Another Opera 9 preview on the way

Opera Software on Tuesday plans to release a second preview version of Opera 9, the next version of its namesake web browser.

For the first time, the new version will include support for so-called widgets, according to an Opera representative.

Widgets are essentially small browser windows that display information taken from the internet on a user's desktop. The notion is similar in concept to the widget idea Apple uses in the Dashboard feature of Mac OS X.

The Opera spokesman said: "It is really a big jump for us into web applications. They give people the information they want right on the desktop. Even if it is a web page, people don't have to go to the browser to see it."

Additionally, said the spokesman, Opera's latest preview will include support for BitTorrent downloads. Typically, people who wanted to get downloads using BitTorrent have had to download dedicated software.

Opera will include the official BitTorrent.com search engine in its browser. Any BitTorrent downloads will appear in the browser's "transfer manager", just like traditional downloads that use the venerable File Transfer Protocol, or FTP.

To drive usage of the new widgets feature, Opera will offer about 10 widgets it has developed itself, such as a clock. It will also offer guidance on its website for others to develop more of the add-ons. Anyone with regular web development skills, such as knowledge of CSS, HTML and JavaScript, should be able to create Opera widgets, said the spokesman.

The second preview release follows the initial one in late October. It will be available for download on Tuesday from Labs.opera.com. One caution: previews are not free of bugs. The spokesman said: "This is for advanced users who want to get a taste of our technology, and they expect there will be some issues with it."

The final version of Opera 9 will be delivered by the end of June, he added.

Joris Evers writes for CNET News.com