Vivaldi Browser 4.1 introduces Accordion Tabs and Automation
Vivaldi Technologies released Vivaldi Browser 4.1 Stable on July 28, 2021. The new version of the Vivaldi Browser is the first major version of the web browser after the release of Vivaldi 4.0, which introduced beta versions of a mail client, feed reader and calendar among other improvements.
Vivaldi 4.1
Vivaldi 4.1 is already available and it is distributed automatically using the built-in updating functionality. Desktop users may select Vivaldi Menu > Help > Check for updates to run a manual check and get the new version downloaded and installed right away; the automatic distribution may take longer.
Accordion Tabs
Ashwin reviewed Accordion Tabs recently already in a snapshot release of Vivaldi.
The new browser version introduces a third Tab Stacking option. Vivaldi introduced support for tab stacks in the first release version of the browser and for two-level stacks in version 3.6.
Compact displays a small bar on top of the tab that reveals if multiple tabs are stacked. Two-Level adds another tabs toolbar that lists all available tabs of a stack when selected.
The new Accordion tab stacking feature introduces yet another option. It adds a small icon to the right of tabs with stacks. The default behavior expands the selection automatically when a stacked tab is selected, but this can be disabled in the options; if that is the case, users need to click on the tab to expand the selection of tabs that it holds.
Accordion Tabs work similarly to Chromium's Tab Grouping feature. It uses a single toolbar and allows users to expand or retract tab groups in that toolbar to display all included tabs or make room for other tabs.
The new tab stacking option is not enabled by default. Open the Preferences and go to Tabs > Tab Stacking to enable it.
Vivaldi 4.1 supports command chains, an option to automate multiple actions in the browser using a single command. Command Chains need to be set up before they become available.
Command Chains may be used to open multiple webpages with a single command, or you may combine that with the creation of a new tab stack, or open a site in fullscreen and Reader Mode whenever you execute a command.
New chains can be configured in the Preferences under Quick Commands > Command Chains. You may assign keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures to execute them with the shortcut or the gesture. Since Vivaldi's menus are fully customizable, you may also add command chains to one of the menus.
Vivaldi 4.1 introduces silent updates on Windows to improve the updating behavior. You may disable the new behavior under Preferences > General > Updates > Show Update Settings > Automatically download and install updates.
Vivaldi's Reader Mode displays articles in a distraction-free reading environment. The tool displays an estimated reading length now when you open it.
Now You: Have you tried the new Vivaldi features? What is your take on them?
Actually Vivaldi does have a dark mode for web content, the details are here and can be enabled through Vivaldi flags: https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/40183/dark-mode-for-web-content
The option was experimental at the time (2019) and the post states that the developers were considering making an option toggle for it, to switch it on or off.
I’ve use this option in Xubuntu and I can say that it does a much better job than any third party extension. It is very convenient to have this function embedded in the browser, so the user may eliminate extra extensions.
Peter Newton [London UK]
Does anyone know how to use command chains to open a search on multiple search engines (obviously in multiple tabs) for the same search command?
Still no way to clear browsing data on exit, although the same feature is available for mobile. I find it frustrating Vivaldi won’t listen to their users and implement such a useful feature but would rather continue introducing tabs-related features update after update.
You can use chain commands to do that.
Well…..my go-to browser after using so many others is Ungoolged Chromium.
Not much in the way of bloat, pretty bare bones actually. Downside might be a small development team. Does not use the extension store, downloads are .crx files but easy to set up. My edition is a portable app from Woolyss and updated thru chrlauncher.
It’s been consistent overall especially performance. Basic Chrome settings but with some Google services stripped out. Daily Driver now.
@Henk i just use ungoogled chromium. Previously i’ve used palemoon but with first i got the job done.
