Opera is planning on releasing a new, hmm… how should I put it, well let’s just say that Opera is about to announce something really cool on June 16th.

The company is framing this new ‘thing’ as ‘Reinventing the Web.’ I’m excited about it; it definitely has the potential to be a game changer (for some).

Opera’s hint: We start our little story with the invention of the modern day computer. Over the years, the computers grew in numbers, and the next natural step in the evolution was …

www.opera.com/freedom

There are several ways to open multiple web pages.

• Bookmarking web pages to a folder, navigating to folder from bookmarks menu and clicking Open All Folder Items.
• Bookmarking web pages to a folder, giving nickname to folder and entering nickname in address field or setting nickname as home page in Tools > Preferences… > General > Home page.
• Opening web pages, saving them as session File > Sessions > Save This Session… and opening it File > Sessions.

The advantage of sessions over bookmarks is it can store several settings (zoom, fit to width, images, etc.) per tab.

Sessions can be opened quickly by assigning it to a Speed Dial slot.

• Open web pages.
• Save them as session File > Sessions > Save This Session….
• Assign it to a Speed Dial slot.

The path to session file should not contain space. If path has space use DOS name. To find DOS name of a directory/file, open Command Prompt, change path to parent directory of directory/file and type the following command.

dir /x

Command Prompt to find DOS name

Speed Dial edit dialog with path to session file

Speed Dial with session

Opera will show above thumbnail but you can replace it with any image.

[Eric J. Goers via forums]

I had a nice laugh this morning when I popped open www.opera.com — A 90’s website to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of the Opera desktop browser. Nice.

A screenshot of www.opera.com on April 28th, 2009

The height of toolbars in current default skin is large compared to previous default skin and it can be reduced to increase browsing space.

Create a backup of your current skin# or the skin you want to change the height of toolbars.

1. Extract skin.ini from zipped skin file.
2. Reduce the values of Padding Top and Padding Bottom under the sections mentioned in the following table. You can also specify negative values.
   

   Toolbar	Section
   Menu bar	[Menu Button Skin]
   Main bar	[Mainbar Skin]
   Personal bar	[Personalbar Skin]
   Tab bar	[Pagebar Button Skin]
   Address bar	[Addressbar Skin]
   Navigation bar	[Navigationbar Skin]
   View bar	[Viewbar Skin]
   Status bar	[Statusbar Skin]

3. Update skin.ini in zipped skin file. You can’t update an active skin.
4. Activate modified skin from Tools > Appearance… > Skin.

See Opera Skinning article to know more about basics of skinning Opera.

^# To see path to current skin file, select opera:config#Button%20Set and click go to web address from right click menu.

If you remember, an affiliate program was launched by Opera Software along with Opera 8 release on April 19, 2005 to give registration key upon 250 unique referrals. Opera Software is going to relaunch it soon to promote Opera. Stay tuned for more information.

Affiliate program link in My account page

Affiliate program page

Top affiliates page

You have to use the new affiliate link as shown below (replace operawatch with your My Opera username).

http://my.opera.com/community/download.pl?ref=operawatch&p=opera_desktop

Also, affiliate counter will be reset to make sure everyone starts off at the same level and you can replace existing Opera banner in your My Opera page with any banner as shown here.

Opera Software announced upcoming release of Opera Mobile 9.7 Beta for Windows Mobile touchscreen devices with the following great features.

• Improved rendering engine (Presto 2.2).
• Opera Turbo.
• Improved Widget Manager.
• Gears support.
• Hardware acceleration with OpenGL ES support.

Also, some of the major issues with the 9.51 Beta is fixed.

• Installation on storage card is now possible, and the Beta happily coexists with preinstalled versions of Opera Mobile.
• Better IME support.
• Better performance and feedback when clicking links.

Watch Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo video.

Recently, Apple made a lot of misleading and false accusations with the release of Safari 4 beta and this created controversy in forums, blogs and magazines (translated version).

Most of the Opera users know that Opera has a long (and glorious) history of browser innovation. However, the “outside world” needs to know – especially those who like to claim that they were first with something.

Therefore, Opera Software Documentation team has created a very comprehensive and easy-to-use history of Opera’s desktop versions with release dates, release types, rendering engines, JavaScript engines, and features in major releases.

See it here.

[via Espen André Øverdahl]

Recently, Opera Labs started the time limited test phase for Opera Turbo.

Opera Turbo is a server-side optimization and compression technology similar to Opera Mini that provides significant improvements in browsing speeds over limited-bandwidth connections by compressing network traffic. This does not only make you surf faster, but also lowers the cost of browsing when you are on a pay per usage plan.

