What are the features that define Opera?

Readers' comments 52

Left under the original article, as archived.

• 

  Charles SchlossFriday, October 19, 2012 2:01:30 PM

  Being able to assign keywords for searches

  Yep I also love the custom search (I have about 20) and doing it before other browser thought it was cool
  
  Speed: Opera DOMinates at this
  
  Stability: don't know of any others that can reload all your tabs even after a kernal panic or a blue screen, handle the 200+ tabs with ease
  
  Security: (Symantec even agrees)
  
  
  Private mode: Opera can do private tabs or private windows, other browser you have to do the entire session
• 

  MantikorFriday, October 19, 2012 2:14:28 PM

  For me, the list looks like this: (from most important to least)
  
  * (!)Great customization interface options
  * (!)opera:config
  *Mouse gestures
  *"Right-click > Frame > Open in background"
  *Ctrl+Z to reopen closed tabs
  *Opera Link
  *Speed Dial
  *Starts downloading a file right away; does not wait for save location to be chosen
  *Popups open inside the program rather than outside
  *Installer: Self-contained (portable/USB) installation
  
  The rest either do not use, or not so critical.
• 

  eliotcougarFriday, October 19, 2012 2:14:31 PM

  Wow... I use almost all of these...
• 

  Martin KadlecFriday, October 19, 2012 2:26:12 PM

  My list would contain at least 80% of the same items
  
  One thing I absolutely love about Opera is the "apply changes" button in source viewer. Very often I want to test some html/javascript snippet and I'm too lazy to create new file for it. In Opera I just open random site and replace the souce with my snippet. This is ultra fast and compfortable
• 

  HaavardFriday, October 19, 2012 2:31:10 PM

  Originally posted by Chas4:

  Private mode: Opera can do private tabs or private windows, other browser you have to do the entire session

  Originally posted by BS-Harou:

  One thing I absolutely love about Opera is the "apply changes" button in source viewer.

  I knew my list was still incomplete!
  
  I use "apply changes", too. Along with "reload from cache" if I'm using an external editor.
  
  Added.
• 

  PierreFriday, October 19, 2012 3:27:08 PM

  I choose Opera for Win16 in 1997 for some specific features not available in other browsers : one click disable/enable image, sound when file download or page load ended, MDI interface, full zoom, last session saving...
  Now, some cool feature are still, AFAIK, exclusive to Opera browsers :
  - Turbo (i know Yandex Browser is coming with too )
  - Fit to width
  - Inclusive filtering
  - Private _tabs_
  - Standard MHT saving
  - Bittorrent support (soon removed ?)
  - Follower tabs
  - Custom/Power Buttons easy to install (drag&drop)
  - Easy to use many different versions at the same time and create portable install
  - Very cool spatial navigation !
  - Very customizable kiosk mode
  - Can easily hide scrollbars
  - Full (100%) fullscreen mode
  - Cache content search/filtering
  - Recursive and bayesian learning email filtering
• 

  DayFriday, October 19, 2012 3:28:27 PM

  customizable menus/buttons are big advantages, even if you only want to shorten the default menus (but also custom searches is such a cool feature)
  
  I agree (and use) with most of your list
• 

  Dustin WilsonFriday, October 19, 2012 4:27:10 PM

  Your listing had most of what I use in it, so I went down your list then added a couple of my own at the end:
  
  1. Opera can handle a lot of tabs with impressive ease
  2. Single-key shortcuts (especially 'k' in mail/feeds to mark as read)
  3. Customizable shortcuts (AMEN on ⌘N... Mac user )
  4. urlfilter.ini (I think the content blocker UI is rather useless)
  5. Speed Dial
  6. Reload Every... (very useful for events)
  7. Popups open in the program rather than outside
  8. Full text indexing of the cache
  9. Creating custom searches from search fields
  10. Being able to assign keywords for searches
  11. Removal of close button in tabs
  12. Middle-clicking tab to close tabs
  
  Nothing's in order of preference.
  
