Welcome to Web Applications

By thomas.ford. Wednesday, 29. March 2006, 14:15:20

Web Applications, Widgets, Opera Platform

Here at Opera we're most famous for our Web browser. In fact, that's all we do so we better be famous for it. We've had one out in the market for more than a decade. But now that browser has evolved. Instead of being an application to display static Web content, the browser is now a platform for applications.

Our first step in realizing this new world was taken with the launch of Opera Platform, the first mobile AJAX framework. Then we turned our attention to the desktop browser. In Opera 9 Technology Preview 2, we added support for Opera Widgets. Opera Widgets extend and expand the browser's functionality in dramatic ways.

Opera Platform and Opera Widgets are just a sample, a taste of what's to come. We've had our heads down in code and now its time to share our work with the outside world. This blog is the door. Welcome and enjoy.

The 'Opera-2dgame' Canvas Context

Comments

Oh, and I will enjoy

By brianj, # 29. March 2006, 15:16:19

I will both enjoy and devour. Like doughnuts.

By johnnysaucepn, # 29. March 2006, 15:37:58

Opera Widgets extend and expand the browser's functionality in dramatic ways.

That's something I still have to understand. I'm not refuting the statement; I'm probably not seeing all new possibilities yet. :-\

By scipio, # 29. March 2006, 16:50:08

Great job with this new blog

By SerbianFighter, # 29. March 2006, 16:52:10

This is wunderbar! My browser is fe(e)d

By velmu, # 29. March 2006, 17:02:04

johnnyappleseed writes:

Scipio, I think widgets will do a lot for the browser, but their potential hasn't been tapped just yet. I like where things are headed particularly with this canvas idea in the following post. I guess it's up to us, the developers, to make it happen.

Now, back to my widget...

By anonymous user, # 29. March 2006, 18:04:14

why not opera soft be more compatible with apple widgets

By tian2992, # 29. March 2006, 18:09:19

Ómar writes:

The music player written in Flash MX 2004 from Macromedia does not work in Opera but works fine in Mozila Firefox and Internet Explorer. I used Actionscript 2 to make it functional. To see what I mean see my webside at address: http://www.internet.is/oadal

By anonymous user, # 29. March 2006, 18:10:29

Patrick writes:

I would like to see a widget, that uses in Opera activated Newsfeeds to display a newsticker. I have no idea if there are interfaces that open operas M2-content to Widgets, but if there are, this would be the most useful widget Opera could offer

.

Do u have access to details to give me an idea if its possible or nor not today?

regards Patrick

By anonymous user, # 29. March 2006, 21:46:51

I agree with the other somewhat neutral responses. Web applications are great and all that, but we need a killer widget. I have yet to try a widget that's actually useful and innovative, it's like a PC without spreadsheet.

By Yallis, # 29. March 2006, 23:31:41

I've said it before and I'll say it again - widgets seem as useful to me as Active Desktop (which I switch off as soon as I set up an account anywhere).

Now prove me wrong!

By MossMan, # 30. March 2006, 08:15:46

Cool!
I participated in the Opera Platform contest which johnnysaucepn won with his great TV listings grabber.

After the contest I never touched Opera Platform again but I can say it is amazing, the possibilities are endless. You can create great applications for mobile devices without having to know J2ME and without the need to compile them.

Good to hear that now there is a whole blog dedicated to Opera Platform. Maybe I'll put my dirty hands on it again...

By danielcs, # 30. March 2006, 09:15:54

Nice blog

By realGWolf, # 31. March 2006, 06:06:07

1. Can pls anyone make a Media Player widget so that i would be able to play my mp3s from Opera without starting Winamp?

3. Can you pls add a possibility to create Flash widgets for Opera (Macromedia Flash)

By seifip, # 1. April 2006, 14:32:18

Great work.

