Opera 10 release candidate available

Summary: Opera Software has completed its first release candidate of Opera 10 but it won't include the Carakan JavaScript engine which is still in development.

Opera Software has completed its first release candidate of Opera 10, a browser that the company says has better performance, a Turbo mode for slow Internet connections, support for a variety of Web standards such as Web fonts, and improvements to the Opera Mail feature.

"Now, we are very close to releasing the best browser in Opera's long history," Jan Standal, Opera's vice president of desktop products, said in a statement. "We hope everyone who has helped us test our browser thus far will put the release candidate through its paces."

The new Carakan JavaScript engine, which is used to run Web-based applications such as Google Docs, isn't done yet.

"It won't be ready for (Opera) 10 final, but rest assured that it will be impressive when it comes," spokesman Thomas Ford said. He said Opera won't comment on the timing of the new engine's release until it enters alpha testing.

Firefox, Safari, and Chrome also all are working furiously on better JavaScript performance too, in an effort to make the Web a better foundation for applications.

The new Opera release candidate is available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Opera has been available for years as an alternative to the dominant Microsoft Internet Explorer, the second-ranked Firefox, and Apple's Safari. It was pushed into fifth place with the arrival of Google Chrome. The Opera browser often charts new territory, though. For example, its Speed Dial feature, which presents an array of Web site thumbnails when a person opens a new browser tab, was first introduced in 2007. A similar feature can now be found in Chrome and Safari, and Firefox may add something comparable.

This article was originally posted on CNET News.

Topic: Browser

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32 comments
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  • So how much will they pay me to use it?

    Because that's the only way anything they make will ever find its way on to any machine I run.
    Hallowed are the Ori
    • They will probably get the law changed..

      because competing on your own merits doesn't apply to them.
      planruse
  • RE: Opera 10 release candidate available

    The button to toggle between Show images/cached images/no images works for the 1st two. "No images" can be selected using drop-down arrow only.
    sural98@...
  • No thanks..

    this company doesnt know how to compete without throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old....I used to like Opera, it was a nice little browser. Maybe when they grow up and act like a real company I'll revisit them.
    JT82
  • RE: Opera 10 release candidate available

    No thanks, after what they did to Microsoft I refuse to use any of their software. The whiney little b's that they are will get no respect from me nor will I recommend them to any of my friends or coworkers. They can burn and their company can go out of business for all I care.

    Boycott Opera
    http://www.jcxp.net/news.php?newsid=2801
    Loverock Davidson
    • And firefox too?

      Since they are pushing for further compromises from MS saying the menu choice does not go far enough?

      Viva la crank dodo
    • And firefox too?

      Since they are pushing for further compromises from MS saying the menu choice does not go far enough?

      Even Opera has not appeared to push for further compromise.
      Viva la crank dodo
    • Odd...

      I thought it was the EC you hated. Ah well.

      I bet you'd be in raptures, all singing and dancing if Apple or Linux was on the wrong side of an EC ruling. I'm sure you'd then be claiming that the EC was the paragon of all that is good and right with the world.
      zkiwi
    • so what?

      do you work at Ms or something? are you directly affected?

      That Boycott Opera thing is what I really call a whiney lil suck*r attitude. That is American-Stupid.
      hectormacias
  • RE: Opera 10 release candidate available

    Wow. See that Opera. By the looks of the talkbacks here, it would seem you have done some damage to your reputation. No matter how righteous you may be, your presented yourself poorly with that EC BS. Now I doubt you will be able to compete solely on your merits now. Too late. Good job on the backfire!
    djmik
    • Too Bad

      It's a pity that you who have commented are too married to M$ to see what others have to offer.
      1djk1
      • Too Bad

        No, we're not married to Microsoft as you seem to think we are. But their child-like antics really did some damage to any favorable image they may have had. Sure, I was testing Opera, but as soon as I heard about their EU suit, I quickly un-installed it and will never go back again. Besides, it never worked right for me anyway, so good riddance.
        icg1032@...
        • Too Bad

          And why did M$ lose the antitrust lawsuit in the US?
          1djk1
          • I guess Opera Software fired up their Flux Capacitor

            went back in time, and got involved in that lawsuit too?

            Last I heard the MS anti-trust lawsuit had nothing to do with Opera.

            But it's possible time-traveling ninjas have gotten the best of me w/o my knowledge.


            Regardless, I much rather use my trusty Firefox. So far Mozilla doesn't go around crying to mommy EU like a little biznitch when people don't use their product. They actually make a compelling product that people want to use, and get results through their own merits.
            tikigawd
          • Funny story about Firefox...

            They were part of the lawsuit, they were backing Opera 110%. So... what was that about Firefox not going to the EU?
            Michael Alan Goff
      • Too bad... that you don't know what the hell you're talking about.

        Firefox user since 1.0.
        Hallowed are the Ori
  • For all the trolls posting at once

    Couldn't care less if you did not use it, your loss anyway.
    I am just waiting for August 28th when they will post their 2nd quarter results- most probably another good profit earning quarter, which will put a black eye on their detractors. For those not in the know, check out their revenues- they are in the same ball park as Mozilla, though lesser. So much for being a failed company.
    Oh, for another black eye, check out the state of the mobile web results for Opera mini usage- it has been showing exponential growth for the last three years. In a segment where there is real user choice, it has shown IE its real place.
    nilotpal_c
    • couldn't agree more

      real user choice is what MS avoids everyday when they make everybody follow their standart instead of W3C's.

      That is the main claim from Opera, to make Ms to follow the standarts.
      hectormacias
  • RE: Opera 10 release candidate available

    I've been a happy user of Opera since v. 8, and of Opera Mini (basic) on my cellphone since before v. 2. I'm pleased with its past refusal to run dangerous ActiveX and iFrame items, and I hope the new v. 10's "improved" JScript capabilities don't open up any new security holes. I look forward to updating my current v. 9.64. And I fail to understand where all the anti-Opera, pro MS sentiment aired here comes from -- since when is America *against* the underdog, or *for* the bully?
    fejlinton
    • When the underdog abuses the system..

      and uses the law maliciously. It will be a cold day in hell when Opera gets installed on my computer again. Their anti-trust suit was without merit and pushed by a socialist organization who doesnt understand what competition is. May Opera die a slow horrible death!
      JT82