Opera, Portable Edition 10.62 and 10.70 Build 9053 Released

[JohnTHaller]

Hi all. We just posted Opera, Portable Edition over at PortableApps.com. It's Opera packaged up in PortableApps.com format with a portable launcher to handle portablization of settings, local cleanup and optional integration with the PortableApps.com Platform.

I know Opera@USB and Opera Portable are out there. We tried to work with the Opera@USB guy on doing a PA.c Format release but couldn't get a response. It turned out to be just as well as Opera@USB isn't quite as portable as it should be (prefs aren't updated with drive letter changes and it leaves behind a registry change). So, we added in the ability to do that with our launcher and also added automatic language selection when paired with the PortableApps.com Platform (so it comes up in German if you're running the platform in German). As with all our apps, it supports updates directly from the PortableApps.com Updater as well. We named our release Opera, Portable Edition to eliminate any confusion with the older versions.

We worked with Opera and entered into a licensing agreement to be able to repackage and redistribute Opera in portable form, so it's all on the up and up. And, in addition to the standard 10.62 release, we also built the current 10.70 snapshot build so folks can test out the upcoming features of Opera without impacting their standard desktop or portable install.

You can see the release announcement or you can grab it from the Opera, Portable Edition homepage.

Enjoy!

[SYSTEM]

Good news. I'm not planning to switch myself (from standard Opera with the "Multi User=0" setting), but additional choice is always a good thing.

I added a link to the Opera entry.

[guinness]

I for one welcome the achievement of making an agreement with what appears to be an innovative company, especially from Scandinavia!

[JohnTHaller]

I added a link to the Opera entry.

Thanks Could you also add that Opera, Portable Edition is stealth? The launcher cleans up that little registry key left behind by Opera or Opera@USB.

[SYSTEM]

Could you also add that Opera, Portable Edition is stealth? The launcher cleans up that little registry key left behind by Opera or Opera@USB.

It is questionable if wrapped applications can be accepted as stealth. I added the part bolded below:

• Opera, Portable Edition (Opera in PortableApps.com Format, resets the registry change on exit)

[-.-]

Hm I like it. I'd consider it stealth also. Since stealth is nothing left behind, how it did it isn't something I worry about since it can be done many ways.
But Like with firefox, I did wrap operaportable inside jaunte launcher just to make sure it doesn't leave things behind. The wrapper didn't clean up the jaunte registry file but I don't consider this a fault of operaportable though since it did leave system clean after it closed without jaunte's involvement.

Haven't used Opera for a while and it's developed nicely. I'd consider it as firefox alternative. Its already above chrome in my books.
Cleans up better than firefoxportable, though I'm not sure if this is a firefox issue or its wrapper not being as good on being stealthy

[JohnTHaller]

It is questionable if wrapped applications can be accepted as stealth.

If it is questionable having a wrapper that moves registry settings in and out, then all apps should be held to the same standard and watched for registry changes while running and if there are any, not considered stealth. A standalone app that normally uses the registry in portable mode could easily move settings into and out of the registry from an INI file but you wouldn't normally notice (unless perhaps it crashed). It could do the same with files in APPDATA, too.

My point is, treat all apps the same regardless of whether it's a wrapper or not. If stealth means nothing is left behind after the app is closed, then that's what it means regardless of whether it's got a wrapper. If stealth means nothing left behind after the app is closed or if the whole PC crashes, then that is what it means and all apps should be tested under these circumstances. Otherwise, the stealth field is essentially subjective rather than objective.

As an aside, our wrappers also work just fine even when the app itself crashes. So, in this case, if Opera crashes, the OperaPortable.exe launcher will still clean up the registry key just fine. If the PC crashes, it won't.

So, what is stealth?
1. Nothing is left behind when the app closes normally
2. Nothing is left behind when the app crashes
3. Nothing is left behind if the whole PC crashes while the app is running

If it is 1 or 2, then wrapped apps meet this criteria just fine. If it is 3, then all apps would have to be tested under the same circumstances (or watched with a registry and file monitor to ensure nothing is temporarily kept in APPDATA or the registry) for the Stealth designation to have any meaning.

[SYSTEM]

@John: There is no standard. AFAIK, Andrew hasn't made any official decision, and as this poll shows, there isn't even consensus. In addition, my opinion is that applications which write to the registry and cause changes (even temporary) aren't stealth.

I'm not going to edit the entry so that Opera, Portable Edition would be described as stealth. However, if someone else does that change, I won't revert it.

[guinness]

My question for JohnTHaller is are you going to be updating the development build when Opera releases a new snapshot? As it's very frequent compared to other applications out there (not always a bad thing!)

[JohnTHaller]

My question for JohnTHaller is are you going to be updating the development build when Opera releases a new snapshot? As it's very frequent compared to other applications out there (not always a bad thing!)

Yup. The new snapshot is being updated now (along with 10.63 actually). As it's updated fairly frequently and only really for testers (what we classify as an "Advanced" release) we won't be doing front-page/rss/twitter announcements for new releases but will post them to the Opera page (Same as we do for Google Chrome Dev builds and Firefox Nightlies changes). If you're using the PA.c Platform, just check for updates and you'll get it as it comes out.

[webfork]

Additionally, Opera@USB appears to be under active development as well. Build 3516 arrived 5 days before this post.

[JohnTHaller]

Additionally, Opera@USB appears to be under active development as well. Build 3516 arrived 5 days before this post.

Yes and no. It really depends on your definition of 'development' as Opera@USB no longer includes a launcher or any code over a standard Opera build. It's just a zip of the current Opera release with a default profile with a couple changes. And the update can be a bit tricky for new users (if you accidentally unzip a new release over an old one, you wipe your profile).

The reason for the lateness of the 10.62 release was because we were finishing the licensing agreement with Opera. 10.63 came out same-day. And we have 10.70 Build 9071 from Friday available, too, for folks to test. In both cases, you can just click Check For Updates in the current PA.c 2.0 Beta to get the latest version. Or manually download and do an in-place upgrade (install the new version right over the old one) as with all PA.c Format apps.