Opera: Browser Downloads Surging

Since transitioning its popular Web browser to freeware status and dropping the built-in advertisements, Opera Software says downloads continue to surge. Over three million new users have downloaded Opera, the company claims, at a rate four times greater than previous releases.

Opera 8.5, which hit the 1 million download mark just 48 hours after its release, puts fresh pressure on Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominance. In fact, Opera has said the majority of downloaders were IE users looking for a safer alternative browser. The free Opera is available on a variety of operating systems in numerous languages.