Opera Features and the Release Cycle

May 29th, 2013

First off, thanks for all of your feedback. With over one thousand comments following yesterdays release, we would like to provide you with a further explanation of our plan,

Our plan all along is to have three different streams of Opera for Desktop running all the time. Each stream will have an increasing level of stability. The streams will be:

Opera Developer: Most unstable, all the cool stuff
Opera Next: The work we are stabilizing for the next final version
Opera (Stable): The most stable build for everyone

We didn't settle exactly how often we will be releasing new builds in these streams but we can tip that you will see new versions coming at much, much faster pace than it was with the classic, Presto-based line.

You don't need to worry about Opera becoming a clone of something, or that you will be forced to stop using 12.x before you think we're ready. Our mission didn't change – we're going to bring you the best Internet experience. We are on the way to build the best browser out there. A browser that is not tied to the particular version number but is a continuously work in progress. Seeing your engagement I think we can count on your help and feedback.

So if something is not in Opera 15 stable – don't worry, Opera Next 16 will be released roughly same time as Opera 15 stable. And the time span between the two will be shorter than ever.

So let's talk about features.

We got a long list from you yesterday. Yes we made a list! As we have mentioned in the comments and we want to say it loud now – more features will come in future versions. Just to mention Link, themes support, geolocation and a feature rich tab bar to start with. Some are already in the making – just disabled since not stable enough just yet. Over the time also our settings/configuration will become richer too. And one more – Dragonfly is not dead though we cannot give you more information yet.

Stay tuned, and please keep sending in your feedback.