In its original incarnation, the Opera browser grew out of a perceived need for an Internet and multimedia client which would be genuinely accessible to all computer users, specifically including those with older machines, as well as persons with a variety of disabilities. It is important to understanding the Opera way of thinking to note that this software was written from scratch , and is not based on NCSA Mosaic code or any other browser. It is this aspect of Opera which is responsible, in large measure, for the program's extremely small executable and installed footprint. Because of its antecedents, Opera runs independently under Windows 3.1 without requiring installed Win32s. That's my cue to segue into . . .
Opera also sports a quirky, buggy and rather rudimentary integrated newsreader client.
There's no doubt in my mind that people brave enough to eat lutefisk will ultimately prevail in efforts to produce a functional and efficient Java module for their browser. Multiple accounts and attachments are already working, and Falk, the man in charge, is adding new features all the time. Geir, who is working on CSS, will not only provide us with the first clean implementation of CSS1, but is also busy with CSS2, something neither of our competitors has been able to achieve. All in all, you can look forward to many more exciting features in Opera. Whether Opera is able to deliver on these promises remains to be seen.