Opera

What is Opera? – Definition

Opera is a freeware web browser that was created in 1996 by Opera Software ASA, a Norwegian company.

History of the Opera Web Browser

The first attempt at creating Opera dates back to 1994. Scandinavian telecommunications company, Telenor, was a sponsor of this free Internet browser. The next version of the product, Opera 2.0, was created by the independent company ASA. The web browser has introduced an innovative (for its time) interface based on the MDI solution, i.e. opening several tabs in one window. The update of Opera from 2000 made it possible, in turn, to connect it with an email account.

Updates and Innovative Solutions

Opera 8.0, which was released in 2005, impressed with the ultimate UX-oriented solutions. The main drawback of the Opera browser was the large number of banner ads. The 8.5 version was revolutionary – the product started to operate under a freeware license (replacing the former adware, based on revenues coming from advertisements). The Opera browser has separate versions for the major operating systems.

Browser Capabilities

As multi-platform software, it works on mobiles and other devices (e.g. video game consoles or interactive television). Opera has 37 language versions.

The free browser ensures the privacy of its users – apart from the possibility to quickly delete private and browsing data, it also indicates the trust level for pages appearing in search results. Owing to this feature, Opera protects Internet users from phishing or malicious software.

Would you like to discover the history of other widely popular web browsers? Learn more about Internet Explorer and Google Chrome!