Opera--A Browser with Class
Written: May 11 '04 (Updated May 11 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely well designed, minimum resource use. FAST!
Cons: Not compatible with some web pages, MS Java Scripts, and custom toolbars
The Bottom Line: Fully customizable, the speed, page magnification capability, and graphics handling make Opera a dandy alternative to Internet Explorer or Netscape. Well worth a test drive!
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| happy2000usa's Full Review: Opera |
I've Been Singing For Years
I used to be a Netscape user. Netscape peaked, in my mind, at version 4.7. The newer versions were more advertiser friendly than good to users. This forced a switch back to my dreaded nemesis, Internet Explorer. That still didn't please me because as newer versions came out, they were also more geared to advertising and bloated, eating my computer's resources.
My quest for a better deal ended with Opera. The free version had some unobtrusive advertising, but I found it took half the resources to load pages twice as fast. What I really like is the program's honesty. As opposed to other unmentioned programs from an unnamed developer, when you close the program, you get all of your resources back. There's no need to reboot to recover them.
It would be impossible to cover all of the whistles and bells that come with Opera in an epinion, so I'll just hit the highlights. Suffice it to say, it is not your MS or Netscape browser--it's much more. It was designed by users for users, and as such, offers a multitude of options to allow each user to customize it to their own preferences.
Power to the Blind
At the outset, Opera is a "must have" for those of us with less than perfect vision. The name of the game is magnification. With other browsers, you have to mess with font size. With Opera, you have a scroll down window that lets you increase or decrease the web page presentation size--anywhere from 20% to 1000%. You can also do this with the number pad using the numbers or the plus and minus keys.
We have all seen how most browsers distort images when you increase their size. Not Opera. As one might expect, the image becomes grainier as you magnify, but the presentation remains true and undistorted. This is especially useful to me because much of my research involves maps.
To take it a step further, the Opera Controls are also fully customizable. This is not your usual selection of "larger text" or "largest font." You can select the font face and size for all of the menus.
People who like opera probably like Shakespeare, and that might be the reason the Opera presentation is "As You Like It." In addition to easily changing fonts and font sizes, the browser comes with a reasonable number of skins to download. Even if you don't want to change the skin, you can easily change the background color to something pleasing or restful to the eyes.
A Need for Speed
Opera whips through web pages faster than any other browser I've tried. That's in the basic "as delivered" version. Even then, you can make it fly even faster.
One thing that slows web pages is loading pictures. Opera has a button that allows you to disable graphics. So, if you're only interested in the text, disable the graphics and prepare to be amazed. Pages load with the blink of an eye. Of course, you'll have to forego banners and advertisements, but no whining! That's the price for speed.
Another option allows you to choose between "Author Mode" and "User Mode." The "Author Mode" presents the web page the way the author wants it presented. The "User Mode" presents the page the way you want it displayed. You can disable tables, graphics, ads, and numerous other items to speed page loading. This removes the "pretty" features on a page and gets you right to the meat of the information.
Note: Both the "User" and "no graphics" functions are excellent for printing out web pages without all of the advertising and extraneous garbage.
You'll also note pages load faster when you click the "back" button. Other browsers always check for an updated page. Opera doesn't--unless you want it to. (You have an option to determine how frequently the program checks for an updated page.) In most cases, I've found that's not essential. On the few pages I do want refreshed, I click the "reload" button. The net result is when you go back to a previously viewed page, it's an instant presentation from cache. There's no wait while the browser compares the cached page to the current one.
Opera offers tabbed pages. For example, you have searched the web for Brownie recipes and gotten 100 hits. In other browsers, you have to keep going back and forth, reading each recipe then returning to the search page to go to the next URL of interest. (That or the browser opens a second instance of the browser to view the recipe.) In Opera, you can right click the link and open in another tab. If you like the recipe, keep that tab open, return to the main search page tab and check the next recipe. If you don't like that, close the tab and you'll automatically return to the search menu. You can have an unlimited number of pages open, each with their own tab, allowing to cycle through the pages--by clicking on tabs--and compare recipes.
This leads to a discussion of another time saving feature I call the "Coffee Break" function. Like all browsers, Opera can open to a blank page or a designated home page. Unlike other programs, Opera can also pick up where you left off. So, if in the middle of your brownie recipe research you have to take a break, it's no big deal. The next time you open Opera, you can ask to pick it up where you left off. It opens with the brownie recipe search page tab and any other tabbed pages you had open when you previously closed the program. That, my friends, is a real time saver. No going to a list of "recently visited" pages. No scrolling through a list of URL addresses. Just resume whatever you were doing.
Another "speed" feature I really like is the "next image" button. Let's say you Google for pictures of a rose. You get a page of thumbnails. Using the other browsers, you have to click on the thumbnail, view the picture, then return to the page to click the next one. In Opera, you have a "Fast Forward" button that takes you to the next image just as if you'd clicked on the thumbnail. You can cycle through all of the images, then click "rewind" to go back to the beginning. (Or use the back button if you want to look at an image again.)
Security
One of my original reasons from switching from Internet Explorer to Opera was security. (It has always seemed to me that Microsoft products are the targets of choice for hackers.) Opera, even before it became standard on other browsers, offered the ability to block pop-ups. Even today, they do it better as you have several ways to handle pop-ups. You can block them all. You can allow them all. …Or, you can permit only "preferred" popups. This covers those websites that open a popup window for multimedia presentations or chat.
