Opera 7 Sneak Peek

***Zardon*** · Sep 6, 2002, 03:25 PM

The Opera Web browser client is getting an overhaul, and officials are putting the finishing touches on an upgrade that is sure to please both users and Web developers.

If Opera has one knock against it, it would be the software's inability to accommodate dynamic content. That's all going to change with the latest version of Opera, according to Hakon Lie, the company's CTO, who oversaw the top-to-bottom redesign of the core code. The overhaul was extensive enough to warrant its own name: Project Presto.

Scheduled for public download as a finished product by the end of the year, Opera 7 has been going through rigorous internal beta testing and will be sent out as a beta soon, possibly by the end of next month.

more details in the forum

***Zardon*** · Sep 6, 2002, 03:27 PM

The browser has built a loyal, though small, cult following over the years for its form-follows-function approach to viewing Web pages; weighing in at 3.5-11 MB in size, (compared to Internet Explorer 6 at 8-45 MB and Netscape 7 with 32 MB) the browser has been praised for its quick page displays and its ability to meet individual user needs.

What Opera hasn't been able to do is make an impact on mainstream Web surfers around the world, given the established popularity of IE and Netscape. With more than 99 percent of the global market share in browser popularity, according to latest numbers by StatMarket, the "Big 2" have benefited from good marketing and having the browser application pre-bundled on PCs.

Lie said Opera's appeal can be summed up in its file size, which is much less than the competition. Taking out the bloatware found in Netscape and IE leaves less information to be sorted by the browser for every Web page, cutting down page display times and downloading from the Internet.

"We're at least one-fifth the size of an Internet Explorer download and we want to stay that way," Lie said. "We don't want to grow too big. At the same time -- only two years ago -- you could fit the Opera download on a floppy. We have increased in size as well, maybe two or three floppy's now," he joked.

Three key improvements are expected to make a lot more Opera lovers out there.

The first is Opera 7 will support document object model (DOM), a platform- and language-neutral specification that lets developers program and script dynamic content and applications on Web pages.

A browser's inability to support dynamic content is a headache for today's Web developers when programming a portable Web site. A close second would be the proprietary-base code found in IE and Netscape.

In an article titled, "Waiting for the DOM," author Kenneth Tibbets summed it best:

"(Opera) will render a nice-looking page out of CSS (cascading style sheets) and HTML, and it is fast, but it falters when you move from static to dynamic and interactive content," he said. "I can't script Opera events worth a darn."

With DOM support in Opera 7, developers will be able to create pages knowing the browser's users will be able to view the pages.

Tied in with DOM, Opera plans to incorporate CSS 2.1 into its newest version. The working draft, just approved by the World Wide Web Consortium a couple weeks ago, has been in the minds of Opera developers for some time.

Lie is sure his browser will be the first to incorporate the new standard publicly, a standard that makes interoperability between the different browser's more likely.

"We think that's going to be a very important specification where all the browser vendors can find common ground and we think Opera 7 is going to be the first browser to get there," he said.

Besides other functionality boosts to graphical interface and such, Opera 7 will feature a redesigned e-mail client, one that supports the latest standards and runs on any OS Opera supports.

"Called M2, we've added support for the IMAP protocol and completely redone the user interface there," Lie said. "Another significant change is we can support it cross-platform; before we could only offer it on Windows. We wanted to make sure this was available to the other platforms we support." <i>Jim Wagner</i>

DallasStar · Sep 6, 2002, 06:25 PM

I can't wait to try this. The only thing that ever stopped me from using opera full time was the incompatibility with all pages.... this is a dream come true (i hope)

stdly · Sep 6, 2002, 10:28 PM

I have been useing Opera exclusively (my defalt browser) for about a year and a half now (except for windows update of course Bill won't allow it). Both in Windows and Linux and even with a few minor drawbacks it RocZ over IE. It has a small footprint and is very configurable. If you haven't tried it yet you sould. It looks even more promising with the news posted here. Thanks for the update.

Sep 7, 2002, 02:52 AM

Pro: very fast, much less memory. configurable
Con: minor compatibility problems BUT not with the standards - WITH IE!

Sum: I love this game!

K6-III · Sep 7, 2002, 06:18 PM

I currently use IE and Opera in tandem...this will finally let me use Opera sans IE...yay!!!

p51d007 · Sep 8, 2002, 10:36 AM

I find myself using Opera about 85% of the time. Why? Loads faster, tabbed pages lets
me put my default page (fox news channel) on the main tab, which refreshes every 10
minutes, then I tab several other pages and can quickly access them.
The why I don't use it all the time is the same as others. There are a few pages that just
won't load right, or they display improperly.
Can't wait for version 7 to get out in the wild so I can try it.

