IDG News Service - Opera Software ASA released the first public beta of Opera 9 today, giving users the go-ahead to put its new Web browser through its paces.
Opera 9 includes a feature called "widgets," which are small Web applications such as newsfeeds or games that reside in a window on a user's desktop. It also comes with the BitTorrent file-downloading software built in, meaning users don't have to start that software as a separate application.
The beta release follows a second technical preview of Opera 9, which was released about two months ago.
"There are no big feature changes in the beta version. The main difference is that the beta version is stable enough for people to use as their primary browser," said Tor Odland, a spokesman for Opera, in Oslo, Norway.
The software may still have some bugs in it, however. Opera advised users to back up their files in case it causes any problems on their machine.
The software can be downloaded free of charge from www.opera.com. It's available for all major operating systems, including Windows and the Mac OS, Odland said.
The final version of Opera 9 is due out in the next few months, he said.
Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer dominates on the Web. Mozilla's Firefox browser has managed to eke out 10% of the market, according to figures released earlier this month by Web measurement firm Net Applications. Apple Computer Inc.'s Safari browser held a 3.19% share, followed by Netscape with 1.05% and Opera with 0.54%, Net Applications said.
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