Opera 11 Browser maintains its Small Cult-like Following after 15 years

Longtime underdog Opera Software has released its browser Opera 11. Opera’s browser has developed a small cult-like following since its inception in 1996, its following based primarily on its speed, innovation and open-source ideals. In a series of browser firsts, Opera was the first browser to introduce tabbed browsing which has now become the industry standard.

In its latest offering, Opera 11, they are releasing more innovative web browsing solutions including optional plugins, available on demand. The browser also allows you to operate ‘sessions’, permitting you to save your current browser pages for later. The company has always prided itself on its speed and version 11 of Opera operates at 15 to 20 percent faster than Opera 10.63, an already zippy browser.

The most attractive new feature of the browser is its tab stacking. Tabbed stacking allows schizophrenic-like web surfers who have large numbers of tabs open at once, to put them into groups for easier sorting and access. By simply clicking and dragging you can create tab groups.

The browser will also feature extensions similar to those in other lead Internet browsers, something the previous editions did not. The addition of closed-source extensions may help give Opera the boost it needs to increase its current 3.4% market share. Opera 11 may be released at just the right time, alongside the release of Google’s Chrome, a browser quickly gaining in popularity. As browser choices widen, and heavy favorite Internet Explorer (pre-installed in Windows) loses market share, Opera may just have a chance this time.