Opera Software has recently released the newest version of its popular browser, which is designed to offer several improvements over its predecessors.
Opera 9, which had been in beta since April, officially announced the release of Opera 9, the new browser which includes features designed to improve the efficiency of Web surfing, enhance security and allow users greater control over the content they view.
Opera 9, the first web browser includes support for "widgets," adds a security toolbar, and integrates support for the BitTorrent file-distribution system.
Opera 9 aims to allow users to re-launch their browser where they last left off, as well as block advertisements on a site-specific basis. Other content-related features include widgets, or small Web programs, designed to help users organize their browsing preferences, play games or follow sports teams.
If Opera can leverage some of the wins it has had in the mobile space and the handheld gaming market, it can make some inroads against Microsoft, which currently owns the desktop, said Nicole d’Onofrio, an analyst with technology research firm Current Analysis.
After long months of experimenting with the test version, fans of Opera will now be able to get their hands on the official Version 9 release of the popular Web browser that has several new bells and a few interesting whistles.
Opera, a Norwegian development company, also included a plethora of other upgrades, including browser-tab thumbnails, an option to change the browser’s appearance through downloadable skins and the ability to customize a selection of built-in search engines.
The official release follows a preview version, where Opera tipped its plans to add widgets, small snippets of code that serve as plug-ins, as well as the BitTorrent support.
For one, Opera 9 includes widgets, which are small standalone applications. With widgets, a user can play games, retrieve specified data like stats about favorite sports teams, and perform other functions — all in slick-looking little windows that can be positioned on the screen independently of the browser.
Opera-based widgets are expected to blossom — if that is what widgets do — because they can be developed and distributed by members of the Opera community using open Web standards like JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and Ajax.
At the backend, Opera 9 includes tools that make it easier for sites to code for these open standards using built-in Extensible Rendering Architecture, the same core technology used in the browser.
A security bar has also been added to Opera 9, a response to the prevalence of phishing scams, identity theft and other malicious sites. The security bar aims to reduce users’ encounters with phishing scams and also includes technology to strengthen blocking of pop-up advertisements.
BitTorrent and More
In addition to supporting widgets, Opera 9 features native support for BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing technology for distributing movies and audio.
"For Opera 9, we worked hard to push the limits of what people expect from a Web browser, with increased speed, new Web standards support and innovative features such as widgets and BitTorrent," said Jon S. von Tetzchner, chief executive of Opera Software, in a statement. "Even though we shaped this browser for the Web’s future, we have the powerful features people want and need for their surfing today. I truly feel Opera 9 has something for everyone."
Another notable feature is that users can specify whether to allow JavaScript on a site-by-site basis, rather than just turning it on and off. They also can turn off ads on a site-by-site basis and, if they are in a redecorating mood, can add skins and buttons to change the look and feel of the browser.
Although content groups like the RIAA and MPAA have worked to shut down BitTorrent sites distributing copyrighted content, the software itself has not been targeted.
We first launched BitTorrent as an integrated technology in Opera last summer in an early technical preview," said Tor Odland, an Opera spokesman, in an email. "We have since then included it in several betas running up to final release. As of yet we have not had a formal complaint from RIAA or MPAA. We are working closely with BitTorrent, Inc., on licensing the technology from them."
New Platforms
Increasingly, browsers are providing functionality far beyond simply offering a window into the Web. Opera’s support for widgets is in keeping with this trend.
In a move to embrace new platforms, Opera 9 supports what is called the Extensible Rendering Architecture (ERA), a set of standards to ensure that browsers can work with any Web-connected device — such as cell phones or video game machines.
Some observers see such platform expansions as offering important growth opportunities for the browser.
Opera has plans to extend widgets to the new platforms as well. "Desktop users have already discovered the wonders of widgets," said Scott Hedrick, Opera’s executive vice president. "Now it is time to bring them beyond the PC."
If Opera can leverage some of the wins it has had in the mobile space and the handheld gaming market, it can make some inroads against Microsoft, which currently owns the desktop, said Nicole d’Onofrio, an analyst with technology research firm Current Analysis.
The key will be for Opera to partner with PC manufacturers and have Opera 9 preloaded on desktops, she noted.
Firefox, among others, might push this trend even further. There are reports that Firefox 3, the version after the next upcoming release, will allow browser-based applications to run even when the browser is offline.
Meanwhile, Opera’s new widgets can be downloaded from Opera’s widgets site, where the company has already collected a few examples, such as a circular version of Tetris, several clocks, and a built-in reader for comics’ sites.
Other features, such as the security toolbar, however, appear to be new. That feature is designed to stop phishing attacks, and is similar to the other anti-phishing plugins introduced by rivals, including Google. The company also said that it had strengthened its pop-up blocker.
Other features to enhance usability include the ability to save sessions and restart at the site when the browser was closed, as well as a "trash can" to restore a saved browser session.
Opera 9 also offers a thumbnail feature, which enables users to mouse over an open tab to see a thumbnail preview of the page
Opera 9’s competition, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox, are still in test phases with final versions due out later this year. At present, neither will include BitTorrent support, although there is support for BitTorrent searches for Firefox through the use of plugins.
Opera 9, which is offered as a free download, runs on a variety of platforms, from Windows to Mac to Linux. It also supports BitTorrent’s file distribution technology.