The Red O opera preservation

Developers › Choose Opera

Run Opera Widgets without Opera

October 15, 2009 · by Espen André Øverdahl

Opera Widgets icon

Before, you had to have Opera open to download and run Widgets (even if the applications did not require live access to the Internet), but now we have something different (and experimental) in store for you: Opera Widgets for desktop!

With the launch of Opera Widgets for desktop, Opera must be installed to power the applications, but it no longer must be running to download or use them. The applications now have the ability to be standalone programs with their own installers, shortcuts, and file system access. They even run as their own processes — separate from the browser itself. In other words, Opera Widgets are now much more like regular applications that users are familiar with.

Opera Widgets for desktop promises to gives developers the options they need to create the optimal experience for the users of their applications, combined with the aforementioned benefits of Web applications that are based on open standards.

This initial release of Opera Widgets for desktop is a technology preview and will likely include some bugs and incomplete features. Your feedback will help us improve the quality of the final version and is much appreciated!

For more information on Opera Widgets, please visit widgets.opera.com.

If you are a developer and want to know more about using Opera Widgets for desktop to power your Web applications, please visit dev.opera.com.

If you just want to try it out, you can download the latest Labs build here:

Readers' comments 48

Left under the original article, as archived.

  • TamilThursday, October 15, 2009 12:53:05 PM

    :cool:

  • thobiThursday, October 15, 2009 1:01:48 PM

    really nice. waited for that for a while :smile: :up:

  • Jeff ™Thursday, October 15, 2009 1:45:54 PM

    :up: :coffee:

  • VisualShockThursday, October 15, 2009 2:31:06 PM

    Great news!! :bigsmile:

  • Matt CoxThursday, October 15, 2009 2:50:46 PM

    Interesting.

  • YongShunThursday, October 15, 2009 2:52:54 PM

    competeing with Adobe AIR?>

  • AdrianThursday, October 15, 2009 3:17:22 PM

    Intel only for the Mac...?

  • Charles SchlossThursday, October 15, 2009 3:25:41 PM

    :cool:

  • Ad BaileyThursday, October 15, 2009 3:39:38 PM

    Awww. No Mac PPC version :sad:

  • ZodiusThursday, October 15, 2009 4:22:42 PM

    Oh wow, FINALLY! I have been waiting for this for a long time! Thanks, guys! :up:

  • pinfengThursday, October 15, 2009 5:23:24 PM

    Cool! A long awaited feature now becomes real :smile: Great guys!

  • SondeckisThursday, October 15, 2009 5:44:11 PM

    Someone make a weather widget(beautiful of course) so I could use it and remove rainmeter :smile:

  • kyu3Thursday, October 15, 2009 6:15:32 PM

    Excellent! :yes:

  • Leandro StereoThursday, October 15, 2009 7:02:50 PM

    Gracias !

  • Artur „Jurgi” JurgawkaThursday, October 15, 2009 7:23:48 PM

    I have run (some) Opera widgets without Opera long time ago, at their very beginning of existence. I just run them under Firefox. :bigsmile:
    Bur standalone widgets… yes, it may be cool. I hope this solution is resource friendly.

  • IKokeThursday, October 15, 2009 7:32:50 PM

    :yes:

  • Daniel HendrycksThursday, October 15, 2009 10:49:09 PM

    Good! This'll help with a higher amount of adaptation of widgets.

  • techlawsamFriday, October 16, 2009 12:09:46 AM

    Originally posted by DanielHendrycks:

    Good! This'll help with a higher amount of adaptation of widgets.



    agreed! This is awesome! :yes:

  • Daniel HendrycksFriday, October 16, 2009 12:27:24 AM

    2nd thoughts. We should be able to launch widgets from Opera too. Maybe add the panel back. On the panel would be the list of the widgets like before then the word install would be somewhere. Not a right click, few will learn of this functionality then. http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7201/25345279.png - (Pretend the notes panel was the widgets panel)

  • techlawsamFriday, October 16, 2009 12:32:07 AM

    there should be a option for the widget to be "started when windows" starts (so Opera Widgets can take over "sidebar" gadgets :bigsmile: ).

  • Daniel HendrycksFriday, October 16, 2009 12:34:41 AM

    Originally posted by Jon (CEO):

    Most native applications, over time, will be replaced by browser-based widgets. I think that's clearly the direction things are going. So it will be browser based.


    This was said a very short while ago. The functionality to launch a widget from the browser must be returning next to the ability to launch it from the desktop.

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2009/08/opera_ceo_interview.html

  • techlawsamFriday, October 16, 2009 1:24:25 AM

    Originally posted by DanielHendrycks:

    2nd thoughts. We should be able to launch widgets from Opera too. Maybe add the panel back. On the panel would be the list of the widgets like before then the word install would be somewhere. Not a right click



    yes I just wondered why you were saying that, and found out "Widgets" was missing from toolbar :cry:

  • Vasudevan MFriday, October 16, 2009 1:33:59 AM

    Nice :up:

  • RemFriday, October 16, 2009 2:51:30 AM

    If this one is faster than Yahoo widgets, then I'm sold! :bigsmile:

  • Pramod GhugeFriday, October 16, 2009 8:15:46 AM

    I love it.

