Oslo, Norway — (press release excerpt) — Opera Software today launched Opera 5.0 for Linux, providing the Linux community with a fast, full-featured and stable Web browser for the first time. Opera 5 for Linux offers an Internet experience for the Linux platform as hassle-free as on Windows. Today's release affirms Opera
Software's leadership in cross-platform browser development.

In addition to the usual Opera features such as speed, size and stability, users will find exciting features not yet implemented in the Windows version. The extensive customization possibilities for user settings, additional drag-and-drop features and the Hotlist search function are features only available in the Linux version.

Opera for Linux was already ranked the best browser in Linux trade publications around the world in its alpha and beta stages, and thousands of enthusiastic Linux users have already downloaded and battle-tested the browser.

Opera 5 for Linux supports the following technologies . . .

• Fast rendering of pages. Opera is the fastest full-featured browser on the market today.
  
• Instant toggling of image and documents settings. For even faster browsing, images can be turned on/off with just the press of a key.
  
• Extensive drag-and-drop features familiar to Linux users.
  
• Easy keyboard navigation and early implementation of Opera's unique mouse gestures.
  
• Multiple windows support.
  
• Resume interrupted download sessions.
  
• Small size. Opera is only a 1,5 MB download with Qt dynamically linked, and 3 MB with Qt statically linked.
  
• High quality zooming. Opera can zoom in on a page up to 1000%.
  
• A powerful search capability with the added possibility of searching the user's own Hotlist. In the search feature, users can easily migrate between the most popular search engines, and search for terms, domain names, audio/Mp3s, images, video, stock quotes, books or company information.

Opera continues its commitment to the standards as laid out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Opera 5.0 for Linux supports the following technologies: 128-bit encryption, TLS 1.0, SSL 2 and 3, CSS1 and CSS2, XML, HTML 4.01, HTTP 1.1, ECMAScript, JavaScript 1.3, partial DOM and WAP/WML. Support for Netscape plug-ins will be released in the weeks to come.

As with Opera 5 for Windows, Linux users can download this version for free in an ad-sponsored version or opt to register their copy for $39. For OEM licensing information, contact Opera.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.