Six Months with Opera

October 7, 2010 · by Espen André Øverdahl

Adel Noureddine, a PhD student in Computer Science, has been using Opera as his primary browser for six months. Using Ubuntu at work and a Windows netbook at home, he wanted a fast browser for his netbook and a coherent browsing experience on both operating systems. And this is where Opera 10.50 (and newer) fits perfectly.

His review (and experience) with Opera for six months is a mix of good and bad things. We would love to hear your opinion on the subject. Do you agree with his conclusion, or is he missing out on something?

Read the article...

Readers' comments 34

Left under the original article, as archived.

TamilThursday, October 7, 2010 8:46:50 AM
Originally posted by addoula:

The new back and forward buttons doesn’t offer the list of visited websites.
Click and hold back and forward button to see the list.

Originally posted by addoula:

In Firefox, I used to have address auto-completion for, not only .com, but also .net and .org. This is a very used functionality and can be added somehow easily in Opera (try to do that on Chrome!).
You can add them. .net & .org address completion in Opera

Originally posted by addoula:

when installing Opera on five different machines and operating systems, it starts to become annoying to do the same configurations steps for the UI and shortcuts! Hello synchronizations?!
Copy & paste Toolbar Configuration & Keyboard Configuration files.
JaniThursday, October 7, 2010 8:52:17 AM
With regards to the default email signature... Have you seen "Sent from my iPhone" or "Sent from my iPad"? Yes, those are default signatures for Mail in iPhone/iPad, so it's not like Opera is the only one who does it. Personally I don't care as long as you can change it and see that it's being added to the mail.
IKokeThursday, October 7, 2010 8:56:01 AM
I agree, special in the AdBlocking control
Artur „Jurgi” JurgawkaThursday, October 7, 2010 9:06:31 AM
Originally posted by decodedthought:

latest builds 10.60 uses a hell lot of RAM ! if opera dev team does something to reduce it then Opera will be unbeatable

+1
FavThursday, October 7, 2010 9:27:44 AM
Originally posted by zomg:

With regards to the default email signature... Have you seen "Sent from my iPhone" or "Sent from my iPad"? Yes, those are default signatures for Mail in iPhone/iPad, so it's not like Opera is the only one who does it. Personally I don't care as long as you can change it and see that it's being added to the mail.

Just because Hitler killed many people, does not mean Stalin was less of an evil.

Not that Opera is bad or anything, just saying that your argument is invalid.

Personally, I don't like quite a few things in new Opera versions, like:

Mark text, right click > first option is SEARCH instead of Copy which makes no sense for me, as you copy / paste more often than search.

10.70 clutters Ui even more when using RSS Read shortuct (CTRL+R in my case) as not only it opens RSS feeds, but also mail panel + side panel.

Blue dots. Yes, many people like that and I respect this, but why not have a simple option to disable them?

I also don't understand this thing, makes no sense as well

http://i53.tinypic.com/vqh7if.jpg

(and yes, I removed the one that shows link on mouse over).

You see, default Opera installation upon launch is cluttered with dozens of components (I know that you can remove most of them) and I feel like you guys are sort of loosing your main selling point (at least for me), clean UI with 100% customizable interface, afaik, cant turn off dots, 10.70 (yes, alpha), cant disable side bar opening on CTRL+R, etc

Yes, I am nitpicking, but you are as strong as your weakest link.

EDIT: One of the most frustrating things is wands optimization, or lack of it. If there are hundreds of passwords, it will take Opera ~3-5 minutes to simply close dialog (preferences dialog itself) when clicking "OK", after you quit PASSWORD MANAGER. It will also take Opera 5-10 seconds to simply delete one password record from pass manager.
Mağruf ÇolakoğluThursday, October 7, 2010 9:39:12 AM
Nearly all of them he needs is changable functions with easy tips. Only need to source a bit
netwolfThursday, October 7, 2010 9:41:41 AM
Originally posted by Tamil:

You can add them. .net & .org address completion in Opera

Well, unfortunately they ruined proper SNA somewhere around version 10.50
Till then, it actually auto-completed whatever you entered, using the postfixes you set (Hostname Expansion Postfix) without the need of any key combinations or adding / after the domain in question.
ouzowtfThursday, October 7, 2010 10:14:15 AM
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

The new back and forward buttons doesn’t offer the list of visited websites. No small arrow to access these websites quickly. Opera instead offers a list of closed tabs on the other side of the toolbar when clicking on a recycle bin icon. Opera needs to add this functionality directly on the back/forward new button, or revert back to the old back and forward separate buttons (which had this list).