• Opera Turbo can be easily turned on/off by clicking the Opera Turbo button in status bar. When turned on, Opera Turbo will display the average compression rate and the amount of bandwidth saved will be shown in a tooltip when Opera Turbo button is hovered.

  

• Opera Turbo will work with any type of connection, but to get the most out of it you should be on a situation with limited bandwidth. On a fast network the main reason to avoid Turbo would be reduced speed due to sending data via a proxy and the reduced image quality.
• Opera Turbo doesn’t change the Web site but image resolution may appear considerably lower as a result of the compression. Dynamic Web technologies such as Ajax and Flash are supported, but some plugin content will load only after clicking on the empty element.
• Even when Turbo is enabled, encrypted traffic does not go through compression servers.

Opera Turbo demo

Download Opera Turbo

User JavaScript is a powerful tool and it can be used for many purposes, including:

• Fixing broken scripts on Web pages. Opera uses browser.js to automatically fix incompatible Web pages, out of date scripts, and pages that inadvertently block Opera.
• Enhancing Web pages by changing or adding your own content to the page.

Installing/Uninstalling User JavaScripts

If you don’t have UserJS directory, create a directory with name userjs (preferably inside profile directory) and enter path to it in Tools > Preferences… > Advanced > Content > JavaScript Options… > User JavaScript files

Path to User JavaScript files

• To install, place User JavaScript file (*.js or *.user.js) inside User JavaScript directory.
• To uninstall, remove corresponding User JavaScript file from User JavaScript directory.
• To disable, change corresponding User JavaScript file extension from *.js to *.js.x

You can also use UserJS Manager for Opera to perform above actions.

Download

Download all the following User JavaScripts in a single zip file, unzip and place it inside User JavaScript directory.

1. Autosizer
2. Breadcrumb URL
3. Clean URI
4. Cooliris alike
5. Gallery crawler
6. Get feed link
7. Image thumb
8. Link alert
9. Power drag
10. Linkify URL
11. View Selection Source
12. Ultimate Search Highlighter

Useful User JavaScripts

1. Autosizer
   Autosizer will enhance image viewing in Opera by adding five different sizing modes to images: “Original”, “Shrink to Fit”, “Maximize”, “Fit to Width” and “Fit to Height”. “Shrink to Fit” is enabled by default. Simply click on the image to view in next mode or hold down Shift key while clicking to view in previous mode. Move cursor to top right corner to view the menu. See help for more information.

   

2. Breadcrumb URL
   Breadcrumb URL will place link to each directory of current URL at the top left corner of the page. Useful if you browse without address bar or browse in full screen mode.

   

3. Clean URI
   Clean URI will recognise links that use redirected URLs (example: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://winmerge.sourceforge.net/ ) and replace them with the direct URL.

   

4. Cooliris alike
   Similar to Cooliris extension for Firefox and helps to preview links without leaving current tab. Hold Ctrl key and hover any link to open preview window in top right corner of current tab. Size of preview window can be changed to 3 heights by clicking “Restore” icon.

   

5. Gallery crawler
   Gallery crawler adds link to next and previous image so pictures numbered sequentially can be viewed without flipping through links, ads and poor page design.

   

6. Get feed link
   Get feed link will place feed icons at the top left corner of the page. Useful if you browse without address bar or browse in full screen mode or if you need feed link URL.

   

7. Image thumb
   Image thumb will show thumbnail in bottom left corner when you hover an image link. Hold Ctrl key to view in original size.

   

   This UserJS breaks functioning of autosizer UserJS.

8. Link alert
   Link alert identifies links to specific file types, and displays an appropriate icon when the link is hovered.

   

9. Power drag
   Power drag will help you to resize textareas, select boxes, iframes, objects, images or input fields by holding Shift key and then dragging lower right corner of an item. Double click lower right corner to restore the original dimensions. You can enable the dragging corner always, or use another modifier key.

   

10. Linkify URL
    Linkify URL makes text http/https/ftp URLs clickable.

    

11. View Selection Source
    View Selection Source allows you to see HTML source of any part of a page, it’s very useful for web developers. If you don’t know how to edit menu setup see this and add the following under [Hotclick Popup Menu].

