Johan Borg, who is in charge of the Opera desktop browser, just blogged about the various code names for internal builds of the Opera browser. However, he also included a teaser on what’s to come with Opera 9.2.
“The new feature is close to completion and will be unveiled here later this month. You have not seen it in a desktop browser before…”
I wish I can say more at this time – but I’ll have to wait a bit. I’ll see if I can blog about it here before it’s released. 
Opera Watch, an Opera browser blog, is run by Daniel Goldman, who used to work for Opera Software as a Technical Evangelist.
Subscribe to Opera Watch, and stay in touch with the latest Opera browser buzz.
Daniel Goldman: daniel@operawatch.com.
Note: I encourage you to copy and translate my blog posts to your non-English blog. Do you have an Opera blog (with more than 90% of the content Opera-related)? Let me know and I'll add it to the list above.
Q: What is Opera?
A: Opera is one of the most powerful Web browsers around. A Web browser is the program that allows you to view Web pages. Opera is well known for innovation for PC browsers and bringing the full web to mobile phones and devices.
Q: Is Opera free?
A: Absolutely free.
Q: Why should I download a browser? Doesn't my computer already come with one for free?
A: It's about getting more out of the time you spend on the internet. Opera is designed to be much faster than these browsers and gives you powerful features that the default browser lacks. Default browsers like Internet Explorer are also more likely to be subjected to dangerous software such as viruses and spyware.
Q: Will Opera keep me safe from fraudulent websites and malicious hackers?
A: According to Secunia, a respected firm that tracks security in browsers, Opera has the best reputation and track record when it comes to browser security. Keeping our users safe from security vulnerabilities, fraudulent websites, and malicious hackers is a top priority for Opera. Opera is maintained by hundreds of engineers, developers and security experts who are constantly looking to make the browser even safer.
Q: Doesn't Opera copy all of their features from other browsers?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, many of the features that are popular in other browsers today were invented and pioneered by Opera a long time ago. Opera invented the precursor to tabs (in 1994), Page Zoom (1994), was the first browser to block pop-up ads (2000), first to add a Search field in the browser toolbar (2000), Sessions (1996), deleting private data (2000), Mouse Gestures (2000), User JavaScript (2005), BitTorrent support (2005), Widgets (2006), Speed Dial (2007), and much more.
Q: Does Opera support extensions, such as those found in Firefox?
A: Much of the functionality provided through Firefox extensions is already built directly into Opera, so you don't have to download additional extensions in Opera. In addition, Opera is highly customizable and supports all standard plug-ins.
Q: Can I also use Opera on my mobile phone?
A: Yes. And your Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS or almost any connected device and mobile phones. Opera Mobile oftens comes preinstalled from the manufacturers, but if it doesn't you can install Opera Mini which runs on nearly all phones.
Q: This all sounds great, so how do I download Opera?
A: -- Opera on your computer
-- Opera Mini on your phone
-- Opera Mobile on your phone
-- or learn more about Opera at www.opera.com
using
My guess is… the feature *intelligent zoom*… seen on Nintendo Wii… ???
using
I find the specific phrasing — that it hasn’t been seen in a desktop browser — very interesting. I’m going to agree with Investor. The improved zoom is a good bet. And it manages to one-up IE7, which finally implemented zooming similar to what Opera already has.
using
How much would the desktop browser benefit from the intelligent zoom?
using
Very little, imho. So it’s something else, but what …. ??
using
New feature? Please, nothing to do with widgets! Please!
using
Daniel,
Maybe you could tell us…does the feature exist as a Firefox extension?
(just to help us narrow it down)
using
What good does the desktop browser benefit from small screen rendering? In both of these cases, maybe not too much- but like how the relevance/shift of widgets quickly went from desktop (see Zee’s comment) to mobile, maybe intelligent zoom will be “vetted” through the desktop releases as the jumping point to be integrated into all the opera platforms to subsequently include mobile and Mini where it will be most useful.
…but I hope it’s not that
using
Fyrd, hmm…
using
I am more than happy to see the guys at Opera are paying so much attention to the desktop browser although it is now completely free.
I’m looking forward eagerly to the future releases! Keep up the great work!
using
Fyrd: Yeah, because there aren’t that many FF extensions, right?
using
@BAMAToNE
Well, it would narrow it down if DIDN’T exist as one, you see.
Odds are that it is, but probably in a more improved form.
*pokes at Daniel’s “hmmm” until something else comes out*
using
Nothing!
using
Eddie, Opera benefits by having the small screen rendering in the desktop browser, since it gives developers the opportunity to test their sites for small screens.