  EDIT: However, as an exercise I decided to go through the list and pick which ones out of it I'd find most crucial:
  
  1. Opera can handle a lot of tabs with impressive ease
  4. urlfilter.ini (I think the content blocker UI is rather useless)
  10. Being able to assign keywords for searches
  12. Middle-clicking tab to close tabs
• 

  thshdwFriday, October 19, 2012 4:51:26 PM

  1. Using the . (period) button anywhere on the page to start searching. I use this so much, and it works everywhere, mail and rss feeds.
  2. Mouse Gestures.
  3. Pressing the k button In mail or feed reader to mark something as read.
  4. alt-tab to cycle through the list of open tabs
  5. Dragonfly is a godsend
  
  I forgot to add these...
  Tab sessions
  Closed Tabs List
  Opera Notes
  
  The e-mail client. Its amazingly fast. I have 8 years of e-mail and searches are pretty close to instant. The feed reader is awesome too!
• 

  NimeshFriday, October 19, 2012 5:06:33 PM

  
  
  I also use most, would also include the below ones in my list
  - Forms/Password Manager
  - Site preferences
  - Minimize tabs (none of the other browser has this if I'm correct)
• 

  earth01Friday, October 19, 2012 7:51:50 PM

  1. Tab and window handling
  2. Custom image in Seed Dial
  3. Customizable user interface
  4. Download manager
  5. Trash for closed tabs
  
  And because it keeps getting better !
• 

  Jordan TrillesFriday, October 19, 2012 8:50:58 PM

  1) When you close all tab, Opera do not close and speeddial remain
  2) A real download manager in a tab. the best implementation
  3) Plugin on demand: less resources consumes
  4) Great use of cache : ex: go on 4chan. if a thread became 404, if you close Opera and reopen it the thread remain even if it does not exist. better than Chromium!
  5) Many more but we are waiting more feature from Opera
• 

  szykSaturday, October 20, 2012 12:19:19 PM

  + IRC client
• 

  seriousSaturday, October 20, 2012 1:41:05 PM

  my personal favourites that I miss all the time in Chrome (not even starting with fx here ):
  - rocker gestures (only got a cheap 2-button mouse in the office, but thanks to opera I don't care)
  - being able to double-click anywhere in the tab-bar for opening a new tab (chrome takes the whole are as being for window handling which is really annoying as you actually have to hit the + button)
  - ctrl-z for context-specific undo
  - click on tab to minimize
  - disabled "reuse current tab"
  
  so, generally, really small features, nothing big like mail or irc (switched to gmail, but used it previously with my old POP provider and loved it). But these small features give me an amazing "feels just right" factor that no other browser can match.
• 

  Rafael LuikSaturday, October 20, 2012 5:33:33 PM

  Ohh very nice to see a list like that from a person from inside!
  
  The sad thing is reviewers around the web never write about these details that make Opera truly unique, most people will never know how easier it can be browsing the web with Opera.
  
  I have basically written a list like this in my blog some time ago, I think most people here already may have seen it but here's the link in case you're interested.
• 

  Michael A. Puls IISunday, October 21, 2012 4:57:22 AM

  * Left-click on tab to minimize.
  
  There are extensions for other browsers that focus the last selected tab. But, Opera's way is better as you can keep clicking to go through the history of previously-focused tabs. Other browsers only toggle between the two tabs.
  
  * Opera's built-in mail client for IMAP and Feed use.
  
  Haven't found a better feed reader and IMAP client (despite a lack of some important features in Opera).
  
  * Spatial navigation.
  
  Nothing does it quite like Opera.
  
  * Love all the options in the UI and in opera:config. In other words, I love all the features Opera has *by default*.
  
  All the other stuff I love in Opera (speeddial, mouse gestures, Panels, Tab options etc.) can be reproduced in other browsers with a *few* extensions. However, with or without those extensions, the UI in other browsers always feels heavier than Opera (not as responsive etc.) and it makes it hard to switch to anything else.
• 

  sabioSunday, October 21, 2012 12:43:56 PM

  Here is the list I've created once myself.
  + simple keyboard shortcuts configuration
  --- + Paste-n-Go
  --- + Copy current URL
  --- + Copy current page title + URL
  --- + and yes, Ctrl+N please
  + add 'search plugins' easily
  + tabs on the right side
  + UserJS & UserCSS
  + content blocking
  + clone tab with all the history
  + undo close tab
  + go to next page (Fast Forward)
  + fit to width
  + site preferences
  + cycle tabs in MRU order (!)
  + click tab to minimize
  + live page source editing
  + Ctrl+<digit> shortcuts for Speed Dial - is broken in the last build
  + copy to clipboard without formatting
  + browser.js
  + save to download folder
  + little "folded corners" on unread tabs
  
  And here are the features I still miss in Opera.
  - no rich-text copy (sometimes it's still needed)
  - no typing history for inputs
  - no Kerberos/SPNEGO support (using Opera at work is a pain)
  - printing is still "immature"
  
  
  All in all, however, I notice Opera gets slower and slower in each of the recent Next builds. Sometimes so much slower that it is barely bearable. I am not talking about JS performance, DOM, CSS or any of that. The UI really starts to "get in the way".
  
