Interview with Opera's vice president of mobile browsers
Surely everyone in the know about how Opera Mobile differs from Opera mini, but personally I was not in the subject, like the mass of my followers on Twitter. When I said that I would communicate with the person responsible for mobile browsers, the question "what is the difference between Mobile and Mini" was the most important. But besides this, Doug Olev Norem showed me new, not yet shown versions of Opera browsers, and also answered a number of technical questions in an exclusive interview for Nomobile.ru .
- On your business card you have written “Vice-President of the Mobile & Internet Devices Division”. What is your responsibility?
- I am responsible for the development of the entire Opera product line, not related to desktop browsers: these are products for mobile phones Opera Mini, Opera Mobile and tools for creating browsers for consumer electronics Opera Devices SDK. There are also projects that are not related to mobile phones, for example, development for TVs.
')
- Can you remember all the platforms for which there are versions of Opera mobile browsers?
- I'll try ... Now we have browser versions for Android, Blackberry, iOS, S60, Java, BREW ... There are also versions of our browsers, although not the newest ones, for Windows Mobile, since there are still quite a lot of devices running under this system. In addition, there are browser versions for products based on Mediatek chipsets. Finally, do not forget about Maemo and Meego, Opera is also there, although so far in the form of laboratory versions. Forgot nothing? But no, I forgot: there is still, let's say, a hybrid “mobile” desktop Opera for touch devices running Windows 7.
- Just forgot about the new Blackberry, I mean the Playbook tablet.
- While we do not have any specific plans to develop a browser for QNX. But if the new devices will be distributed, then everything can be as long as we look closely.
- What about Windows Phone 7 and Samsung Bada?
- Make a copy of the previous response (laughs). If WP7 becomes popular, then Opera will be necessary for it. Under Bada, we don’t have a special solution (read how development isn’t under way - ed.), But the Java version works fine on devices under its control. Globally, we have such an approach to development on different platforms: we look at its popularity and potential, and then we estimate how easy it is to develop. If the platform is popular, there is a convenient SDK for it, then most likely it will be Opera Mini or Opera Mobile. So we are simultaneously monitoring a lot of mobile OS in order to understand their prospects and evaluate the feasibility of releasing mobile Opera.
- The main question that has been tormenting me for several years now: what is the difference between Opera Mini and Opera Mobile?
- Oh, yes, I answer this question more often, I am ready to answer waking up at night and without hesitation (laughs). I'll start from afar. The browser consists of several components: the user interface, the module that integrates the browser into the OS, and the engine - the most important element that renders pages, that is, brings HTML, CSS and Java Script into a user-friendly form. Today, there are four similar engines: our Presto, Webkit, which are used by Google and Apple, Gecko by Mozilla and Trident by Microsoft. We use Presto to render pages in all versions of the Opera browser. The difference between Mobile and Mini is that in the first case the engine is installed and runs directly on the device, as in the desktop version, and in the case of Opera Mini, Presto runs on a remote server. This server loads the page, compresses it as much as possible and then sends it to the user's device. That is, it cannot work without connecting to the Mini server, but in combination with it, it turns out almost the same thing as Mobile - both versions have a very similar identical interface.
- If it’s the same thing, why do both versions exist?
- Each version has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of Opera Mobile is that you have a full-featured browser on your mobile device that can handle Java Script itself, HTML5, CSS, etc. A fully loaded dynamic page works one hundred percent: the menus drop out, all buttons are clicked, forms are sent correctly - all this without connecting to the server. The advantage of Opera Mini is that the size of the client itself is much smaller than in the Mobile version. Mini weighs about 250 kilobytes, and Mobile - about 7 megabytes. Mini requires less hardware resources and most importantly, it works on almost any device that supports Java. The second plus of Mini is that the data on our server is strongly compressed, sometimes up to 90%. If you pay for traffic, then surfing the Internet is much cheaper.
- Apparently, the pages in Opera Mini load faster, because they are compressed?
- It all depends on the channel: the WiFi difference will not be very noticeable, but if the phone goes online via a slow connection, the pages in Opera Mini will load much faster.
- Does Opera Mini have a future? After 5-7 years, the devices will be even more powerful, and the channels for Internet access will be thick, the Mini will no longer be needed.
- Exactly, I already heard it 5-7 years ago (laughs). Although, of course, you are right in general: Opera Mini is now most popular in countries with less developed communication infrastructure and low income levels - in Asia, India and Africa. If the situation improves, Opera Mobile will naturally become more popular. But I am convinced that the Mini still has a lot of time left, and it is too early to write it off. And even if all over the world everything will be fine with wireless data transfer, there will always be situations where this version will be more convenient. So I recommend installing both versions on the phone and switching between them depending on the situation, as I do.