Sep 6, 2002, 03:25 PM	#1
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,254 Rep Power: 3150	Opera 7 Sneak Peek The Opera Web browser client is getting an overhaul, and officials are putting the finishing touches on an upgrade that is sure to please both users and Web developers. If Opera has one knock against it, it would be the software's inability to accommodate dynamic content. That's all going to change with the latest version of Opera, according to Hakon Lie, the company's CTO, who oversaw the top-to-bottom redesign of the core code. The overhaul was extensive enough to warrant its own name: Project Presto. Scheduled for public download as a finished product by the end of the year, Opera 7 has been going through rigorous internal beta testing and will be sent out as a beta soon, possibly by the end of next month. more details in the forum

Sep 6, 2002, 06:25 PM	#3
DallasStar Junior Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wave Existence Posts: 2,065 Rep Power: 0	I can't wait to try this. The only thing that ever stopped me from using opera full time was the incompatibility with all pages.... this is a dream come true (i hope) __________________ "A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

Sep 6, 2002, 10:28 PM	#4
stdly DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 45 Rep Power: 0	It RuleZ I have been useing Opera exclusively (my defalt browser) for about a year and a half now (except for windows update of course Bill won't allow it). Both in Windows and Linux and even with a few minor drawbacks it RocZ over IE. It has a small footprint and is very configurable. If you haven't tried it yet you sould. It looks even more promising with the news posted here. Thanks for the update.

Sep 6, 2002, 03:27 PM	#2
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,254 Rep Power: 3150	The browser has built a loyal, though small, cult following over the years for its form-follows-function approach to viewing Web pages; weighing in at 3.5-11 MB in size, (compared to Internet Explorer 6 at 8-45 MB and Netscape 7 with 32 MB) the browser has been praised for its quick page displays and its ability to meet individual user needs. What Opera hasn't been able to do is make an impact on mainstream Web surfers around the world, given the established popularity of IE and Netscape. With more than 99 percent of the global market share in browser popularity, according to latest numbers by StatMarket, the "Big 2" have benefited from good marketing and having the browser application pre-bundled on PCs. Lie said Opera's appeal can be summed up in its file size, which is much less than the competition. Taking out the bloatware found in Netscape and IE leaves less information to be sorted by the browser for every Web page, cutting down page display times and downloading from the Internet. "We're at least one-fifth the size of an Internet Explorer download and we want to stay that way," Lie said. "We don't want to grow too big. At the same time -- only two years ago -- you could fit the Opera download on a floppy. We have increased in size as well, maybe two or three floppy's now," he joked. Three key improvements are expected to make a lot more Opera lovers out there. The first is Opera 7 will support document object model (DOM), a platform- and language-neutral specification that lets developers program and script dynamic content and applications on Web pages. A browser's inability to support dynamic content is a headache for today's Web developers when programming a portable Web site. A close second would be the proprietary-base code found in IE and Netscape. In an article titled, "Waiting for the DOM," author Kenneth Tibbets summed it best: "(Opera) will render a nice-looking page out of CSS (cascading style sheets) and HTML, and it is fast, but it falters when you move from static to dynamic and interactive content," he said. "I can't script Opera events worth a darn." With DOM support in Opera 7, developers will be able to create pages knowing the browser's users will be able to view the pages. Tied in with DOM, Opera plans to incorporate CSS 2.1 into its newest version. The working draft, just approved by the World Wide Web Consortium a couple weeks ago, has been in the minds of Opera developers for some time. Lie is sure his browser will be the first to incorporate the new standard publicly, a standard that makes interoperability between the different browser's more likely. "We think that's going to be a very important specification where all the browser vendors can find common ground and we think Opera 7 is going to be the first browser to get there," he said. Besides other functionality boosts to graphical interface and such, Opera 7 will feature a redesigned e-mail client, one that supports the latest standards and runs on any OS Opera supports. "Called M2, we've added support for the IMAP protocol and completely redone the user interface there," Lie said. "Another significant change is we can support it cross-platform; before we could only offer it on Windows. We wanted to make sure this was available to the other platforms we support." <i>Jim Wagner</i>

Sep 7, 2002, 02:52 AM	#5
T2k Guest Posts: n/a	Pro: very fast, much less memory. configurable Con: minor compatibility problems BUT not with the standards - WITH IE! Sum: I love this game!

Sep 7, 2002, 06:18 PM	#6
K6-III DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 41 Rep Power: 0	I currently use IE and Opera in tandem...this will finally let me use Opera sans IE...yay!!!

Sep 8, 2002, 10:36 AM	#7
p51d007 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	I find myself using Opera about 85% of the time. Why? Loads faster, tabbed pages lets me put my default page (fox news channel) on the main tab, which refreshes every 10 minutes, then I tab several other pages and can quickly access them. The why I don't use it all the time is the same as others. There are a few pages that just won't load right, or they display improperly. Can't wait for version 7 to get out in the wild so I can try it.