Opera 12 - get full control over the browser

Today, the long-awaited release of Opera 12 browser took place. We were not in a hurry to release it, trying to make a really new version, and not just change the number to a more beautiful one. And, we hope, we managed to bring a seemingly good browser to a new level. First of all, in terms of the ability of users to control both the browser itself and the websites visited. Following the old adage “Meet on clothes, and escort on the mind,” first look at the external changes, and then proceed to the description of the new “spiritual qualities” of the new version of the browser.

You have probably already noticed that the screenshot at the beginning of the article looks unusual. And this view is the result of the appearance of a new feature for changing browser themes. Today, when many browsers look the same and work the same, I really want to be different. And now you can easily completely change the appearance of Opera in a couple of clicks, giving it individuality or even turning it into an indicator of your mood. We have prepared a large number of different topics , and the list of available is constantly growing.

Another interesting innovation is that you can now allow web applications to access your webcam directly from the browser. But do not be afraid that now someone will spy on you secretly: access to the webcam is always done with your explicit consent and only while you are using the corresponding web application. To see live how it works - try a few examples of similar applications:
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Photo booth (Photo Booth) - Have fun making funny photo shoots.
Polaroid (Polaroid) - Please do not shake your browser.
Tadpole (FaceKat) - Use your head - literally - to dodge asteroids.

By the way, now the icon in the address bar informs not only about the requests to access the webcam, but also about whether the web service needs to know your location. Naturally, you can both allow you to be found on a virtual globe, and remain invisible - all control is in your hands. Also in your hands and more visual information about what the security policy of the visited website and how you can trust it important data.

However, enough about external changes - in any case, you yourself will see them without third-party hints. It is much more interesting to see what has changed in the internal part of the browser. And here the list is very extensive. Here are just a dozen of the most interesting:

Faster launch of a browser with multiple tabs
Previously, when trying to launch the browser with the restoration of all the tabs opened in the last session, there were obvious “brakes” - Opera diligently downloaded all the content at the same time. Now this process has changed: the active tabs are loaded first and those that are often viewed first. Now it does not matter how many tabs will open at the same time - the speed will still be high.
Separate processes for plugins
Plugins are the main evil, if we talk about the unstable browser. In Opera 12, this evil has become less terrible - we put all the plugins into separate processes. Now, even if the plugin is “bent”, it will not pull everything else along - the browser will remain operational.
Experimental support for hardware acceleration and WebGL
In Opera 12, you can experiment with these features. But here, as they say, there are no guarantees: the stability and quality of operation of these functions depend on many factors, including the type of operating system, the installed drivers, or the model of the video card. By enabling the opera: config # UserPrefs | EnableWebGL parameter, you can test WebGL content, the opera: config # UserPrefs | EnableHardwareAcceleration parameter allows you to use the video card’s capabilities to speed up web page rendering and the browser interface, and by opening the technical opera: gpu page you can evaluate the current state of hardware acceleration. Additionally, using the opera: config # UserPrefs | Preferredrenderer parameter, you can choose to use OpenGL (0) or DirectX (1). However, you should always remember that the best accelerator is a high-quality optimized code of the web application: a tank will never overtake a Formula 1 car even with jet engines.
opera: cpu
Is something hindering Opera or your computer? Search for the cause with the help of the opera: cpu technical page
Parallel data loading
In Opera 12, the process of loading pages has become more optimized, allowing you to load scripts, styles, and images into several streams simultaneously. This greatly speeds up the work with "heavy" pages.
Improved performance on secure connections
While loading secure pages (https), the browser has to perform many of the procedures necessary to ensure a secure connection. This process is different on different servers and depends on many factors, including the type of security certificates used or the different versions and methods of implementing TLS security protocols. In Opera 12, we tried to analyze and optimize many of these procedures, so it was possible to significantly speed up the loading of protected pages in most cases.
RTL
Now the interface of the Opera 12 browser has the opportunity to use languages ​​related to the unusual for us type of writing right-to-left (Right-To-Left). Thanks to this, new localizations have been added - Arabian, Persian, Hebrew and Urdu. Also from the new localization can be noted a translation into the Kazakh language.
Improved HTML5 support
HTML5 is the soul of the internet. Opera 12 now supports drag and drop , webcam access (getUserMedia) , CSS animations, and more .
Improved extension support
The windows / tabs extensions API specifications now include support for access to tab groups. Read more about the new features of the extensions here .
64-bit versions for Windows and Mac
Now the 64-bit version of Opera 12 is available for all platforms. One note: due to the fact that 64-bit applications are more voracious in terms of using RAM than their 32-bit versions, by default we continue to offer 32-bit version of Opera for Windows.
Do not track
In Opera 12, there is support for the “Do Not Track” function , which allows you to protect users from obsessive curiosity of visited web resources. feature. This feature is enabled in Opera settings ( Settings> Advanced> Security> Tell websites not to track me ).
Improved tips in the address bar
Based on the wishes of users, we made a lot of changes in the tips of the address bar - now they look neater, clearer and more accurate.

On this, perhaps, that's all. As always, download Opera 12 is completely free, and it’s best to do it from the official download page .