  After starting Opera with just some 10-15 tabs it takes about 1-2 minutes for the UI to become responsive.
  When some download is finished the UI is fully blocked for some time (AV scan?) I cannot even switch to another tab.
  
  And then that annoying "ding" on Alt+D..
  
  P.S. After clicking "Edit" on this comment I had to wait for about a minute for the page to load. And I have a decent connection which is currently not loaded at all.
• 

  Ronit KumarSunday, October 21, 2012 1:46:46 PM

  I almost use all the aforementioned features, but few features I find quite intuitive is the 'Show images/No images' option. I don't know how other browsers handle it, but its totally slick in opera. Sometimes when the Internet connection is slow, Opera Turbo along with 'No images' option helps loading important websites really quick, and then I can seamlessly use opera notes to copy the relevant data.
  
  

  Originally posted by haavard:

  ..and I've definitely come to rely on it to a degree that even doing basic browsing with other browsers feels like trying to run a marathon with a ball and chain around each ankle.

  
  
• 

  mele1986Monday, October 22, 2012 4:12:16 AM

  I love Opera ... Here is what i do >>>> open Opera >>>>open 10 tabs frome speed dials for 5 seconds and pasword key is pressed >>>> if is too much for my concentration i close some off them >>>> if i need it back there is Trash can ...one of my favorite that you all missed to write!
  Syhronising bookmarks frome opera miini or opera mobile or other Pc.... Some smart extentios ... There shold be Shere option like in opera mini (facebook,twitter,opera) for all sites and Rss
• 

  Sami SerolaMonday, October 22, 2012 8:49:15 AM

  Folks, don't forget Opera Link and synchronization of bookmarks, passwords & search engines! That is absolutely awesome when you work on different platforms and devices
• 

  Mad Scientist (عادل)Monday, October 22, 2012 1:43:43 PM

  Originally posted by serola:

  don't forget Opera Link

  
  +1
  When switching between my two computers or my cellphone, Opera Link is a must have feature!
  
• 

  Martin KadlecMonday, October 22, 2012 9:53:20 PM

  Link is nice but it misses some important additions like option to clear all data on server or ability to set pull/push only. It also needs some bugfixing.
• 

  mele1986Tuesday, October 23, 2012 3:48:41 AM

  i unistal Opera and install agen ... my bokmarks were there .. last open tabs were open i was log in to facebook woow SMOKE !!
• 

  Joonas LehtolahtiTuesday, October 23, 2012 5:21:15 PM

  I can categorize the features into two groups, ones that I really need in everyday web browsing and which make using all the other browsers just not surfing the web but more of a work, and then the other features that I use daily or just help at times.
  
  The features I depend on daily browsing:
  - Mouse gestures
  - Spatial navigation
  - Single-key shortcuts
  - Middle click on tab bar to paste-go to copied address (I use this one A LOT)
  - Content blocker
  - Unread tab indicator
  
  Other important features:
  - Mail/Feed reader
  - Setting to disable "Reuse current tab"
  - Setting to ignore "target" in links
  - Dragonfly (DOM, CSS, JS, network)
  - Reload every...
  - Starts downloading file while choosing for save location (even better would be to be able to change to "Open" instead of "Save" after misclicking Save first, without canceling the download)
  - Private tabs
  - Customizable interface (removing unnecessary buttons and toolbars)
  - Duplicating tabs (with navigation history)
  
  Of course, many of the points listed by Haavard and others here, apply to me too, but I'm not going to list them all again since they are not so crucial for myself.
• 

  sirnh1Thursday, October 25, 2012 10:25:17 AM

  Important stuff
  - mail client (including feed manager)
  - opera link (with 2 computers and a smartphone, this is very handy. Unfortunately it's still missing the option to sync. feeds)
  - handle 100 open tabs with ease
  - Sessions
  - Site-specific settings (to enable javascript/plugins for specific websites only)
  - Content blocker
  - mouse gestures
  - Dragonfly
  - updater doesn't use spyware like behaviors like chrome is doing (and firefox is trying to do ).
  
  nice to have stuff
  - Private tabs
  - Clone tabs
  - tab stacking (especially with 100 open tabs, just needs more options)
  - UserJS & UserCSS
  - custom search
  - build in bittorent client for when I'm not on my own computer (although it needs some serious work as it's slow and still doesn't support magnets and if bittorent gets removed from Opera, I at least want an extension that can do at least the exact same thing as the build in bittorent client does)
• 

  kangarrouFriday, October 26, 2012 2:49:20 PM

  Ctrl+Alt+click to save images
  Shift+Click closes a tab
  Ctrl+Shift+Enter in a form submits it to a new tab

  
  Definetely the 3 things that most hold me with opera
  
  

  Ctrl+Z to undo all sorts of things, including reopening closed tabs

  
  Except in SpeedDial, I hate that I have to reopen via Ctrl+Shift+T...
  
