Opera 9 Beta

http://opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/04/20/

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Oslo, Norway – April 20, 2006

Opera Software today announced the first public Beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small Web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users' desktops. The Opera 9 Beta also features support for BitTorrent, a popular file downloading technology, in addition to an easy-to-use content blocker and thumbnail previews of tabbed sites.

And yes, Opera remains available free of charge.

"We're proud to release this Beta of Opera 9 to Web users around the world," said Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Opera 9 brings powerful new features to enhance the Web browsing experience and empower Web 2.0 developers. Opera 9 unlocks new levels of productivity for the Internet ecosystem."
New features in Opera 9 include
Widgets - Small Web applications (multimedia, newsfeeds, games and more) that make your desktop experience more fun. Any Web developer can create their own Widgets and share them, regardless of operating system. Try the Widgets in Opera 9 by pressing F6. Look for further development of Opera Widgets in future releases.
BitTorrent - Instead of having to use a separate BitTorrent application for downloading large files, users can now simply click a torrent file and start the download
Content blocker - Choose the content you want to view. Remove ads or images - it is up to you. Right-click on the Web page and choose "Block content"
Improved rich text editing - Take advantage of rich text editing capabilities when using the latest Web mail or blogging services
Customize your search engines – Use your favorite search engine in the search box. Right-click on the site's search field and select "Create search" from the menu
Thumbnail preview – It's easy to have many tabs open at once in Opera. But exactly which tab had that video you wanted? Hover any tab to see a thumbnail preview
Site-specific preferences - Do you need to view a site in a different way or deny certain cookies? Want to block pop-ups on certain sites only? Site specific preferences hold the key

I decided to give this new Opera a try...
And I must say that it is just awesome! It now has that much needed content filtering feature built in. (And it works well too, I used it to block the avatars on this site. )

Download it and try it for yourself.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

A bunch of features that sound neat on paper but have no practical use.

I luh it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Actually site specific preference is extremely practical ~

I already use Opera but i'll wait for the RC of 9 before getting that :]

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Quote:

Opera Software today announced the first public Beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small Web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users' desktops. The Opera 9 Beta also features support for BitTorrent, a popular file downloading technology, in addition to an easy-to-use content blocker and thumbnail previews of tabbed sites.

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Please.

Don't try to say Opera is anything like an adware program. Its the best browser available.

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I tried it. It was okay. I still prefer Firefox's malleability, Opera is too stiff when it comes to customization. Here's pretty much my list of things that bugged me about Opera. Tell me if I'm wrong/right:

• Biggest thing that bothers me is how it can't assume desired website like Firefox. If I type in "Pedro's Tracker" in Firefox's address bar, it will google that and take me to the first result, which would actually be btmusic.org:2710. Opera can certainly wrap www. and .com/.org/.net around a single word, like if I entered "gamingforce", but it doesn't have that same functionality as Firefox; it will google the false address and take me to the search results. I have become quite accustomed to this feature in Firefox, especially for websites like btmusic.org:2710 that are somewhat of a chore to type manually.
• Search engines next to the address bar. I want more, I want them in the order that I want, and I want to be able to delete them when I want.
• Don't try to open and run my torrent files. uTorrent > you
• Doesn't have Adblock + Filterset.G, which makes my online experience 99% ad-free.
• When I use Opera to save a webpage, it only saves the HTML. Sorry but I need the images and CSS as well.

There are a few technical advantages Opera has. RAM usage, HTML/CSS rendering, security. But in a strange way, I value useability over these kinds of features.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Eleo

• When I use Opera to save a webpage, it only saves the HTML. Sorry but I need the images and CSS as well.

Save As > Save HTML file with images.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Eleo

Biggest thing that bothers me is how it can't assume desired website like Firefox. If I type in "Pedro's Tracker" in Firefox's address bar, it will google that and take me to the first result, which would actually be btmusic.org:2710. Opera can certainly wrap www. and .com/.org/.net around a single word, like if I entered "gamingforce", but it doesn't have that same functionality as Firefox; it will google the false address and take me to the search results. I have become quite accustomed to this feature in Firefox, especially for websites like btmusic.org:2710 that are somewhat of a chore to type manually.

This isn't the most elegant, but if you go into Tools > Preferences > Search Engines (it's the third tab), hit the New button there. Then name it like... "Google Lucky" or something, for the keyword, use whatever (gl is what I'll say), then in the URL field, type the following:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%s&btnI=Google+Search

Now, to mirror that functionality in Firefox, all you've got to do is type `gl THING` to search and be sent at the first result. Again, not the most elegant, but it's what I'd suggest.

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Search engines next to the address bar. I want more, I want them in the order that I want, and I want to be able to delete them when I want.

Same thing as above. Go into Tools > Preferences > Search Engines and alter them as you like here.

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Don't try to open and run my torrent files. uTorrent > you

Again, this is something you could have solved by looking in the preferences. Tools > Preferences > Advanced, then hit Downloads Disable the Hide types handled by Opera option near the top-right, then search for application/x-bittorrent, and hit Edit on it. Change what program is used to one of the fields further down instead of "Opera" (like "Use default program" or something), and then Opera won't handle torrent files anymore.

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Doesn't have Adblock + Filterset.G, which makes my online experience 99% ad-free.

I use adzapper, so it works fine for me. Tried one of those ad filtering programs? I know Windows has them, and a lot of them do just as good a job as Adblock. Even so, I generally don't block certain ads as site make their money that way.

And Aard got the last one~

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Using it, and lovin' it. Opera is one of my favorite browsers.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Aardark

Save As > Save HTML file with images.

Okay, I missed that. I didn't think the "Save as type" drop-down menu would have this. I don't think it should have to be selected but rather should be default. If I only wanted the source code I'd just right-click the page and look at the source code.

Originally Posted by Duminas

This isn't the most elegant, but if you go into Tools > Preferences > Search Engines (it's the third tab), hit the New button there. Then name it like... "Google Lucky" or something, for the keyword, use whatever (gl is what I'll say), then in the URL field, type the following:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%s&btnI=Google+Search

Now, to mirror that functionality in Firefox, all you've got to do is type `gl THING` to search and be sent at the first result. Again, not the most elegant, but it's what I'd suggest.

Or I can just click on links that automatically add new engines, line in Firefox, but okay.

Actually I hadn't noticed this feature in 9beta, it wasn't in 8.

Originally Posted by Duminas

Again, this is something you could have solved by looking in the preferences. Tools > Preferences > Advanced, then hit Downloads Disable the Hide types handled by Opera option near the top-right, then search for application/x-bittorrent, and hit Edit on it. Change what program is used to one of the fields further down instead of "Opera" (like "Use default program" or something), and then Opera won't handle torrent files anymore.

See that's pretty complicated if you ask me. Like I said, useability. Firefox would just ask me what program I wanted to open the file when I clicked on it, but of course in Opera I have to go dig through the settings to get what I want done.

The browser was uninstalled before I even bothered with this stuff.

Originally Posted by Duminas

I use adzapper, so it works fine for me. Tried one of those ad filtering programs? I know Windows has them, and a lot of them do just as good a job as Adblock. Even so, I generally don't block certain ads as site make their money that way.

Sage external ad blockers when Firefox has one integrated. Last thing I need is another background process running on my 4-year-old computer.

And just because you have ads in your face doesn't mean you're clicking them.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Eleo

Okay, I missed that. I didn't think the "Save as type" drop-down menu would have this. I don't think it should have to be selected but rather should be default. If I only wanted the source code I'd just right-click the page and look at the source code.

Well, Firefox requires the exact same thing, and I want source only most of the time. Is this anything beyond personal choice?

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Or I can just click on links that automatically add new engines, line in Firefox, but okay.

Oh well? In retrospect, none of those engine add links ever worked for me. Nor did themes, and I had to manually install them. Don't mention the site security thing, since that's too confusing.

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See that's pretty complicated if you ask me. Like I said, useability. Firefox would just ask me what program I wanted to open the file when I clicked on it, but of course in Opera I have to go dig through the settings to get what I want done.

And yet you tout Firefox for ease of use? Firefox is a pain to use for me, and most I've tried to show it to because it whores memory, and has NO features worth note over IE (save Tabs) out of the box that people care about. Also, if you told Firefox to automatically act on Torrents with a certain program, then changed your preference, you'd have just as much trouble changing it, since it's in the configuration.

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Sage external ad blockers when Firefox has one integrated. Last thing I need is another background process running on my 4-year-old computer.

If this is your version of internal, I'd love to hear how you came to think that. It's external--an extension, same as other things; same as the blocker I use (which is, factually, just a local proxy with the adzapper script installed).

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And just because you have ads in your face doesn't mean you're clicking them.

Impressions. And I do actually click a lot of them, though I tend to use the Ctrl+W shortcut immediately afterwards. With adblock, that's not even possible, since a lot of its filters catch things I actually want. All the AdSense clones and such, for instance.

Regardless, whatever browser works for you works. I just don't understand how you hate Opera for being hard to use and crap, when it's not at all, and has a bunch of neat things integrated which Firefox lacks.

