Major Overhaul to the Opera Browser
Published September 16th, 2005 5:05 PM EDT By Daniel GoldmanOpera Watch Exclusive:
Opera is planning on a major overhaul for its desktop browser.
According to a source, Opera will release a new version of its desktop browser, which will contain major modifications to the browser’s User Interface (UI). The new version will sport a simpler look.
I haven’t seen any screenshots yet, so it’s kind of difficult for me to give a more detailed description.
Opera is working on a new and faster rendering engine for the browser, and may include it with next week’s release, though I haven’t confirmed this yet.
The new version number will likely be either Opera 8.5 or Opera 9, code named “Merlin”.
It is expected to be released by the end of next week.
I’ll post more details as they become available to me.
Update 1 (9/16 6:32 PM): I don’t want to start rumors about Opera 9, but according to multiple sources, Opera 9 is currently in development and it is no where close to being ready for release. Next week’s release will be Opera 8.5.
Update 2 (9/17 11:15 PM): It seems that Opera is going to be more aggressive with its marketing of the desktop browser, though I’m not sure if this is related.
Update 3 (9/19 11:20 AM): Opera just posted to its help files the documentation for Opera 8.5.
Update 4 (9/20 10:04 AM): Well it turns out that the UI changes that I was referring to was that Opera will remove the banner ads for good.
If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to my RSS Feed.
Merlin is the codename for the next major Opera version, not rendering engine.
Anonymous,
Thanks I’ve changed that.
Oooo… me likey. Thanks Daniel for always being on top of Opera news. I simply can’t see how you do it. But hey, didn’t Opera just release a major new version a few months ago?
I just thought of something else. Could this new release also be part of Opera’s new business plan?
ok have to post this anonymously… basically its not just bit news, its huge.
operas going open source in cooperation with google. the new interface will be tightly integrated with google services and all but it’ll be real easy to use.
you didnt hear it from me..
I also hope they’ve increased their support of SVG!
“Simpler look”? Prepare for more “Opera is moving in Firefox direction” Asa Dotzler’s rants
You can’t do it! Mozilla invented The Simple GUI (TM) technology first!!!
Opera is hiring Danny Goodman to start “watching” MSIE 7
To J81: When you guys stop whining every time Firefox implements something Opera already had, maybe the Firefox guys will stop commenting every time Opera implements something Firefox had first.
Funny thing, when Opera takes a cue from Firefox, the Mozilla guys say “Hey, Opera’s doing things like us now! Good job! Wouldn’t it be great if they also did XYZ?” But when Firefox takes a cue from Opera, it’s always a chorus of “Lame copiers! We had it first!”
@anonymous: IE had simple UI long before Firefox. I know a lot of other browsers hich had simple UI before Firefox. We all know Firefox interface is just a copy of IE6 interface. It doesn’t even show tabs by default. On the other hand, Opera’s UI is very different from what we can see in both Firefox and IE. It has no status bar, for example, adress bar is below tabs etc. Simple UI is not a “Firefox direction”, Firefox wasn’t the first nor the most popular browser with simple UI.
Surely you mean a preview of 8.5, right? Usually Opera drops previews (betas) to shake out the bugs. I realize that a preview has been out for a couple months already, but that and what you describe sound like two substantially different things. If they just plonk 8.5 on us, or even if they put it on the FTP site 48 hours ahead for the handful of people who notice to play around with, it’s not going to be a pretty sight, and 8.51 will not be far behind.
Can we get off the “Firefox direction” topic, please?
I, for one, am really loking forward to Opera 8.5. I spent several years only using Opera for testing, and liked 8.0 enough that I probably use it for 20% of my browsing now.
Of course, I’m mainly hoping for improved rendering and scripting capabilities. Midas support would be nice, because then I could use any browser I wanted with the WYSIWYG features that are going to be in the next version of WordPress. Daniel, I totally agree with your last post about getting more AJAX features into Opera ASAP.
This should be an interesting season for browsers, what with upgrades to Firefox, IE, and now Opera. (Now if Apple would just release a version of Safari with all the Acid2 fixes…)
yes! can’t wait!
Ok. I won’t say a thing about the “Firefox direction”. But, why Opera 8.5 or Opera 9? I want my Opera 8.1! Bittorrent is not enough for such a version number change.
@Federico
Beleive me, it won’t be just bittorrent
How about a new IMAP backend, new interface, a huge update to the rendering engine, bittorrent, things we don’t know of yet and off course lots of general bugfixes.
Sounds like 8.5 (maybe even 9) to me!
I do not believe in this Google conspiracy and going open source at all. It seems that some FF die-hard fan posted this stuff.
Back to the topic - imho, new IMAP2 backend+bittorrent+HTML-powered M3 (overhauled M2)+more CSS support.
DH
It´s always nice to see how people jump to conclusions…
Anyway, according to Borg, “Merlin” is most likely to be Opera 9. Unless the internal roadmap has changed, codename “Merlin” != Opera 8.5
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=101086&t=1126945879&page=1#comment1066167
I cannot stress enough the need of faster PNG rendering :). Everytime I see something about render engine updates I’ll also remember about how slow PNGs with transparencies render in current Opera browser, compared to Gecko (sorry, but it’s true).
If they get that improved, among others, then it’s going to be ‘awesome’.
Opera seems to have a lot of resources lately, if there are already rumours of Opera 8.5 and 9. Next week Opera 8.5 preview/beta would be really interesting.
Yet… I’ll have to wait and see first :).
just to clarify, this is the final of 8.5, not beta, yes?
Hmmm…. I think Opera’s interface is already awesome! I hope they keep it as customizable as it currently is, anyway.
Rendering engine improvements are always welcome, though.
