Opera 11 Alpha: Adding Another Piece to the Puzzle

Today we’re proud to announce the first Opera 11 alpha, an early snapshot of our upcoming Opera 11 release. In Opera 11 alpha our attention is first and foremost on one of the most anticipated features of Opera 11: extensions. More exciting functionality will be announced as we get closer to our final release of Opera 11.

Extensions are browser add-ons made using Opera application programming interfaces (APIs) and web standards like HTML5 and JavaScript. Extensions allow users to make their web browser their own by adding features and functionality directly into the browser itself, rather than as standalone Opera Widgets or Opera Unite applications.

Developers can build extensions with the same web standards they already use to build websites and web applications. Better yet, with only a few tweaks to their code, developers who have already authored a similar extension for other browsers will be able to share their creation with more than 50 million Opera users.

Try it out

To run Opera Extensions, you’ll need an Opera 11 Labs build that supports them:

Note that the current release is an experimental labs build, therefore the implementation, architecture and design may change before the final release. If you create a complex extension, it may require updates as our APIs mature.

Once you’ve installed Opera 11 alpha you’ll be automatically directed to http://addons.opera.com. This is our online catalog of extensions. Please bear in mind that both Opera 11 alpha and the online extensions catalog is under continuous development.

Want to develop extensions?

If you want to learn how to develop extensions, run on over to Dev.Opera, and read our Getting started with Opera extensions article.

You can also check out the following resources:

Give us feedback

Let us know what you think and have your say on the Dev Opera extensions forum.