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Opera Software ASA sang forth a series of announcements this week, including the release of new versions of the Opera browser for both Windows and Linux, and bundling deals with major Linux distributions.

The Opera 6.02 browser for Linux was formally unveiled Wednesday. It features several fixes to the document and user interface and puts a special emphasis on the display of Asian characters, company representatives said. Opera 6 for Linux was the first version of the browser to support non-Western characters and received a strong reception in Asian markets, according to the company.

Opera also released a new version of its Opera for Windows browser this week. Opera 6.04 for Windows boasts a number of fixes for reported bugs, especially for Asian users, the company said.

Opera 6.04 for Windows is free and available for download. Opera 6.02 for Linux is also free and downloadable immediately. Versions of the browsers that are free of banner advertising are also available from Opera for $39 each, the company said.

Boosts by Bundles

Also, Opera said Germany's SuSE Linux AG will distribute Opera's Linux Web browser with its SuSE Linux 8.0 desktop software. Opera unveiled the news in one of a flurry of announcements this week as part of its "Linux Bonanza" publicity campaign.

A similar bundling deal will soon be announced for MandrakeSoft's Mandrake Linux, and talks with other Linux vendors are ongoing, said Dean Kakridas, vice president of desktop products at Opera.

Opera Software expects the latest version to gain more ground in Asia, in part thanks to recent deals the company has sewn with software vendors. The company announced earlier this week that China's Redflag Software has agreed to embed the Opera for Linux browser into some of its Linux applications for distribution in the Chinese market.

Opera offers its browser in versions for the Linux, Solaris, Windows and Macintosh desktop operating systems, as well as for the Symbian OS and QNX embedded operating systems for handhelds and other devices. The company says the Opera browser for Windows is the company's most popular software distribution, totaling some 12 million downloads and installations.

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