Opera


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What's new in Opera 3.50?
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Once again, we have added a number of really useful features without bloating the size of the program. Amongst the most important are
Java support for the 32bit version Opera 3.50 now supports Java applets! Not natively, but via the Plugin from Sun. However, this is only working in the 32bit version, as the plugin itself is only available in a 32bit version. It is large though. The U.S. version is 4.9 MB and the International version is 7.5 MB.

How to get it to work:
This is how to install the Sun Java plugin:

  1. Download the plugin from here.
  2. Run the installer and make sure you do not install the plugin in Opera's "plugin" folder.
  3. Copy the file "NPJava32.dll" from the the plugin's "bin" directory to Opera's "plugins" folder.
  4. Do a "Find plugins" in Opera's associations dialog.
You will now have Java support in Opera.

If you use Windows 3.1x / NT 3.51/Win32s, you will not be able to use this plug-in with Opera.

More detailed instructions are available on the support site.

CSS 1 Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a standard for displaying and formatting HTML pages accepted by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).

Style sheets can either be defined within the same HTML document or referenced by an external style sheet file. This makes it very easy to format documents in a space-saving and consistent manner.

The Document/User modes can now be specified by the user in the "Document Appearance" settings. This allows the user to specify how the documents should be displayed in the two respective modes. This can be very useful for web designers as they can quickly check the pages with and without CSS support.

Opera 3.50 supports the larger part of CSS1 as outlined by the W3C at the moment.

File Upload Many web-based email clients, such as MailExcite, Juno, Yahoo and Hotmail allow you to attach local files to the email. In order to do this, the file upload function has to be supported.

With v3.50 you can now upload files, using the full functionality of these WebMailers. Sign up for Opera's new web-based OperaMail service!

TLS 1.0 As the first browser on the market Opera is now supporting TLS 1.0 (transport layer security), the successor of SSL v3.
Shortcuts Not quite new in 3.50, but nevertheless worth a mention are these new shortcuts:
  • 4 - minimizes the active window
  • 5 - maximizes the active window
  • F11 - toggles the kiosk mode (which removes the Opera title bar for more screen real estate)
  • CTRL-"+" - Zooms in by a 100%
  • CTRL-"-" - Zooms out by a 100%
Name Completion Name completion is very useful if you want to save time when entering URL. Here you can determine which domains Opera should use for the completion task. (Name completion is not available if you are using proxies.)
User definable tool bar icons You can now create your own tool bar icons! Both GIF and JPG formats are supported, and even the size is variable. See our buttons page on the support site for more information and some great new button sets that you can download and install!
New supported plugins
Macromedia Shockwave Director Download here!
Yamaha Midi Plugin Download here!
New download window The new download window is called the Transfer Window and is a lot more informative and functional than the previous one. You can now see graphically how much of the file has been loaded, how much longer it will still take for the download to be completed, and some other miscellaneous file information. You can also take direct action once the file is completely downloaded. In other words, you will like it! ;-)
Printing of document background You can now also print the background of a webpage. If you don't want that option, turn it off. It's under File/Print Scale and Margins.
And... Here's a list of all the other enhancements
  • The display engine has been rewritten and the cache optimized, so that Opera redraws screens about 20% faster than before.
  • Tables can be turned off (Multimedia dialog).
  • The hotlist, display, SSL and Javascript have undergone a revision.
  • 'Offline Browse Mode' added (File Menu).
  • Completed file downloads can be indicated via a sound (Preferences/Sounds).
  • 'Close Window' added to right-click popup menu
  • 'Save Now' added to right-click hotlist menu
  • 'Full Screen' added to View menu.
  • Certificates can be installed (SSL dialog when coming across a secure site).
  • Dialog boxes pepped up and rearranged for clarity.
  • Error messages made more clear and constructive.
  • 'About Opera' window improved and amended.
  • Bugs removed.
  • Help System amended and improved.