Its a hidden feature to long click or click + drag down to show up the history of the tab. I could agree with him, but as he states later
The toolbar should be as clean as possible
, so I prefer not seeing the arrow for a more clean UI. But for new users the functionality of Opera has to be more obvious.

Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

(such as the Log In or even the Home button) should be removed from the default toolbar.

I don't agree with that. Yes, I also do not use and therefore removed the home button, but there are a lot of people using it. And the login button is a very useful thing.

Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

In Firefox, I used to have address auto-completion for, not only .com, but also .net and .org. This is a very used functionality and can be added somehow easily in Opera (try to do that on Chrome!). However, this should be added to the default shortcuts set.

I do not use address auto-completion, but reading comments in the desktop blog there are people who wish that the default behavior in previous version should be back. As a compromise I would like to see an option for that in the preferences.

Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

Another missing shortcut, and this time with no solution, is the CTRL + URL to open a new tab in the background. This shortcut is the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers, and all browsers support it...

I dont use this shortcut and I dont think its the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers. For me, clicking a link with MOUSE3 is much easier than using the second hand too (sometimes I just hang lazy in my easy chair). But for compatibility reasons and people who change to Opera and use this shortcut, it could be a lot easier if it were implemented.

Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

Third, ad blocking. Opera offers efficient ad blocking system, but this system is based on a urlfilter.ini file and blocked elements are added manually. As Opera doesn’t offer an extension system, then it is the duty of Opera to offer a full ad blocking feature that support subscriptions

I'm satisfied with the content blocker, but I agree that subscriptions would be a very useful addition.
And yes, it nerves, that when I want to refresh fanboys adblock list (copy and overwrite urlfilter.ini in my profile) my manual added filters are overwritten too. Copying/pasting inside the urlfilter.ini is too much effort for the average user.
NicoThursday, October 7, 2010 10:50:46 AM
I agree with him on CTRL+Click to open a Tab in the background (but I'm fine with SHIFT+CTRL+Click) and AdBlocking: But hands down: I don't need to update my filterlist that much to block new ads (half a year or even less). But for the sake of convenience, it'll be nice to have an automatic feature built inside Opera.

I have to disagree with him on this point: "Opera 9 or 10 was ugly, and the design of certain elements was strange." I don't think that Opera 9 & 10 was ugly, it was just... different (of course, Opera 10.50 and ahead looks way better)
JaniThursday, October 7, 2010 12:09:41 PM
Originally posted by DjiXas:

Not that Opera is bad or anything, just saying that your argument is invalid.

Before typing such an oh-so-amazingly witty response, you may wish to re-evaluate if you actually understood the point or not.
Charles SchlossThursday, October 7, 2010 12:14:45 PM
FavThursday, October 7, 2010 12:58:31 PM
Originally posted by zomg:

With regards to the default email signature... Have you seen "Sent from my iPhone" or "Sent from my iPad"? Yes, those are default signatures for Mail in iPhone/iPad, so it's not like Opera is the only one who does it.

With regards to the default email signature... Have you seen "Sent from my iPhone" or "Sent from my iPad"? Yes, those are default signatures for Mail in iPhone/iPad, so it's not like Opera is the only one who does it.

He says: so it's not like Opera is the only one who does it

How else can this be understood?
prd3Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:10:20 PM
Originally posted by DjiXas:

Mark text, right click > first option is SEARCH instead of Copy which makes no sense for me, as you copy / paste more often than search.

Wrong. Searches are much more common and useful. Especially in the most populated parts of the world.

