Gotta love that opera...
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| dinotrac Jan 28, 2005 9:22 AM EDT |
Firefox is my main browser at the office (using a client's Windows workstation) and konqueror is my main browser at home, with forays to Firefox, but I still find Opera can render pages that knocks the other two for a loop. |
| SFN Jan 28, 2005 11:29 AM EDT |
Just out of curiosity, is that still the case since those little Firefox hacks came out? Last time I used Opera it was definitely a lot faster than anything else but IE was still on v4.something. |
| Tsela Jan 28, 2005 12:07 PM EDT |
SFN, the little Firefox hacks (I suppose you're referring to the use of about:config to let the browser make more than 1 connection to a webpage at the same time) are standard things in Opera, that can simply be found under Tools > Preferences > Network. No need for a hack there, it's in the GUI already :) . So Opera can easily be made even faster, even more easily than Firefox :) . It strikes me that when it comes to innovation in browsing, Opera has always been in lead. Tabbed browsing: Opera began it. Mouse gestures (I cannot live without them anymore): Opera began there too. Of course, you *can* accomplish the same things with Firefox, but not out of the box. You first need to download a few plug-ins, and then change quite a few preferences, just to get those two functionalities to run like they do in Opera out of the box. And even then, you see that those functionalities are just "tacked on". They don't feel as streamlined as they do in Opera. Don't get me wrong: Firefox is a great browser, which I use in the rare case that a page I want to see doesn't render well in Opera (Opera is probably the strictest browser there is when it comes to standards. As a result, there's sometimes the odd page that doesn't render well in Opera but does in Firefox), but out of the box it wants too much to look like an IE clone (a secure and standards-compliant one, but still with a clone) rather than have its own identity, like Opera dares to do. All in all, seeing how much functionality is packed in such a small download, and how quick the browser remains even with all the features that have been added, the only drawback I find Opera has is that it isn't Open Source. It brings an uncertainty in Opera's future that isn't nice. One depends on the good will of the developpers. But given the behaviour of the people behind Opera so far, it seems they will keep on making a great, secure, standards-compliant, fast browser which is addictive, once you've past the initial learning stage. And I still hope they'll jump on the Open Source bandwagon someday. All in all, Opera is the only piece of closed source software I prefer over its open source equivalent. Given how much I am in favour of Free Software, that says something about the quality of the program :) . Firefox is a great browser, with great extensibility, but however hard I try to switch, I keep coming back to Opera. It just feels more natural :) . And yes, I'm using Opera at this very moment of course :) . |
| robT Jan 28, 2005 7:32 PM EDT |
When the community edition of Xandros was released, I tried it and Opera was the default browser. Of course it was the ad supported no cost version, but the ads weren't very intrusive for my tastes. I was getting the hang of Opera, but once it "wigged out" and started auto-connecting to some Opera site. It was awhile ago, so my memory of the event isn't very reliable, but 'top' showed a bunch of opera processes going off. Freaked me out, so I killed it and switched browsers. Xandros was really slow on my machine for some reason, so I ended up switching to something else, but it ran fine on my co-worker's lappie. Go figure. I've never tried mouse gestures. I remember scoffing at tabs - what an arse I turned out to be on that one! I should probably still be using Windows. |
| Tsela Jan 29, 2005 6:25 AM EDT |
Maybe the connections were for the ad. But I agree it can be frightening, and that's why I said that the only drawback of Opera is that it isn't Open Source. So far since I've begun using Opera it has behaved nicely, but one needs to stay vigilant. You should really try mouse gestures. I use them also on Firefox (the few times I use it) and Thunderbird, and I surprise myself trying to use them on programs not supporting them ;) . I can tell you, they are addictive :) . As for tabs, well... hehe... PS: A site for Open Source news where Firefox isn't in the dictionary when Thunderbird and Opera are? ;) |
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