RSSFirst public beta of Opera 9.6: Chrome is on their mind, too
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published September 10, 2008, 4:32 PM
The first publicly released builds of the latest Opera browser suggest developers are working to clean up the rendering engine and spruce up its features, in light of new, bright, and shiny competition seemingly from out of nowhere.
Opera is the world's #4 browser on all platforms in terms of usage share, according to up-to-the-minute data this afternoon from Net Applications. But it cannot afford the perception of slipping to #5, even though in actuality, the first betas of Google Chrome have yet to come close to knocking Opera off of that perch.
So the 9.6 version for desktop computers, premiering today, may very well be that organization's attempt to step on the gas and stay in the race. In the Opera testing process, private betas undergo extensive scrutiny before entering their own private release candidate phases. Therefore, "9.6 Beta RC1" passed muster yesterday, after having been presented for private testers' review only last Friday. The final version 9.5 was released only last June.
Version 9.6 will not be a comprehensive change to the way Opera works, but will instead add some unique features while addressing some of the bugs users discovered in version 9.5. Testers on FileForum were particularly split down the middle with 9.5, with a majority rating it 5 out of 5, but a sizable plurality rating it at the bottom of the heap, citing rendering problems and perennial bugs.
"Opera has so much included but 80% of what is there is only half-baked," wrote FileForum tester metshrine last month, referring to version 9.52. "They are features added just to say, 'We did it first,' and then left to stagnate."
The sentiment is echoed in Opera's own tester forums. "Come on, Opera. You must start to bring your A-game," wrote user pjn123. "Google Chrome is looking great and with more options (like disable pictures). I'm seriously thinking of switching over and suggesting it to others."
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| Opera 9.6 beta 1, with tabs that can be dragged between windows, and with a higher rendering test score. |
One of the new "A-game" features for version 9.6 is a welcome one: a way to add any Web site's search engine into its search bar, including optionally making it the default. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 tried to own this issue by enabling Web sites to present code that actively advertises to users their ability to serve as alternate search bar providers.
But Google Chrome blew the issue wide open, essentially asking, why should Web sites have to petition for the right to be search providers? Chrome enables any Web site with an obvious search button to serve results, through its unified address and search bar. Now, Opera 9.6 is following suit by letting users enter search provider alternatives into its separate search bar. (A similar "Generate Custom Search" feature appears in the Google Toolbar for IE and Mozilla Firefox, although it's not a native feature of either browser.)
For our test, we added BetaNews to Opera's search providers by right-clicking the Search bar on our own home page, and selecting Create Search from the pop-up menu. From there, a dialog box gave us the option to rename the search provider (it's given the title from the home page by default, though that's often too long), and customize any of the elements tacked onto the end of the URL. After clicking OK, our own search engine was added to Opera's list, which already included Google, Yahoo, Ask, Amazon, Wikipedia, eBay, Yahoo Shopping, and BitTorrent.
UPDATE Though Opera is touting this feature, a BetaNews reader and long-time Opera user told us this afternoon that it's actually been present since Opera 9.0 in 2006. It's amazing the things we learn from our readers.
In light of Chrome's ability to scoot tabs around at will between container windows, we wondered whether Opera 9.6 had similar functionality. On Monday, we reported on the latest alpha build of Firefox 3.1, code-named "Shiretoko," and how it's addressing the problems of moving already loaded content between windows without reloading that content from the Web.
We tested Opera 9.6 on a newly minted Windows XP Professional SP3 virtual machine, in Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. It's easy to shut off its virtual network adapter, especially to prevent Opera from reloading a page. And yes, we can scoot tabs between open windows, with the content in those tabs staying intact. Score one more for the anti-Chrome contingent.
Naturally, we could not resist the urge to impose the Acid3 standards compliance test on this new build. When the final version 9.5 was released in June, it scored an 83%. Moving up in the world, this latest build scores an 85%. This compared to a 79% from the very latest build of Google Chrome, which we noticed automatically updated itself on one of our systems today, and which we also noted was much faster in rendering that 79% than the earliest build.
