Comments for Opera 10: A Pretty Good Browser, But Will Anybody Use It?

Opera 10: A Pretty Good Browser, But Will Anybody Use It?

2009-09-01T16:30:34Z

After numerous betas and two release candidates, Opera today released the final version of Opera 10, the company's flagship desktop Internet browser. Users who skipped all the pre-release versions of Opera 10 will be pleasantly surprised with the updates that Opera has brought to its browser. These include Opera Turbo, the company's compression technology that makes surfing on slower connections more bearable, visual tabs, a smarter spell checker, and a faster rendering engine. Opera also still features a built-in email client and RSS reader.

]]> Features

After testing Opera 10 for a while, it quickly becomes clear that it is a perfectly capable browser. It's got everything the majority of users would ever want, ranging from the 'speed dial' homepage to a sidebar for taking notes, which are synced between different machines, just like your bookmarks. There is a 'magic wand' that automatically fills in passwords from Opera 10's built-in password manager, mouse-gestures, real-time fraud protection, a BitTorrent client, and the tabs now optionally show a rendered version of the page for a more visual experience. The 'visual tabs' can also be put into a sidebar, a nice feature in the age where vertical space is limited as users have moved to wide-screen displays.

Opera 10 is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris.

Speed

In our informal tests, Opera 10 couldn't match Firefox, Safari 4, and Chrome in most benchmarks. On a MacBook, Safari finished the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark in 711ms while Opera needed over 5700ms. In daily use, however, these benchmarks tend to mean very little and we barely noticed any difference.

Even though Opera has always been a good browser with a very passionate user base, it never quite caught on with mainstream users. Opera 10 is definitely Opera's best browser to date, but chances are that even this new version won't help Opera to gain a lot of market share as other browsers now have the momentum. However, if you haven't looked at Opera for a while, now is a good time to give it a try again. And if you often find yourself in a situation where you have to deal with a sluggish Internet connection (airports, hotels, etc.), Opera Turbo alone makes this a handy browser to have around, even if you don't make it your default browser.

Comment from Amit Sharma on 2010-11-13

2010-11-13T16:09:44Z

Opera is a very good browser still it failed to be popular one. I use opera on my mobile only. I tried desktop version long ago. It was good.

Comment from Adrian on 2010-07-11

2010-07-11T18:24:27Z

I think you mean will anyone ever use Firefox and IE?
I've used Opera since i first installed it, it's faster better downloading speeds and since most of my downloads are 5gb's + i find this necessary.
Theres no better browser Firefox is just too heavy for good use i want to be able to browse and download at the same time and watch videos and all the other things i should be able to do Firefox can take up alot of memory and you may not even be using the features at that moment also after you exit it you have to Ctrl+Alt Delete it because it doesn't seem to get that you really don't want to use it anymore people who use Firefox believe they're higher tech but what i can do on Opera can widely beat the features set out on Firefox

Comment from Herbert on 2010-04-16

2010-04-17T05:30:59Z

I tested the latest versions of Opera and Safari in Sunspider, and got very different results (Vista, i7 920@3.6ghz, 12gb):

Opera: 228ms
Safari 4: 380ms

Opera beats Safari. Obviously the browser war continues. Which is a good thing for us :-)

And as a web developer I was pleasantly surprised to discover that firebug functionality is built into Opera without a plugin!!! Awesome.

Comment from Zack on 2010-02-21

2010-02-21T08:45:47Z

It really doesnt matter that just a few people use Opera.

Opera rocks! i love the synch, turbo, speed dial, unite and over all is fast and ligth.

Comment from 3DArtist on 2010-02-09

2010-02-10T00:40:44Z

I forgot to mention one other (but important) thing.

The Visual Tabs on Opera 10 are just fantastic.
I have put them on the left side. On mac (Control/Click - Tab Bar Placement)
And it's so easy to access open pages now with my Wacom Intuos4.

Comment from 3DArtist on 2010-02-09

2010-02-10T00:09:15Z

I think I've been using FireFox forever!

I have known about Opera and used it quite a few times but have always gone back to FireFox. This decision was always based purely on aesthetics. I never liked the look of Opera's GUI. (I'm a designer/artist)

But with version 10, I was blown away! It is beautiful.
Simple, minimal yet functional, I just love it.
It makes FireFox look cluttered, clumsy and just plain ugly.