Really not trying to turn this into browser wars, guys~

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I tried Opera 9 Beta, but it didn't really have much more usability than Opera 8 and didn't look any different. It's installed, but my primary browser is Flock.

I remember the days when I actually used Opera, a wonderful browser it is, just lacking things that I need.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Duminas

Oh well? In retrospect, none of those engine add links ever worked for me. Nor did themes, and I had to manually install them. Don't mention the site security thing, since that's too confusing.

Great job failing at the internet, then. Those links have always worked for me, and so have themes and extentions.

And which "site security thing" are you talking about?

This one:


or this one:


or perhaps some other one.

Regardless, I bet the problem would be solved by reading.

Quote:

And yet you tout Firefox for ease of use? Firefox is a pain to use for me, and most I've tried to show it to because it whores memory, and has NO features worth note over IE (save Tabs) out of the box that people care about. Also, if you told Firefox to automatically act on Torrents with a certain program, then changed your preference, you'd have just as much trouble changing it, since it's in the configuration.

I like how you tell Eleo some of his things are nothing but "personal preferences," and then you go right on into your own.

Because that's what that pretty much is, those are all personal preferences.

And I don't get why people keep on saying that Firefox hogs memory. Granted, it does, I won't try to get out of that, but I don't know where people pull out numbers beyond 100 MB. My normal usage is anywhere from 50-70MB, and I can deal with that. I understand where a lot of it being used, but I know a lot of people don't understand this.

Firefox's RAM usage (minus all memory leaks,) comes from two things: 1) the quick back/forward browsing (which they've tried to fix,) and 2) how Firefox handles tabs. I can't stress this enough to people, Firefox stores it's tabs into your RAM, which will obviously force it to run higher in RAM usage, especially with a larger amount of tabs. This is opposed to Opera, which stores it's tabs in a cache on the hard drive, and just keeps reference to the tabs.

So it's a tradeoff, do you want a lower RAM usage with higher hard drive reads, or higher RAM usage. Some would argue the RAM swapping would be faster, but I've yet to notice any difference.

Then again, a lot of people who complain about Firefox using a lot of RAM have never tried or heard of the trim-on-minimize trick (hint: it works).

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If this is your version of internal, I'd love to hear how you came to think that. It's external--an extension, same as other things; same as the blocker I use (which is, factually, just a local proxy with the adzapper script installed).

By internal, he means more that it's a "part of the browser." Sure, you have to extend on the browser, but if it only affects the browser, and is only there when the browser is, isn't it pretty much the same as "internal"?

I find Opera's adblocking to be behind when compared to Adblock, though. A lot of ads are placed in an IFrame, and if you block the IFrame, you will kill many more ads than having block individual images. Adblock can block IFrames, Opera can only block images, from what I've tried to do.

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Regardless, whatever browser works for you works. I just don't understand how you hate Opera for being hard to use and crap, when it's not at all, and has a bunch of neat things integrated which Firefox lacks.

Opera has never "rubbed" right with me, for some reason. It's not that I hate it, it's that I don't like how "different" the UI is, and to get it how I'd like it to be is more than I'm willing to do just to browse the internet. In fact, I'm pretty much convnced I can't ever find out exactly what I don't like about the UI and make Opera work the way I'd like to.

I used to say I missed the extensions, but in moving to a "leaner" Firefox, I've found that I only install two extentions (Adblock+ and Filterset.G updater.) So that has become less of a priority to me.

(current Firefox RAM usage at the end of this post: 54,852 K, three tabs, with content)

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Duminas

Well, Firefox requires the exact same thing, and I want source only most of the time. Is this anything beyond personal choice?

Wait what? When I choose to save a page with Firefox, it defaults to saving both the source and the images/CSS/javascript. I was actually totally unaware that I could save just the source with Firefox same as I was I could save the entire page with Opera. It never bothered me because I'd rather have everything and delete what I don't need than to have some of it and wonder where the rest is.

Originally Posted by Duminas

Oh well? In retrospect, none of those engine add links ever worked for me. Nor did themes, and I had to manually install them. Don't mention the site security thing, since that's too confusing.

Okay, I've got to ask, when is the last time you used Firefox? I was using it before 1.0 and I never had consistent trouble with search engine links or extensions. I've had bugs where they don't always work correctly, and merely restarting Firefox fixes that.

Originally Posted by Duminas

And yet you tout Firefox for ease of use? Firefox is a pain to use for me, and most I've tried to show it to because it whores memory, and has NO features worth note over IE (save Tabs) out of the box that people care about. Also, if you told Firefox to automatically act on Torrents with a certain program, then changed your preference, you'd have just as much trouble changing it, since it's in the configuration.

