Vivaldi (web browser)

Vivaldi is a freeware, cross-platform web browser developed by Vivaldi Technologies, a company founded by Opera Software co-founder and former CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Tatsuki Tomita. It was officially launched on April 6, 2016.[10][11]

Vivaldi
Vivaldi 3.0 running on macOS
Developer(s)Vivaldi Technologies
Initial releaseApril 6, 2016 (2016-04-06)[1] (Technical Preview released on Jan 27, 2015)
Stable release(s) [±]
Linux, macOS, Windows

3.1 (1929.40) (June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)[2]) [±]

Android
3.1 (1935.19) (June 17, 2020 (2020-06-17)[3]) [±]
Preview release(s) [±]
Linux, macOS, Windows

1952.3 (June 18, 2020 (2020-06-18)[4]) [±]

Android
1952.3 (June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)[5]) [±]
Repository
Written inC++[6]
EnginesBlink, V8
Operating system
PlatformIA-32, x86-64, ARM (Linux & Android only)
Size
  • Windows: 38.9 ~ 44.8 MB
  • macOS: 60.4 MB
  • Linux: ~45 MB
Available in53 languages[8]
List of languages
Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Basque, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Frisian, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Ido, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Lojban, Macedonian, Norwegian (Bokmal), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Sardinian, Scots Gaelic, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Spanish (Peru), Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
TypeWeb browser
LicenseProprietary freeware[9]
Websitevivaldi.com 

Although intended for general users, it is first and foremost targeted towards technically-inclined users as well as former Opera users disgruntled by its transition from the Presto layout engine to a Chromium-based browser that resulted in the loss of many of its iconic features.[10][12] Despite also being Chromium-based, Vivaldi aims to revive the features of the Presto-based Opera with its own proprietary modifications.[13][14]

As of April 2020, Vivaldi has 1.5 million active monthly users.[15]

Vivaldi released a mobile (Android) beta version on September 6, 2019 and a regular release on April 22, 2020.[16][17]

History

Vivaldi began as a virtual community website that replaced My Opera, which was shut down by Opera Software in March 2014.[18] Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner was angered by this decision because he believed that this community helped make the Opera web browser what it was. Tetzchner then launched the Vivaldi Community—a virtual community focused on providing registered users with a discussion forum, blogging service, and numerous other practical web services—to make up for My Opera's closure. Later, on January 27, 2015, Vivaldi Technologies launched[19] the first technical preview of the Vivaldi web browser.[20] Its name comes from the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, which, according to one of its creators, is an easy name to be remembered and understood worldwide.[11]

Releases

Features
Vivaldi 1.0.228.3 displaying the Wikipedia homepage in its "Chromeless UI" mode

User interface

Vivaldi has a minimalistic user interface with basic icons and fonts, and a color scheme that changes based on the background and design of the web page being visited.[57] The browser also allows users to customize the appearance of UI elements such as background color, overall theme, address bar and tab positioning, and start pages.[58] According to CEO Jon von Tetzchner, Vivaldi's vast, unique customizability is a huge part of how the browser caters to experienced users.[59]

Vivaldi 1.8.770.56 with multiple pinned tabs, regular tabs and tab stacks, open history side panel, new tab with multiple speed dial folders and websites and highlighted "Toggle Extension Visibility" button

Vivaldi features the ability to "stack" and "tile" tabs, annotate web pages, and add notes to bookmarks.[60][61] Furthermore, users can place digital bookmarks on a "speed dial" page for quick access and harness "quick commands" to search bookmarks, browsing history, open tabs, and settings.[62] Vivaldi is built around and based on web technologies such as HTML5, Node.js, React.js, and numerous NPM modules.[63] As of Technical Preview 4, Vivaldi also supports numerous mouse gestures for actions like tab switching and keyboard activation.[59] Vivaldi can also be set to a "Chromeless UI", which gives users more screen real-estate and the ability to focus on a single page without distractions.[64] To accommodate users who prefer to use a large number of tabs at the same time, Vivaldi supports hibernation for both individual tabs and for tab stacks, freeing resources while the user does not actively use those tabs.

Extensions

As a Chromium-based browser, Vivaldi can use many browser extensions developed for Google Chrome, and users can install them directly from the Chrome Web Store. Most of these should work properly in Vivaldi, with the exception of user interface customizations, because Vivaldi's interface is quite different from Chrome's.[65][66]

Future additions

The company hopes to integrate an email client into a future version of the browser, and also plans to release their own extension platform.[67]

Market share
Further information: Usage share of web browsers

StatCounter estimates that Vivaldi had a 0.02% market share for desktop browsers in May 2020.[68]

Reception

Ars Technica reviewer Scott Gilbertson wrote about version 1.0 in April 2016. He praised its innovative features, such as its tab handling, while noting that it will most likely remain a niche browser and not see widespread uptake.[69] In October 2018, Gilbertson gave version 2.0 a very positive review and stated that Vivaldi is now his usual browser and that he would be hard put to go back to a browser without its unique features.[70]

