| Opera 8 beta leaves Linux users speechless |
Jan. 07, 2005
[Updated Jan. 7, 2005] -- Opera Software on Thursday released the first public beta of version 8 of its popular Opera browser for Linux. The Linux beta follows last month's beta release of the Windows version. Like the Windows version, Opera 8 for Linux boasts new usability features that include improved RSS handling, fit to window or paper width, a start-bar for easy access to the most commonly used functions, and automatic update checks.
Other new features are said to include an easier install process, a simplified user interface, and a trash can that remembers closed windows and blocked pop-ups. Also, a clickable RSS icon now appears in the address bar when sites with RSS feeds are accessed, and RSS newsfeeds can be added to Opera's email client.
Opera 8's new Fit-to-Window-Width function adapts web page content to fit the width of the window in which the browser is currently displayed. As a result, if multiple windows are open, the browser sizes the web page to the particular window, thereby eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling. Combining this feature with Opera's web page zoom feature enables users to "dramatically magnify" web pages, yet view them without the need for horizontal scrolling, a capability that is sure to be popular among visually impaired users.
Speechless
In contrast to the Windows beta release, which touted the incorporation of Opera's voice technology, Opera 8 will leave Linux users' browsers, well, speechless.
Opera's voice browser technology derives from a several-year partnership with IBM concerning the development of XHTML+Voice (X+V) browser technology. The two companies co-announced a Multimodal Browser and Toolkit early in 2003, at which time Opera began offering an enhancement to Opera 7.0 for Windows that was made available through the Multimodal Browser project. The modified version of Opera 7.0 was capable of rendering Web pages written in the XHTML+Voice markup language, Opera said, at the time.
The voice technology in the recent beta release of Opera for Windows 8 supports websites that offer interactive, voice-enabled shopping and booking systems, the company says. Additionally, users can browse the web using spoken commands such as "Opera next link," "Opera back," and "Opera speak." In response to the latter, Opera reads the content of a web page or email aloud.
An Opera spokesperson confirmed that Opera will not be adding voice capabilities to the Linux version of Opera 8 any time soon. "Unfortunately Voice is only available on Windows. Voice uses IBM technology, and until IBM develops Voice for Linux and Mac, Opera is unable to offer this feature," the spokesperson told DesktopLinux.com.
Major release
"We were preparing for the 7.60 release, but as work progressed and we kept adding improvements and functionality, it became very evident that we now have a browser that is so powerful, secure, and easy to use that it exceeds the next logical version number and warrants a major release," said Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner, in a statement. "The new Opera version has dramatic improvements under the hood, in addition to some very helpful new features to welcome more and more users to take advantage of browsing the Internet in a fast, safe, and customizable way."
Christen Krogh, vice president of engineering for Opera, noted that the Opera browser has borrowed efficiency technologies from Opera's experience in the mobile phone market, which has resulted in an increase in Opera Software's "speed, security, and page handling."
The Opera for Linux 8 beta (version 8.00b1) is available as a free download. The final version, which will support Linux, Mac, and Windows, is scheduled for release in early 2005, according to Opera. Users who have licensed versions of Opera 7 will receive free upgrades to the new version, it says.
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