• 

  Hack My BrainMonday, October 29, 2012 1:16:56 PM

  Originally posted by kangarrou:

  Ctrl+Alt+click to save images

  
  
  Forgive my digression.
  
  I just wonder whether it is a bug that since Opera 11.6 Ctrl+Alt+click triggers various click-action-related events before saving a image ? In some cases it even prevents the "save as" dialog from being invoked. But in earlier versions,
  the combination of Ctrl+Alt+click does nothing more than saving images.
  
  I really care about this inconvenience.But I don't know whether it is a bug,or something stick to the W3C spec.If it's the latter, I then have to give up posting that below Desktop Team Blog again and again.
• 

  M-ZMonday, October 29, 2012 1:32:50 PM

  Originally posted by serola:

  Folks, don't forget Opera Link and synchronization of bookmarks, passwords & search engines! That is absolutely awesome when you work on different platforms and devices

  
  This is absolutely broken. I don't need Opera to store my passwords, but I would like to be able to sync Sessions!
• 

  Constantine VesnaTuesday, October 30, 2012 11:11:52 PM

  You nailed it, Haavard.
  
  Though, chrome has Paste-and-Go for long time, already.
  
  Special mention: #24, This is a feature that begs to be stolen, especialy by Firefox
  
  Also, you forgot:
  - Dragonfly
  - Javascript options
  - socks out of the box
  - UserJS (yeah, now everybody has it, but still..)
  
  
• 

  Meta KleosWednesday, October 31, 2012 2:22:15 AM

  Here's my list, in no particular order of importance.
  
  -Mouse gestures. Being using custom gestures for years and can't imagine my daily browsing without them.
  
  -Copy to note. It not only copies to note, but also sends you back to the page you copied when double clicking the note.
  
  -Speed dial. Tho I prefer the 10.50 version with not auto resizing.
  
  -Private tabs.
  
  -Ctrl Z
  
  -Using . to find in page, and f3.
  
  -Spatial Navigation.
  
  There are the things I cannot get on other browsers or get them working like Opera.
  
  Sadly, many of the other features that I used to love in Opera had been changed or removed. Like
  
  -Opera Unite.
  
  -The mail panel with the previous design, before the accordion.
  
  -Skins, and themes are just the standard theme with a speed dial background.
  
  -Speed dial with the cropped thumbnails.
  
  -IRC client is even more primitive than Mibbit.
  
  -Changes in the address bar (like no favicon or dropdown arrow or showing history items first instead of the tld).
  
  Sadly that was Opera means to me now, most things work as they had been working since v7, but on the road to v12, lost so many other things that will never be the same. And I stay with Opera because the few things that really matter are still working.
• 

  seriousWednesday, October 31, 2012 7:46:03 AM

  To all who are "you forgot feature(s) xyz": no, he didn't, that's the point of the post, he pointed out what features he personally really uses all the time and misses in other browsers, so which features define opera for him.
  You can write stuff like "my list looks similar, but I also use xyz quite a lot and abc not.", but you cannot tell people they are wrong for the features they use or don't use.
• 

  Tiago WakabayashiFriday, November 9, 2012 4:40:52 AM

  Opera Chat - Avoiding I download an external software for this (i'd like were fixed some bugs)
  
  MHT. save - Save webpages into only file.
  
  Text recuperation - When you try post any text and it failed for any reason, tou can "back" the webpage and will appear the whole text you had written.
• 

  omul cu eliceFriday, November 9, 2012 11:27:10 AM

  It would be MANY that make Opera my browser of choice but my top 9 is:
  
  1. Mouse gestures
  2. Speed Dial
  3. Separate private windows/tabs (as opposed to a full separate "private mode")
  4. Re-open closed tabs
  5. Customization
  6. Speed
  7. Security
  8. Aesthetics
  9. The "fit to width" function (now less important as most sites are rather blog-style an narrow (so my monitor space is under-used) but VERY useful for sites that go out of screen)
• 

  RandSunday, November 11, 2012 10:22:39 PM

  1. Customizability. Opera can be customized in terms of functionality, skinning, and UI to a FAR greater extent then Firefox. Chrome/IE are largely uncustomizable. This is the single biggest reason the use opera. It can be whatever you want, look how you want, work how you want. Many toolbar options, can add and create your own items to add to toolbars, fully skinnable, can alter mouse and keyboard shortcuts etc.
  Want the old page up/page down style?
  In literally every way Opera's customizability is vastly beyond competing browsers.
  
