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title: "FreeBSD Press Release: October 31, 2002"
sidenav: about
loadPress: false
---

= FreeBSD Press Release: October 31, 2002

== The Daemon of the Opera: Opera Software Releases Version for FreeBSD

*Oslo, Norway, October 31, 2002:* Opera Software is proud to announce the first golden release of its new port to the UNIX variance FreeBSD. With FreeBSD joining the Opera family, Opera is now available on eight different operating systems.

The BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) operating system has its origins at the University of California, Berkeley. It started out as a supplement to UNIX, but over time it evolved into several operating systems. Of the different BSD flavors available, the most widely distributed is FreeBSD, popular among high-end users like system administrators who are looking for a fast, reliable operating system.

"Opera and FreeBSD's users are alike in that they emphasize and expect stability and reliability. The match between FreeBSD and Opera should strike a cord with many enterprise customers," says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software ASA. "On a personal level, I'm also happy to welcome FreeBSD users into the Opera family. FreeBSD is strictly not only an operating system, but also a community and a philosophy with values I know resonate well with our own."

The FreeBSD community is enthusiastic to finally be able to surf with Opera.

"With the release of Opera for FreeBSD, FreeBSD users who download Opera for FreeBSD can browse the Web with one of the fastest browsers available on the market," says Robert Watson, FreeBSD Core Team member. "FreeBSD's reputation as a reliable and fast desktop operating system is becoming widely known, and we are glad to see that Opera Software is helping us create a more complete desktop environment."

Opera 6.1 for FreeBSD can be downloaded from http://www.opera.com/[www.opera.com].

== About Opera Software

Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Web browsers for the desktop and embedded markets, partnering with companies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Ericsson, Sharp and Lineo (now a division of Embedix). The Opera browser has received international recognition from end users and the industry press for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than other browsers. Opera is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, OS/2, Symbian OS and QNX. Opera Software ASA is a privately held company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at http://www.opera.com/[www.opera.com].

== About the Berkeley Software Distribution Operating System

Berkeley Software Distribution operating system technologies were originally developed from 1979 to 1992 by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California at Berkeley. Berkeley-derived operating system and networking technologies are at the heart of most modern Unix and Unix-like operating systems. Today, virtually every major Internet infrastructure provider uses BSD operating systems. BSD operating system technologies are used by leading mission- critical network computing environments and are embedded in Internet appliance platforms that require advanced Internet functionality, reliability and security.

== About the FreeBSD Project

FreeBSD is a popular open source operating system developed by the FreeBSD Project and its worldwide team, consisting of more than 5,000 developers funneling their work to 185 "committer" developers. It is available free of charge from ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/[ftp.FreeBSD.org] and also distributed as a shrink-wrap software product through CompUSA, Fry's, Borders, Ingram, FreeBSDmall.com and others. FreeBSD includes thousands of ported applications, including office automation, groupware and multimedia applications, and is widely used in companies all over the world as a web server, file server, firewall and router. FreeBSD is distributed under the Berkeley Software Distribution license, which means that it can be copied and modified freely or commercially. For more information about the FreeBSD Project, visit http://www.FreeBSD.org/[www.FreeBSD.org].

== Press Contact

Opera Software +
Pal A. Hvistendahl +
Marcom Director +
Tel: +47 99 72 43 31 +
Fax: +47 24 16 40 01 +
pal@opera.com +
US Toll Free: 1-888-624-4846, press only please

The FreeBSD Project +
press@FreeBSD.org
