Opera is a Web browser which claims support for many recent Internet standards, including 128-bit encryption, SSL2 and 3, CSS1 and 2, DOM2, XML, HTML 4.01, WML 1.3/2.0, JavaScript 1.5, and ECMAScript. Among the popular plug-ins supported are RealPlayer, Flash, and Shockwave; and beginning with Opera 4.0, an E-Mail and news client were included.

Initially designed especially for developers and the user who prefers total control over their browsing environment, Opera can be customized to meet each individual's taste. JavaScript, graphics, multimedia, and frames can all be toggled on and off; and such visual elements as links, headers and font specifications can be customized to the user's whim. And disabled users will appreciate Opera's ability to surf the net entirely with the keyboard.

When the first versions of the Opera browser appeared, they were available only for purchase. However, beginning with version 5 of the browser an ad supported free version was also offered. This ad supported free version is still available; as is an ad-free version which can be purchased for $39.

New features introduced with version 6 of the Opera browser included support for user-selectable single and multiple document displays (MDI/SDI); a skinnable interface; a Hotclick feature that allows users to highlight phrases in a document and receive additional information pertaining to the phrase, such as Web searches on the terms or an encyclopedia look-up; and Unicode support.

Version 7 extends the MDI/SDI capabilities introduced in v6 by allowing the user to combine single and multi-document browsing with tabbed browsing without a restart. Additional features in v7 include a new E-mail client with automatic categorization of E-mails and built-in spam filtering tools; "Small Screen Rendering" technology that, according to Opera, retains the functionality of a Web page on small devices while simultaneously optimizing it for size (a hotkey is made available for developers, allowing them to instantly see what their page will look like when displayed on a small screen); and a new rendering engine which Opera boasts is both smaller and faster than previous versions.

The latest release of Opera is typically made available first for Windows. Other platforms, including Mac, Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD are available with previous version numbers or as beta/previews (check the Opera Web site for current details).

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