Opera users running Ubuntu should keep an eye on Software Updater, as the oft-overlooked web browser rolls out its first updates of the year.
A new year bump to both the Opera stable and developer channels sees some much-needed bug fixes and improvements land, including support for Netflix playback on Linux.
For a slightly closer look at what to expect, scroll on…
Opera Stable 34 Update
Opera’s stable build arrives with Chromium 47.0.2526.106 under the hood, meaning there’ll be plenty of core speed, bug and security fixes under the hood.
Opera Turbo shows a new icon in the URL bar when pages load through the software’s built-in byte-crushing compression technology. A minor change, but one needed as the previous Turbo icon looked a little ‘too similar’ to the History page favicon.
Also of note to Linux users is a fix for a renderer crash that occurs when playing H264 video in the browser.
- New Opera Turbo icon
- “Mute tab” option removed from the tab context menu
- Fixes data deletion bug
- Supports Netflix playback on Linux¹
If you’re super-duper interested in what else has changed you can check the entire Opera 34 series change-log for more details.
Opera Developer 36 Update
Opera 36, the browser’s developer channel, bumps its internal Chromium engine to v49.0.2593.0.
It bakes a number of new features into the build including an extension expander button to help tame over-stuffed toolbars, and sees a redesigned start page that merges the previously separate ‘News’ and ‘Speed Dial’ pages into one.
“Yay.”
The update also fixes a range of issues afflicting Linux, including
- Pinned Tab icon incorrectly displayed
- Opera says it “maybe” can play ‘audio/mp4’ and ‘video/mp4’ when it clearly can’t
- Extension Expander crashing under Linux
- Add ‘Activate’ button to desktop notifications
Fancy using new features that are rough around the edges? You do? Well, you can grab the latest Opera Developer release for Ubuntu by politely making your mouse meet the download links positioned …nether.