References
  1. Andrii, Degeler (April 6, 2016). "Vivaldi 1.0 tries to reverse web browser simplification trend". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  2. "Minor update (2) for Vivaldi Desktop Browser 3.1". Vivaldi Blog. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  3. "Minor update (1) for Vivaldi Android Browser 3.1". Vivaldi Blog. June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  4. "Media fixes for macOS – Vivaldi Browser snapshot 1952.3". Vivaldi Blog. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. "Custom Blocker Lists – Vivaldi Android Browser snapshot 1952.3". Vivaldi Blog. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  6. "Vivaldi browser: Interview with Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner". utappia.org. September 21, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  7. "Download Vivaldi". vivaldi.com. Vivaldi Technologies. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  8. "Vivaldi version 1.13.1008.32 for Windows (7+)". Vivaldi Technologies. November 25, 2017.
  9. "Vivaldi End User License Agreement". vivaldi.com. Vivaldi Technologies. November 18, 2016. Subject to the terms and conditions herein, Vivaldi hereby grants You a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to install and use the Software and Services for its intended purpose. [...] Without limiting the foregoing, you are neither allowed to (a) adapt, alter, translate, embed into any other product or otherwise create derivative works of, or otherwise modify the Software ; (b) separate the component programs of the Software for use on different computers; (c) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to derive the source code for the Software, except as permitted by applicable law; or (d) remove, alter or obscure any proprietary notices on the Software or the applicable documentation therein.
  10. Shankland, Stephen (January 27, 2015). "Ex-Opera CEO composes Vivaldi, a new Web browser". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015.
  11. "Vivaldi: testamos o navegador de internet que tem personalização completa". Tecmundo (in Portuguese). Grupo NZN. November 4, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  12. Minic, Ivan (February 10, 2015). "Jon S. von Tetzchner: We will (re)create a browser you love". Medium.
  13. Gilbertson, Scott (March 6, 2015). "Hands-on with Vivaldi, the new Web browser for power users". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  14. "Vivaldi is building "Opera as it should've been"". www.arstechnica.com. Ars Technica. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  15. Shankland, Stephen. "Vivaldi 3.0 becomes the newest web browser to block ads and trackers". CNET. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  16. "Vivaldi goes mobile". Vivaldi Browser. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  17. "One day. Two big Vivaldi browser releases". Vivaldi Browser. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  18. Shankland, Stephen (January 23, 2014). "Ex-CEO picks up where Opera left off, launching Vivaldi site". CNET. CBS Interactive.
  19. "The Vivaldi Community is driving the Vivaldi browser development". Vivaldi.com. Twitter. January 29, 2015.
  20. Dagenborg, Joachim (February 6, 2015). "Vivaldi browser hits 500,000 downloads in first 10 days". Reuters. Oslo, Norway. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  21. Tatsuki, Tomita (March 5, 2015). "Technical Preview 2 is here!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  22. von Tetzchner, Jon (April 28, 2015). "TP3 is here!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  23. Tatsuki, Tomita (July 16, 2015). "Vivaldi browser Technical Preview 4 is here!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  24. Tatsuki, Tomita (November 3, 2015). "Vivaldi launches its first beta". Vivaldi Technologies.
  25. von Tetzchner, Jon (December 18, 2015). "Happy holidays: Vivaldi browser Beta 2 is here in time for holidays". Vivaldi Technologies.
  26. Tatsuki, Tomita (March 4, 2016). "Vivaldi getting closer to 1.0. Beta 3 is here with New session load/save, tab zoom and a lot of new options!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  27. von Tetzchner, Jon (April 6, 2016). "Vivaldi 1.0: Not for everybody, just you". Vivaldi Technologies.
  28. Tatsuki, Tomita (April 26, 2016). "No time to rest. Vivaldi 1.1 is here with enhanced tab handling, better hibernation and more!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  29. Tatsuki, Tomita (June 2, 2016). "Ready to make your own mouse gestures? Now you can with Vivaldi 1.2". Vivaldi Technologies.
  30. Tatsuki, Tomita (August 11, 2016). "The most customizable browser is now the most colorful: Vivaldi version 1.3 debuts with custom themes, enhanced privacy and much more". Vivaldi Technologies.
  31. Tatsuki, Tomita (September 8, 2016). "Vivaldi 1.4 is released with more control! Schedule, Restore and get more flexibility!". Vivaldi Technologies.
