious fans, bored readers, memes ignite
TLDR: Arcan pitches a “browser for different webs,” blending desktop and game ideas, with a quirky potato-powered demo. Comments split between calling the write-up dull and meme-ing the “two people found it” line, while a few cheer its anti‑Chrome ambition as a fresh alternative.
Arcan’s latest post tries to explain a “browser for different webs,” and the comment section didn’t hold back. The creator frames Arcan as a desktop engine—part window manager, part game tech, part media tool—and says that, averaged together, you get a browser. Lua (a simple coding language, like a modern BASIC) powers the scripts. Funded by NLnet, there’s even a demo you launch through Arcan itself, complete with the cheeky note that it’s “running on a potato.” And the site logs admit “about two people have managed to find it,” which instantly became a meme.
Readers split fast. One blunt voice called it “unengaging and verbose,” while others argued this is exactly the kind of weird, anti‑Chrome rethink the web needs. Skeptics asked who will build sites for a “different web,” and whether grandma could even use it. Fans joked it’s “musical theatre as a browser,” quoting the post’s own line, and formed the “two users club” with potato emojis. The biggest spat: should a browser swallow the desktop, or should the desktop reach out and become the browser? Whatever your camp, the drama was spicy, the jokes were plentiful, and Arcan got people talking.
Key Points
- •Arcan is presented as a browser-oriented desktop engine combining display server, game engine, and multimedia processor roles.
- •The control plane uses a Lua-based scripting API aimed at entry-level developers and as an intermediate compilation target.
- •The article focuses on the technical aspects of browser software within the broader web ecosystem.
- •Structure includes a short form, ‘Browser Breakdown’ (history/problem space), and ‘Arcan as Browser Design’ (solutions).
- •Related work includes the NLnet-sponsored Arcan-A12 project and a demo Arcan appl accessible via arcan-net.