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Opera Software is a Norwegian corporation, primarily known for its Opera
Opera (web browser)

Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by the Opera Software company. Opera handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, IRC online chatting, downloading files via BitTorrent , and reading web feeds....
 family of web browsers. Opera Software is also involved in promoting Web standards through participation in the W3C
World Wide Web Consortium

The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web . It is arranged as a consortium where member organizations maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the World Wide Web....
. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
, Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange

The Oslo Stock Exchange serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian company . It opens at 9:00am and closes 5:30pm local time ....
. The company also has offices in Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
 and the USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

Opera's stated vision is "to deliver the best Internet experience on any device."

a Software was founded as an independent company on August 30 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner

Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner is the CEO of Opera Software. He and Geir Ivars?y were part of a research group at the Norway state phone company where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera....
 and Geir Ivarsøy
Geir Ivarsøy

Geir Ivars?y was the lead programmer at Opera Software. He and Jon von Tetzchner were part of a research group at the Norway state phone company where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera....
.






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Opera Software is a Norwegian corporation, primarily known for its Opera
Opera (web browser)

Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by the Opera Software company. Opera handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, IRC online chatting, downloading files via BitTorrent , and reading web feeds....
 family of web browsers. Opera Software is also involved in promoting Web standards through participation in the W3C
World Wide Web Consortium

The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web . It is arranged as a consortium where member organizations maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the World Wide Web....
. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
, Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange

The Oslo Stock Exchange serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian company . It opens at 9:00am and closes 5:30pm local time ....
. The company also has offices in Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
 and the USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

Opera's stated vision is "to deliver the best Internet experience on any device."

History

Opera Software was founded as an independent company on August 30 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner

Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner is the CEO of Opera Software. He and Geir Ivars?y were part of a research group at the Norway state phone company where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera....
 and Geir Ivarsøy
Geir Ivarsøy

Geir Ivars?y was the lead programmer at Opera Software. He and Jon von Tetzchner were part of a research group at the Norway state phone company where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera....
. The company was created to continue what was originally a research project at Telenor
Telenor

Telenor is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor is mostly an international Wireless communication carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia....
, the largest Norwegian telecommunications company.

Opera Software's first product, the Opera web browser
Opera (web browser)

Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by the Opera Software company. Opera handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, IRC online chatting, downloading files via BitTorrent , and reading web feeds....
 version 2.1 for Windows
Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
, was released in 1997. Opera Software had an IPO
Initial public offering

Initial public offering , also referred to simply as a "public offering" or "flotation," is when a company issues common stock or Share to the public for the first time....
 in February 2004, and was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange

The Oslo Stock Exchange serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian company . It opens at 9:00am and closes 5:30pm local time ....
 March 11 2004.

In an attempt to capitalize on the emerging market for Internet-connected handheld devices, a project to port the Opera browser to more platforms was started in 1998. Opera 4.0, released in 2000, included a new cross-platform core that facilitated creation of editions of Opera for multiple operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
s and platform
Platform (computing)

In computing, a platform describes some sort of hardware architecture or software framework , that allows Computer software to run. Typical platforms include a computer's Computer architecture, operating system, programming languages and related runtime libraries or graphical user interface....
s.

Up to this point, the Opera browser was trialware and had to be purchased after the trial period ended. But version 5.0 (released in 2000) saw the end of the trial period requirement. Instead, Opera became ad-sponsored
Adware

Adware or advertising-supported software is any Computer software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used....
, displaying advertisements to users without a license. Users could still buy licenses for several years, however. Later versions of Opera gave the user the choice of seeing banner ads or targeted text advertisements from Google
Google

Google Inc. is an United States public company, earning revenue from AdWords related to its Google search, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Apps, Orkut, and YouTube services as well as selling advertising-free versions of the Google Search Appliance....
.

On January 12, 2005, Opera Software announced that it would offer free licenses to higher education institutions — a change from the previous cost of $1,000 USD for unlimited licenses. Schools that opted for the free license included Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private university research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States....
 (MIT), Harvard University
Harvard University

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the Colonial Colleges institution of higher learning in the United States....
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford

The University of Oxford , located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation in the English-speaking world....
, Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech or simply Tech, is a public university, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States....
, and Duke University
Duke University

Duke University is a private university research university located in Durham, North Carolina, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodism and Religious Society of Friends in the present-day town of Trinity, North Carolina in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892....
. Opera was commonly criticized for having been ad-sponsored
Adware

Adware or advertising-supported software is any Computer software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used....
, since this was seen as a barrier to gaining market share. In the newer versions the user was allowed a choice of generic graphical banners, or text-based targeted advertisements provided by Google based upon the page being viewed. Users could pay a license fee to remove the advertisement bar.

With version 8.5 (released in 2005) the advertisements were removed entirely and primary financial support came through revenue from Google (which is by contract Opera's default search engine).

The introduction in August 2005 of "Opera Mini
Opera Mini

Opera Mini is a web browser designed primarily for mobile phones, but also for smartphones and personal digital assistants. It uses the Java ME platform and consequently requires that the mobile device be capable of running Java ME applications....
", a Java ME based web browser for mobile phone
Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites....
s marketed not to end users but to mobile network operator
Mobile network operator

A mobile network operator , also known as carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, mobile phone operator, or cellular company, is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers....
s, possibly marks a new direction towards directly revenue
Revenue

In business, revenue or revenues is income that a corporation receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of product to customers....
-generating business, making the company less dependent on give-away and advertising-based Internet software.

On September 20 2005, Opera announced that it would remove the advertising from its browser and remain free of charge. Although Opera was free to download and use before this change, it had previously displayed an advertising banner unless the user purchased a license. The move was made in the hope that it would prompt more users to switch to the Opera browser. However, Opera does continue to charge for its "Opera Mobile
Opera Mobile

Opera Mobile is a web browser for smartphones and personal digital assistants developed by the Opera Software company. The first version of Opera Mobile was released in 2000 for the Psion Series 7 and Psion Netbook....
" product which runs on many Mobile devices.

Notable employees


Legal issues

On May 18, 2004, Opera Software settled a lawsuit. Their statement on the Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange

The Oslo Stock Exchange serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian company . It opens at 9:00am and closes 5:30pm local time ....
 read:

Opera Software ASA has settled legal claims with an international corporation resulting in payment to Opera of net USD 12.75 million. The other party is not a customer of Opera and the settlement does not negatively impact future revenues. The entire amount will be booked in Q2.


Details are confidential pursuant to the settlement agreement.


It is widely theorized that the 'international corporation' named above is Microsoft
Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational corporation computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of computer software products for computing devices....
, who had previously blocked Opera users from correctly viewing MSN
MSN

MSN is a collection of Internet services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system....
.com (see History of the Opera web browser#First MSN.com controversy
History of the Opera web browser

The history of the Opera web browser began in 1994 when it was as a research project at Telenor, the largest Norwegian telecommunications company....
 and History of the Opera web browser#Second MSN.com controversy
History of the Opera web browser

The history of the Opera web browser began in 1994 when it was as a research project at Telenor, the largest Norwegian telecommunications company....
).

In 2007 Opera filed a complaint against Microsoft
Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational corporation computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of computer software products for computing devices....
 in the European Commission
European Commission

The European Commission is the executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Treaties of the European Union and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, alleging that bundling Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer

Windows Internet Explorer , commonly abbreviated to IE, is a series of graphical user interface web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems starting in 1995....
 with Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
 is harmful to both the consumer and to other web browser companies.

External links