Opera browser releases what it claims is the first gaming browser

(June 11) For the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year the browser Opera has come up with what it terms the "world's first gaming browser".

Those serious about customizing every element in their PC may be interested

Some may find the idea of a gaming browser as a bit odd, but there are some changes in the browser that could attract those interested in customizing everything. The new browser is called Opera GX.

Opera GX

The new browser has a panel that lets you set limits on CPU and RAM usage. Some browsers particularly Chrome have been criticized for excessive resource usage. Setting hard limits on how much of each can be used is a smart addition useful to those who know exactly what this entails for performance. The control panel will also show how much each of those resources is being used at any given time.

There are also built into Opera GX some game-focused additions. The tab screen shows deals on games as well as a number of gaming, technology, and entertainment news stories. As with the standard Opera the browser has as well a permanent bar on the left side of the screen with icons for quick access to various settings and services. In Opera GX this includes a new panel that has quick access to Twitch subscriptions.

There is customizable lighting a feature that would be appreciated by gamers. By default, the browser is black with a red accent to highlight tabs and icons. You can customize the accent color. The Opera GX also comes with sound effects that were in part made by the same band that worked on the soundtrack for Gris the famous video game.

Opera GX also includes flashy features built into regular Opera including a free VPN service, an ad blocker, and pop out panels that give access to chat services such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Opera often updates with new features, to try and keep up interest.

Opera GX includes the flashier features built into the regular Opera, too, including a free VPN service, an ad blocker, and pop-out panels with access to chat services like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Opera has made a habit of releasing multiple versions of its browser to experiment with new features, stir up buzz, and possibly gain more users. Most of those don’t go far, but they do help Opera improve its core browser. Chrome still vastly dominates the market, but releases like this get Opera’s name back in the news and can help to drum up interest.

Browser desk top market share

According to Stats Counter Data Chrome still dominates the market with over 69 percent. Firefox is second but with only a little over ten percent. Safari the Apple OS has 7.25 percent. Out of date Microsoft IE still has 5.14 percent Its replacement Edge has just 4.3 percent. Opera has a meager 2.34 percent.

Opera GX can be downloaded free from TechSpot. There are also links to download the regular Opera or Vivaldi. They are both free.

Electronic Entertainment Expo

Wikipedia describes the E3 as follows: " The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly referred to as E3, is a premier trade event for the video game industry.[2] Presented and organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), it is used by many developers, publishers, and hardware and accessory manufacturers to introduce and advertise upcoming games and game-related merchandise to retailers and members of the press. E3 events formally includes an exhibition floor for developers, publishers, and manufacturers to showcase titles and products to be sold in the upcoming year. Before and during the event, publishers and hardware manufacturers usually hold press conferences to announce new games and products of theirs."

E3 is being held in Los Angeles from Monday June 11 (today) to June 13.

First published in the Digital Journal

Vivaldi a new browser may be the right one for you. Try it.

There are already plenty of web browsers all of which work relatively well but there are five main browsers that together constitute almost all of those used except for a small percentage of users. Some of the many other browsers are well worth trying.

The five main browsers, with the percentage who use them, as of February 2017 are: Chrome 62.95 percent, Firefox 14.81, Internet Explorer 9.62, Safari, 5.34 percent, and Edge 3.68 percent. Safari is the Apple browser, and Edge the new Microsoft browser. The next most popular browser Opera has only 1.6 percent of the market. Vivaldi has a minuscule .03 percent of the market.

I have several different computers, three of which use Chrome, and on my main computer I am now using Vivaldi. I used to use Opera which I liked a bit better than Chrome although it has many similarities. However, I encountered some difficulties loading the composition page for my blog. I had downloaded Vivaldi earlier to try out. Rather than bother trying to fix the problem with Opera I decided this was an opportunity to try out Vivaldi. I found it quite easy to use and to have all the features of Chrome and Opera and even more. The new history features are described in a recent Digital Journal article. An earlier article discusses other features.