  32. von Tetzchner, Jon (November 22, 2016). "Lighten up your Day with Vivaldi Browser". Vivaldi Technologies.
  33. von Tetzchner, Jon (December 15, 2016). "Details matter. Vivaldi 1.6 is ready". Vivaldi Technologies.
  34. von Tetzchner, Jon (February 8, 2017). "Seize the moment with Vivaldi 1.7". Vivaldi Technologies.
  35. von Tetzchner, Jon (March 29, 2017). "Vivaldi makes History". Vivaldi Technologies.
  36. von Tetzchner, Jon (April 27, 2017). "Vivaldi 1.9 – Plant trees as you browse". Vivaldi Technologies.
  37. von Tetzchner, Jon (June 15, 2017). "Vivaldi powers up the Start Page and adds docked Dev Tools". Vivaldi Technologies.
  38. von Tetzchner, Jon (August 10, 2017). "Vivaldi 1.11 – Focus on accessibility". Vivaldi Technologies.
  39. von Tetzchner, Jon (September 20, 2017). "Vivaldi 1.12 – Giving you the browser you want". Vivaldi Technologies.
  40. von Tetzchner, Jon (November 22, 2017). "Vivaldi 1.13 adds Window Panel, improves Downloads and brings under-the-hood enhancements". Vivaldi Technologies.
  41. von Tetzchner, Jon (January 31, 2018). "Vivaldi 1.14 – Three years of continuous innovation". Vivaldi Technologies.
  42. von Tetzchner, Jon (April 25, 2018). "Vivaldi 1.15 : Just Better". Vivaldi Technologies.
  43. von Tetzchner, Jon (September 26, 2018). "Vivaldi 2.0 : Your browser matters". Vivaldi Technologies.
  44. von Tetzchner, Jon (October 25, 2018). "Vivaldi 2.1 launches with improved Quick Commands". Vivaldi Technologies.
  45. von Tetzchner, Jon (December 13, 2018). "Vivaldi 2.2: Focus on details". Vivaldi Technologies.
  46. von Tetzchner, Jon (February 6, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.3 introduces Auto-Stacking in Tabs, addresses the Address Field and more". Vivaldi Technologies.
  47. von Tetzchner, Jon (March 27, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.4: Next level Toolbar Customization". Vivaldi Technologies.
  48. von Tetzchner, Jon (May 8, 2019). "Browse with full color: Vivaldi browser enables Razer Chroma". Vivaldi Technologies.
  49. von Tetzchner, Jon (June 20, 2019). "Vivaldi browser blocks abusive ads, improves profile management and more". Vivaldi Technologies.
  50. von Tetzchner, Jon (August 21, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.7 : Bring more productivity to your day". Vivaldi Technologies.
  51. von Tetzchner, Jon (September 19, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.8: Inspires new desktop and mobile experiences". Vivaldi Technologies.
  52. von Tetzchner, Jon (October 31, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.9: Adding more to the Vivaldi Menu". Vivaldi Technologies.
  53. von Tetzchner, Jon (December 19, 2019). "Vivaldi 2.10: No strings attached". Vivaldi Technologies.
  54. von Tetzchner, Jon (February 12, 2020). "Vivaldi 2.11 improves Pop-out video". Vivaldi Technologies.
  55. von Tetzchner, Jon (April 22, 2020). "One day. Two big Vivaldi browser releases". Vivaldi Technologies.
  56. von Tetzchner, Jon (June 11, 2020). "Vivaldi introduces a full-page Notes Manager and configurable menus to its browser for computers". Vivaldi Technologies.
  57. Lardinois, Frederic (March 8, 2015). "Vivaldi Is Quickly Becoming The Alternative Browser To Beat". TechCrunch.
  58. Brinkmann, Martin (June 2, 2015). "Latest Vivaldi snapshot introduces interface scaling". Ghacks. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  59. Frederic, Lardinois (July 16, 2015). "Vivaldi Browser Gets New Customization Options, Mouse Gestures And Experimental Chrome Extension Support". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  60. Williams, Owen (April 28, 2015). "Latest Vivaldi browser preview brings useful tab stacking feature and more". The Next Web.
  61. Paul, Ian (April 28, 2015). "This is neat: You can stack and tile browser tabs in the Vivaldi beta browser for power users". PCWorld.
  62. Clarke, Victor (January 27, 2015). "Vivaldi Browser: a Quick Look at the Opera Successor". hackerspace.lifehacker.com. LifeHacker. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  63. Williams, Owen (January 27, 2015). "Meet Vivaldi, a new browser from the former CEO of Opera". The Next Web.
  64. Ødegaard, Ruarí (July 17, 2015). "Snapshot 1.0.228.3 - With Chromeless UI". Vivaldi Technologies.
  65. Williams, Owen. "Sick of Chrome? Vivaldi can now run your favorite extensions". The Next Web. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  66. "Using Extensions in Vivaldi". Vivaldi Browser Help.
  67. "Vivaldi Extensions - Interview With Vivaldi Co-Founder". Extension-Zone. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  68. "Desktop Browser Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  69. Gilbertson, Scott. "Even at 1.0, Vivaldi closes in on the cure for the common browser". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  70. Gilbertson, Scott. "Vivaldi 2.0 review: The modern Web browser does not have to be so bland". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
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