The first stable build for Linux since Opera 10.10

Jul 1, 2010 07:11 GMT  ·  By

After a relatively short period of development time, Opera 10.60 has landed. This is actually the first stable release of the browser for Linux since Opera 10.10 as the team decided to skip releasing a stable build for Linux of the previous Opera 10.50. But the long wait is over and it’s almost been worth it.

Opera 10.60 brings a couple of new, interesting features like geolocation and support for the WebM video format, all of this on top of the major improvements in Opera 10.50 like a revamped UI and a brand-new and ultra-fast JavaScript engine.

Today we released Opera 10.60 for all platforms... Opera 10.60 is the fastest browser we have ever made. With millions of users expecting Opera to deliver the future, we now support search suggestions, Geolocation, WebM and new HTML5 elements such as Web workers in addition to added security and stability fixes,” the official announcement read.

Opera 10.60 comes with built-in support for geolocation. The browser is a little late to the game, Firefox 3.5 introduced the feature a year ago and Chrome has supported it for a few months. It enables websites to ask the browser for the users’ location. With your permission, websites and services can pinpoint your whereabouts, especially handy when you’re on the go.

The latest release is also the first stable Opera to support the emerging WebM video format. The new open-source format, introduced by Google, is hoped to solve the video codec issue in HTML5. Opera had been one of the hold-outs, refusing to support the proprietary H.264 codec, along with Mozilla. Opera now supports WebM as well as Theora for HTML5 videos.

Opera 10.60 get support for more HTML5 features as well, such as Web workers, a critical feature for complex web apps. Another small update is the introduction of search suggestions. All of this, on top of the regular security and stability fixes.

And if you haven’t given Opera a try since the previous stable release, there’s even more to like. Opera 10.60 gets a simplified UI which ditches the traditional menu bar. The overall look is becoming standard for web browsers, pioneered by Google Chrome, the upcoming Firefox 4.0 is also sporting a similar layout. And the Carakan JavaScript engine is pretty much the fastest one out there, at least for now.

Opera 10.60 is available for download here on Softpedia.


Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Opera 10.60
Opera 10.60 - the geolocation feature
Open gallery