| Ad-free Opera at 3 million downloads, and counting |
Oct. 05, 2005
 Opera's browser seems to be music to the ears of Internet surfers. After the Oslo-based company served up about 1 million browser downloads in the first two days following its launch of the ad- and license-free Opera v8.5, some 2 million additional copies were downloaded in next two weeks.
The average daily download rate quadruples the previous rate achieved before Opera 8.0, the company says. Opera 8 used banner ads and required a paid license from users who wanted to dispense with them.
According to server logs, a majority of v8.5 downloads have come from Internet Explorer users, according to the company.
Opera 8.5 incorporates features such as built-in search bars, a password manager, notes, and saved sessions. Opera 8.5 also has built-in voice capabilities (possibly not for Linux users) and "zooming" features that help make the Web more accessible to users of all abilities, the company says.
A key reason for Opera going free (as in beer) is the recent success of Firefox, and erosion of Internet Explorer's market share. Mozilla Inc.'s open source Firefox browser has made strong inroads against Microsoft's Internet Explorer in recent months, resulting in Redmond's browser falling below 90 percent US marketshare (and below 70 percent in Germany) earlier this year. In May, WebSideStory listed browser marketshares for the US, Germany, and Japan, as follows:
| Browser | US | Germany | Japan | | Internet Explorer | 88.86% | 69.45% | 93.92% | | Firefox | 6.75% | 22.58% | 2.79% | Non-firefox
Mozilla/Netscape | 2.23% | 3.77% | 1.26% | Other
(includes Opera) | 2.06% | 4.12% | 1.94% | | Source: WebSideStory, May 2005 |
WebSideStory began breaking out Firefox marketshare individually starting in February of this year.
You, too, can join the millions and download a free copy of Opera 8.5, here.
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