Opera 10 browser is here

(Credit: Opera Software)

The Opera 10 browser is now ready to download for Windows, and Mac, and Linux, three months after the beta first emerged (hands-on Opera 10 beta review).

If you've been keeping up with the beta updates, the final build of the cross-platform browser shouldn't surprise you. Opera Turbo, the browser's much-publicized compression engine for slow-poke connections, remains a feature highlight. Opera claims that Opera Turbo runs the browser up to eight times faster on suffering connections than do competing browsers.

The refreshed user interface is also noteworthy. Joining the new default skin (changed from version 9.6), are changes to tab bar behavior. The conventional tabs double as thumbnail images. Double-click the thin gray bar below the tabs (indicated by dots) or click and drag to expand open tabs into preview windows that you can navigate by clicking among them.

Other enhancements include an expanded Speed Dial (a feature that has later been adopted and adapted in Google's Chrome browser) that shows more commonly visited Web pages than in previous Opera browsers. You're also able to customize it with a background picture. You'll see that spell check will be applicable to any text field (for 51 languages), and that Opera's incorporated e-mail client takes a page from Google's books by threading e-mail conversations.

Developers get access to a newer version of Opera Dragonfly, the publisher's online development tools, but everyone can benefit from the speedier rendering engine that, according to Opera, makes version 10 up to 40 percent faster than version 9.6--before switching on Turbo's compression.

Despite all the additions that Opera hopes will keep Opera 10 competitive, there are still two notable omissions for this final release. The first is Opera Unite, which uses your browser as a Web server for sharing your content with others. The second is the Carakan JavaScript engine that promises to process JavaScript about 2.5 times as fast as the engine used in Opera 10 alpha.

Related story: Opera 10 browser to emerge Tuesday

[mrcjacobs]

I was an avid Opera user when I 1st switched to Linux in '05 but it's fallen by the wayside compared to Firefox. They need to open the platform up to 3rd party add-ons to remain relevant in the browser wars. Although I still keep it on my system it rarely gets any use. And with Chromium now serving as my main browser and Firefox as the 2nd choice Opera may find itself deleted.

[plings]

Opera has doubled its user base in 2 years, and are leading the way with innovation. Clearly they are very relevant.

Firefox has nothing on Opera....

Unless you have a really simple mind....*shrug*

[dowell100]

Doubled its user bas? I love that kind of talk. from 1,000 to 2,000.

Opera is a fringe browser and there will be people who say it is the best and will use it forever. The fact is, Opera is irrelevant and if it dropped out of existence today it would not be a great loss.

[ibelieve01]

Yes, that way Opera functionality can CEASE every time there is the slightest upgrade to the browser, just as Firefox extensions do. NO THANKS.

[ausernamenoonehaschosen]

I disagree that Opera is becoming irrelevant. Opera is leading the way in innovation for web browsing and internet security. Many of their additions are always copied later by others (lists are all over the internet); how long before Opera Unite will be adapted for Safari and Chrome for example (probably will take years and years for it to show up in IE). In addition, many of the add ons for Firefox are built into Opera, such as torrent downloading and smart ad blocks. Others can be added through the addition of buttons or modifications, see the wiki here for more of what you can do:
http://operawiki.info/Opera
Thereby, you don't need to install third party add ons from those you don't know. Who knows what the firefox add ons may do that you don't know about. Lastly, notice every time a general browser security exploit arises that Opera is either not on the list, or it's an older version of Opera that is effected.

I'm not saying Opera is 100% the best, in the years I've used it I've found it to be the buggiest of the browsers, but it is certainly a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion, it should have greater market share for what it offers and does.

[keano12]

I would just like to say, no matter how technologically uninclined Opera is, it will still be one the best user-friendliness browsers I have ever used in the past. Sad to say, I too have stopped using it. To Opera haters, the opinion of Mrcjacobs is just that, an opinion, mind respecting his, unless you want total gross disrespect to your CNET profile lives?