    Item, "View selection source"="Go to page, "javascript:opera.getSelectionSource()""

    

12. Ultimate Search Highlighter
    Ultimate Search Highlighter will show search bar at the top and can show number of search results, jump to next instance of highlighted term or previous (hold Shift key and click on term in toolbar) and supports RegExp highlighting. Move cursor to top to show search bar after timeout period. Get USH button or search field from here or create a search engine with the following.

    javascript:opera.USH.run(opera.USH.check='%s','newSearch');

    

According to Nate Lanxon at CNET UK, yep. I’m not going to quote the whole “article,” but here are my thoughts:

1. A new Javascript engine is on its way from Opera. But even if it weren’t, who bases his or her choice of a web browser based upon Javascript speed benchmarks? Nobody I know. All that matters is real world results. (Haavard makes the same argument here.) That Safari or Chrome or Firefox may or may not load a given page .3087 seconds more quickly than Opera surely won’t be noticed by me.
2. “[S]o I really don’t see what the Opera fans are clinging on to.” Obviously, Lanxon is not an everyday Opera user or the answer would be quite simple. For some, it’s Mouse Gestures (done right, without a buggy extension). For others, it’s enhanced keyboard navigation. (Spatial Navigation ftw!) Or maybe it’s the ability to synchronize bookmarks across multiple installations and platforms with Opera Link. Or maybe it’s the “full page zoom” feature that so many people for years said was dumb – that is, until Safari recently decided to include it. Or maybe it’s the ability to run custom Javascript and CSS on a per site basis. All of these things and more are included in Opera “out of the box.” They just work. And if your counter argument is “but that makes the browser all bloaty!” then explain to me how Opera’s installation exe file is 5.4 MB (4.8 MB for Classic Installer), while Firefox’s is 7.1 MB (before any extentions added!) and Safari 4 Beta’s is a whopping 25.5 MB!? (That’s without Quicktime bundled!)
3. Look at the hot, new features of Safari 4 and tell me how many of them were Apple innovations. (Don’t quote from the Apple site – they lie. More on that here.) Opera innovates, and other companies incorporate those features into their browsers. This is not a bad thing. But Lanxon is forgetting that competition breeds innovation.
4. Even Asa Dotzler, one of the faces of Firefox, knows it makes no sense for Opera to abandon the desktop.
   

   Opera’s desktop browser means millions and millions of desktop users logging hours and hours of testing and providing lots of feedback to the Opera team. That feedback allows them to keep their rendering engine, javascript engine, and other bits of the browser as functional as possible across as many Web sites and Web apps as possible. Take it away, and the Opera mobile efforts will slowly but surely fall behind the “one Web” as Opera calls it.

5. And even if Opera were to concede it will never gain a significant foothold in desktop browser market share, why abandon software that saw a 117% increase in revenue from one year ago? Opera Software actually makes money at a time when many companies across the globe are hemorrhaging it.

So no, Mr. Lanxon. Opera will not abandon the desktop browser. Thanks for the advice, though.

Read Lanxon’s opinion here: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/natelanxon/0,139102300,49301254,00.htm

See Opera’s Haavard respond here: http://my.opera.com/haavard/blog/2009/03/02/cnet-uk-opera-should-give-up-on-desktop-browsers

Entire text of Asa Dotzler’s response: http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2009/02/opera_should_gi.html

Opera Software released Opera 9.64 today, which addresses several security issues and few minor improvements. This release is a recommended security update for all those running the previous stable releases.

Starting with this release, Opera on Windows supports the security measures Data Execution Prevention (DEP) (available in Windows XP SP2 and newer) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) (available in Vista and newer).

These security measures are a kind of second line of defence once an application runs into a serious fault, which would normally cause it to crash sooner or later.

Changelogs: Windows, Mac & Linux/UNIX

Download Opera 9.64

There was an interesting tidbit in Opera employee Haavard’s “State of the Opera” blog post this morning. Apparently, Opera Software CEO Jon von Tetzchner is considering an “end-user release” of Opera Turbo, which I blogged about earlier this month.

Opera Turbo uses Opera Mini’s compression technology and brings it to use for desktop users in a business environment, lowering costs while speeding up internet browsing. Many people who heard about Opera Turbo were disappointed that it would not be deployed for non-business users. It would be exciting if normal consumers were able to partake in this technology.