  2. Speed Dial. Other browsers have largely copied this with their own differences, but I prefer Opera's implementation and it's still something of a signature feature for the browser. It's got it's undesirable quirks, it's certainly not very friendly to reorganize a large number of dials and it's a bit quirky when trying to handle unzoomed images but it's still a major feature.
  
  3. Seperate private tabs, rather then a wholly separate private mode. Not something I use, but a major feature for those who do.
  
  4. Dragonfly. Very rarely used, exceedingly nice the few times I do use it. No one else has anything remotely comparable.
  
  5. The skinning is much more comprehensive then competing browsers.. Themes are there as well, but not especially notable as their just an overlay and more or less identical to what Chrome/Firefox have been able to do for years.
  
  6. Mouse Gestures. Excellent implementation. Chrome still doesn't have a mouse gesture implementation that's even half way decent. Firefox has one that's probably superior to Opera's even, but it's an extension not available out of the box so most users are likely unaware of it. This is so singularly and constantly useful it's a must have feature once your accustomed to it. It's extremely powerful to make it do almost anything you wish as well.
  Again, like SpeedDial it's also something of a signature feature Opera is known for.
  
  7. Quality mail client, and feed reader. I don't use either (Outlook 2010 for mail/FeedDemon for feeds) but they are quite good and wholly usable. Mozilla has a mail client but it's a separate application which may or may not be desirable depending on needs.
  
  8. Pinning tabs, cloning tabs. Stacking tabs. Firefox can pin, but not clone. Chrome can pin and clone. IE can only clone. None of them can stack tabs.
  
  9. Re-Open closed tabs. Easily relicable via extensions for other browsers but it's such a basic feature and so useful for almost everyone that it's baffling this isn't in every browser out of the box as a primary UI item.
  
  10. Sessions. Chrome can add it by extensions only, Firefox has it. Depateable whether Firefox or Opera is better here. Out of the box I prefer Firefox but with a small addition of a clickable dropdown session menu on the address bar Opera becomes much more likable... which again speaks to Opera's customizable UI.
  
  11. Site preferences, may not be frequently used but other browsers don't have it and it can be very useful sometimes.
  
  12. Right click open with other browsers, again a feature unique to Opera and a startlingly open admission that there may be sites that don't work ideally with your primary browser and easily opening that specific site in another browser could be useful.
  Firefox/Chrome/IE would never make such an admission or allow easily opening a tab in a competing browser.
  
  13. Dropdown switching between search engines when search bar added to address bar.
  
  14. Depending on skin you can have an entirely seperate tab bar not integrated into the browser chrome at the top. Chrome cannot do this, Firefox used to be able to but cannot anymore unless you use the Pale Moon variant which admittedly doesn't require specific skins so does have an advantage on Opera here. IE like Pale Moon can do it out of the box, which is probably the single and only area where IE is superior to competing browsers.
  
  15. Opera Turbo. I have no need for it, not do most people but it's likely EXTREMELY useful for those few people on dial up connections. No competing browser has anything like it.
  
  16. Optional sidebar that you can easily hide or click to open that provides full bookmark management, history, mail, notes, downloads, page info etc etc.
  Chrome's extsnsions are too limited to allow this functionality, Firefox relies upon an extension to do it and not as well as Opera does natively, IE can't do it at all.
  Along with mouse gestures and the sheer customizability of the browser this is probably the single most loved part of Opera for me.
  
  
  Opera isn't perfect, it has it's annoyances and some features are half hearted. (Skinning largely deprecated, colour schemes removed in Mac store variant, SpeedDial awkward for reorganizing large numbers of tabs, synchronization is occasionally prone to issues, site comptaibility can be an issue at times, address bar dropdown functionality isn't very useful or well implemented, extensions are only now beginning to catch up to the power Firefox allows here, etc etc.)
  
  No browser is perfect but Opera is just much more powerful then any other, and it you wish it can be as simple and straightforward as any of them as well.
  Competing browsers have little to nothing Opera doesn't and Opera has a great deal of functionality that other browsers rely upon extensions to provide.
  
• 

  omul cu eliceSunday, November 18, 2012 10:09:42 AM

  I have to admit that many of the features accounted by others are used by and useful to me, but I took them so much for granted in Opera that I forgot about them (and I am also tired of editing my previous post which started only as a top 3 list )
• 

  Eldar FaizullinTuesday, November 20, 2012 9:49:41 PM

  In 12.10 one of my favorite feature - custom shortcuts is out of order.
  Why they fix things that is not broken?! Why?!
• 

  EricJHWednesday, November 21, 2012 3:22:59 PM

  Originally posted by XaHyMaH:

  In 12.10 one of my favorite feature - custom shortcuts is out of order.
  Why they fix things that is not broken?! Why?!

