Developers › A Journal from Behind the Trenches
Sound off! What are your top 3 problems with Opera?
While we have various ways to analyze the most widespread problems affecting a large number of users, I thought it might be interesting to get a bit of direct feedback on what people's main problems with Opera are.- Opera users: What are the top 3 problems that are causing you frustration?
- Don't use Opera? What are the top 3 issues keeping you from using it?
I don't know how many will respond to this, but to keep it manageable from the start, here are a few basic rules:
- One list per person
- The list can contain only 3 items (don't "+1" other people's comments - if you support something someone else writes, show that by adding it to your own list)
- The list must be about the actual desktop browser (while people may identify problems with various processes or other Opera products, but those are not what I'm looking for)
- Keep the description brief (if you need to elaborate, link to an external page or image; if the description wraps to more than two lines, it's probably too long!)
Mind you, I am not doing this for lack of feedback channels, but I feel that sometimes those channels can get clogged by a lot of off-topic content and things that aren't really relevant in that particular context. It would be interesting to see the feedback distilled into brief points that are easy to analyze.
I also realize that any feedback here will be heavily biased towards more advanced users, but we need to keep you guys in mind, too, when developing Opera.
Readers' comments 50
Left under the original article, as archived; 5 pages of comments could not be recovered.
About this article
| Published in | A Journal from Behind the Trenches |
|---|---|
| Date | August 21, 2012 |
| Author | Haavard |
| Original | Internet Archive |
eliotcougarWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:31:53 AM
2. Websites with scripts which detect the word "opera" in UserAgent and apply "fixes" to layout bugs from opera 8 and lower... (and other weird browser-specific treatment)
3. Google services
inDigazzZWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:36:06 AM
2. Inability to change the order of extensions buttons
3.
Poor extension APIPoor synchronization (preferences, extensions)ahoj1234Wednesday, August 22, 2012 10:39:39 AM
<- so another: Browser should not freeze if it is caused by 1 tab.. and dont want to do Opera multiprocessing browser as chrome is.. so have fun
2) Sniffing by other webs -> what about custom UserAgent setting web by web?
3) and.. last but not least.. do something with Opera link! it should be more user friendly.. only click and all is "done" is really bad.. Is unable to use it between more version of Opera on 1 PC etc..
SushubhWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:42:54 AM
2. Strikethrough visited links does not work in all cases.
3. Compatibility issues with HTML5 based features like on Imgur.
Andylee SatoWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:44:40 AM
1.) Opening a tab from a tab-stacked tab ought to open the new tab inside this stack.
2.) When keeping Opera desktop browser running for several days it really eats memory (like 2 GB), also if I only have about 10 tabs open (no flash)
3.) When I drag a tab from monitor A to B it does open in a new window on Monitor A instead of Monitor B
eldarienWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:45:55 AM
2) Min/Max/Close buttons disappears after computer goes to sleep or changes aero theme to basic and back.
3) Slow startup when many tabs are opened - bookmarks bar stays empty until all tabs are loaded.
m910qWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:46:04 AM
1. Option to make Dragonfly stick to tab instead of being global (Like Chrome is doing it right now). I really like Dragonfly, but this actually keeps me from using it, in a lot of situations.
2. One tab can slow everything down. (Opera being more or less single threaded)
3. Options window might be too advanced for new users. I personally like them though. It's more like an idea. I can't think of a 3. problem right now.
MantikorWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:50:22 AM
1. Non stable release versions. (12.0 for example)
2. Freezes for no apparent reason (sometimes)
3. Unfixed some bugs that last for years. (removed comment not relevant to the actual browser)
Sorry for my english.
ClashCityRockerWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:51:10 AM
2/ Lack of multhreading.
3/ The death of OperaLink
(edit - long descriptions)
SardorbekWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:52:03 AM
2. Facebook lags
3. Google Services
metudeWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:56:29 AM
1. Too much bugs. Here's a my a few top lists. [1] [2] important bug in addon catalog
2. Not too international. Let them people to translate opera.com etc. pages. Give us contribution chance.
3. Third one will come later.
(edited - rule #2)
Surferz WorldWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:58:54 AM
2)No Indic Fonts support under linux.
3)http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=825022 Partially fixed - looks like a security issue too.
