Vivaldi has unveiled a number of productivity-enhancing updates for its web browser along with the integration of Mastodon, which the company claims is a “key component of decentralized social networking”.
The first self-proclaimed web browser company to have an instance of Mastodon (Vivaldi Social), has now integrated its social networking platform into the sidebar, which it hopes will cater to a growing audience of individuals who are “tired of Big Tech social networks” and their locking algorithms.
Created by former Opera Software CEO John Stephenson von Teichner, who is credited with co-creating the Opera browser, Vivaldi promises to be an independent platform and free from outside investors, allowing it to meet the needs of the modern day privacy-focused community.
Mastodon by Vivaldi
While you will find Vivaldi Social in the browser panel, you can also add any Mastodon instance of your choice as a web panel to this sidebar, the company explained in a press release. (Opens in a new tab).
“By doing this, the website or any Mastodon instance is displayed within your browser’s side panel, creating a split screen view.”
Besides supporting this emerging platform, Vivaldi has also tweaked some core features that are designed and catered to professional users.
In addition to pinning tabs to the ribbon, users will now be able to pin so-called Tab Stacks to the ribbon, allowing quick access to many commonly used web pages. The Settings page has also been updated with a new, more user-friendly interface for faster navigation.
Finally, with privacy in mind, a private search engine you.com (Opens in a new tab) It has been added to the list of integrated search engines, although this is currently limited to users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The changes were rolled out as an update in version 5.6 of the browser for Windows, macOS, and Linux, available for download on the Vivaldi website. (Opens in a new tab).