It was difficult leaving a strong comfort zone (FireFox), but I've done it and haven't looked back.
I've suggested it to a lot my clients and they were impressed.

And of course it really looks great on my new iMac 27" (i7 Quad).

Comment from Daquan Wright on 2010-02-08

2010-02-08T09:13:44Z

Everyone talks about Chrome and Safari...but lately I've been using Opera more and more. The only down side is that certain applications don't work in it.

Speed wise it is fine and because it pre-loads data, I find the interface far more smooth than other browsers. It has hundreds of themes and features are fine for casual users. It's more consistent and uses less memory.

I've been using Firefox/Chrome/Safari/Opera on a daily basis. Firefox crashes on me every so often and gets bogged down...

Chrome and Safari start out lightning quick and eventually they seem to start crawling after a while. Opera just outlasts them from my daily usage and I tend to use each browser for its strong points. So I stick with Opera for general browsing and do web development in Firefox/Chrome.

Comment from Chad on 2009-12-29

2009-12-30T01:34:11Z

I work in insurance and Opera 10 is the only browser that works with some of the insurance carriers websites. It seems many insurance carriers built their sites for IE. Opera has allowed me to remove a Virtual Machine from my MacBook and use Opera for most things. There are a couple carriers that do require IE such as Progressive but I installed CrossOver to run IE 6 with PDF browser support. Even Firefox does not render correctly with a couple of the carriers. Good job on this browser.

Comment from benzqooza123 on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T02:22:46Z

I saw an article today that hopes these types of devices or applications may be the saviour for the newspapers. I still have my doubts because you don't need a kindle to get your news, it's still free online.

Comment from Yakovich on 2009-10-29

2009-10-29T15:53:28Z

I have been using opera for over 4 years as my default browser, and I have tested everything out there from firefox to chrome. Nothing compares with the feature set + customization and speed of Opera. 10 is a milestone version, as they continue to roll out great updates. As long as they don't remove the notes feature I will only use opera for the rest of my life.

Comment from Mayur on 2009-09-11

2009-09-12T06:43:15Z

OPERA 10 is definately a competetive one.. but still many menu and other database utilities didnt work as it does in IE or FF..

But I am really impressed with their mini version on my T Mobile Wing. I was almost gonna replace my phone with the i , and last day i tried the mini. been in love with opera mini since 3+ months... and doesnt seem to be any problem yet.

Opera 10 is still a good one and i m keeping it in for use while in slow connections.

Comment from Rupe on 2009-09-08

2009-09-09T05:23:04Z

I am converted Mac user now for 3 years. Before moving to the mac I basically used AVANT a dressed up version of IE and Firefox.

Once I got to the Mac, I start off using Safari for a while, and then Firefox, but when I saw how well email was integrated in the Opera browser, I was sold. I can quickly move between my email and browse, read my rss - dude, Opera is the best - bar none.

Now, I don't have to go messing around with opening up several programs - email, contacts, notes, etc...it is all right there. If only I could get a plugin/widget to do GTD type stuff, I would be in heaven.

I do understand the speed thing...but the pro's have it for me with Opera. And really, I have sometimes use Firefox and Safari, when I do feel a bit guilt, and I honestly can't tell the diff.

Rupe

Comment from mohammad on 2009-09-07

2009-09-08T03:16:49Z

Actually i love opera I've been using it since the early 9 versions... I think if Opera managed to support SilverLight & and enhance java handling it will be the best no doubt.

Comment from Harsh Agrawal on 2009-09-07

2009-09-07T10:41:45Z

I tried the new turbo a.k.a Image compression technology of Opera, some how it managed to impress me.
Though I'm not going to dump Mozilla because same thing can be achieve on Mozilla using addons :)

Comment from Antonio on 2009-09-06

2009-09-06T21:48:30Z

No one commented about the great email client, integrated with usenet client, and feeds reader, which is built in Opera: I use it since first version, and it has been always very good for several reasons.

With Opera 10, they finally introduced the possibility to write html emails: not a big change for me plain text lover, but sometimes I heard "wait, can't write html messages? Not for me".
So, now it's for you too, my friend.