  This is not the place to report this. Please report this at the forums or at the Desktop Team blog.
• 

  Rafael LuikWednesday, November 21, 2012 5:16:58 PM

  Originally posted by EricJH:

  This is not the place to report this. Please report this at the forums or at the Desktop Team blog.

  Actually if the bug is really reproducible the right place is: https://bugs.opera.com/wizard/
• 

  slowqqqSunday, December 2, 2012 4:04:19 AM

  My favorite features are:
  
  1. Email client. More intuitive than Outlook or Thunderbird.
  2. Content block & site specific preferences. In most cases, I find it more useful and reliable than Adlock Plus or similar addons for Firefox.
  3. Convenient hot keys.
  4. Opera link and can synchronize with Opera Mobile. BTW, I like Opera Mobile Lab so much, plz incorporate the features into the Opera Mobile standard version.
  
  Come on guys, for making Opera better. I love all of you so much
• 

  AbhinavMonday, December 3, 2012 7:08:16 PM

  A very nice post ... an eye opener for some of the things i never knew opera could do.
  My Favorite features are no different from the ones already posted by i will still post mine:
  1- Email Client: used thunderbird for a while and thought it was good but Opera tops it for one all the contacts are retrieved unlike thunderbird where you have to add them individually (without extensions)
  2- Follower Tab: I don't know if anyone else found it useful but i like that feature.
  3-Blocks Pop-ups
  4-Like many stated the restore tab feature and also the cascading tabs
  5-Tab Previews (it would be nice if the snapshot in the tab preview gets updated)
  6- Obviously the love for Opera is incomplete without a mention about Speeddials
  7- Individual private tab + window is yet another awesome feature !
  
  Features that i used to like:
  Opera unite
  
• 

  LincsWednesday, December 26, 2012 1:46:48 PM

  I only ever use phones, and found the ability to see link info, page info & page images in j2me operamini to be almost crucial most of the time.
  Was sad to see theis functionality lost in android.
• 

  TerDaleWednesday, January 16, 2013 9:32:23 AM

  Great list!
  
  I agree with most, if not all, and discovered a few I was not aware of! Thanks.
  However function a few of these feature could be further improved FMPOV:
  
  

  Originally posted by haavard:

  1. Site-specific settings

  
  Would be nice to set language on a per-site basis for non native English speakers who prefer to have English as default, but browse anyway to a few sites they prefer to see in their native language (dunno if I'm clear enough... ;-))
  

  Originally posted by haavard:

  1. Wand: Being able to store and use multiple usernames/passwords for web sites

  
  Not an enhancement for this one, but a bug instead: when one has multiple usernames/pw, and that the site is asking you to re-enter your PW only (eg. Google mail), if one uses the Wand, the list is displayed but usernames are not actually displayed, they are replace by a placeholder (can't remember it exactly). So one is out of luck to determine which one (s)he has to choose, and eventually (s)he cancels and click on "Log in with another account", thus being able to use the Wand with anactual username list. Filed a bug for this one long ago IIRC, but was never fixed.
  
  And agree with Sabio on those ones:
  

  Originally posted by sabio:

  And here are the features I still miss in Opera.
  - no typing history for inputs
  - printing is still "immature"

  
  
  
• 

  Jose Renan AssisSunday, January 20, 2013 1:36:55 AM

  I really love to use mouse gestures, open closed tabs easily, save session, agroup similar tabs, use private navigation in the same window, preview pages, add RSS list feed and i love the notes and access "system menu" in Downloads
• 

  FataLThursday, January 24, 2013 8:59:35 PM

  Being able to assign keywords for searches ("g Google This", etc.)

  Somewhere in the past I was also able to assign keyboard shortcuts for each "search service". With this I was able then to select text on a page and just use appropriate combo. DSK-203951
• 

  QuHnoSaturday, February 2, 2013 12:26:20 PM

  About 2:
  Only with tweaking
  Ctrl+F12>Advanced>Shortcuts to "Opera 9.2 compatible"
  but nice
  
  
  Additional points I like:
  - "ID as foo" and "Mask as foo"
  - Fully customizable view bar (Mine is somehow cluttered )
• 

  Constantine VesnaMonday, February 4, 2013 8:12:05 PM

  >> What are the features that define Opera?
  Presto engine ?
  
