Staging Opera
Spotlight: Jon von Tetzchner
But Opera has won a small but loyal following by pioneering features that, for example, allow surfers to easily open lots of different Web pages and let users subscribe to news services that deliver stories on selected topics directly to their computer. Microsoft's next version of Internet Explorer, a beta version of which was released to selected programmers July 27, will offer both features.
More important, Opera is so tightly programmed (just 5 megabytes, less than half IE's size) and packed with so many security features that many experts say it is the safest of all the browsers. Early this month, Secunia.com, which monitors software vulnerabilities, said Microsoft had 20 unpatched software glitches in Internet Explorer that a criminal could exploit to mine or damage a user's computer. Mozilla's Firefox had three problems waiting for patches. Opera had none. PC World magazine named Opera the best browser of 2004.
But the estimated 3 million computer users who are now downloading its free browser each month often face some unpleasant surprises. If they want an ad-free version, they have to pay $39. And Opera can't easily process a few important sites that deal with E-commerce, downloading software, and making travel plans.
Von Tetzchner charges that some of Opera's problems are a result of malicious programming by Microsoft. He contends, for example, that in 2003 Microsoft programmed a broken link to appear when Opera users clicked on some MSN sites. Microsoft, which in 2000 was ruled to have violated antitrust laws by attempting to monopolize the browser industry, says that such problems are not intentional but simply a result of programmers shunning changes for a browser with such a small market share.
Ringing up profits. To escape that vicious cycle, Opera staffers have been shifting their energies to products that Microsoft doesn't yet dominate: entertainment appliances and cellphones. Already, several major manufacturers, including Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson, have bought a smaller version of the Opera browser for some of their cellphones. The firm now gets two thirds of its revenue from cellphone makers and other noncomputer companies. Opera reported a profit of $9.3 million on revenues of $28.5 million last year, up from a minuscule profit in 2003.
But the fat lady isn't singing a happy finale for Opera yet. Its hopes of dominating mobile browsing were dealt a setback in June when Nokia said it would switch many of its phones to an open-source browser next year.
Von Tetzchner says Opera will persevere--in its own way. He'll keep its headquarters in Oslo, far from Silicon Valley buzzmakers, and won't even put a sign on the office building. He hopes Opera's software will be enough to gain the world's attention. Of course, if that doesn't work, von Tetzchner can always jump in the fiord again.
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