Vivaldi web browser for ARM devices - including the Raspberry Pi - launched

Got a Raspberry Pi? Now you can get the Vivaldi web browser for it, too

Vivaldi, the web browser for power users set-up by Opera founder Jon von Tetzchner, has launched a version for ARM-based devices - including the popular Raspberry Pi.

The experimental build will work across the Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3, along with the Cubieboard, ASUS Tinker Board and a number of others.

"We are excited to unveil Vivaldi for the popular development board Raspberry Pi and other Linux based ARM devices. Enthusiastic Raspberry Pi users who are looking for a more feature-rich and flexible browser, will find Vivaldi a thrilling experience," said Vivaldi Technologies CEO von Tetzchner.

Vivaldi was launched in 2013, with the first browser builds emerging last year.

"Vivaldi is a web surfer's complete toolbox that you can personalise and make your own. We strive to add more flexibility for the thriving culture of computer hobbyists and hope that every owner of Raspberry Pi will have fun using Vivaldi," he added.

A number of tweaks can be made on the Raspberry Pi version to optimise performance. Animated GIFs can be turned off, while an advanced Reader View removes all unnecessary screen clutter.

Other features in Vivaldi include tab grouping, screenshot capture and the ability to take notes in browser.

The browser is already available for Windows, MacOS and Linux running on Intel.

In September, von Tetzcher accused Google of deliberately blocking his Adwords account because he positioned himself as a rival to Chrome. Although Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser (like Opera), the different builds are seen as individual entities, and as such are market rivals.

Vivaldi aims to bridge the gap left by web browsers becoming increasing spartan by adding back the lost power features stripped out of Opera. It is aimed squarely at those who know what they want from a browser - lots of features in order to run it the way they want it to, not the way Google or Microsoft want it to run.

As of July 2017, though, it had just 0.04 per cent of the market against Opera's 2.25 and Chrome's 63.48.

You can download Vivaldi for Raspberry Pi here.