July 16, 2003
Interview with Fredrik Andersson
The Opera Journal was recently able to do an interview with
Fredrik Andersson, webmaster and presently taking care of the Opera and Opera community site.
Fred has been creating web sites with passion since 1995. We are pleased to have him
here sharing some personal thoughts and info with the readership. Now let's wait no longer
and start asking questions.
OJ:
And thanks that you share some thoughts and info with the Opera community.
FA:
Hey, thanks! It's nice to be here.
OJ:
First question. When did you start working for Opera as a webmaster?
FA:
Last summer. Its actually one year ago today! :D
OJ:
What are your main responsibilities?
FA:
Its the Opera.com website and the MyOpera community. I especially like to work on the community because of the instant feedback.. If I do something good I will hear about it, and vice versa ;)
The MyOpera community is an important part of Opera and I want to ask all of you out there to
help us and make it even better. If you got any suggestions about MyOpera and how to make the
site better, just send it my@opera.com and we will read it. Let us know what kind of content you
would like to see on MyOpera to make it your favourite site.
OJ:
What did you do before becoming webmaster at Opera?
FA:
I worked as webmaster at a e-commerce company in Gothenburg/Sweden and for some time in Seattle/US. We made online stores for software companies such as Symantec and F-Secure.
OJ:
Where did you grow up?
FA:
In a small red house on the country site of Sweden.. far away from webstandards and browsers.
OJ:
What are your personal interests beside Opera ;) ?
FA:
Music and movies. I like to go to concerts alot and I'm really looking forward to see Return of the King later this year! :)
OJ:
What are your sources of inspiration for creating websites?
FA:
When I see other websites, ads or magazines I get new ideas, but my main source of inspiration
is music. I always listen to music when designing.
OJ:
Do you have a favourite website currently?
FA:
The Daily Report by Jeffery Zeldman has been my favourite
site for a long time. Digital Web Magazine and A List Apart are also very good.
OJ:
What does working for Opera mean to you?
FA:
It means alot to me. Its exiting to work on the cutting edge of technology with so many talented people. In our smartphone division we do things that no one has done before, such as the Small-Screen Rendering™, and that's inspiring.
Opera also has very good ideals, and it feels good to be working with the 'good guys'.
OJ:
How is your private life affected by your job?
FA:
Haha.. what private life? ;)
OJ:
What is your opinion about 'browser wars'?
FA:
This last year has been exiting with lots of browser news, and I don't think the browser wars are over yet. However, the majority of Windows users seems to be sleeping... but we can hopefully wake them up and introduce them to the wonderful world of Opera.
On the smartphone/PDA scene its the other way around. Opera has taken the lead in this area with a super fast turbo browser equipped with Small-Screen Rendering™ technology. This will hopefully let many new users discover Opera for desktop aswell.
OJ:
Which role do webstandards play there?
FA:
In the current situation I consider it to be one of the key elements for success. The advanced users, who actually care about what browser they use, wants a browser that complies with the webstandards.
Its good to see that the trend of making websites that validate is growing stronger, and that webdesigners are learning how to make websites with XHTML and CSS.
OJ:
Thanks so far, Fred. Last but not least I'll pick the famous animal question out of my interview handbook. So, which animal would you be, and why?
FA: I would be a hunter build for speed, a Cheetah,
because I'm fast and good at what I do (but not much else). ;)
Once again, thanks a lot Fred. It's nice you've come here and spend some time with us. Wishing you all the best.
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