Opera Features and the Release Cycle
By Adam Minchintonminch. Wednesday, May 29, 2013 9:19:52 AM
Our plan all along is to have three different streams of Opera for Desktop running all the time. Each stream will have an increasing level of stability. The streams will be:
Opera Developer: Most unstable, all the cool stuff
Opera Next: The work we are stabilizing for the next final version
Opera (Stable): The most stable build for everyone
We didn't settle exactly how often we will be releasing new builds in these streams but we can tip that you will see new versions coming at much, much faster pace than it was with the classic, Presto-based line.
You don't need to worry about Opera becoming a clone of something, or that you will be forced to stop using 12.x before you think we're ready. Our mission didn't change - we're going to bring you the best Internet experience. We are on the way to build the best browser out there. A browser that is not tied to the particular version number but is a continuously work in progress. Seeing your engagement I think we can count on your help and feedback.
So if something is not in Opera 15 stable - don't worry, Opera Next 16 will be released roughly same time as Opera 15 stable. And the time span between the two will be shorter than ever.
So let's talk about features.
We got a long list from you yesterday. Yes we made a list! As we have mentioned in the comments and we want to say it loud now - more features will come in future versions. Just to mention Link, themes support, geolocation and a feature rich tab bar to start with. Some are already in the making - just disabled since not stable enough just yet. Over the time also our settings/configuration will become richer too. And one more - Dragonfly is not dead though we cannot give you more information yet.
Stay tuned, and please keep sending in your feedback.
Comments
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JackWagon # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:19:25 PM
Владимир Назаровirdose7 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:20:07 PM
s/ashslash4real # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:21:42 PM
ClashCityRockerclashcityrocker # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:22:02 PM
It would be also nice to get formal clarification on bookmarks, what's happening, are they coming back or not. A very controversial move if they aren't.
I for one am VERY glad opera has lost all of it's clutter. Nobody wants to be messing with INI files and custom style sheets in 2013. The web has grown up, and now Opera has too. Opera shouldn't pander to the handful of very vocal geeks that want to steer Opera AWAY from mainstream acceptance.
János, Vinczevinczej # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:22:24 PM
crash1 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:23:17 PM
Tuttle # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:23:52 PM
Changing any webpage on-the-fly by looking the source code will be misses for some developments.
I just hope cool features won't die with this new version, that almost all from 12.15 will be kept in the final release.
Good luck Opera devs.
Predragpredrag83yu # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:25:06 PM
On my other WIN 8 x64 machine new opera is working fine.
Daniel Aleksandersendaniel # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:25:15 PM
Originally posted by slash4real:
At the moment we offer Stash and Speed Dials.
grafio # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:25:47 PM
thefreeman55 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:26:42 PM
Originally posted by Tuttle:
+1
and thanks for sharing some info
ck-13 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:27:06 PM
And the zoom in Opera 12.15 is way better the the one in Opera 15.
In Opera 12.15 the zoom resets after the close of the page, but on 15 it remembers the zoom value.
King Crimson # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:27:13 PM
We want all old and good Opera features back!
knolle # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:28:23 PM
Ghirahimghirahim # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:29:22 PM
vux777 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:30:15 PM
notes, sidebar, zoom slider (yes on status bar), customization ...those things made opera fav browser
s/ashslash4real # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:30:21 PM
Originally posted by daniel:
I don't find Stash practical at all. Importing all my PrestoOpera bookmarks as SD entries will make Opera to load forever at a cold boot. Right now with 25 SDs is slower than 12.15. I can't even imagine loading hundreds of thumbnails and a page that will have a scroll worth of few meters.Kilokiloza # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:31:36 PM
/meh
Krissz5435 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:31:51 PM
Alessandro Cassaràtouchmyhands # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:32:11 PM
Christian WaldeXenoFur # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:32:34 PM
Show us your list.
Your post is rather empty as it is content-wise and does nothing to show what you are actually going to do in the long term nor engender any actual trust that the things about Opera that matter most are even possible to be implemented in a Chrome fork, so:
Show us your list.
ChrisCjcr # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:33:27 PM
Hope you take note to this too :
https://www.change.org/petitions/opera-software-asa-bring-back-m2-build-in-mail-client-to-opera-next-opera-15
Please sign it and share everywhere (forums, twitter, fb, ..).
Ghirahimghirahim # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:33:57 PM
Yogurth # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:35:29 PM
I'm glad to see some of the features that made Opera are coming back, but would also like some clarifications surrounding the Bookmarks and Link. I have a lot of data stored in bookmarks details, and if these are not coming back, and the data would be lost. If that is the case, it would be an obligation form Opera team to make an utility to export all of this data into some widely accepted format, as I believe HTML export included in Opera is not exporting all of the data.
Keep up!
tisazalay # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:35:35 PM
Deeleresdeeleres # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:37:11 PM
To say something like
"Yeah, we will add this feature later again!"
is something like
"Here is your car with a new powerful engine. But we had to remove the windshield, the 3rd gear, the bumpers, the damper and door lock."
wannadance # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:37:19 PM
Daniel Aleksandersendaniel # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:37:29 PM
Originally posted by ghirahim:
There will not be a 64-bit version for version 15, at least. Of course, we will want to take advent of 64-bit again in the future. The 32-bit version will run just fine on 64-bit operating systems, so it should not be a problem for anyone. (Windows Visa and XP 64-bit has some issues with the current build, but we hope to resolve these.)
tootbrush # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:37:29 PM
Speed Dial - sites I visit frequently and want to access quickly.
Stash - temporary storage for sites I may want to read later.
Bookmarks - sites I don't frequent, but keep in the Bookmarks menu in case I need them.
There's no overlap between them, especially when you consider the fact that I may have hundreds or thousands of bookmarks. Speed Dial/Stash don't handle cases like that gracefully and there's nothing you can do about that.
singlemature # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:38:12 PM
Adam Minchintonminch # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:38:16 PM
Originally posted by Krissz5435:
We are concentrating of getting Opera 15 stable delivered via the Opera Next stream. The Opera Developer stream will be available after we release Opera 15 stable.
Alessandro Cassaràtouchmyhands # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:39:10 PM
Originally posted by singlemature:
+1
Satan D. Lucifersupertrol # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:40:38 PM
UserCSS/JS
urlfilter.ini
bookmarks
Built In RSS
Disable animations
Reduce Installer download
Opera went from Feature Rich Internet Suite to dumbed down bloated feature poor chrome clone web browser.
please re-implement those i listed above and i can say goodbye to presto for good.
sabisan # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:41:21 PM
Krissz5435 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:42:53 PM
Originally posted by minch:
Thanks for the answer.
Stein73 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:44:05 PM
I will deeply mourn some of the features that seem to be lost for ever, I loved M2, but there is no way I will use it as a separate program.
I will nag for the inclusion of other features, for example bookmarks. I think it is a huge failure to skip them. Re-inclusion of bookmarks do not seem to be on your list, but maybe that window is not closed, so we'll continue to nag.
That said, I think I see the problem that Opera faced the moment they chose to leave Presto behind. The transition would necessarily take some time, and then Opera was left with two options:
1) To spend as much time as needed incorporating as many features as possible before "re-launch". They would then be in danger of creating a vacuum: Opera 12.5 would be more and more obsolete, and Opera would feel more and more irrelevant as other browsers would develop and be in the news.
2) To spend less time, release a "core browser" focusing on browser stability and speed, and add functions step by step. Doing so would put them in danger of p****** off the fan base. Which they have done, oh so much.
I personally much prefer the second way, but on one "condition": Keep us up to date and informed about your thoughts and plans. Of course there are things you'll want to keep secret, but still.... Opera fans are - I think - extremely hardcore and loyal. We "preach" Opera wherever we go! You don't want to loose us!!!! I think many of us are willing to except changes (although grumbling...), but not to be left in the dark.
Just talk to use (a heck of a lot more than you did in the first post about O15) and we'll keep the love and wait...
MyOpera team, please fix this!fearphage # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:44:50 PM
Ghirahimghirahim # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:44:57 PM
Originally posted by daniel:
Thanks for your reply. What exactly is the reason for this?
Tom DromeFavBrowser # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:46:13 PM
JackWagon # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:46:18 PM
Originally posted by ghirahim:
Unless you're referring to Linux, a Windows x64 version would be highly improbable, as Chrome has never been 64 bit in the windows iteration.
M-Z # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:47:30 PM
Does this mean that - like in Chrome - when Opera (or Google) will cut out some good feature, the user will be unable to prevent from upgrade? You said only that 12.15 users will not be "forced" to upgrade.
I must say you lost a lot of trust when you pull a stunt like faking URL in speed dial entries. How can we trust you if you treat us in this way? When someone else does it, it is called spoofing.
Sagacitysagacity # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:47:33 PM
d4rkn1ght # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:49:13 PM
Originally posted by King Crimson:
+1Geoff GerlachHillbilly # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:52:14 PM
Originally posted by singlemature:
Clam down, not likely. No mention of re-integrating M2 - essential to a huge number of users. I won't carry-on about bookmarks and customisation, it's been well complained about.
I am certainly not calm
XenoAntaresXAntares # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:52:18 PM
I must say, as a user of Opera since versions 3, I can taste some flavour[1] of good old Opera in Opera 15! :D Hungry for more of that.[2]
The browsing experience is way above Opera 12, the UX has to follow suit.
On an other issue: How do we change update channels?
___
[1] Be it such tiny things like "." for inline search. Or the fact you didn't dump unique speeddial extensions in the wake of switching to Chromium extensions.
[2] Customizability: Most of all I miss easily (that may mean at least as easy™ as in legacy-Opera) customizable search engines (I don't want to use non-HTTPS google, e.g); keyboard and mouse layouts are other features highly missed; urlfilter.ini another one. RSS/M2 will be painfully missed but probably not re-integrated, as I understand it. We will learn to live with that.
Ashus # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:52:40 PM
TheMajor # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:53:00 PM
Joggerr # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:53:52 PM
opera1215b1748 # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:54:23 PM
Why don't you say about the security and privacy aspects of v15+?
Robsonrobsonpc # Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:54:26 PM
Originally posted by daniel:
Hi Daniel,
Could not use Opera Link in place Stash?
Stash is not very useful for various sites, is a mess!