No mention of improvements to M2, however, huh?
There have been some questions as to whether this will be a beta/preview release or will it go straight to a final release.
I don’t have any information about this now. But IMHO, if Opera will be introducing drastic changes to their browser, they will probably not release it as a final version.
Ah man, you made it sound like it was a final, I hate clean installs.
Ah man, you made it sound like it was a final, I hate clean installs.
I know it’s not what Opera suggests, but I usually install beta and preview versions on top of my final versions. I haven’t had any problems with doing that so far.
Do it at your own risk.
My sources say that Opera is going to be completely free.
“Opera is going to be more aggressive with its marketing of the desktop browser”
What exactly does that mean?
“According to a source, Opera will release a new version of its desktop browser, which will contain major modifications to the browser’s User Interface (UI). The new version will sport a simpler look.”
Deja vu… I’ve heard this about Opera 8 release…
And I like the Opera 7/8 interface. If they change it, I hope they won’t remove any functionality of “old interface”.
look… googles looking to end ms dominance and wants more google friendy browsers out there
operas going to cannibalize mozilla corps market. since mozillas going for operas business operas doing the same thing, going for mozillas business.
open source opera backed by google.
“It seems that Opera is going to be more aggressive with its marketing of the desktop browser”
Could you get any more vague? What do you mean by ‘aggressive’, and what are you basing it on?
googles looking to end ms dominance
To dominate itself? Google itself will not be better than MS then.
operas going to cannibalize mozilla corps market.
Opera should not cannibalize any market or anything. Opera should attract users not from Firefox side, but from IE side.
since mozillas going for operas business operas doing the same thing, going for mozillas business. Oh, really? It is not wise, imho, to get into anyone’s business. It is better to improve one’s own business.
open source opera backed by google. Where is the official confirmation from any party?
Your assumptions do not sound logical, sorry.
> But IMHO, if Opera will be introducing drastic changes to their browser, they will probably not release it as a final version.
Drastic changes? I can’t think of an example. The current Opera looks and works great for me, can’t imagine what the change will be like. But hope they’ll continue moving into right direction.
hey dh….. well see who has the last laugh tomorrow.. itll all be revealed
if you dont believe opera and google will fight fiercely back at mozilla and ms respectively youre a bit too naive anyway
quote: “googles looking to end ms dominance
To dominate itself? Google itself will not be better than MS then.
operas going to cannibalize mozilla corps market.
Opera should not cannibalize any market or anything. Opera should attract users not from Firefox side, but from IE side.
since mozillas going for operas business operas doing the same thing, going for mozillas business. Oh, really? It is not wise, imho, to get into anyone’s business. It is better to improve one’s own business.
open source opera backed by google. Where is the official confirmation from any party?”
If opera was ever bought by google or went open source, I wouldn’t upgrade from 8.02.
I know it’s not what Opera suggests, but I usually install beta and preview versions on top of my final versions. I haven’t had any problems with doing that so far.
The one time I’ve had problems was upgrading from one of the 7.6/8.0 betas to 8.0 final on Windows. I ended up with a browser that thought it was still the beta.
Aside from that one, I don’t think I’ve run into any problems, though that may be in part due to the fact that I like to install each new major version in a different directory so I can hang onto old versions for testing. I end up with just a final on top of the beta, not a final on top of a beta on top of the previous final.
“The one time I’ve had problems was upgrading from one of the 7.6/8.0 betas to 8.0 final on Windows. I ended up with a browser that thought it was still the beta.”
That was a bug with the title bar, not a “real” problem.
You could have solved it with opera6.ini…
“Anonymous wrote on September 18, 2005 12:37 PM: if you dont believe opera and google will fight fiercely back at mozilla and ms respectively youre a bit too naive anyway”
Yes, I do not believe in that. As long as Google has this Mozilla guy Ben Goodger (a real parvenu) and another Mozilla guy Darin Fisher, Opera will never fight against Mozilla, imnsho. It is not logical, dude.
Naive? Huh? I’m not making any needless hype anyway. I am just sceptic and try to see things from the point different from yours.
Why are you so strong in your opinion? So, less BS and more facts, please.
:O well lets hope they put in a decent ‘flash-popup’ blocker, its getting bad out there……
it must be true!!!!! I read it on the internet!!
“Update 3 (9/19 11:20 AM): Opera just posted to its help files the documentation for Opera 8.5.”
THOSE HAVE BEEN THERE FOR AGES. TALK ABOUT BEING ‘UPDATED’, LOLZ..
ben was fired from google
8.5? *drule*
I see no 8.5 on the help files.
Back in 2002, Haarvard, who works at Opera in the QA department, wrote about what might be included in Opera 8.5 or possibly Opera 9.0.
http://groups.google.com/group/opera.beta/msg/923597f76620503c
No sign of it on the ftp servers yet.
> http://help.opera.com/Windows/8.50/en/index.html
I only got a “Client not found” error.
They were up when I looked earlier. Someone posted in the Opera forums that they were just a copy of the 8.02 help files, though, so I guess they were just there as placeholders.
ftp://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/opera/linux/850/
ftp://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/opera/win/850/
http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/windows/850/
http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/windows/850/
Look at Opera.com, Opera is now ad-free and 8.50 has been released.
I was correct.Opera is ad free now
I had mentioned it 3 days ago on my blog ( http://www.indyan.info )
So, Mr. Anonymous who wrote on September 18, 2005 12:37 PM: “hey dh….. well see who has the last laugh tomorrow.. itll all be revealed. if you dont believe opera and google will fight fiercely back at mozilla and ms respectively youre a bit too naive anyway.” who is laughing now? Where is this opensourced Googled BS?
Does anyone know of any synaptic repositories with the latest Opera 8.5?