Opera has long fallen into the category of software I downloaded from the web that I actually licensed. So far, it’s the only software in that category. Well, get this - they’re going free. With new version 8.5, Opera is dropping the banner ads from their free version. Give it a try - it’s the original tabbed browser with a very slick RSS viewer, built in IRC chat, and don’t forget to check out mouse gestures. It’s also very skinnable, has the single best file transfer interface, a near-perfect popup blocker . . . and I’m gushing. Seriously, though, check it out.