- By the way, which device do you use yourself?
- I now have Samsung Galaxy Ace - a mid-level smartphone. It’s certainly not as powerful as the Motorola Atrix, for example, but much smaller and lighter. And before that, I used Nokia thin monoblocks.
“We’ll move from small gadgets to big TVs.” Modern TVs already have an internet connection, and we are moving away from traditional channels to Internet TV. Is Opera moving in that direction?
- Our company now has three main areas in which we are developing software: desktop computers, mobile devices, and the third is just televisions and other devices. But if the first two areas imply the end user product, then the third is the B2B model, and the average user of our products may be less familiar with this direction of our work, although it is very important for us. You won’t find Opera’s browser on Sony’s TV (the Japanese introduced the Bravia series with a built-in browser at the beginning of the year - ed.), Although our developments are present there. TV manufacturers use Opera's browser engine for rendering menus, TV program schedules and things like that.
- I already understood that you do not deal with financial issues, but I can not help but ask another question that many people care about: you distribute your products for free. Where does the money for development come from?
- We have three main business models. The first is the use of traffic. As you know, a search line is built into our browsers, we interact with search engines. In addition, on the start screen there are links to various sites, and by sending traffic to them, we get some financial gain. But we use these features extremely carefully, so as not to affect the user's impression of the product and the convenience of its use. Another source of income is business partners, to whom we give licenses for the processing of our software for their needs. Examples include Verizon, Vodafone, and AT & T. These mobile operators have significantly reworked the Opera Mini interface in their phones, especially for the AT & T.NET browser, where it is impossible to find even a hint of Opera at all, but our technologies, servers and the engine, are used there. The third way to make money lies somewhere between the first two: we are actively branding our software, this, of course, is not complete processing, as is the case with AT & T, but logos and links for quick access to our partners' resources appear in the interface in one form or another. . I want to note that without all this we simply could not support our software. The same Opera Mini requires servers that cost money.
That was the end of my main questions, and Doug turned to a demonstration of the most recent versions of the Opera browser, which have not appeared anywhere else. Doug had a lot of different devices with him on various platforms, including iPad2 and XOOM tablets, each had all possible versions of Opera installed, where Nomobile.ru was the starting page (albeit for an interview, but nice! - ed.). Doug showed Opera Mini 6, which has not yet been released on iPhone and iPad2, now available for download Opera Mobile 11 on Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Opera Mini 6 on Nokia E52. Frankly, the speed of work and drawing a picture I was very impressed. I also liked some new chips, especially the refining of links in Opera Mobile 11 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet - this is when you point your finger at the link next to which there is another one, and in order not to “send” you to another address, the browser zooms in and asks for clarification , what link did you want to click on (before, if you pressed it incorrectly, you had to press the button back and shake again until the right moment). Among other innovations of the Android version, there is also smooth scrolling, the lack of a “chess” effect (when the site is loaded, the user sees chess cells), smooth pinch-to-zoom scaling with fingers (the lack of this function, users strongly criticized the previous version of Opera), automatic change text widths when enlarged, quickly scrolls up or down the page when scrolling fast.
After surfing, I had new questions, questions came from my Twitter readers, and the second part of the interview turned out to be purely technical.
- Why don't your mobile browsers support Flash, as does SkyFire, for example?
- SkyFire Browser does not work with Flash directly. With it you can not see any content created using this technology. SkyFire allows you to view only videos, pulling them out of Flash and showing the user the source video file. Since 2006, when they first appeared, their transcoding technology has improved significantly. But the difference between them and our browser is that we focused on rendering web pages as such, and they are on video rendering. Now our position is this: if the device supports Flash, then Opera browser can show it. At the moment, this feature is implemented on Windows Mobile and Android.
- When will Opera Mini 6 appear in the Apple AppStore?
- The fifth version of the Mini can be easily downloaded and installed from there. And the sixth we only had a few days ago, it can already be downloaded on several platforms, including Android. And we already have Mini versions for iOS, optimized for various devices (iPhone, iPad) - we will soon send them for approval in the Apple App Store.
- Will synchronization of tabs with the desktop version ever appear in your mobile browsers?
- So far there is no such functionality. But there is a synchronization of bookmarks and Speed ​​Dial using the Opera Link service.
- Is it possible to reduce the volume of Opera Mobile for Android to the level of a native browser?
- The fact is that the native Android browser uses the engine, which is already part of the system. And all third-party browsers (like the same Dolphin) use the pre-installed Webkit engine. We also have to make Presto in the installation package, which is why the size of the distribution is larger.
- Why can't I switch the display of pages from mobile to normal in Opera Mobile?
