Editors Jonathan Strahan and Gardner Dozois have just posted the full text of two of the best stories from their original anthology The New Space Opera, from superstars Ken Macleod and Greg Egan. Both of these stories have been nominated for this year’s Hugo award, and deservedly so. Space opera is a venerable sub-genre in science fiction with a lot of juice still left in it, as is evidenced by these masterful pieces. I was so impressed with this volume that I’ve agreed to write a story for the next one, my first crack at space opera proper. Link (Thanks, Jonathan!)…

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Source: Boing Boing

enemi writes “Just a few days after Safari released version 3.1, Opera employee David Storey writes on his blog that they’ve overtaken Apple’s browser in the Acid3 test. In the race to be the first to reach the reference rendering, Opera’s software leads now with 98%, closely following by Safari with 96% and Firefox 3 beta 4 with 71%. He also noted the implemented features will not make a public appearance in the following weeks, because they are getting close to releasing Opera 9.5. That version has been under public testing since September and the new CSS3 color modes and font rendering features might further delay this. They will probably show the score in a preview build soon and wait for a post 9.5 stable build to release the new features to the public.” Update: 03/26 21:21 GMT by Z : Opera is now at 100%, apparently, with Safari close behind at 98%.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Source: Slashdot Org latest news headlines

Regular listeners to the NeowinCAST podcast will know I get more than a little passionate about web development, and a surprise announcement by Opera today at having scored 100/100 in the Acid3 test has caused more than a few heads to turn.Acid3 is a test page from the Web Standards Project designed to check the compliance of a web browser to various DOM and javascript standards. Different browser manufacturers place varying amounts of importance on passing the tests in their nightly builds, but today Opera announced they have passed the full compliment of tests for the first time.Previously the race had been expected to be won by WebKit, the rendering engine behind Safari with a current score of 98%; on the Surfin' Safari blog, daily updates of the edge towards passing each test had been given much to the anticipation of web developers.Nightly builds of Firefox currently score 71%, while Internet Explorer 8 beta trails behind with 18% compliance. View: View Surfin' Safari blog for WebKit updates View: View announcement from OperaRegularly updated listings Acid3 browser compliance Read full story…

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Source: Neowin.net

enemi writes “Just a few days after Safari released version 3.1, Opera employee David Storey writes on his blog that they’ve overtaken Apple’s browser in the Acid3 test. In the race to be the first to reach the reference rendering, Opera’s software leads now with 98%, closely following by Safari with 96% and Firefox 3 beta 4 with 71%. He also noted the implemented features will not make a public appearance in the following weeks, because they are getting close to releasing Opera 9.5. That version has been under public testing since September and the new CSS3 color modes and font rendering features might further delay this. They will probably show the score in a preview build soon and wait for a post 9.5 stable build to release the new features to the public.”Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Source: Slashdot Org latest news headlines

The opera Tristan and Isolde has had more than its fair share of mishaps over the years. The current engagement of the opera at the Met has been through 4 Tristans already. (link)

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Source: kottke.org

Sure, with a little third-party app hacking you’ve been able to get Opera Mini running on some Helio phones for a while. But today Helio and Opera have released Opera Mini in what’s the first official deployment of the tiny browser by a US service provider. Apparently Helio listened to their enthusiast community and then worked to tailor the software. Press release below the screenshots.
The software is available for download from today from Helio’s web portal. Currently it’s optimized for the Ocean, but since this is apparently the “start of a beautiful relationship” we may expect to see other versions in the near future.
Opera Mini Surfs on the Helio Ocean
Opera signs first deal with U.S. service provider
Oslo, Norway and Mountain View, CA - March 19, 2008 - Opera, together with Helio, announced the first deployment of Opera Mini on a mobile service provider in the United States. As of today, Helio members can surf the Web with Opera Mini on their Ocean device with a specially-tailored version of the browser designed specifically for the handset.
Available as a downloadable application from Helio’s Web portal, Opera Mini is a perfect addition to the Helio Ocean, a sleek and powerful dual-slide device that offers an incredible breadth of functionality. Opera Mini makes browsing on the Ocean even more fun and addictive with an
elegant desktop-like experience that lets the user dive into the page to access the content they want. At the same time, Opera Mini serves pages at lightning speed so it will not slow down the on-the-go mobile experience to which Helio members are accustomed.
“We’re always looking to give our members their choice of great applications so we’re excited to be the first service provider in the U.S. to make Opera Mini an on-deck option,” said Doug Britt, Vice President of Service Management at Helio. “Opera Mini is a tremendous mobile browser. Optimized for Ocean and running on a nationwide 3G network, its a combination that’s tough to match.”
“Offering Opera Mini underscores Helio’s insight into how the mobile industry is evolving,” said Rod Hamlin, SVP Sales and Marketing Americas, Opera. “Helio understands their customers’ desire for innovative and engaging mobile experiences and answering this demand with a choice in browsers explains why Helio selected Opera Mini.”
More than 39 million cumulative users have discovered how Opera Mini can revolutionize their mobile Web experience. Now Helio Ocean users can enjoy all the features and fun of Opera Mini, including Opera Link, a free service that synchronizes your bookmarks, Speed Dial and personal bar between all your Web browsers.
About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera’s cross-platform Web browser technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at HYPERLINK “http://www.opera.com” www.opera.com.
Opera Mini Surfs on the Helio Ocean - 2
About Helio
Helio is the mobile brand for the Internet generation. With advanced mobile services, exclusive, high-end, beautiful devices and smart pricing on a nationwide high-speed 3G network, Helio is built for consumers who have mobile at the center of their lives. Helio is a joint venture between
SK Telecom, one of the world’s most advanced wireless carriers, and EarthLink, the next generation Internet service provider. www.helio.com.

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Source: Gizmodo

- Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 200803-09 - - Severity: Normal Title: Opera: Multiple vulnerabilities Date: March 04, 2008 Bugs: #210260 ID: 200803-09 - Synopsis Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Opera, allowing for file disclosure, privilege escalation and Cross-Site scripting. …

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Source: Full Disclosure

[ GLSA 200803-09 ] Opera: Multiple vulnerabilities

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Source: Security Focus

Opera before 9.26 allows user-assisted remote attackers to read arbitrary files by tricking a user into typing the characters of the target filename into a file input.

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Source: National Vulnerability Database

Opera before 9.26 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary script via images that contain custom comments, which are treated as script when the user displays the image properties.

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Source: National Vulnerability Database