Topic: Opera releases Opera 9 Beta

[Clive]

Opera Software today announced the first public Beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small Web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users' desktops. The Opera 9 Beta also features support for BitTorrent, a popular file downloading technology, in addition to an easy-to-use content blocker and thumbnail previews of tabbed sites.

And yes, Opera remains available free of charge.

"We're proud to release this Beta of Opera 9 to Web users around the world," said Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Opera 9 brings powerful new features to enhance the Web browsing experience and empower Web 2.0 developers. Opera 9 unlocks new levels of productivity for the Internet ecosystem."

New features in Opera 9 include
Widgets - Small Web applications (multimedia, newsfeeds, games and more) that make your desktop experience more fun. Any Web developer can create their own Widgets and share them, regardless of operating system. Try the Widgets in Opera 9 by pressing F6. Look for further development of Opera Widgets in future releases.
BitTorrent - Instead of having to use a separate BitTorrent application for downloading large files, users can now simply click a torrent file and start the download
Content blocker - Choose the content you want to view. Remove ads or images - it is up to you. Right-click on the Web page and choose "Block content"
Improved rich text editing - Take advantage of rich text editing capabilities when using the latest Web mail or blogging services
Customize your search engines ? Use your favorite search engine in the search box. Right-click on the site's search field and select "Create search" from the menu
Thumbnail preview ? It's easy to have many tabs open at once in Opera. But exactly which tab had that video you wanted? Hover any tab to see a thumbnail preview
Site-specific preferences - Do you need to view a site in a different way or deny certain cookies? Want to block pop-ups on certain sites only? Site specific preferences hold the key.


http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/04/20/

[chorleydave]

I don't think I'll be downloading it.  I have been using Opera as my main wb browser since 1999 (or version 3.x) and at that time it was what it stated on the tin - a web browser.  From version 6.x onwards, more and more gimmicky "features" have been added.  Granted, some are very useful, such as the Rewind button which takes you right back to the first page you entered the website on, the Fast Forward button which takes you to the next link, the built in search bar and the "Wand" password manager, but I ain't interested in tabbed thumbails, if I want to use BitTorrent I'll use a client and what the f*ck are widgets?

With Mozilla discontinued it looks as if I'll be going over to Firefox at the next format.

[sam]

good on ya! :-)

[Simon]

It's a damned shame about the Mozilla Suite being discontinued, as it still renders some web pages better than Firefox, and has the added attraction of being an all-in-one.  However, the latest version is still available to download, and apparently security patches will still be issued for it.  It just won't be taken any further.