Vivaldi is a Chromium-based web browser available for Linux (and other platforms). It is popularly known for its enhanced functionalities and multitasking features. This makes it one of the best web browsers available on Linux, especially for power users.
With the Vivaldi 5.0 release (marking its 5th anniversary), you can expect significant feature additions and improvements.
Let us take a look at what Vivaldi’s new release has to offer.
What’s New in Vivaldi 5.0?
Note that Vivaldi is mostly open-source (source), except its UI. However, they tend to focus on improvements on the Linux platform, which is a good thing.
Here’s what you can expect with Vivaldi 5.0:
Vivaldi Themes
Themes have been one of the best features of Vivaldi, not just because you get to choose from a variety of pre-installed ones. It’s because you get to customize your theme or edit pre-installed ones.
The theme editor has been updated with more options to play around. You can now edit the colors, corner-rounding, background, and settings to customize the theme. Previously, you had to edit the background image separately. So, the new theme editor should be convenient to use.
And, this doesn’t stop here. Done creating your themes?
Now, you can easily share your themes with anyone using the new Export Theme option that generates a ZIP file. Similarly, you can import themes as well.
To go even further, you can submit your newly designed themes to their community gallery. You can also find themes from other users and install them for yourself.
A New Translate Panel
With Vivaldi 4.0 release, they introduced a built-in translate feature powered by Lingvanex.
Now, with the new Translate Panel in the sidebar, you can quickly add a snippet of text and translate it without translating the entire webpage.
Vivaldi’s side panels are known for improving multitasking capabilities. And, this feature addition should enhance that.
What if you want to translate more snippets? Surely, you can’t just go on copy-pasting them!
For this particular reason, Vivaldi has also introduced a one-step auto-translate option. Once the option is enabled, highlight the text you want in a webpage, and its translation will appear in the side panel right away. Well, that sounds cool!
View Downloads in a Pop-out
While Vivaldi has been impressive on many grounds, the ability to keep an eye on downloads was not as intuitive for every user. You had to go to the side panel (or Downloads) to check the progress of a download.
In comparison, you get a button right next to your extensions in other web browsers.
With Vivaldi 5.0, you can finally check download progress using a button in the address bar that would open a pop-up to show your downloads.
Enhancements for Android Users
The Android version of Vivaldi has also received significant updates and much-awaited features.
Android users can now make use of Two-level Tab Stacks that have been available for desktop users.
Perhaps, a first for any Android mobile browser!
For those unaware, this feature helps group tabs together, producing a second level. This helps avoid cramming multiple tabs.
The configurable Tab Bar now comes with two more options. For instance, the X button on background tabs that’s used for closing can be removed (freeing up space for more tabs). Users also can show tabs simply as favicons, so no titles and no X button.
So, you have got plenty of options to manage your tabs on your Android mobile device.
While this is interesting, I am not too sure how it would feel like dabbling with a two-level tab stack on a small screen for a user.
Tablet and Chromebook users are in for a treat as the UI has undergone a refresh. The classic Side Panel is now available to tablet and Chromebook users to organize the browser layout and minimize clutter.
This feature addition could make Vivaldi a powerful choice for tablet users.
Other Improvements
In addition to the key highlights, you can expect speed improvements and bug fixes.
To explore more, you can check out its official blog post for desktop and Android.
Wrapping Up
Vivaldi is a browser that certainly pays attention to its users’ needs and web experience. The latest release sounds exciting for users who prefer more customization and features.
You can download the available DEB/RPM package from the official website and get it installed.
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