[ktswami]

Very funny...if Opera didn't exist where would any of the browser vendors get any ideas (outside of optimizing your own company's web app sites)?

o Visual tabs on the side for max real-estate
o auto-Turbo for flaky wi-fi
o Opera Link for sync bookmarks, search engines, history, Opera Notes, and personal bar (between Win, Mac, Linux and your Blackberry or Android or other non-iPhone)
o rocket-fast rendering (optimized for the WHOLE web, not just google sites with javascript)
o beautiful UI (with millions of Opera skins one click away)
o spell-checker in 51 languages
o runs fast on old hardware and old OS'
o runs on phones, old & new
o tinker with Opera user-javascript for extensions
o ...and 100 other features OUT-OF-THE-BOX for the 70% of FF users (and 99% of the world) that don't install add-ons -- or don't want to bother with extensions.
o oh, and 100/100 on Acid3 to make millions of developers lives easier to minimize

Check out Opera v10 and see what the others will have in a few weeks or months...and how fast the whole web can be, not just google sites.
(Btw, I noticed FF 3.5 just came out with restore tabs/windows for their users...how nice.)

[plings]

@dowell100: "Doubled its user bas? I love that kind of talk. from 1,000 to 2,000."

No, from 20-30 million users to 40-50 million users.

"Opera is a fringe browser"

Except it has 3% globally and is bigger than Safari and Chrome. In Europe it has nearly 10% and is bigger than Safari and Chrome combined.

But who cares if something is a "fringe whatever"? Are you nothing but a sheep who cannot make your own decisions, and therefore will only use what everyone else uses?

If Opera dropped out of existence today, who would other browsers steal all their features from? :D

[Guido11450]

I've used every major browser, and I've got to say, not a big fan of Opera. They have a lot game widgets and what not, but Firefox does pretty much what ever you want it to. You can literally find an extension or plugin for anything and everything. Opera still has a fighting chance though. I'm going to try 10, but i think i'll still stick to Chrome (on windows) and Firefox (when i do happen to use Ubuntu or Fedora)Last time I used chromium it didn't support any plugins, does Chromium on Linux support flash yet?

[admartinez16]

@ ktswami: this is my first time to post here, but i just wanted to tell you that i'm gonna give opera v10 a try, sounds like it can't be any worse than firefox so i don't have much to lose! i used to LOVE ff, but i've had to upgrade and update and beta this and 3.0 and 3.5 and 3.5.3 and on and on and on, but the problems with crashing and locking up only seem to be getting worse. i'm not a complete idiot, but i'm not even going to try to act like i really understand all of this stuff. all i know is that it's annoying and i'm tired of the crashing!!! my point is to say thanks for the info you gave, i appreciate you sharing.

[PRsurfer`]

I use Opera as my first and chrome4 as my 2nd browser... Firefox was good but Opera is the future!

[forever4now]

Tech blogs should provide summary charts that compare the key features & technical performance of each major browser (i.e. Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, IE). This would help readers understand why they might choose one browser over another.

e.g.
KEY FEATURES:
- tabbed browsing
- addon support (perhaps with a rough estimate of addons available)
- HTML5 support (audio, video, canvas, etc.)
- ...

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE (using the same reference PC):
- startup time
- page load times (perhaps with low/med/high complexity reference pages)
- acid3 results: http://acid3.acidtests.org/
- SunSpider results: http://www2.webkit.org/perf/sunspider-0.9/sunspider.html
- ...

[SIGHUP]

@forever4now

Agreed, but SunSpider in not a valid benchmark. It is made by webkit which is the rendering engine used in Safari and Chrome.

[ibelieve01]

I agree with this idea. And of course, they should list all the features that the browser comes with by default, i.e., included by the developers and not browser fans.