The main focus of Opera Widgets were always for devices. And since all Opera browsers run on the same code base, adding widgets support for device browsers automatically adds it as well to the desktop (obviously there had to be some tweaking to the desktop browser in order to support widgets).
using
Vasil Dinkov, removing the ads in the brwoser did absolutely nothing to slow Opera from further developing the desktop browser. It’s quite the opposite, if fact. We’ve seen a much higher usage rate in the desktop browser over the past year. This gives Opera more of a reason to work harder at increasing the desktop marketshare.
using
Well…doesn’t that answer the question about what the benefit is? (plus, wasn’t that my point? by including it in desktop it gets into the Mobiles/devices)
…maybe internally. But from the consumer point of view, that’s a little hard to believe. It wasn’t concievable in the 09 betas, then it spent a year being discussed as the best use, (while Apple and Alltel rolled out mobile widgets), and only recently did we get news that Widgets would be “mobilized”
using
The rendering engine is the same in all browsers, however it still needs to be added to the desktop UI.
That’s probably true — but that’s what counts. Having said that, we should have done a better job at communicating with our users the benefits for adding widgets.
using
Oh- I don’t don’t know anything about intelligent zoom… I assumed it was rendering related.
Well, there goes that theory. The other quote that stuck out was the
This got me hoping there was some profile management to move from desktop to mobile to Wii to DS to… and have an integrated experience.
using
I think that it could be a deal with StumbleUpon, seeing how they have recently made a page specifically for the Wii. But then again, it’s already been seen on a desktop browser…then again, I’m probably wrong.
using
I am sure Peregrine will be a very nice engine.
Hope it will become even faster!
using
@Eddie,
Daniel did a video interview with Jon where he said that bookmark (and profile management I think) will be integrated some day.
Here it is. Just found it: http://operawatch.com/news/2006/11/video-interview-with-opera-ceo-jon-von-tetzchner.html
using
…Well my last comment plus your most recent RE: Mini:
has got me thinking that I’m right. We’re getting mobile preferences or some kind of Opera Sync.
using
I think it might be an overstatement to say that the main focus of Opera Widgets was always for devices (or mobile). I’m not directly part of the Widgets team, but from my understanding, Opera Widgets have always been about providing powerful, standards-based, and truly cross-platform web applications. So to rephrase, I’d say that the focus of Opera Widgets has always been cross-platform capabilities and convenience for end users.
using
Lawmune- agreed! But my point is that until recently, the only platform we’ve seen any attention was the desktop version. I’d say the reason Widgets get such a bad wrap from the teaming masses is because desktop widgets were never any more convenient than what the browser could do. If the goals was to get cross platform, I think that should have been mentioned from the very first day widgets were announced which would have stopped everyone from asking “what’s the point?” and instead we could have focused on the right thing
using
I posted my guess as a comment on the Desktop-team blog: Auto-Zoom based on ERA (what is completly different to Wii’s intelligent zoom).
@Fyrd: if a firefox-extension would exist for this feature the second part of the quote couldn’t be true
@Eddie: thinking of Widgets as Desktop incarnation of the about equal Opera platform it was pretty clear that the focus will be on Opera mobile and Opera for devices (and I think this was instantly announced at least in some comments or Opera dev blogs)
And profile management accross platforms via my.opera.com was announced by Jon in some interview some months ago
using
@Daniel Goldman : [quote] How much would the desktop browser benefit from the intelligent zoom? [/quote]
Same benefits as on mobile phone or TV. The top down approach. Start browsing with an overview of content, then zoom in on point of interest. It’s fun, fast, and reduces scrolling and panning (replaces FTW which doesn’t work well)…
[quote]The upcoming Opera Mobile edition includes the latest in PC browsing features such as Widgets and Intelligent Zoom. [/quote]
http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2007/02/12/
Well, got the Widgets, but not the IZ yet…
using
What could it be? Very interesting!
using
This got me hoping there was some profile management to move from desktop to mobile to Wii to DS to… and have an integrated experience.
This is planned already, or at least they are thinking about it; take a look at the forums, Borg himself has commented about this.
Another feature planned revealed in the blog is the automatic updater for a post-merlin codebase.
As for those saying that intelligent zooming has no use on desktop, please think about visually impaired people before the usual knee-jerk reaction (Opera is an excellent tool, and sometimes the only one, that people with disabilities can use); just because you don’t see any practical use doesn’t mean that other people out there could use it.
using
I don’t think the new feature is mobile profile management. Jon has talked about doing that but it would not be a unique feature in the desktop browser world (safari – iSync, firefox extensions, etc).