Well, to answer your question, I don’t need any of the new Vivaldi features. I have no use for automated command chains (I cannot imagine a situation where I would need those on a daily basis), nor for ever more complicated tab management functions (I never have more than a few tabs open at the same time), nor for default “silent” software updates (I feel these are contrary to choice and privacy priorities). And nor, btw, do I have any use for other recently added features such as a built-in email client (I am fine with Thunderbird, thank you). In fact, I don’t even need or want widely accepted features such as cloud sync of preferences, extensions and bookmarks: I always turn sync off in all my installed browsers.
What I actually _would_ like and need, is a development towards a much faster, simpler, leaner browser. Sadly, it seems like Vivaldi keeps moving ever further in the opposite direction, that is, towards ever more ridiculous bloat.
Perhaps this is just what a majority of users is expecting and asking for. Well in that case, regrettably, so be it… Maybe for me, it’s time to start looking for a replacement for Vivaldi. What would other people here suggest for a truly simple, user-friendly, privacy-aware, fast, lightweight one to use as your second browser?
Vivaldi is for power users with many features.
If you look for barebone simplicity, try Chromium browser.
Vivaldi always was about features and customization, even above performance, if you want a simpler, leaner browser you can use any of the other browsers that are hell bent on removing features till there’s nothing left.
@Henk: the ideal browser you describe sounds like the opposite of Vivaldi and much more like Brave.
Well…..my go-to browser after using so many others is Ungoolged Chromium.
Not much in the way of bloat, pretty bare bones actually. Downside might be a small development team. Does not use the extension store, downloads are .crx files but easy to set up. My edition is a portable app from Woolyss and updated thru chrlauncher.
It’s been consistent overall especially performance. Basic Chrome settings but with some Google services stripped out. Daily Driver now.
Vivaldi isn’t bloated,it’s the browser Firefox should be.Too bad it’s based on chromium.Luckily the vivaldi developers don’t conform to people like you,and keep adding customizations.Also your name makes me think you are dutch,which means you will always complain about “anything”.
And still NO native dark mode on Linux, what a joke for a “fully customisable browser” (yeah, i know i can use extensions but it’s quite absurd for a basic function like this). Maybe another try with next update…
Given the small team of nearly 50 developers, its great how many features they have implemented in just 6 years.
Google had implemented tab grouping only recently.
And chromium edge is taking a leaf of vivaldi’s book and start taking user feedback in implementing new features.
vivaldi.com/team.
After 50 years chrome (version 93.xxxx) do have an okay tab management system. It’s far from tabmix plus but it at least prevents the tabs from becoming toothpicks as you can choose minimum tab sizes defined by small, medium and large (if memory serves me correctly), it also has an arrow to scroll through the tabs across the bar. I’m not sure if the latest Vivaldi has incorporated that yet but its definitely in the latest Chromium all be it as an experimental feature but it would be nice to have a combination of all options.
Command Chains looks awesome. It seems pretty soon Vivaldi will be the best browser.
That’s cool, but what I want most from Vivaldi is a faster GUI.
I just moved from Waterfox to Vivaldi a week ago, it’s even faster than Waterfox and Chrome. Edge is faster but not that much.
Agreed, it just feels sluggish compared to any of the other browsers.
Think this won’t go unnoticed by Vivaldi (and hopefully help SimonK with his issues):
“Chrome will soon load new tab and other pages faster, thanks to Microsoft.”
https://www.windowslatest.com/2021/07/27/chrome-will-soon-load-new-tab-and-other-pages-faster-thanks-to-microsoft/
That has nothing to do with it. The problem is how Vivaldi doesn’t use native chromium stuff, their UI is closed source and it is done with Html5+Css to support all the features you see. So technically all your websites are run like inside an iframe because UI part of Vivaldi is another big webpage.
So it will be never fast, it will never be great and it will never be efficient, it will be customizable and that’s it, that’s the only reason you might want to run Vivaldi, customization, but anything else is just terrible, like while they say “we don’t track you” they don’t really disable anything that makes Google track you, they don’t even try to proxy the connection about extension updates and stuff to try to stop Google from tracking you even for that. so it is a pretty bad browser for privacy unless you use a firewall to block all google IPs but good for customization.