[mkuk71]

The only time I ever use Opera on my Mac is for cross-browser testing or even more infrequently as a bittorrent client - that's it's saving grace, but it won't get me to upgrade any time soon and there's too much wrong with it (read: it doesn't do enough things in a consistent way with browsers such as firefox/chrome) for me to start using it as my primary browser.

Plus - why on earth can't they get their rendering engine right? For a 'standards' compliant browser it's got a lot of issues in that department...

[plings]

Not in a consistent way?

That's weird.

Opera is actually a fully integrated package. Unlike Firefox where third party software has to be bolted on awkwardly. Chrome doesn't even have any features so it doesn't really matter.

Opera's rendering engine works fine. Mask as Firefox if a site doesn't work, because 99% of the time the problems are caused by browser sniffing.

Also, "standards compliance" is irrelevant. Opera was built from scratch to work with actual real world web pages, and most of them are definitely NOT standards compliant.

[ibelieve01]

Interesting comment.....you won't use Opera on your Mac because it doesn't do things consistently like Chrome. Chrome....for Mac? This comment strikes me as suspicious.

[ausernamenoonehaschosen]

Actually, apart from my praising of Opera above, I know what mkuk71 means. I have come across several, but can't remember all. For example, unless it was changed recently, on a Mac in Firefox, Safari, etc, Command + Up and Down would take you to the top and bottom of a page, respectively. In Opera it would take you to the next/previous link on the page. Changing all of these nuances everytime there is an update to the preferences is irritating, and frankly, not easy to remember, some are difficult to figure out.

[ckh1272]

Thanks for the spam "Live-Point".

[ibelieve01]

Thanks for the non-comment ckh1272.

[orlandorr]

Opera wants to do everything but gets nothing quite right.

Without extensions they don't stand a chance. I see Opera disappearing in the next couple of years.

[plings]

Opera's revenue from the desktop browser increased by nearly 100% last quarter. The user base has grown by 65% in a year.

People have been predicting Opera's demise for 15 years. They always turn out to be wrong. You are clearly as ignorant as the rest of them.

Also, Opera is actually a nicely integrated package, whereas Firefox relies on poorly integrated third party software that's bolted on randomly in order to get more functionality. Ew.

[magicmaster]

@plings

If Opera is this good, why Opera can't beat Firefox in market share?
There must be something wrong...

[Chocobito]

@magicmaster

So If Firefox is this good, why Firefox can't beat Internet Explorer in market share?
There must be something wrong...Yeah, your logic.

[fewilcox]

@magicmaster

Because most people are sheep who like what they are told to like.

Compared to Firefox, Opera is faster, smaller, and uses a lot less memory for a lot more features (including the almighty Fast Forward). Also, Opera's tabs are smart enough to let me cycle through them in most recently used order; a feature I can't find in any other browser.

I've been using Opera for more than a decade and my wife and I have slowly been converting our friends. Most of those friends were Firefox users until they discovered that Opera was smaller, faster, and uses significantly less memory.

[Efrow]

If Firefox is that good, why can't it beat Explorer in market share?
There must be something wrong...

Just saying...

[ajtoth]

Don't forget, Opera is the #2 mobile browser, and has quite a lot of large OEM contracts. Their revenue is steadily increasing, too.

[ibelieve01]

LOL! Oh you silly boy.... 1) Opera is one of the most used browsers in some parts of the world. 2) Worldwide, according to Statcounter, it's the third most used. 3) Opera has the most-used mobile browser, and is also featured on many other devices (such as the Wii). The mobile browser is a real cash cow for them, but the DESKTOP version is what allows them to test new stuff to improve this cash cow. Perfect example: Opera Turbo.

And extensions? PLEASE. I depend too much on Opera's built-in email client to risk it STOPPING WORKING EVERY TIME THE BROWSER IS SLIGHTLY UPGRADED the way almost every single Firefox extension stops working when there's the slightest upgrade.

