Move over Firefox - Opera is now Free

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 20 Sep 2005 10:35 am

http://www.opera.com/free

Opera has always been a great browser, but the cost has kept people away.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 21 Sep 2005 8:47 pm

It appears to have some CSS rendering problems, at least on my CSS-P designed web pages. Other pages that use tables, or simple relatively positioned block elements rendered fine.

I wouldn't call it an insurmountable problem, rather a nuisance. I will have to create a hack just for Opera browsers, after spending hundreds of hours optimizing them for Firefox and MSIE.

Wiz[This message was edited by Wiz Feinberg on 21 September 2005 at 09:48 PM.]

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 22 Sep 2005 3:03 am

I was very surprised to see that my own website, where all pages with a scroller looks like a mess first time it opens in Firefox (a reload takes care of that), opened fine in Opera. So far nobody has been able to figure it out, and I was sure it would be the same problem in Opera as in Firefox.
So in my case the problem was the other way around.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 22 Sep 2005 3:59 am

Y not? I just downloaded it.

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 22 Sep 2005 5:02 am

On Windows XP I use Firefox.
On Mac I use Safari.

I also use IE on both, for sites that need it.

Can someone explain the advantages of Opera over these browsers?[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 22 September 2005 at 06:03 AM.]

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 22 Sep 2005 5:12 am

Can someone explain the advantages of Opera over these browsers?

It's Norwegian...?

Seriously, I've just used it for a couple of days, so I can't be more specific than just say it "feels" smoother. Could be just the thrill of it being new and fresh though..

A couple of nice details I have discovered is that it saves (in a trash can) all sites you have opened in 'tabs', so that you can recall them if you'd like to revisit a 'tabbed' site.
The pop-up blocking is also a lot more effective than in Firefox, and it's supposed to be more secure now that Firefox has become so big that the hackers are targeting it. Of course, when/if Opera becomes equally big, it will also be targeted by the hackers...

But all in all, for the moment it's the 'smoothness' of it that's the main point for me.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 23 Sep 2005 4:27 am

Well, since I enjoy arguing with myself, here's one thing I don't like about Opera - the email client.
First of all, the import function is a mess, it seems to import multiple versions of each mail from Thunderbird and I aborted the import after it had reached a ridiculous 8000 mails. It would also not import Thunderbirds "contacts" file..
Plus, I found the email client to be rather 'clumsy' to use, so I'll definitely stick to Thunderbird as email client.

But I like the browser better and better the more I use it...

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Jeff Agnew · Post by **Jeff Agnew** » 23 Sep 2005 4:44 am

Joey,

Opera is probably the most customizable browser out there. Which is also one of its biggest drawbacks. People found earlier versions unimpressive because they didn't dig deep enough into its features or didn't modify the default configuration.

I've used it since v5.0 on several platforms and it has gotten a little better in that respect. Beginning with the release of 8.0, they've made the default configuration much easier to take. It's usable by more people but I still have to tweak it extensively for my use.

Here's what I like:

<ul>[*]You can put the tabs on any side of the browser window. I use wide-screen monitors and prefer them on the right. Wish Firefox could do this.
[*]Any toolbar is customizable with virtually any control, button, or status display.
[*]Ability to change from author to user stylesheets with a single click.
[*]The zoom control resizes the entire page, including graphics.
[*]The Quick Preferences menu lets you switch several important settings (browser agent, pop-up stopping, Javascript, cookies, etc.) with a single click.
[*]Turn images on/off/cached with a single click.
[*]Some other neat stuff.[/list]

I don't like:
<ul>[*]The Panels toolbar changed functionality after 7.5. Now it's either on or off. Previously, you could resize and position it with much more flexibility.
[*]Specifying a close button in every tab measn that you lose the ability to run the tabs less than full-screen.
[*]On the OS X version, you can't minimize individual tabs.
[*]I use a standalone e-mail program, but for those who want one integrated into the browser, Opera's still sucks.
[*]The RSS implementation is clunky.[/list]

Probably more than you wanted to know, but hey -- you asked.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 23 Sep 2005 9:58 am

The zoom control resizes the entire page, including graphics.

Then I could read all the threads in the Steel Guitar Forum, even if somebody had posted a giant picture.