Originally posted by DjiXas:

You see, default Opera installation upon launch is cluttered with dozens of components

This is a blatant lie. Why do you always lie about Opera? And why are you derailing this blog with comments that are clearly completely bogus and wrong?
■Thursday, October 7, 2010 3:22:35 PM
Hmm... there seams to be no bad things he can say about Opera. Everything included in "The Dark Side of the Force" is the matter of tweaking Opera for your individual needs - that's it. Besides, since when Chrome is faster than Opera??? Try Opening 20+tabs in Opera and Chrome on an atom notebook, and post your experiences. Hint: Get a coffee before using chrome.

But thanks, I have completely forgotten about M2, and Windows Live Mail was a something nice to try and use, but it it useless, back to M2.
Pallab DeThursday, October 7, 2010 4:09:58 PM
I agree with a lot of the stuff he said. The lack of toolbar, menu and wand syncing really pisses me off. The point about autocompletion is also a valid one. It's something that has been pointed out on numerous occasions and I suppose is really easy to add. Not sure why Opera has omitted such an obvious feature.
The other thing that I miss, are extensions. Last.fm, Flashgot etc.
Vladimir GeorgievThursday, October 7, 2010 7:15:28 PM
I agree for the mail signature. Not just because it is a promoting one, but because it is badly styled. "Revolutionary" is not an adequate word for something you expect to be seriously used. Also, it is rather old, so "revolutionary" it is not anymore
Jérémie DurandThursday, October 7, 2010 7:22:15 PM
Originally posted by Fav:

Just because Hitler killed many people, does not mean Stalin was less of an evil.

Godwin's Law is true, again. I stopped reading your post after this stupid sentence.
MyOpera team, please fix this!Thursday, October 7, 2010 7:58:20 PM
Originally posted by Tamil:

Copy & paste...
copy and paste not equivalent to the conveience of synchronization.
DeyanThursday, October 7, 2010 8:14:57 PM
|
ah ... forget about CTRL + URL or SHIFT + CTRL + URL ...
Opera do it better with just one click on URL with scroll mouse button
|
ZodiusThursday, October 7, 2010 8:40:39 PM
I do agree with the author on all of the positive, but disagree on most of the negative remarks except for the keyboard shortcuts. I feel that some common rules do need to be followed between the browsers or other programs of similar types.
Adonis @ my.opera /friendspartyworldFriday, October 8, 2010 12:01:10 AM
And here are some results of the olympian fields jury:

it does not look like a professional essay. As you can see at the end of the six months evaluation.

As a intense user of Opera Mini 4, (OM5 is still not supporting this phone) i compare this essay to the very short term (!) appreciation of three mobile browsers: om, uc and bolt, from Sami Serola, a Opera Mini fan.
The present evaluation is made by a former firefox adherant,which is basicly evolved from former mosaic browser. One could argue that mosaic was the more esthetic user interface compared to firefox. This said, consider this a comparison with former firefox. Well he changed to opera (but not mini?) but wanted a more firefox attitude of the browser, i feel. Part 1
sarah eirazlyFriday, October 8, 2010 5:52:18 AM
hola usted.. me llamo sarah.
FavFriday, October 8, 2010 8:52:46 AM
Originally posted by jeremiedurand:

Godwin's Law is true, again. I stopped reading your post after this stupid sentence.

The quality of life improves when you stop judging people :-)
George Amoah-awuahFriday, October 8, 2010 10:02:37 AM
past 6 mths,it has ben great 2 me on opera.
TeresiaFriday, October 8, 2010 12:33:25 PM
I am not good at computer but I have read the article. I am just a common computer user and so far Opera browser is easy to handle and for me Opera is still the best...
Rafael LuikFriday, October 8, 2010 7:52:18 PM
Originally posted by DjiXas:

Mark text, right click > first option is SEARCH instead of Copy which makes no sense for me, as you copy / paste more often than search.
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/findpost.pl?id=6076782
IchannSaturday, October 9, 2010 11:13:02 AM
Originally posted by ouzoWTF:

I dont use this shortcut and I dont think its the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers. For me, clicking a link with MOUSE3

Why are people so ignorant? He cannot use the MOUSE3 because he is using this primarily on a netbook. Also (although moot), he has no mouse to begin with.