Opera comes with a "security" button on the browser face. Click on this to select from a multitude of options regarding cookies, privacy and passwords. In the latter case, Opera uses something called "the wand" to put passwords into sites you've asked it to remember. Using the security button, you can easily manage those passwords.
Opera has the option of telling the site what type of browser is visiting. You can specify Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera or Mozilla. I'm not sure how effective this feature is because there are certain sites that still don't work with Opera, despite my relaying to the site that my browser is Internet Explorer 6, not Opera.
Opera's security is as good as or better than the standard browser fare--according to their web page. I can't confirm that. I do know their encryption capability far exceeds both IE and Netscape. Further, no matter how you set up your preferences, Opera is always "on guard" for spyware and tracking cookies. Consequently, I've noted my Spybot Search and Destroy program occasionally finds something when I've been using other browsers, but when I've been surfing with Opera exclusively, I've not found spyware.
Problems?
Every program has problems, either limitations I don't like or plain, old bugs. Opera is no different, though I've found the bugs to be few and far between, mainly limited to some minor graphics presentation problem.
Limitations? First, if you use customized toolbars such a Yahoo!, Google, or SnagIt, they don't install in Opera. I miss them.
Second, Opera uses and different version of Java than Microsoft. (Remember the Sun vs. Microsoft legal disputes?) Consequently, some Java supported sites don't work with Opera. One example is Yahoo! Games. If you want to do the crossword puzzle, you have to use Internet Explorers or Netscape.
Third, there are some sites that flat don't open with Opera. One example is my personal SBC Yahoo! page. I can access my mail. I can get on the Yahoo! homepage. I cannot open "My Yahoo!" When I attempt it, I'm told I don't have the latest version of Internet Explorer or Netscape. There are ways around this, playing with encryption levels and perhaps using a proxy, but I've never been bothered enough to try.
Finally, and this is a picky point, there's no "working" indication. When a web page doesn't appear immediately, is it because I didn't click the link correctly, or is the site busy? The rotating logo in Internet Explorer was a handy reference. In Opera, you have to look to the bottom of the screen and read what's happening. If it doesn't say it's looking or trying to open a site, try clicking again.
Shaken or Stirred?
As mentioned previously, one thing I really like about Opera is the ability to customize it for my use. I increased the size of the menu fonts. I colored the background so they're more readable to me. I even have a few skins I switch to when I'm in the mood to do so.
Opera broke the preferences into two presentations. The first is "Quick Preferences." Those you use the most frequently. The second page is the "Standard Preferences" that covers everything else. Quick preferences are easily brought up with F12. You can use the "Tools" menu to get the Standard Preferences, but I've found it easier to just click on the "Security" button.
The "Image" button can block all images or restrict the presentation to cached images only, but also gives you the option of switching between the "Author" and "User" modes. The "User" mode, as you'll recall, gives you the option to view web pages your way, not the way the page author intended you to see them.
I won't go into detail concerning the numerous preference options. Suffice it to say they are numerous. I do find that it's easier for me to set preferences in Opera than either Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking
One last feature provided by Opera is keyboard commands. This is not your ALT-F-X command structure Microsoft loves. This is thorough and extensive, using the keys, combination of keys and function buttons. The keystrokes are so extensive I've had to print out the commands. It's not necessary to do that. In my case, I just wanted to browse while keeping my mouse clicks to a minimum.
For example, press "Z" instead of clicking on the "Back" button. Press "X" instead of the forward button. Increase the magnification with the "+" key. Decrease it with the "-" key or switch the page back to normal magnification by pressing "6." I didn't realize how deeply I'd become used to the keyboard commands until I'm forced to go back to Internet explorer. (It too has keyboard commands, but only about a quarter of them.)
The "Right Click" commands are also very useful and extensive. The ones I use the most is "Open in New Page" and "Open in New Page as Background." (The latter command opens the tabbed page, but does not switch to that tab.) You can also "Open in New Window" and "Open in New Window as Background." These two commands open a second instance of the Opera Browser. The former will switch you to that window. The latter opens the window but leaves your screen presentation as is.
In addition to the standard copy and save commands, the right click also allows you to go forward, back, fast forward, rewind, and change the screen presentations. It's just more ways to get the job done.
And for those who would prefer the mouse to the keyboard, Opera uses a "Mouse Gestures" feature that allows you to navigate pages using mouse movements.
And Now, the Fat Lady Sings the Aria
There's much I didn't cover. Opera Mail. The ability to copy text into notes for later reference. Opera IRC Chat integrated into the browser. The neat features are seemingly endless, far too many to list here.
Do I recommend Opera? You bet! It's the speedster of the Internet browsers. It also takes less than half the resources of the "established" browsers and gives them all back when you close it. That in itself would be enough to make my "geeky" self decide Opera was my browser of choice. When you add the tabs, magnification capabilities, and customization options, it's the hot fudge and sprinkles on an already magnificent ice cream sundae.
The price is right: free. Free, that is, if you don't mind banner ads unobtrusively located on the upper right of the browser, taking up very little space. You can even choose the ad content, if you ever intend to look at them. …And that's the only difference between the retail registered version and the free one.
My guess is that after you try it, you'll be paying your twenty five Euros (about $30) to thank the developers for their fine work. Oh, and that get rids of the ad banners.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
happy2000usa
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Wayne Arnold
Location: Tracy, California, USA
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 171 members
About Me:
Writer, editor, beta tester, pilot, traveler. I'm an easy mark, always evaluating new software.
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