Free Opera Hits 1 Million Downloads
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Just 48 hours after Opera Software removed the ads and license fee from its popular Web browser, Opera 8.5 has been downloaded by over 1 million people, the company said Thursday. The number is double Opera's previous download record, which it achieved in April with version 8.0.
Opera's new freeware status puts added pressure on Microsoft's aging Internet Explorer and even Mozilla Firefox, which soared to popularity as a free alternative to IE 6. Opera says the majority of downloaders were IE users. "The success of our free browser proves the world is ready for a fresh option," said Opera CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner.