Opera Browser – Firefox Not the Only IE Alternative
Security flaws have long plagued Internet Explorer (IE), the market-dominating web browser from Microsoft. IE won the early browser wars, not only because it was free and bundled with Windows, but because it had some features and capabilities that its only real competitor, Netscape, didn’t have. But the behind-the-scenes programming that makes those features possible is the very coding that also leaves wide gaps in IE’s defenses against viruses and malicious scripting. Among several browser alternatives for Windows users, the Opera browser stands out in functionality and integration, and is gaining a wider following as a safer surfing alternative to Internet Explorer.
To be sure, there are other browsers such as the one from Mozilla and their newest release, Firefox. There are several flavors of IE “overlays”, which use the core IE programming for web page display, and thus aren’t any safer than the original IE. (You should of course always use anti-virus software to protect your PC, regardless of browser. Many viruses arrive as email attachments, and opening those on a Windows-based PC will cause problems). Among non-IE browsers, it seems to be down to a two-horse race between Mozilla and Opera.
Opera, from Oslo, Norway, based Opera Software ASA, provides many popular features. An integrated email client, contact book, bookmarks with searchable notes, tabbed multiple windows, a built-in password manager, a pop-up blocker, multiple language support, saved sessions, privacy controls, built-in chat, and the ability to read RSS feeds from within Opera mail make the Opera browser a very powerful and worthwhile IE replacement candidate.
Unless you have special need for IE, such as a browser toolbar or web interaction software that you use, there is really no reason not to give Opera a try if you’re worried about safe surfing. While Opera does have a paid version, you can also download a sponsored version (with ads unobtrusively placed in the browser control area), which is free.
Guest Columnist Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.
I love Opera it has so many cute features, including send any text you highlight to Google,a Dictionary, Thesaurus, Google News etc
another opera fan here. its something that works wonderful out of the box. and that is what i like about it. firefox is excellent, but without the extensions its not much fun.
I ditto Sushubh’s comments. Opera is very, very nice. Firefox is nice only … and managing the extensions to get funtionality is a nuisance, often.
I would give up Opera for firefox if firefox would have that click-able left pannel…. I love that!!!
I use both, Opera and FireFox and I am pretty happy with both of those :)
Only annoyance in Opera (for me) seems be it’s habit of crashing way more often than FireFox. Luckily Opera remembers pages one were in, so it’s not disaster.
I have been an Opera fan since the first version. I tolerate Internet Explorer…moreso with Avant as a front end…I really like Firefox…but I am absolutely WILD about Opera!! Just Firefox is free does not make it a superior product. Why settle for a free browser that can BE MADE TO DO everything I want when Opera automatically DOES everything I want it to do. To me, $30 is a well-deserved thank you for making a truly wonderful product. (If Firefox did not require extensions, I’d be more conflicted).
Firefox is fine is your a newbie, and IE is just old and dangerous… why bother?
Opera has innovated for years and continues to lead in speed (fastest), footprint (smallest), and functionality (out of the box, no browser can touch the ability to customize). Opera v7.5 is great, and the soon v7.6 will be amazing.
The M2 mail client changes the mail paradigm. If you can adapt to it, you can truly turn your mail into the information store we all use it as anyway. It can search through 20,000 emails (about a years worth)like lightening, same with bookmarks (over 10,000). You can use bookmarks again because you can search through any detail of the bookmark. Also, you can add your custom notes and keywords to every bookmark if you want and then search on those words instead. No one else comes close.
Opera is for professionals who are tired of not having a good tool to work with. And no, I don’t work for them or anything. I’m just a huge fan, who spends all day on the internet for work and play. You can’t be serious about the web and not use Opera.
My Opera browser v6.31 can’t login to our server because ‘the authentication method is not supported’. Our server is running on Windows Server 2000. Though I can easily browse on all other web-sites.
Good-looking site. Congratulations.
Opera is THE BEST! I have been using it since version 3 because of the tabbed browsing that even mozilla didn’t have then.
IMHO, Opera is the most INNOVATIVE web browser EVER! All the features in other browsers (tabbed browsing, mouse gestures, session saving, pop-up blocking, total keyboard operation, excellent zooming!, etc) are copied from Opera! And not copied fast enough! Wouldn’t the world be a better place if its these Opera people who make Windows instead? ;)
I LOVE OPERA
The Best Browser!
I use it since the 3rd version
Is just what YOU need
Opera is crap. Plain and simple. It’s UI is basically the same but different enough to cause confusion. I’ve used every browser on pc and mac for over 10 yrs and i can say that Opera has been the red-headed stepchild of mozilla/firefox all this time. It’s as unnecessary as it is irrelevant. Kind of like scrappy-doo on the scooby doo cartoon. You just ask yourself, why? why?!
There has never been any distinctiveness with opera. People in the cult of Opera claim it’s the _____-est (fast, better, smaller footprint, etc). It seems innovations come just after FF makes an improvement or innovation of it’s own.
Opera is just not good. Every time i read press about it, I go out and get excited to use Opera and join the cult of Opera to enjoy all it’s Opera-ey wonderment. But what actually happens is something about it pisses me off-either expectations fall short, the UI is stupid and annoying, or it crashes or flakes out-and i go back to firefox.
True, if you are comparing Opera to IE or Safari or any of the other browsers, Opera is great. But compared to FF, esp (at the time of this writing) FF 3 beta 5, then, well you are just dumb and you are dumb for using Opera. If you think FF is not fast enough to use out-of-the-box, you should consider yourself not geeky enough to make three minor tweaks in about:config that make it WAY faster than Opera will ever be.