Opera

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Please note this is a review of the latest (as of the 15th June, 2006) beta release of Opera.

I’ve been a long time user/admirer of Opera. I even paid for it back in the days when they offered either a free, advert subsidised version or a paid-for, ad-free version.

I think it has something to do with my desire to see the underdog to succeed. But, it also has a lot to do with the fact that Opera is one very slick browser. It has it’s faults, for sure. For instance, it has difficulty rendering some big-name sites. Having said that, it’s more an issue with the sites in question using non-standard coding techniques than it is a fault of Opera.

Browsing the web with Opera is a little like driving a Ferrari. I’ve done no specific speed comparison tests, but you just know when using it that you’re browsing faster than you ever have before. It makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.

Now, onto specifics. I know you can get Firefox extensions to force it do most, if not all of the following (and also with some other browsers), but this is all straight out of the box with Opera:

• Mouse gestures - right-click/drag has always been my preferred mode for web page navigation
• Tabbed browsing - very nicely implemented, with each tab having it’s own “close” button - should be standard on every browser You can force new windows to open as a new tab if required
• Search from the address bar - simply type “g bestfreeapps” to do a Google search, “e telescopes” for an eBay search etc. You can also define your own search shortcuts
• Feed Reader - subscribe to any RSS feeds and read them using a very intuitive email-like page
  IRC chat - terrifically easy to setup and use IRC client. Supports smiles
• Per-page settings - you can set specific parameters, such as browser identification, on a per-page basis
• Private data deletion - allows you to delete cookies, page history, file transfer history etc on demand
• Voice operated browsing - a fantastic touch of functionality for those who are not able to take full advantage of the keyboard/mouse, Opera can be controlled by voice and can also be configured to generate speech from the content of web pages
• Tab previews - if you’re looking at a page in one tab, you can get a preview of what’s in any of the other tabs by simply hovering the mouse cursor over the tab
• Widgets - Opera 9 now supports Widgets, i.e. small applications that can be placed anywhere on-screen and shown/hidden at will. Not one of my favourite features, but to each their own
• Almost my most favourite feature - Paste and Go! Once you have a URL in your clipboard, right-click the address field, select “Paste and go” and Opera will paste the url and emulate pressing Return for you, hence loading the page - this is so simple, yet so good!
• If you are, say, looking in the 2nd tab, then click a link to open another tab, then close that newly opened tab, Opera focuses back on the tab you started with, rather than the last tab in the list. Another of my favourite features

In addition to all the above, Opera has possibly the worlds best and most misunderstood email client. I will be covering this in a later review, but check it out if you get the chance. It’s the closest I’ve seen to a desktop equivalent of GMail (also to be reviewed later).

Oh, and did I mention it was fast?

 
Main Opera screen, with 2 tabs open

 
Close up of the tabs are, showing the close boxes

 
Opera’s useful feed reader