Opera
Current Version: 9.63 (December 17, 2008)
Opera, the browser that has been a favorite of PC users for years, has finally arrived on the Macintosh in recent years. Similar in scope to Mozilla, Opera includes not just a web browser, but an email client and Usenet newsreader as well. Both of these are quite capable, and worth a look if you prefer an all-in-one application to suit the bulk of your Internet communication needs.
Version 9.63 made the following changes from version 9.62:
- Manipulating text input contents can allow execution of arbitrary code.
- HTML parsing flaw can cause Opera to execute arbitrary code.
- Long hostnames in file: URLs can cause execution of arbitrary code.
- Script injection in feed preview can reveal contents of unrelated news feeds.
- Built-in XSLT templates can allow cross-site scripting.
- Fixed an issue that could reveal random data. Details will be disclosed at a later date.
- SVG images embedded using <img> tags can no longer execute Java or plugin content.
The online release notes have much more detail about these new features. I would daresay that, as of the 9.0 release, Opera has become a browser that is worthy of attention on the Mac once and for all. It's quite stable, capable and customizable, and it renders pages very well - on a par with Safari and Firefox. Its breakthrough feature remains its ability to magnify and reduce pages (graphics and all) to just about any size of your choice, which is a real boon for those with disabilities. Its RSS reader is much more thoroughly developed than that in Safari and Firefox as well. Be sure to come back here again for more thorough review soon.
Opera is entirely free, eschewing the built-in advertising that was once its hallmark. Competition in the browser space is a good thing for Mac users. Let's hope that Opera can shake up the Mac browser world in a big way.
User Reviews
[9.0.1] "I've been using Opera 9.01 for just over an hour and I'm already certain there won't be a second hour of testing. In this short space of time I've found the delete button in the download prefs does nothing (I wanted to delete the application/zip prefs to force Opera to ask for new settings), when I set zip files to be opened after downloading, nothing happens, and Opera corrupted all the zip archives I was downloading from a sound clip site. Camino downloaded them fine. Something else that bugged me, yet wasn't an actual bug - when I went Opera->About Opera to get double-check the program version before posting this review, Opera opened the about page IN PLACE of the MacOrchard submit a review page :-( Not good behavior. Opera also touts itself as the fastest browser ever - not in my testing! Camino and even Shiira are faster loading pages. These bugs and annoyances (and this is just what I've encountered in an hour... I wonder what I'd find if I stuck with Opera longer?) are nothing compared to how un-maclike the UI is. If only because Opera uses non-standard and un-maclike UI elements and practises, I will not continue using this program."
—Jamie Kahn Genet, August 12, 2006
Submit another review!
the Carbon / Universal version for Mac OS X.
Version 10.0 Alpha 1 (Carbon / Universal, for Mac OS X - December 5, 2008) is available, making a huge number of changes, including the following:
- Updated engine - Opera Presto 2.2 is the newest rendering engine for the Opera browser. It provides significant improvements in speed, performance and security.
- 30% Faster on the real Web - We optimized the Opera Presto 2.2 engine to be much faster on resource intensive pages such as Gmail and Facebook.
- Great-looking standards - With an Acid3 100/100 score, Web Fonts support, RGBA/HSLA color and SVG improvements, Opera 10 alpha is ready for the next generation of Web applications.
- Inline spell-check - Write freely in your Facebook wall, blog or Web mail. Opera 10 alpha underlines any misspelled words so you can express yourself without reservation.
- Auto-update - Opera 10 alpha makes it easier than ever to stay up to date with the latest version.
- E-mail your way - Depending on your personality or mood, use full HTML formatting or just plain text in your e-mails.
- Web Fonts and SVG - With the Opera Presto 2.2 engine, you can use Web Fonts - including SVG font files - on your Web pages.
- Opacity through RGBA and HSLA - In Opera Presto 2.2 it is easier to make page elements transparent, with the addition of an alpha transparency argument to the RGB and HSL color models.
- Opera Dragonfly evolved - Opera Dragonfly is now even better for debugging Web sites, allowing you to edit the DOM and inspect HTTP headers.
WARNING: This is an alpha version of Opera: it contains the latest changes, but may also have severe known issues, including crashes and data loss situations. In fact, it may not work at all. Please use it only on properly backed up computers and do not install over previous Opera versions.
This release uses a database format for Opera Mail (and feeds) incompatible with Kestrel. You will not be able to downgrade to a previous version of Opera and use Opera Mail after upgrading to Opera 10.0.
The alpha page has full details of everything that has changed since version 9.62.
Also See . . .
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:
Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.
Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.
Related Links
Are you looking for an older version of a browser, but can't seem to find it? The evolt.org Browser Archive and Darrel Knutson's Macintosh Web Browser Page are the places to visit!
Also Consider . . .
These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!