Vivaldi was developed by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Tatsuki Tomita. Tetzchner is also a co-founder of Opera. On the appended video he explains why he left Opera and came to develop Vivaldi. He also explains why he thought that there was room for another browser in a field where it is quite difficult for those browsers that are not already popular to survive. Wikipedia says of Vivaldi:The browser is aimed at staunch technologists, heavy Internet users, and previous Opera web browser users disgruntled by Opera's transition from the Presto layout engine to the Blink layout engine, which removed many popular features. Vivaldi aims to revive the old, popular features of Opera 12. The browser has gained popularity since the launch of its first technical preview. The browser has one million users as of January 2017.[While the description makes it sound as if the browser might be difficult for ordinary users to use, I found it to be as easy if not easier to use than the more popular browsers. No doubt there are plenty of features that I do not use but it has the features I need and use all the time. Anyone who uses Chrome, or Opera should have no difficulty using Vivaldi. There is a side bar that can be opened or closed easily in which you can store notes and there are links to other features you often use. Vivaldi retains the Speed Dial of Opera in which you can store websites you often visit as tiles and just click on the tiles to access the site. Vivaldi can also use Chrome extensions.

For those who want to try the Opera browser it can be downloaded here. Opera had more than 350 million users worldwide as of the end of 2014. In July of 2016 the browser was sold to the Chinese firm of Oihoo for $600 million, but in November Golden Brick Capital acquired Opera along with Oihoo. Both Opera and Vivaldi are free so it does not cost anything to try them. Vivaldi will work with Linux systems. Vivaldi can be downloaded free from here. The latest stable version 1.8.770.50 is now available. I appended one of many reviews of Vivaldi. There is a forum for users to discuss issues with the browser.

Long-surviving Opera browser deserves a better market share

From time to time I look at statistics related to my blogs. Today I looked at browser percentage of page views on one of my blogs. Opera was over 40 percent. Over a longer period it runs at about one or two percent.

The statistic does not mean much. Maybe one person using Opera simply read a number of pages, but it piqued my curiosity about the Opera browser and led to my decision to write a short article on it. As compared to other browsers Opera is at present in fifth place on desktops with Chrome being the most popular according to most surveys, with venerable Internet Explorer in second, closely followed by Firefox, the Apple operating system in fourth and then Opera.
 As this article points out calculating the share of the market for each browser is difficult to estimate. Methods used give different results. However, the four different estimates shown here are not that different, except for one company that has Internet Explorer much more popular than any of the other three companies that made estimates. Three out of four estimates have Chrome as the top browser with the highest measurement being almost half 48.7 percent market share earlier in June this year. Opera's share estimate ranges from 1 to 3.2 percent. Opera itself claims to have more than 350 million users globally. However, many of these users are on mobile, 276 million of them as of August this year. Opera not only will operate on many mobile devices but will operate on Apple and Linux operating systems.
 The popularity of browsers varies from one country to the next. In Belarus, Opera is actually the most popular browser. Opera is the second oldest web browser and was launched in 1996 by Norwegian techies in competition with the big guns then — Internet Explorer by Microsoft and Netscape. Explorer later became dominant as it was bundled with computers that run Windows. Safari was bundled with Apple computers. The Chrome browser has the advantage of being integrated with Google. Finally Firefox was popular because it is open source and has a huge array of community-made add-ons. Opera could offer only special features and speed.
 The attraction of Opera in Belarus is that it has special features that allowed users to strip out images and other items that used up a lot of bandwidth. The state monopoly service provider charged hefty fees for use of the Internet. Opera allowed users to save money. Opera was also a leader in encryption another feature attractive to users in Belarus. The situation in Belarus has vastly improved in terms of cost. In 2009 a 1 Mbps connection cost about $45 dollars a month and the average salary was about $342 a month. This year the cost for the same plan is about $7 and the monthly salary average is $470, but Opera continues to be the most popular browser even though there is less concern about cost. Probably this shows that people use web browsers they are used to.
 In my own experience, I used Internet Explorer for years simply because it was the browser that came with computers I purchased. From time to time I would hear of people who used Firefox claiming it was much better. However, why bother changing when what you are using and comfortable with is working. I finally did try Firefox and then Chrome. I now use Firefox and its totally open source clone Ice Weasel on all my computers. I just found it easier to use the same browser no matter what computer I am on. Years ago I did try Opera but did not adopt it because it had compatibility issues with a few websites. However, perhaps I will try out Opera again.
 The review of Opera here is quite positive. Another article claims that Opera should have a larger market share and explains why it does not:
 On paper, Opera should have a massive market share – It’s updated regularly, fast, secure, customizable, introduces lots of new features first, and looks great. It’s also an absolute pleasure to use. So why does it only have a market share of 2.4%? To me, it looks like a matter of branding. Internet Explorer, Safari and Chrome are products from Microsoft, Apple and Google respectively, and Firefox has built up a great reputation over a long time. Opera, however, does not have a massive corporation behind it, nor does it have Firefox’s levels of marketing. No matter what the reason really is, you shouldn’t let Opera’s low market share discourage you from giving it a shot.