Joonas LehtolahtiWednesday, August 22, 2012 10:59:17 AM
2. (removed comment not relevant to the actual browser)
3. Being victim of browser sniffing
pursanovdWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:07:50 AM
2. Auto create search for sites(like Chrome does! Killer feature for fast search after you've visited the site)
3. Problems with some popular websites. Because of such things i have to use other browsers instead of Opera.
Hack My BrainWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:08:36 AM
1. Buggy. 2 bugs get fixed,3 new ones come. Some even last for years.
2. Google services. Sometimes not Opera's problem,but sometimes both.
3. Extension APIs are far from powerful.
porneLWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:14:36 AM
2. Boilerplate, nonsense and misleading error messages.
3. Mail gets no love.
(edit - too long descriptions)
Patkós CsabaWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:14:59 AM
2. Google services - slow or working buggy
3. Extensions sync - would be great feature
RefreshWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:15:20 AM
1. (removed comment not relevant to the actual browser)
2. (removed comment not relevant to the actual browser)
3. I have Opera opened for days, with no more than 10 tabs with no flash, and it uses 2GB of RAM.
because of two removed points here are two new browser-specific:
1b. Compatibility issues with websites.
2b. Right-clicking on images brings the image menu only after 3rd-4th try, the first tries bring the standard right-click menu of the page.
subcideWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:17:33 AM
2. Framerate on scroll seems inconsistent with Mac OS defaults
3. Lack of support by site authors, due to low market share.
Manuel Andreas KuhnWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:18:42 AM
2. No sync from Contacts with major mail services
3. Heavy I/O and freezing, especially on the verge
quarkWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:20:11 AM
And also converts "smooth-scrolling" into "lag-scrolling".
2. Bad font smoothing (example) especially on large font sizes. This also makes iconic fonts (which are pretty popular nowadays) look ugly.
3. As an outcome from statements above I am forced to use Chrome for some websites/services which I don't really want to.
Bruce LawsonWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:24:38 AM
I don't like how Opera likes to take over most of my default apps and manage mail, feeds, weblinks… And that's hardly fixable without uninstalling opera.
It looks ugly everywhere. Omnibox and everything above it is especially ugly. That Firefox style menu button is ugly, turning it off it looks a bit less but still ugly. Turning off border makes it a bit more compact in fullscreen (yay) but in windowed mode it doesn't get that border back – usability issue.
Hard to use developer tools.
As a side note: It's on gnome.
kxpWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:26:59 AM
1) Compatibility issues with websites
2) No chipcard support (my main reason for using other browsers on a daily basis)
3) Mail and RSS functions could use more development and inclusion of calendar feature.
Martin KadlecWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:28:17 AM
Opera has large amount of settings which is great, but it is almost impossible for average user to know way around it. It should be better organized and use special input methods (e.g. drawing gestures). Also it should look pretty and welcoming, possibly use special tab like Maxthon/Chrome.
When Opera is opened all tabs are loading its contents
Many users already proposed (and I think it is good idea too) there should be option for tabs to load their content only when they are focused so they wouldn't freeze Opera on start.
Better context menu organization
Too many items in context menu. These could be removed: Back, Forward, Rewind, Fast forward, Bookmark page, copy address, Send Link by Mail, Full Screen and Reload.
HaavardWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:31:21 AM
CommasterWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:36:05 AM
2) Never finishes loading imgur.com (Recent build) (Computer button keeps "spinning" and Loading...)
3) really... REALLY slow OOPP Flash plugin.
Windows 7 x64
corppneqWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:39:35 AM
2. Compatibility issues with websites
3. No Mail-Client development
Sami SerolaWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:41:10 AM
2) Flash games
3) Link, notes and search engine synchronization unstable
Erik HauboldWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:42:29 AM
2) specially the linux version: lots of misaligning of buttons / text / ... in the ui (e.g: the text in the "web", "secure" badge is at its bottom)
3) make it possible to enable specific plugins for webpages, if plugin on demand is active (eg. flash only and java keeps beeing blocked)
jefleenWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:45:50 AM
2. Since version 12, javascript files can get padded with binary data (protocol data and images). A regular refresh doens't fix it. I can think of 3 different websites that often have this issue -> sites don't work properly.
3. Blue chat notification balloon and multiple Opera windows is a problem. The icon stays visible when it shouldn't.
kyu3Wednesday, August 22, 2012 11:46:57 AM
2. Flash
3. Opera Link : Opera Mini can't sync all bookmarks from Opera for PC. Why?
seriousWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:48:03 AM
Settings presentation & defaults
Tab grouping
(edited too long descriptions)
João DavidWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:59:53 AM
pseudo555-tafWednesday, August 22, 2012 11:59:54 AM
2. No shorcut to reload each tab in one stack
3. cookie issue when managed by JS
For point 3 :
Using two pages in the same domain (Page One has a link to page Two) :
Page One use this code :
document.cookie = 'ppkcookie1=testcookie; expires=Thu, 2 Aug 2001 20:47:11 UTC; path=/'
Page Two don't have document.cookie set.
