After getting quite a bit of publicity last month by offering registration codes for free during its 10th anniversary bash, Opera has decided that free is here to stay!
The new version (8.5) of it's browser for desktop PC is now completely free and devoid of integrated advertising that was a part of it's 'lite' or 'ad-sponsored' non-registered version of the past.
The company stated that the purpose is not to combat the opensourced Firefox browser but is all about marketshare... It added that being number one is a near impossibility, so it's stated goal is to be number two.
http://www.opera.com/