What about Opera? You know, the web browser?
A few years ago, there was a lot of publicity surrounding the release of a new Mozilla web browser. It had a different name, at first, but it was officially dubbed Firefox and it has taken the internet by storm. In doing so, it has overshadowed another browser that is put out by Opera Software. Let me preface this article by saying, I have used both programs and I do not intend to start or get into one of those Opera/Firefox debates that I have seen in different forums. I believe both programs have their problems and both have their assets. When I am at work, I use Firefox most of the time, simply because of the restraints of the job. I do have Opera installed and when possible, I use it. When I am at home, especially when I am on the Linux side of my computer, I use Opera exclusively. So, if you haven’t met this wonderful little browser from Norway, let me formally introduce you to Opera.
Opera Software was founded about twelve years ago and it has continually redesigned and upgraded it’s product throughout the years. It is now on a lot of mobile devices and is very popular because of it’s ability to render a small screen so effectively. Because I do not use a mobile device to browse or work, I will focus on the desktop version of Opera. The official released version of Opera is 9.27, but there is a new Opera 9.5 Beta 2 that has been released this week that really rocks. It does a fantastic job at everything I want it to do. I have been using Opera for a long time and the first thing that I really noticed about it was the speed of the user interface. I am using an older computer, both at work and at home and there is a clear, distinct difference between the way Opera works and any other browser that I have tried.
Opera was the one of the first browsers to implement tabbed browsing and after I started using tabs, I don’t know how I ever managed to get along without them. Opera’s tabs are a bit different than those of any other browser. They are actually part of a MDI or multiple document interface. This means they are actually multiple documents or pages that reside in a single parent window. The way Opera manages this interface, the tabs or pages, as I like to call them, can easily be managed, tiled, maximized, or closed. All of these can be managed with or without the addition of the tab bar, via keyboard shortcuts or the mouse context menu, depending on how you have the browser set up.
Setting up Opera is a snap. On a brand new install, I can usually have Opera set up the way I want in just a few minutes. Most of my personal preferences are just a matter of customizing the toolbars and menus to my liking. There are countless ways to customize Opera and the thing that really sells me on the program is the way it is done. The customizations are all part of the program itself. There is no other software or extensions to download, just to make the browser work the way I want it to work. I realize Firefox uses extensions and everyone likes to work differently. I just happen to prefer the way Opera implements the customizations and the way they work seamlessly with the program, simply because they are part of the program, not an addition.
Considering Opera is a much smaller download than Firefox or Internet Explorer, it is amazing that it comes with so many features built into the program. Some have accused Opera of being bloated, but that is simply not the case. Each user has his or her own preferred features and Opera presents these features when they are needed and it does not slow the program down. Right out of the box, Opera includes mouse gestures, keyboard shortcuts, notes, email, download manager, widgets, bookmarks (favorites), custom menus, and custom toolbars with, I might add, custom buttons. All of these features and look at the speed of the thing. These features are introduced to you when you need them. For example, if you click on a mail to link, you are asked if you would like to set up an email account. You can choose to do so or to ignore it. By the same token, if you perform a mouse gesture for the first time, you are asked if you would like to use mouse gestures. Again, you can choose to do so or not, it’s up to you. If you choose not to use those features, you are not bothered by them again. I plan to write more about the way I use these features, but that will have to wait for another article.
Did I mention email? The way I work on my computer requires me to have easy access to my email accounts and Opera makes this easier than ever. When Opera first introduced the email portion of today’s browser, it admittedly had a lot of problems. The email storage is based on a database system that makes it easy to search for and find messages that are stored in the system. The way this database was set up made it easy for the files to be corrupted and therefore, made it easy for the messages to be corrupted. This has caused me and a lot of other users a lot of grief and heartache over lost messages. That being said, you should really try Kestrel, better known as Opera 9.5. It has been in development for quite some time and I have been using it since the first builds were released to the Opera Community. I can tell you first hand, there has been a lot of backend improvements to the entire program, email included. The speed of the entire program has improved and the way email is intergrated into the program makes it very easy to keep up with your messages. Try it out and see what you think. I believe you will be plesantly surprised at the difference Opera 9.5 makes in your browsing experience.
That’s my take!
Larry
[digg=http://digg.com/software/What_about_Opera_You_know_the_web_browser]
Nice article.
I’m convinced!
Well of course, I already was
But seriously folks, for those reading Larry’s excellent post here on the Opera browser, if you haven’t tried it yet, you don’t know what your missing. Opera is far and away my favorite, and default browser. Like Larry, I too say that there is nothing innately wrong with Firefox or even Internet Explorer, but indeed this other great choice which is Opera shouldn’t be missed. Give it a try; it’s free! It’ll be a bit different and you might need to make new habits, but give Opera one week, and I’ll bet that it’ll push your other browsers over to that dusty corner of “seldom used” programs.
:cheers:
(that’d be a special Opera forums smiley nod and a wink for those in the know (they know who they are))
I’m on Mac computers (iMac and iBook), and I tried Opera, but I found the functionality with Firefox was so much better (Safari came as the default on my Macs … YUCK!). Maybe I’ll give Opera another try (or I’ll put it on my husband’s Dell!).
Kerry,
Opera has a lot of functionality, but there are some things that Firefox does that Opera doesn’t. Most of this, I would venture to say, is because of the extensions that are available for Firefox. There is a gentleman who works for Opera Software that has compiled a list of the top 150 Firefox extensions and compared them to the functionality of Opera. Admittedly, Opera can not do everything the Firefox extensions do, but it can do most of it. Visit the link below and you may be surprised at what Opera is capable of. If you have any questions, just post a comment and I can try to help you out.
http://files.myopera.com/Rijk/blog/extensions.html
Why does all this stuff give me a headache. Can’t you just upload one and they all do the same? LOL
Larry, actually my problem with Opera (as with Safari) is that they ran incredibly slow. I was always waiting for pages to load. With Firefox, I don’t have that problem. I’m not sure why. It seems strange that one browser would work so quickly, while two others would take forever. I do think I will put Opera on my husband’s Dell though … he does not like “change” on his computer though, it will take some “learning time” for him to adjust (he’s still using Explorer … it is time for him to move on and move up).
Hey Larry – you hit 30,000!!
Kerry,
Sorry it’s taken me all day to get back to you. Yes, I knew I was getting close to 30,000. I didn’t dream I would ever have that many hits on my blog.
As for Opera running slow, you are talking about the pages loading, right? How did the program itself run, such as the menus and things like that?
Yes, the pages were very slow (and I’m on cable). With Opera and Safari, it wasn’t any better than being on dial-up. I liked Opera’s appearance and tools, but so far I haven’t found a browser that lets the pages of websites load as quickly as firefox does.
Kerry,
I am on cable as well and Opera loads the pages very quickly. Let me do some research on the Opera forums and see if I can come up with anything. I will bet there is a setting somewhere that needs to be tweaked.
One thing that comes to mind is an anti-virus program. I would assume you run one? Sometimes they interfere with Opera’s operation. Most of them can be set to exclude Opera and it’s files while scanning.