    Wishlist:
    1. Launch widgets from Browser
    2. Auto start widgets with Windows
    3. A tray icon for all running widgets
    4. Widgets Panel be restored
    5. Installation in single folder in start menu
    6. Install on choice
    7. Allow widgets to run in browser

  • justmeSaturday, October 17, 2009 9:45:07 PM

    WOW, you are working hard and innovative in opera!! Just there in front of every competitor.
    Make it easy to use!

  • HaavardMonday, October 19, 2009 7:36:06 AM

    Originally posted by DanielHendrycks:

    This was said a very short while ago. The functionality to launch a widget from the browser must be returning next to the ability to launch it from the desktop.

    That quote doesn't mean that widgets will be launched from a browser, just that they will use the browser engine.

  • AdrianPMMonday, October 19, 2009 4:38:37 PM

    http://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/ThumbsUp.gif -

    Now this makes a new sense for widgets that opens an independent browser window to show a particular website's results, like those Wikipedia and Answers.com Widgets.

  • hassan murtazaTuesday, October 20, 2009 8:34:14 PM

    i love opera it,s my love

  • hassan murtazaTuesday, October 20, 2009 8:36:56 PM

    :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

    I LOVE OPERA FRIENDS AND OPERA TEAM SMILE

  • NikolaWednesday, October 21, 2009 8:19:51 AM

    COOL :party:

  • juan1111Wednesday, October 21, 2009 4:25:17 PM

    hola a todas y todos queria saber si alguien me puede ayudar o al menos una recomendacion para instalar opera mini en mi equipo movil,(nokia 6210)ya que en la version java ,(jad y jar) no funciona

  • Mr Doug JacobsThursday, October 22, 2009 11:27:00 AM

    coool !!

  • Owolabi rotexSaturday, October 24, 2009 4:36:38 PM

    Hi,i need friend 4rm nigeria

  • PengeSaturday, October 24, 2009 5:17:04 PM

    there should be a option for the widget to be "started when windows" starts (so Opera Widgets can take over "sidebar" gadgets ).


    Just copy the shortcut of widget to the Startup folder (in Windows Start menu).

  • Kerwin CoSaturday, October 24, 2009 5:33:51 PM

    Great news! When is it coming out?

    But something is missing even with the previous widget, I really dont know why it was never implemented; autostart.

  • Deepnarayan ChoubeySunday, October 25, 2009 8:43:03 AM

    Happy day all , Excellent widgets. Thanks. Yours Deep

  • jkfordeMonday, October 26, 2009 2:00:09 AM

    Aaaah sweet, do Opera devs ever take a nap?! Coupled with very select GDS gadgets (some are good!) who needs Win7!?

  • Jonas92Tuesday, October 27, 2009 9:18:41 PM

    I don't think, that every Widget has to get one task in the taskbar...this doesn't makes sense, because this solution takes too much space.
    I think, that one entrance in the systray is enough for the whole widgets...
    But all in all this is a good idea...

  • HaavardWednesday, October 28, 2009 3:32:19 PM

    Originally posted by Jonas92:

    I don't think, that every Widget has to get one task in the taskbar...this doesn't makes sense, because this solution takes too much space.

    It makes sense if you look at what widgets are supposed to be (or become). They are not supposed to be browser toys, they are going to be full applications. They will be like any other application on your system, and not tied to the browser at all (apart from using the browser engine).

  • Daniel HendrycksWednesday, October 28, 2009 10:22:57 PM

    @Haarvard
    At first I said browser and desktop launching abilities but I have grown to see your point and I am now with it.

  • Sebastian Martin SuarezThursday, October 29, 2009 3:06:20 AM

    muy bien lo estoy descargando..
    creo que quedo un poco desubicado entre tanto idioma ingles!!

  • IhabSunday, November 1, 2009 2:35:38 AM

    :wink:

  • osiosFriday, November 13, 2009 11:31:28 AM

    That's good! Does anybody know a release date of the service?

  • Daniel HendrycksFriday, November 13, 2009 7:26:23 PM

    Originally posted by osios:

    That's good! Does anybody know a release date of the service?


    Nope

  • Jonas92Friday, November 13, 2009 7:36:06 PM

    I think, this is, when Opera 10.10 gets final.

  • justmeThursday, November 19, 2009 7:22:42 PM

    There I had my usual widgets on place:) The dialog box was though almost white.

  • Deepnarayan ChoubeySaturday, December 5, 2009 1:58:30 PM

    Happy day all ! We like Opera friends and nice widgets. Thanks.

About this article

Published inChoose Opera
DateOctober 15, 2009
AuthorEspen André Øverdahl
Tagsweb applications, opera labs, opera widgets
OriginalInternet Archive

The Red O » Developers » Choose Opera » Run Opera Widgets without Opera

Browsers

Add-ons

Services

Developers

Help

Company

About · Contribute · Legal theredo.org
The Red O is an independent, non-commercial preservation project, not affiliated with Opera Norway AS. Opera is a trademark of its owner.