Opera 10.5 Preview Better and Faster than Ever, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2010.01.04. Opera 10.1 is already a wonderful browser, but version 10.5 for Mac (Intel only) is now written in Cocoa and the JavaScript engine is the fastest yet. Opera Software had announced that it was planning to offer the first taste of Opera 10.5 on December 22nd, 2009. However, the leaked build of Opera 10.0’s successor started being up for grabs from.
We have just released Opera 10.5 pre-alpha for Labs. This pre-alpha is based on the Evenes branch and includes Windows, Mac, and UNIX builds (see below for download link).
What is Opera for Mac Opera is a fast and secure browser trusted by millions of users. With the intuitive interface, Speed Dial and visual bookmarks for organizing favorite sites, news feature with fresh, relevant content, speed-boosting Opera Turbo mode and more handy features, Opera has everything you need to do more on the web. Opera 10.5 free download - Opera, Windows 10, Opera Mini - fast web browser, and many more programs. Luckily, this is one of the areas in which Opera GX shines, on both Mac and Windows, offering a unique set of features that help resolve these problems. The set of browser limiters, which includes a Network Bandwidth Limiter, as well as CPU and RAM Limiters, prevents the browser from becoming resource-hungry.
As you may know, we don’t typically open new versions to user-testing this early in the development cycle. However, we are really excited about what the Desktop team is cooking up and want your feedback.
Many of you have been asking for a glimpse of Carakan, our new ECMAScript/JavaScript engine, and an update to our HTML <video> support. With this release you’ll be able to play with them and a few other new technologies that will hopefully be part of our next major release.
Some disclaimers: What you’re downloading today is a feature-incomplete and likely unstable development build. Please handle with care, backup your data before you install and do not run in hydroelectric power plants.
What’s new: Inside
Carakan
Carakan is our new JavaScript engine. It’s fast, more than 7x faster in SunSpider than Opera 10.10 with Futhark on Windows (Mac optimization is not as far along). You can read more gritty details regarding register-based bytecode, automatic object classification and native code generation in the Opera Core blog.
SunSpider Javascript Benchmark (runs per minute)
<video>
This build features a long-awaited update to our support for the HTML5 <video> element, allowing native playback and control of video inside the browser. It has been much improved since our first proof of concept was released in 2007. Check out Philip Jägenstedt’s (re-)Introducing <video> article for all the details.
Presto 2.5
We are now using Presto 2.5, which contains a huge numbers of improvements. It also includes support for CSS3 transitions and transforms, and more HTML5 features like persistent storage.
Vega
Vega is our new graphics library. It’s currently software-based and displays everything you see on-screen. Vega can be hardware accelerated, but as you can see from the complex graphics benchmark in Peacekeeper, we don’t seem to need it yet. (Note that Futuremarks’ Peacekeeper test does no include the results of their complex graphics tests in the overall score. We believe this is wrong in 2009 and will simply be silly if not changed in 2010.)
Peacekeeper Complex Graphic Benchmarks
What’s new: Outside
Platform integration
- On Windows 7/Vista, you will notice a lot of visual changes and use of APIs, which allow the UI to display the Aero Glass effect. For Windows 7, we also added Aero Peek and Jump List support to help you easily access your Speed Dials, Tabs, etc. from the Taskbar.
- For Mac, a complete rewrite in Cocoa brings a Unified Toolbar, native buttons and scrollbars, multi-touch gestures (try 3-Finger Swipe Left/Right or Pinch to zoom) and a bunch of other small details. We also added Growl notification support.
“Private tab” and “Private window”
You can open a new Private tab or Private window that forgets everything that happened on it once closed.
Non-modal dialogs
Dialog boxes (JavaScript alerts, HTTP authentication, etc.) are now non-modal and are displayed as a page overlay. This allows you to switch tabs or windows while the dialog is still displayed. Similarly, the Password Manager dialog is now anchored at the top of the page won’t block any content as it loads a new page.
Address field and Search field improvements
Both fields have been upgraded in looks and functionality. They can now remember searches, support removing items from history and show results in a better layout.
Download
Update: Opera 10.50 is now part of normal release cycle. Please visit the Opera Desktop Team blog to download the latest version.
To try it out, you can download the latest Labs build here:
Again, please remember that this is an unstable development build. There are known bugs, unimplemented UI elements and surprise crashes.
Some specific known issues:
- High memory usage
- No JIT (slow performance) on old processors without SSE2
- No printing for Mac build
What’s next
We are very excited with this release, and we hope that with this sneak peek, you are too. From all of us at Opera we wish you a happy holiday and a great new year. We’ll be back soon with more exciting news.
