Opera Software today launched a preview version of the Opera browser for Windows, Linux and Mac that includes support for BitTorrent.

The Opera 8.02 Technology Preview integrating this popular file-downloading technology in the Opera browser offers the end user a faster download process by utilizing full bandwidth and reducing the chance of in-transfer delay when multiple users download the same file.

Quoted:
“While BitTorrent has been on Opera’s radar screen for more than a year, the true value of the technology became evident when the company launched Opera 8 in April this year. The massive response, with more than 100 downloads per second, dealt a technical knock-out to Opera’s servers. With BitTorrent, users would have had an alternative download mechanism,” said Christen Krogh, VP of Engineering, Opera Software.

Previously, BitTorrent downloads must be downloaded with a separate client like BitComet, etc, but this integration move makes Opera the first browser to build the capability into its own interface. With BitTorrent, Opera hopes to make it easier for users to download the large amount of legal material available, such as Linux software and computer game demos.

Basically, BitTorrent breaks large files into smaller chunks and distributes them among multiple users. When others are downloading the file, they’re actually retrieving it from several sources simultaneously.

Anyone is interested in trying the Opera 8.02 BitTorrent Technology Preview version can freely download it here. You can download the file using BitTorrent seed on the page too.