Where did you get the quote from btw?
using
Hmm… where is my comment of 12 hrs ago… ???
Nothing bad, just pointing out good reasons for intelligent zooming, also on desktop… And the fact that Opera Mobile 9 press release says… “The upcoming Opera Mobile edition includes the latest in PC browsing features such as Widgets and Intelligent Zoom.”… We got the Widgets, but not the IZ…
using
@minisu and Eddie,
Gah! Daniel hasn’t allowed my message through yet. It had the hyperlink to show you that profile management is coming. Search for the video interview between Jon and Daniel on Opera Watch.
using
Just like Small-Screen Rendering and Widgets were added to Opera Desktop, Intelligent Zooming will be added to the Desktop, albeit some tweaking to the desktop brwoser will need to be made.
using
using
Investor, Ryan, I get hundreds of comments spam each day, so I hold some comments for moderation, such as ones with links and certain keywords that oftenly found in comment spam. Your comments contained links — I’ve approved them.
using
Opera does not provide support for third party browser extensions. This will be great for a next version.
using
Maybe a way for ‘mobile devices’ and ‘desktop’ opera version to connect with each other…somehow…and if the desktop didn’t have internet access it could use the device to go online…
I know that this might not be possible, but it would be something ‘never seen’, no? It’s probebly something else though, something even better…
using
I was using opera 9.1.I liked everything about except just one thing.It dosn’t have a feature called inline autocomplete like I.E,Avant Browser and FireFox. Inline autocomplete store information that you type into web form fields. By storing this information, Internet Explorer can automatically fill in form fields if you begin to type the same information later.I hope the next version of opera haves this very usefull feature
using
I follow sirnh1.
My guess:
bookmarks can be stored remotely, so desktop and mobile devices share the same file? (a bit like delicious .. . mmmmhhhh )
The UI become a simple xml file which can be shared between desktop and mobile?
using
I am constantly using 5 different browsers because none of them are perfect. I like the design of Opera but it has one shortcoming (aside from the fact that it doesn’t work on quite a few websites)and that is the lack of autocomplete in search forms. Most people do a lot of searches and more often than not you go back and modify your serach a bit. In Opera – as the only one of the 5 browsers I use – I have to type in the whole smear again. Please fix that in the next version.
using
I sure hope the new feature helps Opera work on at least on 99% of the sites and solve the Flash Problems some people are experiencing with opera 9. I would also love to see some improvement to the mail client. Too much time and press is devoted to the Wii and Mini and the desktop browser falls into third place.
using
Regarding *Autocompletion*…
As a workaround… Keep standard data (name, address, phonenumber, etc.) in a note folder, and insert or drag/drop it into a form when needed… Same with (long) search strings, write/edit it in note, and drag/drop it into addressfield… ?
using
Too much time and press is devoted to the Wii and Mini and the desktop browser falls into third place.
What makes you say that? Since when is press coverage a barometer for how much work is actually devoted to either product?
using
Why that complicated? This type of standard data belongs in the “Personal information” fields on Tools – Preferences – Wand. If you start to type in a (one line) form the fitting info is instantly available for autocomplete.
The advantage compared to implementations in other browsers: this works on any site, also those you’ve never filled anything in before.
Some time ago I even discovered the Wand could fill out multiple fields at once: just use the wand (icon or CTRL+Enter) with the yellow borderd fields – you can read my blog-post about this: “Great discovery: New Opera feature to auto fill in personal information – look out for the yellow borders around forms”
As the Personal information fields have a very limited number notes are indeed useful for further information: I have my bank account information as a text-snippet to insert it into an email (or copy to form fields), all my tens of own phone numbers etc in notes in a seperate folder which I put on top of all my other notes and a seperator after it.
This could also be used to have (small or big) templates for email or forum posts (Right click – Insert note).
Carl, if you want to have autocomplete pretty much like in other browsers you should check “OpS – Opera input suggestion” on userjs.org
using
Do I dare to wish for Microformats handling of any kind????
using
Remote file management or syncing would be awesome.
I think adding a calendar would complement the mail,chat, and contact manager well.
What about that one VOIP program that Opera was supposed to integrate?
using
Haha!! I think I got it everyone!
It’s probably going to be an embedded IM like MSN (read: unlike IRC)
using
I think I got it
It’s going to be an IM unlike IRC…
using
@ResearchWizard: They could always use the term “real” to make it into something unique. e.g., RSS reader? There’s an extension for that already. But a real RSS reader? Now that’s new.