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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 commentsGeirAug 25th 2009 5:53PM
Opera is a browser you either love or hate, it appears. Over half of the comments here seems to be by users who aren't thatfamiliar with any recent Opera release though, and are as relevant as discussing Mosaic for those that remember that.
I have and use IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera, and they all have their good and bad sides. I find myself using Opera 80% of the time, Firefox 15%, and the rest on the others lead by IE. Having almost everything one need built-in is one of Opera's strong points, printing is where it really fails. Firefox is awesome with all the plug-ins available, but this requires some work to find and install as well as update.
The browser choice is almost like choosing a car, there isn't one that is "best". Pick the one that works for you, and stop pi££ing at others for making a different selection than yours.
polobunnyAug 25th 2009 6:34PM
Updating is usually not much a problem with Mozilla Firefox, unless you find auto updating too much of a burden.
Sole moot point: Updating to a new version of Firefox sometimes (read often) breaks compatibility for older, non updated extensions.
Is this really a big problem? I don't think for the majority of users it is. Most often than not the incompatibility is simply the extension being rated for certain versions, a simple edit to change the versions accepted and POOF, it's good as new.
This obviously doesn't work often when there's big version changes (1 to 2, 2 to 3 and so on) but it's not as if this happened constantly.
As requiring some work to customize, that's a 1 time deal, for any browser. If 15 minutes of work is too much for someone to configure their portal on the web, then I shout laziness.
GeirAug 26th 2009 4:13AM
Hi Polobunny,
Your points are valid, but with a few notes.
Updating is not a major problem, it's a minor one as you say --but it gets bigger when the extension isn't compatible with the new browser version you just installed. This is a non-issue with Opera.
If you use one computer the customization is a one time deal as you say, but if you use more then the customization is something that needs to be dealt with either through other means (synchronization, file transfer, manually, etc.). Myself (which is not the average browser user) access between 10 and 20 computers on a weekly basis, the OS vary and more than half of the computers are at a remote location half a world away. It isn't a major problem, as the configuration can be transferred to each computer --however, with Opera I have everything I need (and almost everything I want, I do miss some nice Firefox extensions that I can live without though) so as long as the bookmarks aren't needed then there is no need to transfer any[thing related to] extensions.
That being said, I do love Firefox. My point was just that one shouldn't be so quick to dismiss Opera because they once had the split ad-based and pay-for browser scheme (by that standard everyone would drop Windows and use GNU/Linux or some other free or open source OS).
DapxinAug 25th 2009 7:48PM
The browser works. lean and fast.
Not everyone cares about the slow-fest FF is + its plugins.
Its default Mouse gestures + Email indexing is worth the price of admission alone.
Call me a fanboy and its nonsense. If you dont like it, pass - its a browser and that's all. Not sex!
phxjwAug 26th 2009 12:42AM
I've gone back and forth between Opera and Firefox, quite honestly. Opera has its built in password manager but if the popular Roboform could be used in conjunction with it, I'd be won over completely.
13ODVAug 26th 2009 1:27AM
Aww thats kinda depressing to read, seeing how opera was one of the first browsers i ever used. Opera has alot to offer and it really is a diamond in the ruff next to mozilla and chrome :(. EIther way im looking forward to the new build and am psyched to continue to harbor it alongside my army of browsers!
iubyontAug 26th 2009 1:37AM
its simple. if you like add-ons then get firefox. if you want your browser to handle everything and anything then get opera. if you want speed then get chrome or safari. keep ie8 for compatibility (you never know when that gov't, school or work website still won't support other browsers.)
KrishAug 26th 2009 3:28AM
Am using opera for the last 5 years. It is the best browser which can handle many tabs and release memory when u minimize it.
If you are talking about plug-ins on Firefox, almost all essential things are there in the Opera as in built.
You can customize Opera as you like. (The most customizable browser i think)
AlexAug 26th 2009 5:31AM
"TechCrunch's Robin Wauters wonders if anyone's going to notice when the full release drops on September 1st"
Yes, there's at least one person. Happy now?
Nice article title, by the way. It shows how open-minded are some people around here. Well.. maybe not people, but more like sheeps! Bheee bhee!!
Enjoy your browser choice, but don't bash another product just because it's not what *you* use, or you don't like it, or *you* don't know how to use it.
GaryAug 26th 2009 10:18AM
I have only two problems with Opera but they are huge.
1. Most interactive sites, including every popular email site, are frequently or always broken in Opera.
2. Because Opera doesn't allow extensions like Firefox, features that I now depend on are not available.
But Opera is useful for testing WAP sites.
JordanAug 26th 2009 1:43PM
I used to use Opera sometimes in conjunction with Firefox back when they dropped their pay scheme.
Then they came out with version 9. And completely screwed over the interface for me and locked it in. I used various modifications and hacks to return it to the default that I preferred, but it was tedious to do so.
So I dropped Opera. I much prefer Firefox, I'd rather wait two seconds more to load a webpage than to be on a browser I can't operate in. I have Chrome on hand in case I need to test speed or compatibility (as Firefox compensates for small coding errors, that in itself makes it invaluable).
kristof pAug 27th 2009 3:26AM
Yeah right Firefox fan-boys have a look at the error-console and see how many extension throwing errors. I myself write Firefox extension but still prefer Opera for most browsing.
The ACID 3 TEST: Opera, Safari, Chrome pass it 100%
The ACID 3 TEST: Firefox: 93%
IE I wouldn't know as I use a Mac but I hardly doubt it will do better.
Now check www.scanit.be run the security tests, if you have the latest FF it should pass but look at how many vunerabilities that are being checked compared to either Safari, Chrome or Opera !