Originally posted by DjiXas:

You see, default Opera installation upon launch is cluttered with dozens of components

What happened to the menu layout that was in a square arrangement? Much better than the bajillion optioned layout we have now. Way to let Firefox steal this idea.

Speaking about menus, why do we really need the options in Page section?
ouzowtfSaturday, October 9, 2010 3:16:07 PM
Originally posted by Ichann:

Why are people so ignorant?

Stop ranting and read further
But for compatibility reasons and people who change to Opera and use this shortcut, it could be a lot easier if it were implemented.

And I just talked about what I'm using. And saying that and expressing my opinion is still allowed as I know.
George Amoah-awuahSaturday, October 9, 2010 4:35:01 PM
so
Rafael LuikSaturday, October 9, 2010 10:24:01 PM
Originally posted by Ichann:

What happened to the menu layout that was in a square arrangement? Much better than the bajillion optioned layout we have now. Way to let Firefox steal this idea.

Speaking about menus, why do we really need the options in Page section?
Mozilla Firefox two-tier menu is ridiculous! It's the worst menu I've ever seen and used!
Did you really used Mozilla Firefox's menu before saying Opera's menu isn't the best solution?
George Amoah-awuahSunday, October 10, 2010 8:09:53 AM
r u sure.
HellShootTuesday, October 12, 2010 2:47:10 PM
Originally posted by ouzoWTF:

Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

The new back and forward buttons doesn’t offer the list of visited websites. No small arrow to access these websites quickly. Opera instead offers a list of closed tabs on the other side of the toolbar when clicking on a recycle bin icon. Opera needs to add this functionality directly on the back/forward new button, or revert back to the old back and forward separate buttons (which had this list).
Its a hidden feature to long click or click + drag down to show up the history of the tab. I could agree with him, but as he states later
The toolbar should be as clean as possible
, so I prefer not seeing the arrow for a more clean UI. But for new users the functionality of Opera has to be more obvious.
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

(such as the Log In or even the Home button) should be removed from the default toolbar.
I don't agree with that. Yes, I also do not use and therefore removed the home button, but there are a lot of people using it. And the login button is a very useful thing.
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

In Firefox, I used to have address auto-completion for, not only .com, but also .net and .org. This is a very used functionality and can be added somehow easily in Opera (try to do that on Chrome!). However, this should be added to the default shortcuts set.
I do not use address auto-completion, but reading comments in the desktop blog there are people who wish that the default behavior in previous version should be back. As a compromise I would like to see an option for that in the preferences.
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

Another missing shortcut, and this time with no solution, is the CTRL + URL to open a new tab in the background. This shortcut is the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers, and all browsers support it...
I dont use this shortcut and I dont think its the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers. For me, clicking a link with MOUSE3 is much easier than using the second hand too (sometimes I just hang lazy in my easy chair). But for compatibility reasons and people who change to Opera and use this shortcut, it could be a lot easier if it were implemented.
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

Third, ad blocking. Opera offers efficient ad blocking system, but this system is based on a urlfilter.ini file and blocked elements are added manually. As Opera doesn’t offer an extension system, then it is the duty of Opera to offer a full ad blocking feature that support subscriptions
I'm satisfied with the content blocker, but I agree that subscriptions would be a very useful addition. And yes, it nerves, that when I want to refresh fanboys adblock list (copy and overwrite urlfilter.ini in my profile) my manual added filters are overwritten too. Copying/pasting inside the urlfilter.ini is too much effort for the average user.
^ This. ^
Originally posted by Adel Noureddine:

Another missing shortcut, and this time with no solution, is the CTRL + URL to open a new tab in the background. This shortcut is the most used keyboard shortcut in browsers, and all browsers support it...
Actually the shortcut is there, it's Shift + URL.
Vladimir GeorgievTuesday, October 12, 2010 8:46:10 PM
I think .com, .net, .org (and any other specified in the Preferences) completion still work, if you end your input with a slash /

Ctrl+Enter always completes to .com
George Amoah-awuahTuesday, November 2, 2010 10:18:53 AM
great point.