This is not the behavior I expected. For m, the path is set to /. So the cookie must be kept until you go to another domain (ie www.google.com to www.yahoo.com).
Jason HWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:01:16 PM
2. Flash is very slow in Opera, any heavy flash applications/sites I have to use a different browser. Again not sure if this is Opera or the flash plugin but I experience this on my work PC and both home PCs
3. Have Opera link sync preferences, like home page, what to load when opera opens, basic appearance settings.
Otherwise still a great browser which I commonly recommend, but I have also begun to recommend other browsers to people who I don't think will have enough patience for Opera's faults.
giapinWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:01:49 PM
2. Sluggishness or even freezing after keeping open for several hours.
3. Incomplete syncing (sessions, form settings should be syncable)
Lars Marius GarsholWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:05:20 PM
2. On MacOS Opera 12.01 will often get into a state where keyboard shortcuts stop working, and many of them cause Opera to go fullscreen. Restart "fixes" the problem.
3. Excessive memory use (MacOS).
ahmadamajWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:11:59 PM
2- Never Stops Loading bug. I'm using 12.5, and the bug is still here and still annoying.
3- You introduced the tab bar positioning but stopped caring about it. Needs improvements for looks and functionality.
(I know I'm not allowed a fourth one, but I have too: used RAM doesn't come back when tabs are closed)
sirnh1Wednesday, August 22, 2012 12:13:38 PM
The preferences screen should get a makeover. For example: managing search engines is considered 'basic' (it's not under 'advanced'), but the option to make opera check if it's the default browser is under 'preferences - advanced - programs'.
2) Opera dragonfly
Make Dragonfly stick to the tab instead of being global.
3) Spell checking & Context menu
If you misspell a word and rightclick on it, the context menu tends to get extremely big. (screenshot) A good solution would be that if you only the suggestions would be shown.
SinigamhsWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:14:31 PM
2.possibility to install user.js scripts as extensions like chrome, or at least help release a descent script manager extension.
3.buggy major releases
SavagemanWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:28:52 PM
1. Opera Link synchronisation missing features
Preferences, form data, dictionaries, extensions, saved sessions, search engines: there's a vast place for improvements here.
2. Per-site dictionary language
I browse both English & French websites, and I always have to switch language for the auto-correct.
3. Slow loading on startup with a lot of tabs
I always have a lot of opened tabs. When I load Opera, it should load the focused one first.
I'm not particularly interested in a "load on focus" feature: it's nice to have them all load, but load the focused one first (higher priority).
HaavardWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:32:44 PM
Please try to keep comments brief.
If you have already posted a long comment, you now have the chance to edit it and link to an external explanation or screenshot instead.
Federico PanicoWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:33:55 PM
2- Main menu is a mess.
3- Trivial: no keyboard shortcut for "select element" in dragonfly.
Remco Brink aka flowWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:39:30 PM
2. Excessive memory usage on OSX
3. Flash support under OSX (often causes crashes)
ouzowtfWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:40:17 PM
2. results of browser sniffing
3. "Click to activate and use this control" on plugin content (I know it's not really Operas fault, but its really annoying)
DayWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:43:48 PM
1 - you can't share/edit buttons in a easy way
2 - no standard format for adressbook with other services/formats
3 - handling with multiple email aliases could be much better
bentronicWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:52:35 PM
2. Temporary freezing—it hits the disk for something, and the whole browser locks up for several seconds
3. Sync for preferences, extensions, and feeds (feeds could just be an IMAP thing, right?)
PsychoManWednesday, August 22, 2012 12:57:19 PM
2. Flash not working on some sites
3. Rendering high resolution pictures (they seem to be oversharpened for me)
setWednesday, August 22, 2012 1:01:21 PM
2 - Click to activate ( Eolas' related patent is dead, why didn't you remove this already? )
3 - Not synchronizing everything (Open tabs, contacts, mail accounts, etc.)
blowfishWednesday, August 22, 2012 1:10:06 PM
2. if opera work for ages in takes minutes (>5 mins with low CPU utilization) to close (first two probably fixed in 12.50 already)
3. fixed bugs not pushed to stable release (users should wait next major release for months and years, so huge difference between stable and dev branches)