• 

  Martin KadlecMonday, February 4, 2013 8:15:20 PM

  Originally posted by c69:

  Presto engine

  
  I was thinking the same thing
• 

  FataLThursday, February 7, 2013 8:13:48 PM

  Maybe it's late, but here is my list. Starting from Haavard's since most of his pet features are mine too. My additional comments in bold.
  

  Originally posted by haavard:

  1. Opera can handle my 100-200 open tabs with ease. Usually using 100-150 tabs.
  2. Single-key shortcuts (especially 1/2 to cycle tabs, and z/x for back and forward) Always switch to 9.2 + single-key shortcuts
  3. Mouse gestures. Usually using just a couple: close tab (current or any other), go back, open link in new tab.
  4. Flip forward/back (AKA Rocker Gestures?) with the mouse (hold one mouse button down while pressing the other,
  5. e.g., hold right/click left to navigate back). Use this a lot on notebook's touch pad. With mouse I use gestures.
  6. Ctrl+Alt+click to save images Ctrl+click for me
  7. Using the Windows panel to manage tabs, and real-time searching/filtering. Definitely need to use it from time to time to find some page from my 100+ tabs
  8. Links tab/panel to show all links on the current page - with real-time filtering Rarely used, but once in a while can't live without it
  9. Bookmark/bookmark folder nicknames Stopped using those since Speed Dial introduction. Would be nice if SD items can be directly mapped to bookmarks via one checkbox for each bookmark.
  10. Ctrl+Z to undo all sorts of things, including reopening closed tabs. A must!
  11. Instant back navigation (which preserves form data; does not always work). Yes! History Navigation Mode = 3
  12. Ctrl+Backspace to move up one level without having to focus the address bar. Unfortunately can't be used on every site, so usually forgotten.
  13. Customizable shortcuts (Ctrl+N should open a new tab, thank you very much). Customizability of shortcuts is essential for me.
  14. Tab stacking. Using it finally, but UI should be also optimized for many tabs.
  15. Content blocker
  16. Only load plugins on demand
  17. Site-specific settings (being able to disable on demand plugins for specific sites, for example) Must have and I always wanted more in it: images, zoom, fit to width, history navigation mode.
  18. Speed Dial (obviously). Want customizable aspect ratio (square thumbails).
  19. Ctrl+# or typing # in the address field to open that Speed Dial Yes! But please re-add visible SD numeration for quick reference and access.
  20. "Reload Every..." (for both Speed Dial and pages). ...and web panels.
  21. Wand: Being able to store and use multiple usernames/passwords for web sites
  22. Fast Forward in directory listings of images, and to log in using the Wand. Remember that once Opera called porn browser for a good reason! Click on one image to open it and then just continue to press space. A must!
  23. Starts downloading a file right away; does not wait for save location to be chosen. Must have!
  24. Right-click link, then "Open" overrides "target=blank" Didn't know this! I use global opera:config setting for this problem.
  25. Popups open inside the program rather than outside
  26. E-mail client which handles my nearly 800 000 messages (mails+feeds) with ease, and also magically sorts my mail for me
      E-mail client allows me to handle links in e-mails properly (open instantly, and can either view them right away or open them in the background) Opera 8 is still serve me perfectly at home as a mail client. Should I say more? Just fix bugs and polish features. Using 9.27 as mail client at work.
  27. Newsfeed (RSS) reader with folders where opening parent folders in a tab also shows messages from all child folders Precious Opera feature. But pity we waited folders for so long.
  28. Ctrl+Shift+Enter in a form submits it to a new tab rather than in the current tab. Using this from time to time.
  29. Shift+Click closes a tab
  30. Installer: Self-contained (portable/USB) installation Big advantage of Opera for advanced users, web developers, Opera testers.
  31. Full text indexing of the cache, making it possible to search for page contents. One of Opera innovations just need more optimizations, fixing and customization. Want this search used in Windows panel.
  32. Confirm exit
  33. Sessions. Usually using this as backuping feature, but also creating dedicated sessions for some specific tasks (traveling, bicycling, mapping, etc.). This feature can be greatly improved from usability and features prospective.
  34. Paste and Go
  35. Creating custom searches from search fields
  36. Being able to assign keywords for searches ("g Google This", etc.) ...And if only I still be able to assign custom shortcuts for each search. Should have been fixed years ago and advertised (this is search monetization after all).
  37. Fit to Width Rarely used, but sometimes is very useful.
  38. Unread tab indicator (folded corner)
  39. "Right-click > Frame > Open in background" Rarely used, but sometimes is very useful.
  40. Popularity score in history viewer Never really use it. And even might be ashamed to use it some times
  41. Opens the last active tab instead of moving to the left/right (optional). Yes! Closing tab should bring you to previously active tab.
  42. Open private tab or window Only wish there is context menu command for this.
  43. "Apply changes" in the source viewer, or "Reload from cache" when using an external editor. This once was really great feature when it worked with cache file extensions. now it's half broken if used with external editor. Sigh!
  44. opera:cache with filtering of domain, file size, and file type Would be much more useful if polished: i.e. add date filtering).
  45. opera:config Yes!
  46. Ctrl+Shift+Enter in text fields to submit/open them in the background. Dup. Already covered above
  47. User CSS Very useful if you fought laziness.
  48. Open all bookmarks in a folder Rarely used because intersects sessions.