Firefox doesn't so much whore memory as it doesn't know when to release it. I've played with Firefox, IE7, and Opera, and come to the conclusion that they are pretty much eat more RAM then I have. Firefox merely fails to release it as much as I'd think it would. Since each browser is pretty much running on my pagefile from the get-go, I've learned to get over it.

Originally Posted by Duminas

If this is your version of internal, I'd love to hear how you came to think that. It's external--an extension, same as other things; same as the blocker I use (which is, factually, just a local proxy with the adzapper script installed).

Okay and it ceases to function when I close Firefox. I'd imagine adzapper or whatever runs for as long as your computer does?

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Impressions. And I do actually click a lot of them, though I tend to use the Ctrl+W shortcut immediately afterwards. With adblock, that's not even possible, since a lot of its filters catch things I actually want. All the AdSense clones and such, for instance.

Apparently you want some ads but not others? I've certainly never seen Adblock + Filterset.G actually block something I want. Only ads. If it's an ad, I don't want to see it, which is why I downloaded a comprehensive set of filters called Filterset.G. But okay, if you want to see some ads but not others, cool.

Originally Posted by Duminas

Really not trying to turn this into browser wars, guys~

too late

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Merv Burger

but I don't know where people pull out numbers beyond 100 MB

Simple, if you always leave the browser open (I keep the same instance open forever, like I do with mIRC).

Originally Posted by Merv Burger

Firefox stores it's tabs into your RAM, which will obviously force it to run higher in RAM usage, especially with a larger amount of tabs. This is opposed to Opera, which stores it's tabs in a cache on the hard drive, and just keeps reference to the tabs.

So it's a tradeoff, do you want a lower RAM usage with higher hard drive reads, or higher RAM usage. Some would argue the RAM swapping would be faster, but I've yet to notice any difference.

That's just fine and dandy. The problem is that Firefox doesn't try to limit itself. For example, virtually all programs that use the hard disk for caching will provide options for allocating the maximum space it will use -- users won't be happy if their program just eats up all the hard disk space available.

On the other hand there's no readily accessible option for RAM usage in Firefox (if one even exists). And trim-on-minimize isn't even a default option, you actually have to create an entry in the configuration for it -- not to mention that few people will ever find out about it in the first place.

I'm sorry, but this is bad programming.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Eleo

I tried it. It was okay. I still prefer Firefox's malleability, Opera is too stiff when it comes to customization. Here's pretty much my list of things that bugged me about Opera. Tell me if I'm wrong/right:

• Biggest thing that bothers me is how it can't assume desired website like Firefox. If I type in "Pedro's Tracker" in Firefox's address bar, it will google that and take me to the first result, which would actually be btmusic.org:2710. Opera can certainly wrap www. and .com/.org/.net around a single word, like if I entered "gamingforce", but it doesn't have that same functionality as Firefox; it will google the false address and take me to the search results. I have become quite accustomed to this feature in Firefox, especially for websites like btmusic.org:2710 that are somewhat of a chore to type manually.
• Search engines next to the address bar. I want more, I want them in the order that I want, and I want to be able to delete them when I want.
• Don't try to open and run my torrent files. uTorrent > you
• Doesn't have Adblock + Filterset.G, which makes my online experience 99% ad-free.
• When I use Opera to save a webpage, it only saves the HTML. Sorry but I need the images and CSS as well.

There are a few technical advantages Opera has. RAM usage, HTML/CSS rendering, security. But in a strange way, I value useability over these kinds of features.

I guess you're just bad at using Opera? In the address bar type "g pedo" and it will google pedo. You can just click once, don't be lazy.

My Opera doesn't have a search bar anywhere on it. Opera is considerably more customizeable that Firefox, so i guess you never tried removing or adding more?

Opera doesn't try to open my torrent files. Did you bother opening the "options" in Opera or what.

You can get both adblock and filtersets for Opera. Adblock is a seperate system, it isn't a Firefox exclusive feature.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Why should I click once when I don't have to click once? Sorry, you get used to a feature over 2-4 years it's kind of hard to break a habit unless there's something better that comes along. Firefox's method is superior. If I just wanted googled results, there's the search bar right next to the address bar here in Firefox; I'd use that. I type in an address in the address bar, I kind of expect a web page as result.

Actually adding or removing search engines (easily) appears to be new to Opera 9. I had Opera 8 and didn't see that (at least not as plainly visible). Someone tell them to but their config options where I can see them. It's not super expert-user desire to want to change your search engine list, so put it in clear view in the options dialog. (This refers to Opera 8, Opera 9 handles it nicely.)