"When Google announced Chrome, many experts predicted the death of Opera," the organization's representative, Thomas Ford, told BetaNews this afternoon. "Google is too big, Opera too small. At the time we said our numbers would grow and we would continue to innovate. I'm pleased to say we're doing both."
One of Opera 9.6's other major innovations is said to be its improved synchronization with Opera Mini browsers on mobile phones. We'll test that statement soon.
its notisably fater than 9.52
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opera's standard support is top notch and is 150% better than both gecko and webkit, acid3 score is misleading and should be used with cautions.
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Yes, of course. The universally accepted standards test is bunk.
Riiiight.
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Opera is a European browser and Hakom is deeply committed to open standards. This is a selling point for me.
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Talking of bringing the A-game. How about BetaNews sort out the facts. Tab dragging to an external window has been available since god know when and the "new" search feature has also been available for a long while. Bascially this article is old news except for the 85/100 Acid 3 rendering. This is rubbish article is just as result of laziness on behalf of BetaNews.
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"except for the 85/100 Acid 3 rendering"
Nope, that's old news too. It was reported before by both BetaNews and other sites as well.
lol
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So what IS new in 9.6? Maybe an opera user could shed some light here?
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Sorry, but web rendering engine is not everything. It's the browser functionality as a whole. And as such, Opera is still trilions of light years ahead of Chrome.
Integrated mouse gestures, integrated banner and popup blocking, integrated mail client (POP3 and IMAP), integrated IRC, bookmarks synchronization taht even synchronizes with Opera Mini on mobile phone (Opera Link), SpeedDial (those 9 preview squares for quick access to most used webpages, very good theming support and lots of high quality themes, incredibly flexible interface customization and lets don't forget customizable searching inside URL bar (exactly the same as what Chrome does, only better and years before Chrome). And i could go on and on and on with fetaures Opera innovated an already uses them for years.
I really wonder whats the reason Opera has so low browser share.
I'd say half of users is still on older versions which represent themself as Internet Explorer. The other half is still a mistery.
And in version 9.5 they really cleaned up the webpage rendering engine.
Technically Chrome stole pretty much all features innovated by Opera team and promotes them through their well known name "Google" (Opera itself never had such luxury).
In fact Opera innovated pretty much all features that fuel today's browsers. Anyone remember who invented the tabbed browsing that all of us use today? Yeah, it was Opera Software team...
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but Opera didn't invent tabbed browsing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbed_browsing
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been using opera since you had to pay for all functionality. i absolutely love it. the reason i went with opera is because it was so unknown to me at the time. netscape was on its way out and i didn't get its successor because i figured same browser with a different name.
opera was a completely different beast, is one of the most innovative and doesn't require installed extras to make it as user friendly. its one downside is that it is standards compliant. there are a bunch of lazy coders who cater specifically to internet explorer. it's why i use ie as much as i do.
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Hmm. According to another article, Opera *did* invent tabbed browsing: http://en.wikipedia.org/...browser#Tabbed_browsing
It all depends on whether you consider Opera's MDI to be a precursor and/or equivalent to tabbed browsing. Opera has supported multiple pages (in fact they were called pages before Opera renamed them tabs) in one application window since version 1.0 in 1994.
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precursor!=
That's like saying Henry Ford invented the Dodge Viper.
(Too use much hated car analogies)
Even then, it's not even close. The Viper wouldn't be around without mass production capabilities.
Tabbed browsing would exist without Opera.
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Opera pioneered the use of multiple pages open in one browser window. I'm not claiming tabbed browsing wouldn't exist - just saying they did it first. And...tabs are no Dodge Viper.
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Also-
More proof that you can't go quoting Wikipedia to back up your points as your likely to find different "facts" in different articles.
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Chrome needs to be tagged and identified for what it is. It's an agent for google to spread it's advertising and capture more data that can be mined to generate more ad $$$...