By PeterPearson, # 2. April 2006, 09:34:31

Great to see this Thomas/Arve!. excellent work. rgds Ajit

By AjitJaokar, # 2. April 2006, 22:29:58

Anonymous writes:

Hi,

Great stuff.

I would really love a WORLD CLOCK as a widget.

Hope it will be available pretty soon.

By anonymous user, # 9. April 2006, 03:51:00

hahaha...it seems interesting...

By platero, # 12. April 2006, 11:28:38

indigo writes:

What, exactly, would the Opera Web Application "widget" do for my desktop PC?

I read all the blogs, to date and other than.. "interesting, great work, Yummm," etc., I still didn't learn anything about what it would do for me

(?)

Thanks!

By anonymous user, # 13. April 2006, 20:31:26

Mustang66 writes:

I've been using widgets for some time now in MacOSX.4 I settled on a few really useful ones. If you get every single widget out there it will cramp the OS and use too much memory? Thats what i heard- an Apple techie said not to go "hog wild" with 'em. Maybe Opera widgets will be better and not hog the CPU power and memory? A few really useful widgets are better than tons of mediocre ones anyway.

By anonymous user, # 15. April 2006, 04:28:52

I've not used or installed a widget.
How are they installed?
jltsr

By jltsr, # 18. April 2006, 20:13:26

I am most interested in the mobile platform. Anything that opens up mobile development to a bigger developer community has to be good. Good work guys!

By scrase, # 21. April 2006, 03:20:36

Honestly, as a user with brown-paper-bag needs reflecting the work-a-day-world, I don't yet see any practical applications for widgets that I would not rather see integrated (as options) into the browser. The mention of voip in operawatch appealed to me. But if that idea is conceived as a widget, the question that came to mind was: Why can it not be integrated into opera (as a loadable/unloadable option, or maybe extension)? I really don't see the necessity for widgets such as KnowledgeBase, which works very smoothly. I see some visual appeal, but not the need, in other words. Why can't I do that in opera without the widget, and why is a widget better? If the Yahoo! widgets page gives any idea of what to look forward to, I'll pass.

By searchme, # 29. April 2006, 13:21:21

Opera 9 is kewl like everything so far, Widgets are right on the usefull or fun are neat do you have a widget making software program for public use and download?
Does opera have any google earth connections?
Thankx for use of all your ideas appreciate is in the wind.

By jimoer, # 4. May 2006, 12:15:24

Opera blog is somutch useful to me that l become too vexed when any network or server problem occures. I enjoy life with my friends' arts,comments,and other articles. Since I have been a member of the opera commuty,my long cherished "Globalhood" saw the rising sun of "Global unity & international brotherhood".Long live "Opera".

By sibaprasaddas, # 6. May 2006, 05:10:52

I am totally confused, perhaps it's all new to me this bloggy malarchy, lol.
Gorra be honest (if nothing else, I am honest!) until I read these messages I thought that 'a widget' was some vague contraption associated with the pull ring of one brand of ("it travels well!" Yorkshire [England] Bitter. This idea was, on reflection, instigated by a tv ad, carried off, I must say, alarmingly well, by UK po-faced stand-up comedian (or is it 'comic')one Jack Lee. There you go, I bet at least half of you - and after reading that crotch blog I can only consider the lower dimensions! LOL! ;-) - yes, a 'good' half of you will rush to either one of webbies www.jacklee.com or www.johnsmiths.com - all of which leaves me even more confused than when I began writing this waffle and so there's nothin' left for me to do, except to peruse my original 'concept' of widgethood* and ... PPSSSSTTTTSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTTUTTUT!

*made up word, as were the 2 websites

Happy wishes, the 'Boom'

By boomy, # 7. May 2006, 02:51:42

picsa

By Dj.Dexi, # 7. May 2006, 13:09:29

Beasty writes:

What's about XUL? Firefox Mozilla Netscape know this language? Is it anytime possible in Opera?

you make very good work.

By anonymous user, # 7. May 2006, 23:38:26

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