| Index DOT Html:
Main Index | Element Tree |
Element Index | HTML Support
History Index DOT Css: Main Index | Property Index | CSS Support History | Browser History |
| Platforms |
PC: Intel 16-bit(Win3.X), Intel 32-bit(Win95/98/ME, WinNT/2000/XP) Mac: PPC OS7.5x-9.x, OSX Other: Linux, OS/2, QNX, Symbian |
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| About the Browser |
What began as a project to develop a small
and fast browser for computers with meager resources has turned into a
popular alternative to the "big two" browser vendors with its
own "cult following."
Two engineers at Telenor (the Norwegian phone company) developed the Opera browser in 1994 for the company's intranet. By the end of 1995 Opera Software was created after Telenor had allowed the pair to continue development of the browser on their own. Opera was written from scratch - it is not based on the NCSA Mosaic code or interface methodology (as Internet Explorer or Netscape are.) This gives it some unique browsing features such as page zoom, a multi-document interface browsing environment and mouse gestures. For its small footprint it boasts an impressive feature set, with great support for HTML, XML, WML, CSS (one of the best implementations), JavaScript, DOM and Java. The latest version has come a long way from its early days - it is fast, slick and powerful...and Opera's market share is starting to make a bit of a dent - users are loyal and vocal about their browser being a great alternative to the "big two." Plus, many of Opera's innovative features are finding their way into other browsers as well. |
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| Support Notes |
Versions before 2.1 were not in wide release thus are not covered. Support information is listed for the major shipping release versions and does not include betas. | |
| The Future | Opera's approach thus far has been to aim for as much standards compliance as possible while also embracing many non-standard authoring features. Coupled with its light weight and many innovative features, the browser has many fans. Its market share continues to increase...the inroads it is making in the mobile phone and other embedded systems platforms are starting to be felt. In pure installation numbers, these "other" browsing methods could balloon Opera's total market share in a very short time. Already the non-"desktop" platforms are comprising a quickly growing percentage of the overall browsing applications. Will Opera succeed in dominating these other browsing spaces? Will its market share continue to make inroads in the desktop arena? Time will, of course, tell. | |
| Author's Note |
I went to work for Opera in their QA department in August 2002 to work on their 7.0 Windows release. I'll try not to bias anything I present elsewhere here, but of course you'll understand if I spend just these two seconds asking you to try Opera if you haven't before. It's just nifty, IMO. 8-} | |
| Version | Released | Features |
| 1.0-2.0 | NA | Not widely released |
| 2.1B1-B3 | Sep.-Nov. 1996 | Adds Frames capability |
| 2.1 | Dec. 1996 | Final release of 2.1 |
| 2.12 | Feb. 1997 | Minor release. |
| 3.0B1-B11 | Sep.-Dec. 1997 | Adds Javascript, SSL and plug-in capability. Also includes UI and hot list changes. |
| 3.0 | Dec. 1997 | Final release of 3.0 |
| 3.1-3.21 | Feb.-Apr. 1998 | Minor releases for 3.0 |
| 3.5B1-B10 | Jul.-Oct. 1998 | Adds file upload, and possibly the most complete CSS1 implementation in the popular browsers. Also allows for Java functionality through a plug-in. |
| 3.5 | Nov. 1998 | Final release of 3.5 |
| 3.51 | Dec. 1998 | Update release. |
| 3.6 | Jun. 1999 | Update release. |
| 3.61 | Dec. 1999 | Update release. |
| 4.0B1 | Mar. 2000 | Long-awaited first beta of the 4.0 family. This version promises support for most of CSS2, all of CSS1, HTML4, XML, and WML. |
| 4.0B2/3 | Apr. 2000 | Second and third beta releases. |
| 4.0B4 | May. 2000 | Fourth beta release. |
| 4.0 | Jun. 2000 | Final release of 4.0. |
| 5.0 | Dec. 2000 | Final release of 5.0. Introduction of ad-supported free version. Increased standards support. |
| 5.1 | Apr. 2001 | Update release. |
| 5.12 | Jul. 2001 | Update release. |
| 6.0 | Nov. 2001 | Final release of 6.0. Featuring UI changes, and performance improvements. |
| 6.01-05 | Feb.-Oct. 2002 | Update releases. |
| Aug. 2002 | Brian Wilson hired by Opera | |
| 7.0B1 | Nov. 2002 | First beta of the version 7 browser. Featuring UI changes, rendering engine re-write (now referred to as "Presto"), added standards support, improved performance and compatibility, greatly enhanced DOM support, and a new mail client - all without increasing the download footprint. |
| 7.0B2 | Dec. 2002 | Second beta release. |
| 7.0 | Jan. 2003 | Final release of 7.0. |
| 7.01 | Feb. 2003 | Update release. |
| 7.1 | Apr. 2003 | Update release. |
| 7.2B1-13 | Jul-Sep. 2003 | Update release. |
| 7.2 | Sep. 2003 | Adds support for MARQUEE, BLINK and BDO elements. Also adds BIDI language display, DOM HTML and DOM CSS features, and improved Javascript performance. |
| Aug. 2005 | Opera celebrates their 10th anniversary (on the same day I got married =)) | |