Feel free to join the discussion at the My Opera community or visit the Desktop Team Blog for news and to leave a comment.
Resources
- Opera 10.5 pre-alpha, What’s new — Opera’s Developer Relations Team blog
- Carakan Revisited — Opera Core Concerns blog
- Carakan — Opera Core Concerns blog
- Carakan F.A.Q. — Opera’s Developer Relations Team blog
- Vega, Opera’s vector graphics library — Opera Core Concerns
Hello everyone,
A month after releasing the test build of Opera GX for macOS in the exclusive test program, we are happy to announce that the early access version of Opera GX is ready for your Mac.
During the testing process, we received feedback from people across 16 different countries, with our US testers being among the most active contributors. We want to thank those selected for taking the time to test our browser, as well as for the suggestions, compliments and warm-fuzzies you gave us.
While we are still working on the build and improving it with each update to ensure feature parity between macOS and Windows, the macOS browser is ready for you to use.
And, while you’re at it, make sure to check out our free set of exclusive wallpapers, prepared with love to perfectly match the Opera GX style. Check them out here or by taking a look at the gallery below:
A survey on American gamers
Recently, we conducted a representative survey in the US to better understand gamers, their browsing habits and favorite types of games, with some expected, and some interesting, results.
We started with operating systems and found that 14% of people play computer games on their macOS devices, while 82% use Windows machines, as you can see in the image below. Although not dominant on the market, Mac remains a relevant gaming environment.
Opera Mac 10.5.8
Opera’s survey shows the types of issues that US gamers experience. Opera GX solves them
We also asked about the technical issues people encounter while playing games.
As it turns out, 49% of people experience some technical issues: 30% are troubled by network problems, 26% by memory issues and 14% run into CPU trouble.
Luckily, this is one of the areas in which Opera GX shines, on both Mac and Windows, offering a unique set of features that help resolve these problems. The set of browser limiters, which includes a Network Bandwidth Limiter, as well as CPU and RAM Limiters, prevents the browser from becoming resource-hungry. What this boils down to is that your machines are left with more resources for running games.
Opera GX’s set of features is unique and relevant to every person who is serious about games. Ever since the launch of the Windows version during E3 in Los Angeles, we have been receiving many requests to add Mac support. We are happy to now be bringing the unique GX experience to macOS users.
The younger you are, the more you play
This one is pretty obvious, but it’s interesting to see the exact numbers. According to our research, American gamers spend an average of 1-2 hours a day playing games. Gamers below 24 years of age, however, spend more than 2 hours a day playing games. Men tend to play more than women: 41% of male respondents and 36% of female respondents respectively spend two hours a day gaming.
Women and men also like different types of games, or at least to different extents: Most men prefer first person shooters, followed by role playing games and simulation sports games, while women’s favorite games are role-playing games, followed by first person shooters and simulation sports games. Men in general also seem to play a wider variety of games while women enjoy playing puzzle games like Candy Crush and memory games on their mobile phones.
Our survey did not collect specific information about who is better at various games, as we could not expect honest answers – especially among those being surveyed along with their partners. This is, however, an interesting course of study for the future.
Most people watch games on YouTube
According to the results, 65% of those surveyed follow games on YouTube, followed by 25% using Twitch and 12% resorting to Mixer, with some overlap. Though Twitch is, in fact, dominant in streaming, YouTube is a more accessible resource for previously recorded gameplay.
Regardless of where you get your gaming-fix, Opera GX’s Network Limiter will help you control the network bandwidth your browser uses, ensuring you can play a game alongside without lag. Also, the Twitch sidebar integration makes it easier to follow your favorite streamers while the Video pop-out function allows you to play YouTube or other videos on top of your game.
The currently most-played games
16% of American gamers typically try a new game every day, while 64% do so twice a month or less frequently. Currently, the most popular game among those surveyed is Minecraft, followed by Fortnite, World of Warcraft and NBA2K. Scrabble was not factored in.
Opera 12 Mac 10.5.8
These statistics change frequently, which is one of the reasons that Opera GX includes a dedicated GX Corner – a special space with news about games, upcoming game releases, as well as the best deals and discounts from all over the web – so that you can always stay up to date in the wide world of gaming
US gamers love a personalized user interface
Opera GX also includes a personalized user interface, which allows you to adjust the browser to your color preferences and match your gaming setup, whether you prefer shiny, serious, the resurgence of 80’s neon or simple dark surroundings.
The world’s first gaming browser, Opera GX, is available for download on both Mac and Windows at www.opera.com/gx.