ChmSee

ChmSee is a cool open-source software that lets you view Compiled HTML help files. It’s based on the CHMLIB library and works great as a standalone viewer for those files that were mainly used on Microsoft Windows.

What are CHM Files?

So, what’s up with CHM files? They stand for Compiled HTML and have been around since 1997, developed by Microsoft. Even though they were popular back in the day, especially until Windows Vista and 7, many app developers still use this format to create documentation for their software projects.

Using ChmSee on Linux

The best part? ChmSee allows you to view these CHM files on GNU/Linux or any UNIX-like systems like BSD. It uses the XulRunner engine to display HTML content, so it can handle modern features like JavaScript and CSS without a hitch!

User-Friendly Interface

The interface of ChmSee is super simple. You can just drag and drop your CHM file into the main window or go through the ‘Open’ option in the ‘File’ menu. Plus, it supports bookmarks and different viewing modes, making it really handy!

The Techy Details

If you’re curious about how it works under the hood, ChmSee is built entirely using C++ and uses the GTK+ toolkit for its graphical user interface. It runs smoothly on any GNU/Linux system where its runtime dependencies are met, whether you're on 32-bit or 64-bit hardware.

A Bit of History

Unfortunately, ChmSee isn’t being actively developed anymore because newer versions of Windows don’t really use CHM files for Help documents anymore. It's now archived over at Softpedia just for historical reference! If you want to check it out or download it, you can find more info here: ChmSee Download Page.