Opera has today released the 9.6 version of the desktop web browser software.  The web browser is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac based computers, with 38 localized versions.

The new version offers numerous new features, including the Opera Link tool, which synchronizes browser bookmarks and options among different computers and/or operating systems, as well as visual previews for RSS feeds.  The email client boasts a new highly optimized “low bandwidth mode” and message prioritizing.

Opera’s speed has also been increased from the previous version, offering an experience similar to that of Firefox 3, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8 beta.  Opera 9.6 can be downloaded here.

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8 Comments

  1. I have Opera installed on my PC. However i don’t think Opera is faster than Firefox or Safari for that matter. You see, Opera collect all data packets including images and text, and then displays them all together at once, unlike others which displays a webpage as and when they receive it.

    This sudden appearance of whole webpage is what makes human eye to think that Opera is fast. However they still behave at the same speed. Just an Illusion for which many people fall for!

    I just have Opera on my PC for the speed dial feature. No browser is anywhere close on that thing compared to Opera 😉

  2. Opera’s built in RSS newsreader and email client is phenomenal…makes it so much simpler to track everything. Mouse gestures make it much simpler browsing (Right mouse button + Left mouse button = Back button; Left mouse button + Left = Forward button), and so intuitive once you learn to use it. Being able to build custom searches (visit any site with a search box, right click it and you can search it from your address bar).

    Firefox has addons that incorporate a lot of these features, like Fast Dial if you like Opera’s Speed Dial, but these are third party and don’t always mesh as well. Only downfall I can attribute to Opera is it only works with 90% of the sites I visit, so have to keep Firefox open for the others.

  3. I have been using Opera as my primary browser for years (since v7.11), and I love it. No other browser feels as smooth and comfortable as Opera. I use Firefox also a lot, but Opera is my #1 browser.

    Btw, another nice feature in Opera 9.6 is the Scroll marker.

  4. Opera is way better than any other browser. It is a pioneer in inventing awesome features into the browser and still keeping it low on the memory usage. (FF crashes like 2 out of 3 times.).

    Firefox is just a “hype-box”.
    Opera Rules !!

  5. P.S. :

    I don’t like the way you said “Opera’s speed has also been increased from the previous version, ||||offering an experience similar to|||| that of Firefox 3, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8 beta. ”

    It’s as if Opera is not upto the standards of other browsers.
    Infact, if you had been using opera for like 3-4 years and compared it with FF , and IE , you would have made an opposite statment …..

    “Firefox 3, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8 beta’s speed have also been increased from their previous versions, offering an experience similar to that of the Highly awesome Opera browser”

    Don’t go blindly with the “hype”….think for yourself…..Give opera a try without any bias to FF and you’ll surely forget FF (exxagerated over here 😉 )

  6. Hello,

    I hope you consider “Widgets” as “Gadgets” as well.

    I recently saw Widgets on Opera rotating in a rectangular shaped box.
    Have you seen it? If you have, do you know where I can download a
    copy of it? Thank-you for your reply,

    Peter J. Kowalchuk

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