Opera Software today announced it has joined in alliance with Mozilla, Apple, Macromedia, and Sun Microsystems to develop plugin technologies that will enrich the Internet experience offered with the Web browsers developed by the supporting companies of this initiative. The companies have set to enable developers to build Web browser plugins more securely and efficiently. The announced alliance is working to extend the Netscape Plugin Application Program Interface (NPAPI) to support an advanced plugin model based on open Web standards.

Plugins can be used to display audio or visual multimedia content through applications such as Flash, Shockwave, QuickTime, or Java. Opera Software, now in cooperation with Mozilla, Apple, Macromedia, and Sun Microsystems, will offer the new plugin API to enhance these capabilities, resulting in a richer, more interactive Web experience while using Opera or the other browsers developed by partnering companies.

"Opera is committed to innovation and in supporting the opportunities that offer a better Internet experience," says Christen Krogh, VP Engineering, Opera Software. "Plugins are a permanent part of the rich content Internet users can enjoy. Opera is eager to enhance this experience in joining the lead of its development in the right direction with regard to functionality, interaction and security."

User demand has long called for such actions. The joined companies are responding by providing open source licenses for the API plugin model, spawning more seamless plugins for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Details on test builds with these new capabilities, plugin SDKs, and Web page scripting examples can be found at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/plugins/ as they become available.

About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Web browser technology, targeting the desktop, smartphone, PDA, iTV and vertical markets. Partners include companies such as IBM, Nokia, Sony, Motorola, Adobe, Macromedia, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Sony Ericsson, Kyocera, Sharp, Motorola Metroworks, MontaVista Software, BenQ, Sendo and AMD. The Opera browser has received international recognition from users, industry experts and media for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than other browsers.