[orlandorr]

Dudes, I like having everything in a single program. I have downloaded Opera many times. I wish Opera worked for me, but it just doesn't. It has to many small annoyances that quickly become unbearable, and instead of fixing them (for example, the pop up notifications for page search and passwords that no other browser has any longer) they are wasting time in things that nobody's gonna use like Widgets and Unite.

And not having extensions is a deal breaker.

[orlandorr]

I'd like to have everything in a single program. I have downloaded Opera many times. I wish Opera worked, but it just doesn't. It has too many small annoyances that quickly grow unbearable, and instead of fixing them they're wasting time in pointless things like Widgets and Unite.

Not having extensions is the deal breaker.

[fewilcox]

Actually, I love my widgets. The CalcMatic Scientific Calculator widget is just about the only calculator I use any more, and the Pandora widget has helped me discover lots of bands that I had never heard of before without wasting bandwidth loading Pandora's website.

Because of extensions, I used Firefox right up until version 3 released. I had used a bunch of plug-ins and extensions to try and make FF as good as Opera, but when I upgraded to FF3 most of them stopped working. Fortunately I now have Chrome as my backup browser so I just uninstalled FF and freed up a bunch of harddrive space.

[max00slo]

I've been using Opera browser for years now and this new version is just awesome. I most certainly adore the mouse gestures functions :) Anyway... i'm glad they've went to the new net technology for web pages... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[Efrow]

YES! I can't live without my mouse shortcuts. Tried messing around with every mouse shortcut extension I could for Firefox, but nothing comes close to Opera's implementation!

[peter_walczak]

I'm really happy with Opera since late 6th version. I can clearly see the development, improvement and keeping up to date with the Internet standards. New version - 10.00 - works really fast. I'd recommend Opera to everyone who wants to experience trouble-free world wide web browsing.

[jaybonline]

I am using Opera browser since 2007... it's still the best for me!

[tbar2112]

I've used Firefox, Chrome and Opera. I always return to Opera, it offers the best overall user experience for me. Evidently, more and more people agree, judging from the rapid growth of its market share.

[ibelieve01]

I agree. Listen, my personality type is that I always like using the product that is "all the rage," so I have TRIED to force myself to start using Firefox and Chrome. But ALWAYS I find myself wishing I could do certain things in those browsers that I can do in Opera....and I wind up back in the Opera fold.

I joined Opera in 2004 and have reinstalled it EACH time I get a new computer, laptop etc. I don't know about all the technical mumbo jumbo, but I do know that I love how fast it gets me around the internet. :) You are able to have full control over the colors and font style that you want to use. I love the Speed Dial and the easy to use, tabbed browsing. On FireFox I had to download Google Toolbar just to get a really crappy version of speed dial!! What a downer!

If you don't know what speed dial is...I will try my best to explain. When you 'open a new tab' a bunch of little boxes show (that is fully customizable in Opera beta 10) Anyway in these boxes are a preview of the pages YOU want to add. You will put in the pages you visit most frequently. Example, Facebook, CNET, Opera Community etc.

I feel safer using Opera...I don't get the popups that I get in FF and other browsers. FF ESPECIALLY gives my computer viruses!

I love Opera :)

The best part of Opera is that once you start using it .. you get so used to the features it has that all other browsers seem boring ... No matter how much you spruce up the UI.

Opera 10 is much more customizable ( if thats a word ) hehe ... And we all know that innovative features always come from Opera and then are added on to the other browsers.

[osman_z]

@magicmaster

If Firefox is that good, why can't Firefox beat Internet Explorer in market share?
There must be something wrong...

[plings]

Don't try to make sense when discussing with raving Firefox fanboys...

[fewilcox]

Normally I intentionally stay behind the technology curve so that I don't have to deal with bugs and quirks. Opera is the only exception. I tried out Opera 10 Alpha and since there were no significant problems and it's performance was exponentially better, it replaced Opera 9.6 as my default browser.