Opera 9 indeed defaults to open your torrent files. I don't remember being prompted and asked if I wanted to use it for my torrent files or not but I certainly didn't. I don't see why Opera is trying to handle - out of the box, no less - what's already handled adequately by other software. Coming soon: use Opera as a text editor and to make buttered toast. (If you want jam on your toast you'll have to dig through advanced preferences because it's not likely you prefer jam to butter.)

Adblock as far as I know is a Firefox extension and is therefore not available readily for other browsers. Prove me wrong on this?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

My Opera 8 has 0 search bars, its not an Opera 9 exclusive feature.

Also, if you don't want to bother digging through "advanced options" then of course you'll have complaints. If you expert it to work exactly like Firefox without changing anything, then what do you expect? Its not that easy to switch, but theres no point in listing negatives if you're not going to try to make it useable for you.

http://nontroppo.org/wiki/OperaAdblock

Its definately harder to use with Opera 8 rather than firefox, and i guess Opera 9 has it built in, but its not FF exclusive.

Anyway, if you're used to Firefox then theres no real point in switching to Opera unless you feel you need to.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Opera's so fun to use. I just started using it a little over a week ago after finally resolving (I think) the hellish font issue my desktop was having.

It's weird though. Opera would use 10% of the RAM Firefox uses on my desktop (~20 MB vs 200 MB), but on my laptop they both use about the same (~150 MB). I just don't understand. Nevertheless, Opera is a much faster navigational experience, but I'm just use to Firefox. Plus, I'm all about the A9.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Funny, I remember reading some of these same arguments in favor of Internet Explorer when Cam was trying to get people to switch to Firefox. It's amazing how people actually become offended when you try to introduce them to something new.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Oh right, offended, because I haven't tried several versions of the browser over the years and always found it inferior to what I was already using. I first tried Opera while I was still using Internet Explorer. I even pointed out all the things I liked about Opera, but it's clear that I just want to senselessly hate on it because I want to love Firefox so much~ I personally had no problem switching to Firefox from IE because Firefox had all the same features plus more.

Now I've been trying to switch to Opera, I want to switch to Opera, but I can't do it because it is simply not a better browsing experience for me. And it's not like I'm perfectly content with Firefox; the RAM whoring is a big issue for me especially on my older computer. It supposedly has very many unpatched security holes. Its ability to natively block ads has gotten worse over the years to the point that Adblock is a necessity.

But if I'm going to spend a huge portion of my time using this thing, I'd rather have it slow my computer down than be inadequate for my browsing habits. Opera simply does not have what I want how I want it and with as few headaches possible. I never had to "adjust" to Firefox or think through it; the switch was very natural. I find Opera awkward to use, configure, and extend and would much rather be comfortable with my current browser which never was. Is that so bad.

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Originally Posted by Eleo

I never had to "adjust" to Firefox or think through it; the switch was very natural. I find Opera awkward to use, configure, and extend and would much rather be comfortable with my current browser which never was. Is that so bad?

Not for you apparently, but sometimes "adjusting" to something different pays off. For example, I was a Mac user up until College (2002-2003) when I decided I wanted to get a PC. Having used a Mac, I felt that Mac OS was "superior" to the point that I nitpicked everything about Windows so I felt like I was in a good spot. And then eventually I tried switcing to Linux, but kept getting pushed back by the fact that setting it up and getting it going was more complicated than either Mac OS or Windows. Nonetheless, I persevered and here I am with an OS that I'm more comfortable with than I ever was in Mac OS and Windows.

If you're going to try something different, you must accept the fact that it will not be like what you're used to and that you will not be comfortable with it right away. You don't have to like it and you don't have to use it, but I don't think it's right to identify personal gripes with something as inherent flaws. Software that's written for millions of people can't cater to you personally, but in the case of Firefox you were lucky enough to find that it's creators made many correct assumptions. Meanwhile, I had to install mouse gestures and an extra extension to let me double-click on tabs to close them. Why weren't those features built into Firefox?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

For every piece of software that I've liked, there's been no need for "adjustment", just ease of use. It wasn't somehow painful to switch from Frontpage to Dreamweaver, or from MS Paint to Photoshop, or AIM to Trillian, or Napster to WinMX to eMule.

What is a personal gripe and what is an inherent flaw is kind of subjective. I could code a browser with next to no features and it might render webpages correctly and function, but that doesn't make it a useful browser in itself, and similarly it is not flawed as it accomplishes the tasks for which it was programmed.

Besides, I've pretty much been clear that the reasons why I won't use Opera are my own and never said the browser was entirely bad.

FELIPE NO

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/200...-in-opera.html

10 neat Opera features. SWITCH.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?