Vivaldi releases version 2.0 of its browser featuring expanded customization and privacy tools9/26/2018
https://ift.tt/2DuOPwn
Vivaldi releases version 2.0 of its browser featuring expanded customization and privacy tools https://ift.tt/2DxszC0 Maverick browser developer Vivaldi released version 2.0 today as the company continues its quest to target users who crave a feature-backed web surfing tool that also offers greater privacy options. Vivaldi was founded by Jon von Tetzchner, a former CEO of Opera who oversaw that company’s browser development for years. Since leaving several years ago, he believed that the trend toward leaner, simpler browsers was leaving behind a larger group of users who wanted more. That led to the launch of Vivaldi 1.0 in 2016. The first version offered features such as tab stacks to help manage large numbers of open tabs, the ability to view multiple pages at the same time using tiles, notes to let users save excerpts of pages, and web panels that could be viewed via a sidebar. Since then, Vivaldi has been downloaded more than 1 million times. Yes, it’s puny compared to the more than 1 billion users of Google’s Chrome browser. But in some ways, that’s point: Finding a narrower focus that’s better for a core group of users. “What we’re gradually doing is polishing the browser,” von Tetzchner said. “We’re aiming for a richness in the browser that you don’t find anywhere else.” Despite the long odds it faces, the launch of Vivaldi couldn’t have come at a better time. Just as version 1.0 was rolling out, concerns about privacy were exploding as tech giants faced growing questions about their collecting and handling of personal data. Indeed, that issue flared again this week amid revelations that the latest version of the Google Chrome browser would automatically log users in by default. By contrast, Vivaldi gathers no personal information and places no cookies to track users on their computer. While such data offers a tempting way to monetize users,von Tetzchner insists Vivaldi will never go down that road. Over the past year, the company has also partnered with privacy-focused search engines Qwant and DuckDuckGo. “Some of those business models we don’t want to be a part of,” he said. “There’s this debate about whether you should you track users or no. We don’t do it, and we don’t think we should.” Meanwhile, the company has continued to release a never-ending-stream of updates and constant improvements. But the latest round were signficant enough that the team thought it was time to officially apply the 2.0 label. VIDEO The most notable changes include:
“We have a massive amount of features we’re building on,” he said. “Every feature can be approved.” Looking ahead, he said the big challenges in the coming months include developing a mobile version of the browser as well as an email service. The company currently has 42 employees, and is mainly being boostrapped by von Tetzchner. Revenue is coming in via the partnership deals. And while the company isn’t profitable yet, he’s optimistic that it is on the path toward sustainability. “It takes time to build a company like Vivaldi,” he said. “We’re not taking external investment. We’re not building something to be sold or to IPO. We want to build a fantastic browser and provide it to those who want it. And that’s how we’re building the company: To focus on the users.” Business via VentureBeat https://venturebeat.com September 26, 2018 at 02:26AM
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2020
|