The Good Life... a weblog about life, technology, and the Opera Web browser

I wouldn't say we're reluctant, but there are certainly some hurdles along the way. First, it's not clear that an API for extensions is really the right answer. A lot of people ask for extensions because Firefox has them. Does that necessarily mean they're the correct thing for Opera? No. If we add an API, does that mean we'll have high quality extensions that you'll actually want to use? No.

There are a number of technical challenges in introducing an API for extensions. Opera's core functionality is kept lean and mean, making porting to all kinds of exotic platforms (like, say the Nintendo DS and Wii) as simple as possible. Adding in an extension API that arguably benefits only one platform (Opera Desktop) isn't necessarily the best thing for Opera as a whole.

I hear a lot of Opera fans blame extensions for Firefox's speed, memory, and stability problems. I really have no idea if this is true or not, but it's another thing we have to consider. Furthermore, I often hear that very few Firefox users actually install extensions. Most of the talk is from the vocal minority and is largely propaganda. I'm interested in some actual numbers, if anyone has them. If this is the case, the work needed to implement an API for extensions may be better spent on other things.

All that said, I'd personally like to see an extension API. Opera fans are a great, creative bunch of people and I'd like to see the stuff y'all could come up with. I think Opera Software could benefit from removing some of the current functionality from the base install and releasing it as extensions. Not everyone needs the ability to validate Web pages or view Widgets built in to their browser. Then again, they might think they don't, but they use it and end up loving it. And they probably never would have used it if it weren't there by default. It's a conundrum, really.

While much of Opera's functionality is cross-platform, there's some stuff that's still platform-specific, such as interaction with other programs and the operating system. Drag and drop is one of those cases. So, it basically means that the Mac team implemented this functionality but the Windows and *nix teams didn't.

Robust cross-platform functionality is important to us, but so is integrating with the operating system. Mac users are especially critical of software that doesn't integrate well with the OS. So, the Opera Mac team spends more time on such functionality, such as automatically importing contacts from Address Book and making the Apple Remote work in full screen mode. The Windows and *nix teams have their own sets of challenges and priorities. Hopefully better drag and drop is one of the latter.

You're probably referring to these two articles from OperaWatch: Opera considering entering the IP telephony market and Opera to integrate VoIP into desktop and mobile browsers. The second article is based on a press release, which says, "Opera Software today announced a partnership with JAJAH, one of the world's fastest growing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) companies.... JAJAH's services will be available through Opera Mobile and Opera Mini...and will also be included as a widget in the upcoming Opera 9 desktop browser."

So, where's the widget and Opera Mini release? Due to some unforeseen complications, these products are currently in limbo.

First off, pursuant to the settlement, Opera Software has never stated who was on the other end of the lawsuit. To be honest, I don't even know. There was wide speculation that Microsoft was behind the payment, but it's just that: speculation.

Now, to answer your question: we aren't allowing sites to get away with blocking Opera. To my knowledge, we aren't pursuing legal action against them either, but we have other tricks. Instead of relying on web sites to update themselves, we push out work-arounds to Opera users via browser.js. We have great initiatives like Open the Web and great people working on these initiatives, such as David Storey and Hallvord Steen. Also, we've recently opened Dev.Opera, a site dedicated to educating web developers.

One of the best things we can do to prevent blocking is to increase our market share. That, of course, is another thing we're working on constantly. Personally, I prefer our current initiatives rather than lawsuits.

For those of you unfamiliar with this particular feature, allow me to give you a bit of background information. Opera 9.0 Preview 1 included a star icon in the address bar. If you visited a bookmarked page, the star would turn yellow. As you can read in various forum threads, a lot of people liked it and a lot of people hated it. In Opera 9.0 Preview 2, we decided to remove the star based on the feedback we'd received and instead included the same functionality via a button that users could put on any toolbar.

In 9.1, the address bar has indicators for several things, such as notes, widgets, newsfeeds, fraud, and security. Frankly, it's getting cluttered. I hope we can make the inside of the address bar as configurable as regular toolbars in a future release so users can put the star back in the address bar, should they want to do so.