Opera 3.x - main features

Version 3.0, released in December 1997, was a milestone for Opera Software. If you are new to Opera, you may be interested in what we added to this bumper release.
Javascript Our customers have asked us to add Javascript, as many sites now use this to function and navigate. You can switch the use of Javascript off any time you like, if you feel that it makes your browser instable.
New address list Many of our customers have asked us to review our powerful but unintuitive address list. We have taken their advice to heart and completely redesigned the address list. You can now have various levels of sub-folders. IN addition, we have developed a docked hotlist, that makes adding and retrieving URLs simple and efficient.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL 2.0, 3.0) Accessing secure sites for online purchases and banking has become paramount for many of our customers. We have heeded their advice and added SSL. You may switch it off any time you like.
Netscape Plugins A host of NS-compatible plugins are on the market. To give those of our customers who use plugins the opportunity to utilize and enjoy them in Opera, we added support for a selection to v3.0. Of course, you can switch them off any time you like - all in the spirit of Opera. Below is a selection of currently supported plugins; however, this list is by no means complete and will be updated frequently.

Adobe Acrobat Download here!
AnimaFlex Download here!
Asymetrix Icon Author Download here!
Beatnix Sound Download here!
Chemscape Chime Download here!
CPC View Download here!
Calendar Quick Download here!
Corel CMX Download here!
Cosmo VRML player Download here!
EchoSpeech Download here!
Envoy Download here!
GetRight Download here!
IPIX Download here!
Lurawave Download here!
Lightning Strike Download here!
Koan Music Download here!
ModPlug Download here!
MegaView Download here!
QuickTime Download here!
RealPlayer G2 beta Download here!
Shockwave Flash Download here!
VDOLife Download here!
Useful new keyboard shortcuts Ctrl-A - marks all text
Ctrl-R - reloads document
Ctrl-I - reloads all graphics
W/S - Jumps between all headers
E/D - Jumps between all elements
6 - Jumps to 100% zoom
7 - Zooms out by 100%
8 - Zooms in by 100%
Opera:cache To view the content of the Opera cache directory
General Improvements Too many to mention here. Take a look at the Revision History


Revision History
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New features in Opera 3.2
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  1. Save Document and Images as... (to retrieve them in full at a later stage)
  2. Default Browser settings upon startup and in Preferences menu
  3. Improvements in the security module
  4. Bugfixes



New features in Opera 3.1


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  1. None. Opera 3.1 was just a bugfix release.



New features in Opera 3.0


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  1. New multi-level 'docked' hot list with import
  2. JavaScript (Netscape 3.0 compatible)
  3. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) 2.0, 3.0 and TLS 1.0 support
  4. Server Push
  5. Visually enhanced User Interface (new buttons)
  6. Single button color toggle between document and user colors
  7. Keyboard commands to jump between elements in a document
  8. Some changes in the keyboard setup with respect to news.
  9. Additional zoom keys:
  10. New window in the background function (CONTROL+SHIFT+CLICK)
  11. Improved cache handling
  12. <FONT FACE> support
  13. Reload all windows added
  14. Remembers Open/Save directories between runs
  15. Link Save as file function added
  16. Mail out file for saving correspondence
  17. Option to turn off active frame border
  18. INI file options to turn off exit box
  19. INI file options to select buttons in button bar
  20. Plugins
  21. Frame 'Save As' added
  22. New Keyboard Short Cuts:
  23. No border on buttons (option to turn them on again)
  24. Opera:cache to view cache contents
  25. Secure News
  26. Now uses default windows color scheme as default
  27. Font settings for news and forms elements
  28. Improved scrolling with big background images
  29. Width & height % support added for plugins
  30. Mailto subject support added
  31. Save As improved
  32. Password in HTTP URL added
  33. Meta Cookie support added (Cookie in HTML)
  34. Application start from Opera fixed
  35. Full path saved for dialogs
  36. Focus shifted to url/history field for blank windows
  37. New tested plugins
  38. Button color background color
  39. Insecure form warning added (HTTP)
  40. Forms font size improved
  41. Download window added
  42. New warning windows
  43. Added support for passwords in HTTP strings
  44. Added pre-authentication
  45. Window size option added (show)
  46. Added simple access to cache, download, global history and plugin window
  47. Handling of incorrect frames document relaxed
  48. Bugfixes.