Other facts from Haavard’s “State of the Opera: Q4 2008:”

• Total revenue up 69% since Q4 2007
• Desktop revenue up 117% in Q4 2008 compared to Q4 2007
• Desktop user count up 67% since the end of 2007, and 17% compared to Q3 2008
• 20 million monthly Opera Mini users in January 2009, up over 160% compared to January 2008, and up from 17.6 million users in December 2008
• Opera Mini data traffic up 350% in January 2009 compared to January 2008
• Mobile/Device revenue up 56% since Q4 2007
• Opera now has 675+ employees in 10 countries

See the details here: http://my.opera.com/haavard/blog/2009/02/27/q4-2008

If you want to search for same thing in different search engines, Search panel is convenient compared to integrated search field in address field.

When you add a search engine to the Search panel, Opera will add search field instead of a button. The problem with search field is you have to enter the search term again if you want to search for already entered search term in global search field. Search field can be converted in to a button easily.

1. Add required search engine to the Search panel from Tools > Appearance… > Buttons > Search
2. Open toolbar configuration^# file and under [Search Panel Toolbar.content] replace SearchX, Y with ButtonX, “Search Engine Name”=Search, Y
3. Activate modified toolbar setup from Tools > Preferences… > Advanced > Toolbars > Toolbar setup to see the changes.

Acronym Finder search field

Acronym Finder search button

Toolbar content before modification.

[Search Panel Toolbar.content]
Search0
Button1, "Google"=Search
Button2, "Ask"=Search, 1
Button3, "Yahoo!"=Search, 2
Button4, "Amazon.com"=Search, 3
Button5, "Wikipedia"=Search, 4
Button6, "Ebay.com"=Search, 5
Button7, "Yahoo!Shopping"=Search, 6
Button8, "BitTorrent"=Search, 7
Search9, 31

Toolbar content after modification.

[Search Panel Toolbar.content]
Search0
Button1, "Google"=Search
Button2, "Ask"=Search, 1
Button3, "Yahoo!"=Search, 2
Button4, "Amazon.com"=Search, 3
Button5, "Wikipedia"=Search, 4
Button6, "Ebay.com"=Search, 5
Button7, "Yahoo!Shopping"=Search, 6
Button8, "BitTorrent"=Search, 7
Button9, "Acronym Finder"=Search, 31

^# To see path to toolbar configuration file, select opera:config#Toolbar%20Configuration and click go to web address from right click menu.

Opera recently announced its latest innovation to speed up internet browsing: Opera Turbo. The compression technology Opera Mini users have enjoyed for years has now been adapted for use with a wider range of devices.

Opera Turbo is a cross-platform solution, available for desktop computers, mobile phones, and other Internet-enabled devices. By compressing network traffic by up to 80%, Opera Turbo helps to enable the sustainability and scalability of networks in order to meet traffic demands and ensure a superior browsing experience.

Because the compression technology is server-side, even older computers with limited hardware see “improved page download rates and better overall performance. ” Web technologies like Ajax and Flash will function normally since they will not be compressed by Opera Turbo.

Below is an illustration of how Opera Turbo works:

diagram of Opera Turbo technology

Yesterday, a new partnership was announced between Opera Software and Yahoo! that will help bring the “full Internet to more mobile phone users around the world.”

Yahoo! is expected to begin distributing Opera Mini via Yahoo! Mobile and also as a standalone download from Yahoo!’s mobile Web sites in the near future. The Opera Mini client will be available free of charge.

Yahoo!’s press release includes information on the key features of Yahoo! Mobile: “The smartphone version of Yahoo! Mobile will include the above functionality, plus: Opera Mini(TM) 4.2 – An integrated version of the world’s most popular mobile web browser, with easy return to the Yahoo! Mobile app, that launches when web site access is needed.”

Yahoo! Mobile is currently available in beta form. The mobile web version of the service is expected to be released in late March for the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. According to Yahoo!, versions for other countries will roll out over the remainder of 2009.

Opera also announced a partnership with Vodafone, a mobile phone provider based in the U.K. with markets in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Opera has agreed to develop a custom version of Opera Mini “aimed at giving customers with low- and mid-priced handsets a high-quality mobile internet experience.”

As part of the global framework agreement with Opera Software, selected Vodafone operating companies will be able to pre-embed the Vodafone version of the Opera Mini browser on Java-based portfolio handsets or encourage customers to download it themselves.

It looks like Mozilla is also going after Microsoft’s Internet Explorer through the EU courts.

According to Cnet, Mozilla has been granted a seat at the table in the European Commission’s antitrust case against Microsoft.

“Mozilla requested and was granted “third-party status,” which entitles the organization behind the popular Firefox browser to receive access to confidential documents in the case and the ability to voice objections”

As you may recall Opera filed a complaint with the European Commission to force Microsoft to make significant changes to Internet Explorer back in December of 2007.