- In the settings of Opera Mobile is not easy to change the value of the User Agent, since if all browsers start to do so, it will greatly complicate the lives of website developers. But for advanced users it is possible to change it. I will not tell you how to do it now, just enter Opera Mobile in the search box and you will find a solution.
- On your business card you have written “Vice-President of the Mobile & Internet Devices Division”. What is your responsibility?
- I am responsible for the development of the entire Opera product line, not related to desktop browsers: these are products for mobile phones Opera Mini, Opera Mobile and tools for creating browsers for consumer electronics Opera Devices SDK. There are also projects that are not related to mobile phones, for example, development for TVs.
')
- Can you remember all the platforms for which there are versions of Opera mobile browsers?
- I'll try ... Now we have browser versions for Android, Blackberry, iOS, S60, Java, BREW ... There are also versions of our browsers, although not the newest ones, for Windows Mobile, since there are still quite a lot of devices running under this system. In addition, there are browser versions for products based on Mediatek chipsets. Finally, do not forget about Maemo and Meego, Opera is also there, although so far in the form of laboratory versions. Forgot nothing? But no, I forgot: there is still, let's say, a hybrid “mobile” desktop Opera for touch devices running Windows 7.
- Just forgot about the new Blackberry, I mean the Playbook tablet.
- While we do not have any specific plans to develop a browser for QNX. But if the new devices will be distributed, then everything can be as long as we look closely.
- What about Windows Phone 7 and Samsung Bada?
- Make a copy of the previous response (laughs). If WP7 becomes popular, then Opera will be necessary for it. Under Bada, we don’t have a special solution (read how development isn’t under way - ed.), But the Java version works fine on devices under its control. Globally, we have such an approach to development on different platforms: we look at its popularity and potential, and then we estimate how easy it is to develop. If the platform is popular, there is a convenient SDK for it, then most likely it will be Opera Mini or Opera Mobile. So we are simultaneously monitoring a lot of mobile OS in order to understand their prospects and evaluate the feasibility of releasing mobile Opera.
- The main question that has been tormenting me for several years now: what is the difference between Opera Mini and Opera Mobile?
- Oh, yes, I answer this question more often, I am ready to answer waking up at night and without hesitation (laughs). I'll start from afar. The browser consists of several components: the user interface, the module that integrates the browser into the OS, and the engine - the most important element that renders pages, that is, brings HTML, CSS and Java Script into a user-friendly form. Today, there are four similar engines: our Presto, Webkit, which are used by Google and Apple, Gecko by Mozilla and Trident by Microsoft. We use Presto to render pages in all versions of the Opera browser. The difference between Mobile and Mini is that in the first case the engine is installed and runs directly on the device, as in the desktop version, and in the case of Opera Mini, Presto runs on a remote server. This server loads the page, compresses it as much as possible and then sends it to the user's device. That is, it cannot work without connecting to the Mini server, but in combination with it, it turns out almost the same thing as Mobile - both versions have a very similar identical interface.
- If it’s the same thing, why do both versions exist?
- Each version has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of Opera Mobile is that you have a full-featured browser on your mobile device that can handle Java Script itself, HTML5, CSS, etc. A fully loaded dynamic page works one hundred percent: the menus drop out, all buttons are clicked, forms are sent correctly - all this without connecting to the server. The advantage of Opera Mini is that the size of the client itself is much smaller than in the Mobile version. Mini weighs about 250 kilobytes, and Mobile - about 7 megabytes. Mini requires less hardware resources and most importantly, it works on almost any device that supports Java. The second plus of Mini is that the data on our server is strongly compressed, sometimes up to 90%. If you pay for traffic, then surfing the Internet is much cheaper.
- Apparently, the pages in Opera Mini load faster, because they are compressed?
- It all depends on the channel: the WiFi difference will not be very noticeable, but if the phone goes online via a slow connection, the pages in Opera Mini will load much faster.
- Does Opera Mini have a future? After 5-7 years, the devices will be even more powerful, and the channels for Internet access will be thick, the Mini will no longer be needed.
- Exactly, I already heard it 5-7 years ago (laughs). Although, of course, you are right in general: Opera Mini is now most popular in countries with less developed communication infrastructure and low income levels - in Asia, India and Africa. If the situation improves, Opera Mobile will naturally become more popular. But I am convinced that the Mini still has a lot of time left, and it is too early to write it off. And even if all over the world everything will be fine with wireless data transfer, there will always be situations where this version will be more convenient. So I recommend installing both versions on the phone and switching between them depending on the situation, as I do.
- By the way, which device do you use yourself?
- I now have Samsung Galaxy Ace - a mid-level smartphone. It’s certainly not as powerful as the Motorola Atrix, for example, but much smaller and lighter. And before that, I used Nokia thin monoblocks.
