5th anniversary of Opera Software in Wroclaw

Do you remember the year 2006? Opera Mini just began its way to become the world’s most popular mobile browser, and Opera 9 was the latest version of the desktop browser. Daniel Craig played new James Bond, people loved My Space, and nobody had heard of iPhones. In the same year in Poland Opera opened its office complex with 23 employees.

– The last five years were probably the biggest step forward in the history of web technologies. The participation in this progress was, from the perspective of an office in Poland, exceptionally exciting – said Krystian Kolondra, director of Opera in Poland. – Beginning from Opera Mini, Opera Mobile and desktop browser to Opera TV Store, Opera have  participated in Poland in all major projects of the company.

During those five years Opera in Poland have grown ten times – to almost 200 employees. Owing to talented IT specialists working in Wroclaw and Warsaw office, Opera in Poland became the largest foreign branch office, a key element in its global structure.

5th anniversary Opera Software in Wroclaw – photos

Opera in Poland

2006
– First office in Wroclaw with 23 employees
2007
– Work on optimizing the browser for the largest mobile operators and handset manufacturers in the world
2008
– Start of work on the interface platform that revolutionized Opera Mini and Opera Mobile, providing them with the same interface across multiple platforms and devices
– Creation of a team dealing with a desktop browser
2009
– Exceeding the number of 100 employees
– New office in Warsaw, with successive 30 employees
2010
– Opera in Warsaw opens new data center, which compresses Web pages to millions of users of Opera Mini in the world
– Opera Mini for iPhone  developed in Poland is becoming one of the most downloaded application in the history of AppStore
– Premiere of Opera 11 of platform extension created  in Wroclaw office
2011
– Development of products on TV is located in Poland and managed by Krystian Kolondra, Opera’s new SVP in charge of this branch of the products. Opera for the first time presents Opera TV Store.

Wroclaw can be proud that precisely here innovative products which are popular throughout the world arise.

For its part, I wanted to thank Slawek Sochaj and Mirek Polyniak that allowed me to participate in this event and together with Opera Software to celebrate its 5th anniversary and meet bloggers/people who are keen on new technologies, social media etc.: Pozytywna Kuchnia, Cakes and the City, Strawberries from Poland,  Brunette’s Heart, Zuch rysuje, Spider’s Web, Kominek and MC Silk. I wish Opera a lot of next anniversaries!

Wroclaw Global Forum 2011

The city council will again host the famous people from the political world in the Regional Centre of Business Tourism. It will be a chance to give “Freedom Awards”. Last year the award was given to a very famous organization Damas de Blanco and the guests of this transatlantic event were Javier Solana, Jerzy Buzek and Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

Programme

This year edition will be open by the president of Poland Bronisław Komorowski. The programme will focus on a problem  of Belarusian and Arabic road to independence. In turn prime Minister of Moldavia Vladimir Filat, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, ex-president of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Alexanader Vershbow, the vice secretary of defense will take part in the discussion about the future of transatlantic dialogue.. “Freedom Award” will be given to  Belarusian oppositionists: Ales Bialiatski, Natalia Kaliada, Zhanna Litvina and one of the initiatiors of Egyptian youth movement and blogger – Esraa Abdel Fattah.

The award will be also given to the minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski and prime Minister of Moldavia Vladimir Filat – for their fight for democracy in the world and for the propagation the transatlantic values like freedom of speech and human rights.

Source: MMWroclaw

Opera Software in Wroclaw

On 2nd of November 2006 Opera Software opened its R&D office in Wroclaw, the first in Poland and in the eastern part of Europe. About 100 Polish engineers deal with the Opera and Opera Mini browsers.

In June 2007 Opera Software concluded the agreement with Polish portal Onet.pl according to which Onet became:

–   Onet.pl became the central element of speed dial of the Opera Internet package,

–   OnetLajt – the mobile version of portal Onet.pl — appeared in the boot screen of Opera Mini,

–   OnetLokalizator that is based on the technology of Zumi website, was the local searcher in Opera Mini.

In June 2008 Opera Software made an agreement with Allegro.pl, Polish auction site. The effect of the cooperation was the promotion of the portal by Opera 9.5 and Opera Mini 4.1.

See how the work in the Opera Software looks like in Wroclaw

The browser Opera Mini that was practically made in Wroclaw was reported to App Store and was installed in all Iphones in the world. In the capital of Lower Silesia in Szewska street 8 there is located Polish centre of the company. 140 employees that work in this office have contributed to all programmes of the Opera: Opera, Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. The Wroclaw’s office also made widgets.

Source: Wikipedia