Testing the Vivaldi web browser

Conclusion

The Vivaldi project arrived on the public stage with the goal of becoming a "better Opera." The new browser still has some shortcomings that developers need to work on, but the project is heading in the right direction. The relatively sluggish browser startup needs fine tuning.

Once the browser is running though, Vivaldi opens web pages in a flash. Aside from the short supply of extensions and the slow startup speeds, Vivaldi is not lagging far behind Chrome. Additionally, it offers some useful functions that Chrome does not have.

The browser does lack an email client and this is a significant shortcoming. However, there is already a suitable reference to an email client in the side panel.

Because Opera's turbo mode (which would deliver web pages in compressed format) requires a distributed server infrastructure, users will probably be waiting for some time yet for the appearance of this feature. On the other hand, the developers are already implementing user demands for HiDPI support for retina displays and 4K monitors.

Vivaldi has already been localized into 40 languages [7]. An advantage that should not be overlooked is the active community that exchanges information in the forum [8] and in IRC channels.

As a result, more than 100 people from more than 30 countries participated in the localization effort. This is remarkable for such a young project and speaks to the hope that the Opera fan base and new users will be happy with the outcome.