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Blog tag: 5 ways to improve Opera web browser
Ryan from Cybernet tagged us, so now we have to come up with 5 suggestions for improving the Opera web browser. There are a lot of things to love about Opera. The company makes one of the finest mobile web browsers around. And the desktop version renders pages quickly and has a great fit-to-screen feature. But there are some web pages that still don't work properly in Firefox.In no particular order, here are 5 things that would make Opera a better browser:
- Opera added tabs long before Internet Explorer. That's great. But when you've only got one window open, the tab toolbar takes up more screen space than you need. Why not make tabs work the same way as they do in Firefox. The toolbar only pops up when you open your second tab.
- Why do we have to visit the Opera website every time a new version is released. There should be an auto-updater.
- Support for 3rd party add-ons/extensions
- An integrated spell-checker
- Integrate widgets more tightly with the browser experience. Not that we really need widgets anchored to the browser, but the way Opera handles widgets now, they're pretty much just like Yahoo Widgets or Vista Gadgets running in the background.
Feel free to jump in with more suggestions in the comments.
Comments
17
Subscribe to commentscarbonfreeJul 21st 2007 1:12PM
How about giving us the ability to reposition the fscking tab bar? I want it under the address bar, like every other browser's, but they offer no ability to change (that I could find). That is the only reason I refuse to use Opera.
LucidixJul 21st 2007 2:44PM
typo,
But there are some web pages that still don't work properly in FIREFOX.
isnt this about opera?
LucidixJul 21st 2007 2:45PM
I dont like the widgets at all, also i think when you pay for opera you should get the windows mobile one for free. I love the mobile browser.
breadJul 21st 2007 2:45PM
@ the tab bar issue: right-click on the tab bar and choose "Customize..." (make sure the orange box is surrounding the tab bar to indicate that it's the item who's properties you want to edit). Enable the checkbox named "Show only when needed."
breadJul 21st 2007 2:55PM
@ the dictionary issue: Opera supports GNU Aspell (http://www.opera.com/support/tutorials/opera/spellcheck/). The OSX version uses the built-in dictionary but does not actively highlight misspelled words, which I would assume is because it is not built using Cocoa. Actually, I sure it doesn't actively highlight misspelled words on any version (that I have seen).
@ carbonfree: I have not found a way to change the position of the tab bar either, but there is an .ini file that will reposition it underneath the address bar: http://my.opera.com/Tamil/blog/tab-bar-below-address-bar
EQBJul 21st 2007 3:42PM
Just FYI, Opera already has two of the things you listed.
1. You can set the tab bar to go away when only one tab is open. Right-click the tab bar, select customize, and check the "show only when needed" box beside the placement field. Now the tab bar will only appear when more then one tab is open.
2. Though it is true that Opera doesn't have a fully integrated updater, it does automatically check for updates. Also, if one doesn't want to wait for the check, you can just go help>check for updates. Meh, I suppose fully integrated updater might be nice, but it's no biggie to me. Only a few more clicks.
3. This would be nice.
4. Opera has a built-in spell checker. Right-click in a text field (such as the box I typed this into) and select "check spelling."
5. Don't really care about widgets in Opera that much, but hey, whatever :D . You gave your opinion, and that's what counts.
So, just to tally, Opera HAS 1 and 4 already; 3 would be awesome IMHO; and 2 is sorta covered. 5 is no big deal to me, but again, you gave your opinion and that was what asked for.
archerJul 21st 2007 4:44PM
#3 is the is the big one. boneheaded. were it nobor this opera would own firefox.
archerJul 21st 2007 4:45PM
wow. that isn't what i keyed...
...were it not for this...
archerJul 21st 2007 4:01PM
wow. that isn't what i keyed...
...were it not for this...
stoneymonsterJul 21st 2007 5:34PM
SOCKS proxy support. This has been lacking for along time, every other browser does it.
vialJul 23rd 2007 3:42AM
http://files.myopera.com/Rijk/blog/extensions.html
rafaJul 22nd 2007 9:12AM
to move the tab bar to the bottom, under the address bar:
go to TOOLS - Appearance, select TOOLBARS tab. check the MAIN BAR and right click-delete all icons on the tab itself that pops up. then proceed to move all items from address bar to the main bar.
you now have a normal address on top, tab bar on bottom order.
why isnt opera like this in DEFAULT??
what opera needs, to set its tabsize to the title of the page. only first few words under 20 chars. i hate seeing the uniformity with the tabbar in opera and yet seemingly go back to SlimBrowser which uses IE but has autologin, password protected autofill, and a tab bar that isnt cumbersome, although Slimbrowser is also another browser which has a hideous Default setting. absolutelly horrible! but its my #1 for customizability and IE :p
epiac1216Jul 22nd 2007 9:12AM
Opera would be greatly improved if it would download many popular websites.
I used to be able to download My Yahoo Homepage until version 9.22. Now I only see a blank page. There are many other sites that Opera can not download or does it very awkwardly. I don't have this problem with Internet Explorer, Flock or Firefox.
Just my two cents on the subject.
bdgbillJul 22nd 2007 10:24AM
#3 is critical for me.
I have been using Opera for more than 5 years. Lately I have been seriously considering a move to Firefox for all of the cool 3rd party extensions I have been reading about.
I tried Firefox a couple of years ago but found it too much like IE (slow, buggy, ugly).
AntJul 22nd 2007 4:29PM
#2 Appupdater tracks Opera and will automatically upgrade for you. It also does this for numerous other apps. http://www.nabber.org/projects/appupdater/
AntJul 22nd 2007 3:56PM
#2 - Appupdater will automatically update Opera to new versions.
http://www.nabber.org/projects/appupdater/
Ian MackerethJul 23rd 2007 8:18AM
#3: Opera can run user javascript, which will do many of the things that FF extensions do.
From:
http://www.opera.com/support/tutorials/userjs/examples/
"Opera is capable of running many Greasemonkey scripts."