Opera sings about 9.5 release candidate

The cult favorite Opera browser is moving into the next cycle of "the browser ring." After beta testing, and before the final version, we get the release candidate for Windows and Mac OS. What does this mean for fearless Opera fans?

The new skin for Opera 9.5.

(Credit: Opera Software)

There's a massive spate of bug fixes in this update, so if stability issues kept you from using previous 9.5 betas, this version should be much more appealing. Other improvements include fixes for downloading e-mail message bodies from all POP accounts, the introduction of a new skin, and smoother upgrading from Opera 9.2. Mac-specific improvements include skin changes and better support for OS X 10.2.

Opera is a Download.com favorite, if you're looking for an alternative to Firefox and Internet Explorer, in no small part because of cross-platform compatibility with mobile devices.

However, if Opera's own message boards are any indication, there are still stability issues that plague this update, and there will likely be another release candidate before the final version sees daylight.