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If Opera 10 doesn't get noticed, we're all in big trouble
TechCrunch's Robin Wauters wonders if anyone's going to notice when the full release drops on September 1st. Ironic, really, because thousands of TC readers certainly know now if they didn't before. I tell ya, ten releases under their belt and Opera gets about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield.
It's certainly not for a lack of effort. Opera's always been an innovative, standards-compliant browser. Those great features you love about your web browser? Opera's devoted users love to remind you that Opera had them first. Try as they might, it just doesn't seem to be helping them gain converts.
Even the stir Opera caused earlier this summer with the announcement of Unite - which was going to "reinvent the web" died out quickly. Unite received a tepid response and hasn't been talked about much since.
The quiet one in the corner that always gets ignored? That's usually the one that snaps. If you don't take notice of the Opera 10 RC, don't come crying to us when they launch a full-on assault on the Internet.
Who knows what kind of fresh Hell they'll unleash. Mutilating non-compliant web sites? Forcing all your images through their compression servers? Plastering your screen with always on top, uncloseable widgets?
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Comments
52
Subscribe to commentsHelAug 25th 2009 2:08PM
Opera still costs money, right?
Whether it still does or not, it used to, and the above sentiment is why noone cares.
dtmaAug 25th 2009 2:26PM
Does anyone even remember that? You could use it for free, but you got some ads. Just like YouTube.
You could get a crack like you get AdBlock on YouTube.
I don't see anyone complaining.
SimonAug 25th 2009 2:27PM
The desktop version of their browser is, in fact, free, but I'd say that you hit the nail on the head. Opera dropped the pay-for aspect of their browser far too late in the game, and now the market is already overburdened by popular choices, namely Firefox, Safari and Chrome (and IE, if you want to count that as a choice-by-default). Competing on features is an exercise in futility for them as they all have relatively fast development cycles, and in the case of FF at least, there's a legion of extension developers willing to bring useful features to that browser.
The Unite thing, while interesting, doesn't really solve problems that most people have, I think. Or at least, it's hard to explain why it's so much better than what we already have. If you can't convey why your product is worth switching to, then you've lost the war, and no amount of browser ballot screens are going to save you.
alstkiAug 25th 2009 3:47PM
That is exactly the problem. They dropped the pay model but then went to this crappy version that used ads - and that's the last time Opera was ever installed on any of my computers. They disenfranchised too many users.
HylicAug 25th 2009 4:41PM
Not quite, originally they had both a paid version and a add supported version, now (and for the past few years) the desktop version of Opera is free and doesn't contain adds (they do have an affiliate link with Google (similar to Firefox).
polobunnyAug 25th 2009 6:16PM
@dtma
Yes yes, blocking ads on YouTube and pirating a software is exactly the same. I've been looking for the difference since I read your post and have yet to find one!
...
No really?
I think you're right Hel. See, you don't know if you still have to pay or not. I think that's the whole feeling people get. They have no clue what Opera is, and when they do it's full of resentment for space invading ads or shelling out money. Leaves quite a bad taste in one's mouth...
LeeAug 28th 2009 2:52PM
You give people too much credit. Most people don't understand which part of the screen *is* the browser let alone the politics surrounding the different browsers.
RocketboyAug 30th 2009 7:18PM
They stopped that, what, around the time of Windows XP?
radixradcioonAug 25th 2009 2:20PM
If it's snappier than Chrome, I'll switch. That's really the only requirement I can't help but stick to.
dtmaAug 25th 2009 2:27PM
It doesn't have a faster startup time, but it sure as hell can keep many more tabs open without slowing down, and tabs open just as fast even if it's under high load.
ThrushAug 25th 2009 2:21PM
They dont support plugins. FF is so popular because you can find a plugin to do just about anything you can imagine. I always have to wrestle with Opera to get exactly what I want and it's not worth the fight.
JohnAug 25th 2009 2:25PM
Opera has been free for over 5 years now.
Gardiner WestboundAug 25th 2009 2:25PM
I switched from IE to Opera about seven or eight years ago. It was OK, but the integrated e-mail client's file system involved a learning curve I didn't want to deal with at that time. I then tried Phoenix, later renamed Firefox. The latter's vast extension library has held my interest. I have briefly sampled other browsers, most recently IE8 and Google Chrome, but they don't come close to matching FF's features.
der_tuxmanAug 25th 2009 2:26PM
There's not much Opera had first. There are also a few features Opera will have as the last browser, I think...
polobunnyAug 25th 2009 6:24PM
The irony is that it's true. Oh so true. And whenever someone makes a proper rebuttal to "Opera had it first" comments, a swarm of Opera fanboys pour on you like the rain.
der_tuxmanAug 25th 2009 6:39PM
It wasn't meant ironic. I pity these Opera fanboys. If Opera had a text editor, they'd say Opera invented editing text, too.
JohnAug 25th 2009 2:29PM
Opera is simply fighting a losing battle. Every time they've come out with a new feature that's better then something in Firefox or Explorer, the features just get added to the other browsers next release.
I remember Opera was the first to introduce tabbed browsing... how long did that last?
pat1202003Aug 25th 2009 2:45PM
*Yawn*
*Continues to use Firefox.*
bill cant fartAug 25th 2009 2:45PM
Oh yeah! New icon! I just may use it now.
solid stateAug 25th 2009 2:45PM
Opera is ok, but the last time I tried it, it didn't work well with Google Docs. Firefox is still king. Chrome is good. If Opera 10 works with Google Docs & Spreadsheets, I'll give it a chance.