Opera Software ASA, in releasing on Thursday the first beta of its updated Web browser, is giving a boost to Mac OS X users by synchronizing its upgrades across all operating systems while also expanding into new RSS, e-mail and chat areas. With the Opera 7.50 beta, the Oslo, Norway, company has redesigned the browser's user interface as part of an effort to release updates at the same time across Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac, said CEO Jon von Tetzchner.
Opera typically had released updates for Windows first, and Mac releases had lagged the furthest behind. Before Opera 7.50, Mac users were stuck in the 6.0 series while the other platforms had moved into the 7.0 line. Last August, Opera released a version of the browser that supported the latest Mac OS X, named "Panther," and announced plans to step up Mac development. "We didn't think that this was really optimal, so we had been working hard to make them all in sync," von Tetzchner said.
News source: eWeek