Atleast MS want's your money...Google wants your life ...that's very very scary.
Opera is a small company with good products. Please keep it that way.
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Chrome only does the above if you check the box during install, which is by default, unchecked.
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Um, Chrome only imports any search engines you have had installed previously. It doesn't bundle any Google services.
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"...Google Chrome is looking great and with more options (like disable pictures)..."
Man, you can also disable pictures on Opera, just use the button at the left of the zoom tool (bottom-left). That button has 3 options:
1. (Default) = Show Images
2. Chached images
3. No images
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Not only is the custom searching not new, but dragging tabs between windows has been part of Opera since version 7.0 back in 2002.
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Are you sure it's 7.0?
The article is talking about dragging tabs between windows which then don't reload.
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Chrome had nothing to do with 9.6. The blogger community is for whatever reason fixated on it thus we see Chrome attached to nearly every browser-related posting since its release. Yes it's from Google, but the reality is that Chrome is in its infancy. It's probably not a great idea to jump out and make it a primary at this point let alone recommend it to novice users. Features are missing and naturally bugs are plentiful, including those that are security-related. That on top of the funky, though recently somewhat tamed EULA.
I was excited by the promising changes touted for Opera 9.5, but ultimately disappointed by the string of sloppy releases. There were major regressions all over the place and I experienced a great deal of instability. It was quite apparent that the release was rushed out the door in order to beat Firefox 3, which was a pointless excercise. It got lost in the FF3 hype (deserved). The smarter move would have been to wait maybe a week and ride the FF coat tails. Thankfully, 9.5 updates quickly followed which gradually cleaned up the mess. 9.6 finally has Opera back to a clean and stable state and I'm quite happy with it.
Don't be too harsh on the author for not being aware of the preexisting Opera features. There are many useful ones burried in the program that the company has just never bothered to promote.
Opera Changelogs:
http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/windows/
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Besides being snail slow on my relatively new MacBook, the UI is ABSOLUTELY grotesque and horrific in a Mac environment.
In light of IE 8, Google Chrome, Safari 4 which is all on the way and Trace Monkey, which is a new Java Script rendering technology in Firefox that is even faster than Google Chrome, I can't see Opera surviving for very long.
Opera STILL to this day has not even achieved a 1% market share and with the renewed browser wars in full swing, it likely never will.
It's sad because Opera use to boast it's self as being the fastest browser available but that boast has long been silenced even though they continue to exaggerate this on their website.
R.I.P. Opera (+_ +)
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Yeah...not a fan of the default skin either, but it's way easy to change.
Tools -> Appearance -> Find More Skins (radio button)
If you don't like the layout, you can reposition, add, or remove widgets while the Appearance window is open.
You'd think Opera would make a bigger deal about the customization.
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Mac is horrific and snobbish environment...why are you complaining...
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http://movies.apple.com/..._20080408_r640-9cie.mov
That is what I call a thing of stunning beauty and efficiency but of course as a Winblows user you wouldn't know anything about that. :)
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Of course you had to post the video in that horrific proprietary codec! ;)
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"...Opera STILL to this day has not even achieved a 1% market share and with the renewed browser wars in full swing, it likely never will..."
It IS the fastest browser for me. I tried out one of the 9.6 betas - I would love to use it, but there are a few deal breakers for me:
No Roboform support. I realize it has it's own password manager, but it's rather weak in comparison, and nowhere near as versatile or portable.
Download manager support is rudimentary at best. I couldn't get it to work with Net Transport, one of only a few products that d/l mms: and rstp: streams successfully. I suppose this isn't Opera's fault, and is more a reflection of its market share.
(Apparently) no plans to implement a 64 bit version - IE and Firefox are already 64 bit.
IMHO, the mail client pales in comparison to Thunderbird, which incidentally, is also available in 64 bit.
The shear number and availability of brilliant Firefox plug-ins makes FF an obvious choice.
I don't use Safari for all the above reasons and more.