Opera does several things that no other browser does that helped cement it as my browser of choice:
* Fully customizable: I can drag toolbars and other components around wherever I want them, and the micro skins mean that get to see a lot more webpage and a lot less browser.
* Smart Tabs: Every other tabbed program I've tried (not just browsers; pdf readers, text editors, etc) forces you to cycle through the tabs either in created order or in the order they are on the tab bar. Opera, on the other hand, gives you option to cycle your tabs in recently used order the way Windows does.
* Fast Forward. With a flick of the wrist (thanks to mouse gestures) I can automatically log in to a website, or move the next page in a forum or Google search. Basically, when FF is activated, Opera tries to determine what is the most likely thing on the page to do to proceed and does it if it can. It's the one browser feature I absolutely can't live without anymore.

[Efrow]

I agree 100% with all of this. Cycling through tabs in their recently used order via mouse shortcuts makes browsing so much more efficient for me. I can't live without it. Firefox has a long way to go with their implementation of mouse shortcuts - it's so rudimentary. I even forgot about the fast forward; it comes so naturally - in google searches, just a flick of the mouse takes you to the next page of search results.

[i-arman]

Agreed. I've used Firefox and IE (haven't played with Chrome, yet), and I must admit, Firefox has a long way to go in customization. I've always liked my tabs on the bottom, and no other toolbar but the address bar.

And I can't count the number of times I've tried to use a mouse gesture in FF or IE, only to be greeted with a right-click menu...

[mistressEVIL]

What?! This article is terrible! And i'm sad to read other articles based on this one.

"Speed Dial that shows more commonly visited Web pages than in previous Opera browsers. "
Speed Dial shows pages YOU put there. Kind of a bookmarks.

As for Unite and Carakan: they were never planed for this release, but after final (Opera 10.10) release.

And the whole article sounds like "Opera took this and that from Google" while the list of Opera innovations that got implemented into other browsers later is much longer :)

[Shanghai Kid]

A lot of features that are being mentioned for Opera are available for Firefox but obviously using extensions. Speed Dial, scroll tabs in the recently viewed order, fast forward (but probably not the automatically log-in part).

If there weren't so many great Firefox extensions, I'd be using Opera.

[fewilcox]

And adding extensions just makes an already bloated browser even bigger and more resource hungry. No thanks. I'll stick with my lean, efficient Opera, thank you. 8o)

[Shanghai Kid]

Just letting the ignorant know the features exist.

I'll stick with my bloatware.

[kickingant]

My main problem with FF extensions is finding them. Yes, there is an extension for passwords. More like fifty of them. Maybe 3 do the job as well as Opera. Throw in features like fast forward, speed dial, mouse gestures, intelligent tab browsing, and everything else Opera does wonderfully out of the box, and FF is just too painful for me to mess with.

[ibelieve01]

Yes, available via extensions.....until the next minor security update, at which point all extensions stop working until such time as the extension author decided to update his extension. Just give him a few months, he'll get around to it...HONEST.

[Efrow]

It's true, but I find that the implementation of these extensions varies. For example, mouse shortcuts in Firefox, particularly button+scroll-wheel shortcuts, really kind of pale in comparison. Not only that, but the mouse shortcuts extension in Firefox for my Linux machine had some kind of bug (maybe conflicted with another extension?) where I would have to always double click to open a link. I had to uninstall that extension :(.

So the extensions are there, but the implementation varies.

Not that I'm anti-firefox - it obviously has a wide range of extensions, and many you can't get in Opera. So I have it as my secondary browser.

Opera 10 is an amazingly underrated browser which is quite frankly without equal when you consider it as an entire package SYNC'd to Opera Mini (as I do)

I love the notes, link and unite features which are WAY AHEAD of all the rest.

SAVED PAGES allows me to have certain important data on my phone - in offline mode (a webpage snapshot-like feature)

Go on... you've gotta try it...

