Among the alternatives available in the world of computing, regarding web browsing, we find a wide range of options for this task. Of course, there are always leaders in this field, and for that reason, these are the first choice for users. In this regard, and very well known among web browsers, we have Opera , characterized and geared towards saving data. But on this occasion, we won't be talking about it, but rather about another browser, created by one of Opera's co-founders, and which is being presented to us in its first official version. We're talking about Vivaldi.
Vivaldi was born after its founders felt that Opera's approach had gradually become distorted . The basic idea behind its creation was to create a browser that managed few resources, was fast, and addressed all the specific needs of its users. After the development of Opera, and with the passage of time and the addition of new collaborators to the project, many of the initial ideas were heading in a different direction than those originally envisioned by its founders. Therefore, they concluded that they needed to create a new browser. One that would have the orientation they wanted, according to one of its founders: "a browser that was feature-rich, highly flexible, and with users as its primary focus ." Thus, Vivaldi was born.
After more than twelve months of development, this browser makes its debut as Vivaldi 1.0 . It brings with it customization options and features that will improve the user experience, productivity, and system efficiency . More specifically, we find solutions such as the tab stack, designed to address disorganization and simplify switching between tabs. We also find the window stack, which allows you to view multiple tabs from different websites simultaneously—in other words, multiple stacks of tabs on your screen.
Browser management will be more advanced thanks to sessions; save your current activity in your session and resume it later in a subsequent session. Furthermore, you can save your notes whenever you need them ; highlight what you want or need, take screenshots, and if you wish, you can return to the site you were browsing when taking the note, as the browser keeps a record of it.
You'll have access to open tabs, bookmarks, history, settings, and more through a quick command interface . Get keyboard shortcuts and Speed ​​Dial from any blank tab. Organize folders and groups for more Speed ​​Dials, accessing and managing bookmarks from a dedicated panel. You can view websites in the Vivaldi sidebar, which its developers describe as similar to a "Boss button" for the web.
What makes Vivaldi so adaptable are the customization tools it contains. The browser becomes more customizable so that the user can adjust it to their different uses and requirements, and also make it more efficient and productive.
Simplified the characteristics of Vivaldi we have then:
Fast navigation ; with access to shortcuts, page backs or jumps to another page with very fast and smooth progress, and quick access organized in folders, things that will make the experience easier.
Smart navigation ; encompassing custom search engines and note-taking while browsing. A side panel for downloads, notes, and bookmarks. Plus, a web panel that lets you browse in parallel or access any site you want.
Tab manager ; you can stack tabs on top of each other and save them. You can also save multiple open tabs and resume them later. Switching between tabs is quick, and you can expand the tab bar to preview them. You can also restore closed or locked tabs and arrange them side-by-side or in a grid.
Visual aspects : you'll see how the system interface adapts to the webpage you're visiting. You can also change the interface if you wish, as well as customize the background image of quick access elements and adjust the interface components. Finally, there's the option to expand the content of a page from top to bottom.
Bookmarks ; you'll have a toolbar at hand to easily manage and access your bookmarks. You can also assign names to bookmarks to find them more quickly in the address bar.
Shortcuts ; Use keyboard shortcuts to perform actions on the system through key combinations and execute your operations in the browser with the mouse.
Since Vivaldi is a brand-new web browser, many users are wondering how good it is and whether it's worth using instead of the more popular browsers. It's no secret that Firefox and Chrome dominate the market, making it a bit difficult for Vivaldi to become a top choice. But if we look at the background of its founders, Vivaldi is structured around customization, simplicity, and speed . This makes it worthwhile to see how adaptable it is to our needs.
Compared to Chrome , for example, Vivaldi tends to be faster in many situations, although its overall performance is similar, as it's based on a similar engine to Chrome's, V8 JavaScript, and the Chromium rendering engine. However, Vivaldi's interface changes are smoother.
Although Vivaldi excels over Chrome in several aspects, Microsoft Edge can be considered faster than Chrome on a dual-kernel system, making more efficient use of multiple cores. This suggests that Edge could potentially be faster than Vivaldi in this scenario. However, it's important to reiterate that the key difference between Edge and Vivaldi lies in their ability to manipulate many system features, which are unavailable in other browsers and are generally more rigid in this regard, offering fewer and less flexible customization options.
Regarding Vivaldi's components, we know that its interface uses JavaScript and React, as well as Node.js. Its kernel is based on Chromium. Furthermore, Vivaldi is compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows, allowing it to run on the most popular distributions.
Now that you know Vivaldi's features, all that's left is to draw your own conclusions about the browser by trying it out. To do so, go to this link and look for the download option on its official website: https://vivaldi.com/download/