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Trace Monkey, which is a new Java Script rendering technology in Firefox that is even faster than Google Chrome,
If it would be possible for a moment, without the Apple Fanatic hat you so like to wear;
Where did you hear that? I've heard the exact opposite, that TM was faster than current, but marginally slower then V8. I believe it was on this site that I read that.
I know this is asking a lot of you, but you wouldn't happen to have a link regarding that that isn't "youtube", would you?
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"One of the new "A-game" features for version 9.6 is a welcome one: a way to add any Web site's search engine into its search bar, including optionally making it the default."
What are you guys talking about? The ability to create custom searches via webpages' search bar has been in Opera for well over a year, if not longer. It isn't a new feature of 9.6 and it certainly was available well before Chrome or IE 7 ever came out.
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Do you expect BetaNews to actually research anything?
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Yes, but from time to time, I expect BetaNews to learn something new from readers. Having knowledgeable readers is a good thing. In the meantime, we're going to research, we're going to find new things...that are new to us from time to time.
The rubbing our nose in it part is a little unbecoming, and as just an observation, I don't think it makes you look any more qualified or professional than us.
-SF3
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Thanks, hspdion, I appreciate your letting us know. I've made a little notation above.
-SF3
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I certainly hope it doesn't.
It's meant more as a cheeky jab. Though it wouldn't hurt for you to research things a little more carefully (especially when it comes to articles about Opera it seems) in future.
Please accept my apology.
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Point well taken, and apology accepted.
-SF3
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The dragable tabs that don't reload has been part of Opera for a while (I think since 9.0).
"The first publicly released builds of the latest Opera browser suggest developers are working to clean up the rendering engine and spruce up its features, in light of new, bright, and shiny competition seemingly from out of nowhere."
Opera 9.60's first alpha which included or outlined this new functionality/stability was out before Chrome was, so they were planning on this reliability build before Chrome turned up.
I see you've got out of this by saying the 'first public build', but it's irrelevant.
"Chrome is on their mind, too"
It may be now, but it won't affect 9.60, as that roadmap has been planned out already, pre-Chrome.
Opera has always been at the forefront of standards adherence, and for me as a web developer that is what raises it above all else (for me).
I can fully understand why it doesn't suit everyone.
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I'd be more concerned about the memory leak issues than anything else. That was the sole reason for me dumping Opera in favor of Firefox 3 several weeks ago.
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Well, I for one would like to see Opera stay around. They've brought a lot of the browsing market, and I'd hate to see them die.
Hopefully 9.6 will be a great product. Overall, I'm been very happy with 9.5x, and as such is my main browser accross the board. Windows, Linux, and OSX. Not to mention I also use it on the Wii, and soon on my Smartphone. What other browser can claim that sort of flexability! =)
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I'd hate to see any of the competition flop, even IE. Competition in this arena only helps, as can be attested to by since Firefox came out.
The more in the heap, the more choice we have, the better off we'll be.
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...the more work web developers have to put in to make it look right.
/die IE (or die IE 6 and below at least)
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Not where you get has lots of flexibility over others
Chrome: Windows, Andriod OS?, Soon OSX and Linux
IE:
OSX, Linux, Windows, Smartphones.
FF3:
OSX, Linux, Windows, Smartphones, Wii, many other phones in general
Safari:
OSX, Linux (Based of the same engine as Konqueror, but Safari uses webcore), Windows, Smartphones (iphone)
Opera
OSX, Linux, Windows, Smartphones, Wii, and some other phones
From what I see Firefox is just as capable. no it doesnt come installed as the default browser but its capable of being on it and has rough versions of it out there to do so.
Since I am not familiar with things like os2 and unix i did not list them or their capable browsers.
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IE for OSX is long dead.
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THANK GOD.
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The more pressures competition puts on MSFT, the better IE becomes, hence IE7 and IE8.
The more the merrier. IE only became a problem for devs when they were the only big-kid on the block.
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