[ayeng98]

i used opera since 2002 until last year when i install opera 9 on my newly bought macbook and to my horrorr of horrors, the opera became a vector for a malicious virus to penetrate my mac, ...so from then on I drtopped opera on my list and discovered firefox and found it very safe along with my safari...

that single event where a virus got its way though my mac through a browser and an OPERA for that matter makes me so mad!!!

I swear never to use opera again...

i dont know about this Oper 10 im still shivering from that experiene...im temeted though but still something tells me not to try it...

i guess thats the reason why OPERA was never even considered as alternative browser by apple except for Firefox...just check apples website and go to downloads sections and you wont even find Opera there for you to download but Firefox is even promoted by apple...

I guess Opera is good if your computer or laptop is a windows based but for a mac sorry..

[ibelieve01]

If you'd used Opera, it could have corrected your horrendous spelling.

[Efrow]

That sounds like a rare situation, but you do have a point. I find that Opera for other platforms besides Windows, namely various Linux distributions, have a few problems. Never heard of something as serious as a Mac virus getting through via Opera though.

[ausernamenoonehaschosen]

Perhaps you thought you got a virus through Opera, but chances are something else happened. Anyway, there are presently only trojans and macros that affect Macs, there are no viruses or worms for Macs yet. To get the trojans, you need to give it your admin password, and no software can stop you from doing that. If what you say happened, it would have happened with every other browser out there.

[d4rkn1ght]

"ayeng98: i used opera since 2002 until last year when i install opera 9 on my newly bought macbook and to my horrorr of horrors, the opera became a vector for a malicious virus to penetrate my mac"

This is the joke of the day for me! LOL Opera a malicious browser, and Macs with viruses! I love the oxymoron comments! ;-)

[kelmon]

Meh. I am increasingly convinced that web browsers are much the same these days and that new versions really aren't changing things much. If you are already an Opera fan then a new version will be great for you. However, if you are already happy using a different browser then as long as it is the latest version then I doubt that you'll find much here that is worth migrating for. Guaranteed when the next version of your current browser comes out you'll be moving back again.

These days you might as well pick a browser to use based on whether you like the name - they all do the job pretty well. Those with specialist needs, however, will probably do well to do a spot of research.

[jom119]

I agree. A browser's primary function is simply to display content on the web. All of them do that. Unless your line of work - such as web development - hinges on using some specialized features of certain browsers, any browser will do. And for most people, that's IE just because it's delivered on nearly every PC sold.

[ibelieve01]

There's some truth to this, but the three features I must have, because my efficiency at my job depends on it, include a built-in email client, an extensive notes feature, and a Speed Dial where I control what pages go on it. More than anything else, this combination of features, not found anywhere else, keeps me with Opera.

[i-arman]

All browsers are designed to show web content, true. But then again, that's like saying that all vehicles are designed for driving on roads. There is a world of difference between a SmartCar and a semi truck. Technically, a Ford Pinto is just a car, but the feature set doesn't include things like a CD player, and does include things like an exploding bumper.

Some people honestly don't care what they drive. Others will always buy huge trucks, even if the only thing they haul is a**. IE has a big market share because it comes with Windows; Firefox has another big chunk because geeks everywhere fought to use anything but IE, and it was what was there. Opera may not have a huge part of the (desktop) market, but it's still there. Personally, I use Opera because of specific time-saving features, like mouse gestures, and not needing to reinstall all my current plugins or find new ones, every time I update.

My only gripe is that so many people will beat down anyone not using "their" browser. I don't care if you use Opera, FF, Safari, Chrome, even Lynx. As long as it's not the standards-smashing IE, feel free to use anything you want!

[gggg sssss]

@ i-arman since IE is on 95 percent of the worlds computers, that woudl make it the standard and all of the rest just wannabees woudl it not?

[Zenstrive69]

Opera is simply the best browser bar none! Firefox relies on PLUGINS and MASS BRAINWASH to tackle Opera, but no, it will survive and grow, no matte what!
Long Live OPERA, THE KING OF BROWSER!