An "alternative" browser

When it comes to Web browsers, we all know the two main players, and probably not a whole lot more. But there's an "alternative" browser out there gaining popularity and challenging the big boys in both form and functionality If you haven't heard of Opera, it's time you did. This browser, produced by a small company in Oslo, Norway, demands less memory than the bigger browsers, runs on older computers, adheres to HTML standards, and allows the user a high degree of flexibility in customizing the interface. The recently released 4.0 version establishes Opera as a full-fledgedbrowser. Developed by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivars when they were working for Telenor, the Norwegian telecom, Opera is a modern and compact Web browser. They refer to it as a "refreshingly different Internet client." The two started Opera Software in 1995, and had a shareware version of their browser available for download on the Internet by the third quarter of 1996. Ever since, Opera has been gaining momentum, winning industry awards, garnering good press, and attracting a devoted following of users. Opera packs a lot of punch in a small, lean package. The application weighs in at a mere 1.5 Mbytes, and is available for download in both 16 and 32-bit Windows versions. Installation takes less than a minute. The latest version requires only 4 Mbytes of RAM and 3 to 7 Mbytes of hard disk space. Compare this to current versions of Communicator and Internet Explorer that both weigh in at over 20 Mbytes and require at least 16 Mbytes of RAM. Other platforms are in the works, including Mac, Linux, and OS/2.