Opera switches to Webkit from Presto
Opera announced today that they have crossed the 300m users mark. The browser has seen an increasing adoption amongst users across all its platforms. I’ve been using Opera for several years now at a time when it was ad-supported. It’s not my primary browser because I miss the extensive extension support that Firefox and Chrome provide, but it is a good alternative.
Till now Opera has been using Presto as the rendering engine. However, this is something that they have been dedicating tremendous resources to maintain and in order to grow, Opera has decided to adopt Webkit and focus its efforts on developing the browser.
In the release, CTO of Opera Software, HÃ¥kon Wium Lie stated:
“The shift to WebKit means more of our resources can be dedicated to developing new features and the user-friendly solutions that can be expected from a company that invented so many of the features that are today being used by everyone in the browser industry.”
In a way I think this is a good approach from Opera’s perspective. I’d really like to see the browser offering a better user experience. A better add-on integration will ensure more adoption from users and developers.
Am looking forward to the new Opera. What about you?