Opera: The Forgotten Browser

Posted by ttblogger on 12/13 at 01:04 PM Discuss in Forums • Permalink

In June, 2009 the folks at Google conducted an interesting experiment. They asked a bunch of people in Times Square the question What is a Web browser? Only 8% of the people asked knew what a browser was. Luckily, most (if not all) of the people reading the TechTips in this space know what a browser is …

In fact, I’m willing to bet that you know names like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and maybe even Chrome. But one browser that’s often forgotten or ignored is Opera. Which is unfortunate. Why? Opera has lot to offer as a browser. It packs features and functions that can compete with those of the better-known browsers on the Web.

Let’s get acquainted (or, in some cases, reacquainted) with this nifty browser.

Read Full Article Click Here

Posted by Randy Landsman on 12/13 at 10:04 PM

I’ve used Opera almost exclusively for 5 or 6 six years now. I love it! Some of my contemporaries use Firefox, probably just because they’re used to it. A few refuse to even try Opera. Their loss. The only thing I use Firefox for is if I want to copy an article to a word document. With Firefox, when you cut and paste an article, it includes pictures, links, type fonts and sizes and brings them along to the MS Word document. With Opera, only the type is copied.

My favorite feature of Opera is Speed Dial. I wasn’t aware until reading your tech-tip that you can have up to 25 links displayed. Thanks for pointing that feature out to me! In fact, it is very customizable since you can display from as few as 4 up to 25 links.

Like any other browser, once you get used to the feel and look of it, I think it’s the easiest one to use. And Opera is faster than any I’ve tried.

Posted by Larry Wafford on 12/13 at 10:52 PM

I love to mess around with the different browsers, and I think that Opera is my favorite to play with.I use firefox and use Internet Explorer to do most of my work for official docs, but Opera is my favorite to just have fun with.

Posted by Ec Rowlee on 12/14 at 04:27 AM

Opera sounds good, but nothing was said about security - that’s one of the reasons I use Firfox.
Ed

Posted by Katbalu on 12/14 at 05:25 AM

Thanks for the Opera update....I am checking it out!

Posted by 286Wayne on 12/14 at 06:36 AM

Have been using Opera everyday for longer than I can remember. There are some web sites out there that do not recognize Opera though so I also use Firefox. Glad to see a Tech Topic on Opera.

Posted by J. Nygren on 12/14 at 06:36 AM

Nice article, but ...

How do you spell ‘proofread’?

Posted by george mills on 12/14 at 11:00 AM

As a senior citizen, who knows very little about the art of computering(?)your tips are very helpful. I will try this one out. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Posted by Stephen J. Wersan on 12/14 at 11:22 AM

I recently went from full-time Firefox and occasional Opera to the opposite. Firefox kept messing up when it came to downloading and installing a new version. More than once I had to purge Firefox and go to Opera to download the new version of Firfox. So I finally asked myself, why not stay with good old reliable Opera?

I’m still discovering lovely things about Opera; your article is a great help in that direction.

Posted by Tony Lane on 12/14 at 01:29 PM

I’ve been a loyal Opera user since 2004. I stumbled upon Opera while troubleshooting one of many, many problems that I was having with Internet Explorer. It was while I was browsing an IE discussion forum that someone mentioned the Opera browser. The name immediately caught my attention: I’m a music fanatic:-). A little more research on the net uncovered the information that led me to become a permanent convert to all things Opera: expert users from all over the internet were RAVING about it. I must admit that I downloaded FireFox once, and even gave Safari a spin one time, but I was sorely disappointed. Even Chrome, for me, cannot come even close to the venerable Opera browser. For me it is the epitome of great software. Kudos Opera engineers!! and long may you run!!

Posted by Sridhar Katakam on 12/15 at 09:22 AM

I agree that Opera is powerful out of the box. But unfortunately as it doesn’t have extensions/add-ons (which I need for my daily browsing needs) I use Firefox.

Posted by D. Mack on 12/16 at 08:52 AM

Opera browser is more secure than Safari and Internet Explorer, and if I’m not mistaken, is even more secure than Firefox. To me, Firefox is nice for use instead of Internet Explorer for certain compatibility issues (ie. some online content not able to be viewed through Opera) but is slower to me than sometimes than even Internet Explorer. Opera allows saving sessions, including all browser windows and tabs, and saves the last closed browser automatically so if Opera is shut down either by user, computer error, or by loss of power, when you open Opera again, all is back where you left off. Mouse gesture, while most are not used to it, makes quick browsing quicker with a movement instead of clicking on a button on the other side of the screen. The Magic Wand makes getting into regular login screens quick and easy so you don’t have to remember and type all the login info, or use another password manager. Although all integration is not perfect, ease of use and functionality is very high, making it a must have if not primary browser, secondary browser.