  
  In my next comment I will add to this list.
• 

  FataLThursday, February 7, 2013 10:05:37 PM

  • Most reliable session autosaving
  • Web panels for various sites and services: translators, documentation, calendar, news (only if there was "reload every"!)
  • Easy interface customizations. My main customizations include: panel to the right, adding/removing buttons (including custom URI buttons).
  • MDI interface or the far cry from what it was once. Click on tab to minimize, so most recent tab will become active, and you can continue to click to reveal all previously active tabs in an order they was switched. Restoring and then resizing and arranging windows to have them side by side (up to 3 sometimes, horizontally or vertically).
  • MHT saving. Especially love it on Mobile (you can read useful pages such as transportation time tables when you offline).
  • Follower tabs. Not used often, but some times is very useful. Would love to open those from links inside web panel.
  • Spatial navigation. Use it very often even on desktop PC with mouse. It gives a rest for right hand that usually hold a mouse. Sometimes it's just faster than using mouse. Sometimes my mouse is charging and I can't use it, so the only way to use web is using Opera with spatial navigation.
  • Notes! This is one of the most useful features really: Ctrl+Shift+C and you scrapped something with a link. Waited to have ability to copy with styles for years. When I presenting someone ability to scrap that fast and easy, I always getting wows in response.
  • Download manager. This one still the best, but at least Russian users badly wanted it improved.
  • Closed tabs list via very accessible icon.
  • Dragonfly sometimes more useful than anything else.
  • You can close all tabs, but remain a browser open.
  • Page loading progress bar with some detailed info (when it is at the bottom).
  • Clone tab with all the history.
  • Hide to system menu Ctrl+H aka Boss button.
  • Setting to open new tab just next to current one.
  • Setting to not reuse current tab.
  • Description field for each bookmark.
  • Folders for RSS, Bookmarks, Notes.
  • Show on personal bar option for each bookmark.
  • Personal bar for bookmarks.
  • Tab previews very useful if you have 100+ tabs open. Please don't confuse them with mostly unuseful thumbnails in tabs.
  • Navigation bar (only when used). Wish I can customize it adding additional fields. With help of UserJS would create wonders, dynamically adding controls for various web sites.
  • Context menu for selected text: search with, go to web address, translate (though, never can understand why there is no Russian by default with so much users).
  • User styles to disable tables, accessibility layout, etc. Miss older styles like Nostalgia, though
  • Cache control: size, etc.
  • Image properties (dimensions, size, EXIF).
  • Ability to select text inside links

  
  
  
  Features that I would love to use but can't for various reasons:
  
  

  • IRC client. Have no clue why it was removed. It was pretty basic but decent enough. Use it running version 11.6 when needed.
  • Opera Unite photo sharing and file sharing. Miss it, but still use it running version 11.6.
  • Opera Link. Simply not reliable enough and causing many problems, especially if you have 8000+ bookmarks and 1000+ notes. Also lack of sessions sync.
  • BitTorrent client. Simply not reliable enough and lack pretty basic essential features, otherwise I would use it.
  • Widgets. Love them when I had ability to preview widget apps before installing. That was most beautifully done installation of apps ever seen! Then things gone wrong, then widgets was removed.
  • Tabs detaching (tearing). Opera was first to implement it. Then the great feature was wasted: it was "bulletproofed" to the point it is not usable anymore. BTW, at version 7 I was able to persuade couple users (they were site admins) to use Opera with this one feature alone, where users can create tiny almost chromeless "widgets" from any site.
• 

  QuHnoFriday, February 8, 2013 7:05:14 AM

  Forgot something:
  All of the points above and:
  
  beforeScript, defineMagicVariable and all the other nice stuff that helps changing web pages the way I like them to be.
  
  (I know it belongs to the above mentioned userJS, but I thought I should point out that Operas UserJS implementation can do things that no UserJS implementation in any other browser can do)

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