Opera 8 launched on FTP

The Norwegian producer Opera has uploaded on the FTP server of the company the 8.0 version of its browser for Windows and Linux. After two previews and three betas, Opera has made the final step from 7.64 to 8.0.

The official announcement hasn't been made, but the number of those interested to download the new version has to be huge to make the server generate the message: Sorry, the maximum number of allowed users is already connected.

One of the major changes since the previous version is the introduction of voice control. To benefit from this feature, users have to download a separate file of 10.5 MB, the basic package of the browser having 3.6 MB.

The start bar is opened when the user places the cursor over the address field and it offers quick access to the most important sites, bookmarks, the home page, history and the last 10 visited sites.

Opera focused on changes regarding security and if a site is SSL protected, the browser will display a yellow window in the address line. Users have access to OCSP (online certificate status protocol) to confirm the validation of the certificate.

The final version includes all the changes introduced in the beta3, like SVG support and phishing protection.

Those who have already bought Opera 7.0 cam get the latest version for free, the price of the browser remaining 38 euros.

Considering that an official announcement hasn't been made, last minute changes are still possible.