“We’ll move from small gadgets to big TVs.” Modern TVs already have an internet connection, and we are moving away from traditional channels to Internet TV. Is Opera moving in that direction?
- Our company now has three main areas in which we are developing software: desktop computers, mobile devices, and the third is just televisions and other devices. But if the first two areas imply the end user product, then the third is the B2B model, and the average user of our products may be less familiar with this direction of our work, although it is very important for us. You won’t find Opera’s browser on Sony’s TV (the Japanese introduced the Bravia series with a built-in browser at the beginning of the year - ed.), Although our developments are present there. TV manufacturers use Opera's browser engine for rendering menus, TV program schedules and things like that.
- I already understood that you do not deal with financial issues, but I can not help but ask another question that many people care about: you distribute your products for free. Where does the money for development come from?
- We have three main business models. The first is the use of traffic. As you know, a search line is built into our browsers, we interact with search engines. In addition, on the start screen there are links to various sites, and by sending traffic to them, we get some financial gain. But we use these features extremely carefully, so as not to affect the user's impression of the product and the convenience of its use. Another source of income is business partners, to whom we give licenses for the processing of our software for their needs. Examples include Verizon, Vodafone, and AT & T. These mobile operators have significantly reworked the Opera Mini interface in their phones, especially for the AT & T.NET browser, where it is impossible to find even a hint of Opera at all, but our technologies, servers and the engine, are used there. The third way to make money lies somewhere between the first two: we are actively branding our software, this, of course, is not complete processing, as is the case with AT & T, but logos and links for quick access to our partners' resources appear in the interface in one form or another. . I want to note that without all this we simply could not support our software. The same Opera Mini requires servers that cost money.
That was the end of my main questions, and Doug turned to a demonstration of the most recent versions of the Opera browser, which have not appeared anywhere else. Doug had a lot of different devices with him on various platforms, including iPad2 and XOOM tablets, each had all possible versions of Opera installed, where Nomobile.ru was the starting page (albeit for an interview, but nice! - ed.). Doug showed Opera Mini 6, which has not yet been released on iPhone and iPad2, now available for download Opera Mobile 11 on Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Opera Mini 6 on Nokia E52. Frankly, the speed of work and drawing a picture I was very impressed. I also liked some new chips, especially the refining of links in Opera Mobile 11 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet - this is when you point your finger at the link next to which there is another one, and in order not to “send” you to another address, the browser zooms in and asks for clarification , what link did you want to click on (before, if you pressed it incorrectly, you had to press the button back and shake again until the right moment). Among other innovations of the Android version, there is also smooth scrolling, the lack of a “chess” effect (when the site is loaded, the user sees chess cells), smooth pinch-to-zoom scaling with fingers (the lack of this function, users strongly criticized the previous version of Opera), automatic change text widths when enlarged, quickly scrolls up or down the page when scrolling fast.
After surfing, I had new questions, questions came from my Twitter readers, and the second part of the interview turned out to be purely technical.
- Why don't your mobile browsers support Flash, as does SkyFire, for example?
- SkyFire Browser does not work with Flash directly. With it you can not see any content created using this technology. SkyFire allows you to view only videos, pulling them out of Flash and showing the user the source video file. Since 2006, when they first appeared, their transcoding technology has improved significantly. But the difference between them and our browser is that we focused on rendering web pages as such, and they are on video rendering. Now our position is this: if the device supports Flash, then Opera browser can show it. At the moment, this feature is implemented on Windows Mobile and Android.
- When will Opera Mini 6 appear in the Apple AppStore?
- The fifth version of the Mini can be easily downloaded and installed from there. And the sixth we only had a few days ago, it can already be downloaded on several platforms, including Android. And we already have Mini versions for iOS, optimized for various devices (iPhone, iPad) - we will soon send them for approval in the Apple App Store.
- Will synchronization of tabs with the desktop version ever appear in your mobile browsers?
- So far there is no such functionality. But there is a synchronization of bookmarks and Speed ​​Dial using the Opera Link service.
- Is it possible to reduce the volume of Opera Mobile for Android to the level of a native browser?
- The fact is that the native Android browser uses the engine, which is already part of the system. And all third-party browsers (like the same Dolphin) use the pre-installed Webkit engine. We also have to make Presto in the installation package, which is why the size of the distribution is larger.
- Why can't I switch the display of pages from mobile to normal in Opera Mobile?
- In the settings of Opera Mobile is not easy to change the value of the User Agent, since if all browsers start to do so, it will greatly complicate the lives of website developers. But for advanced users it is possible to change it. I will not tell you how to do it now, just enter Opera Mobile in the search box and you will find a solution.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/117235/
All Articles