Comment from nnoname on 2009-09-06

2009-09-06T13:43:02Z

"In daily use, however, these benchmarks tend to mean very little and we barely noticed any difference."
I noticed a difference ! Opera 10 is much faster than Firefox ! The hell with theses sunspider test (developed by the guys of webkit, big surprise), Opera 10 is fast ! It's not as fast as Safari, but it's fast.
And if you have a slow connection, use the turbo mode, it will change your life.

Comment from ijAcK on 2009-09-04

2009-09-04T09:40:12Z

I love Opera ever since I started to used it. I have used many other browser available and what I notice is that Opera seems to be the fastest and easiest to use. I will always stick with OPERA

Thanks to Opera.

Comment from Important on 2009-09-03

2009-09-03T19:05:17Z

Opera's "killer" feature is that it is easy on the CPU. When running on an old 300MHz Celeron or even a modern laptop in power saving mode, firefox 3.5, any internet explorer lag noticably compared to it(and produce less battery life due to higher cpu load). Chrome could perhaps match but then again, it is not available on Linux or Win98, which is what old computers run.

Comment from J on 2009-09-02

2009-09-03T00:56:07Z

It's been awhile since I used opera (ever since I changed from PC to Mac, I've been becoming a big fan of safari because I don't really need the "all-in-one" features of opera as well as the smooth metal look of safari).

However, I recently downloaded Opera 10, and so far, I am enjoying the new look, the tab feature (where you can drag the bar down to show the webpages without hovering over the tabs for a few seconds), and Opera turbo (I don't have the fastest internet connection at home). I really love how opera did their speed dial; I really like the 4x3 on safari's top sites, but now that opera has it (it's easier to use opera speed dial than safari's), i don't think i'll be using safari anytime soon... at least for awhile as I try out all of opera's functions.

good job, opera!

Comment from Tobbi on 2009-09-02

2009-09-02T17:16:13Z

Opera is still the best browser. Version 10 is really great :)

Comment from geo on 2009-09-02

2009-09-02T12:36:54Z

love opera's links

ctrl-shift-L or ctrl-J (opera 9.2 keyboard)

*** DSK-241255 - spaces
[IMGRIGHT=http://files.myopera.com/g4qb/blog/spaces%20bug.jpg]
character not found properly - update to bug-365493

1. go to opera:about or even this page
2. type / {space} - look for space character
3. F3 x50
note how {space} character is not found properly.

space is found

gets stuck at find 20
*** DSK-241255

Comment from geo on 2009-09-02

2009-09-02T12:35:20Z

love opera's links
ctrl-J or ctrl-alt-l

but
space bug still bugs me
*** DSK-241255 - spaces
[IMGRIGHT=http://files.myopera.com/g4qb/blog/spaces%20bug.jpg]
character not found properly - update to bug-365493

1. go to opera:about or even this page
2. type / {space} - look for space character
3. F3 x50
note how {space} character is not found properly.

space is found

gets stuck at find 20
*** DSK-241255

Comment from Davey on 2009-09-02

2009-09-02T11:13:22Z

I have yet to use it but it looks pretty good. I cant see it getting into the mainsream but for people in the know it looks very good.

Comment from wiipe on 2009-09-02

2009-09-02T10:14:38Z

It's too bad that SunSpider is completely artificial... People need to stop thinking that a benchmark which tests a tiny subset of JS is representative of actual real world performance.

Comment from Frederic Lardinois on 2009-09-01

2009-09-02T06:55:41Z

Thanks for the comments everybody. Opera clearly has a large fan base and there can be no doubt that Opera 10 is a great product. I'd love for it to get more traction in the marketplace, but for now, I just don't see it happen.

@Mike - I ran the same benchmarks on a Windows 7 machine later today and the results weren't quite as pronounced, but the big difference was still there. Opera finished the SunSpider benchmark in 4165ms and Firefox 3.5 in 1378ms. Chrome needed around 730ms, almost exactly the same number I saw for Safari on the Macbook.

Comment from Greg Smith on 2009-09-01

2009-09-02T04:46:59Z

"Wii anyone use it" - that's the right question -ha, ha !

Ssshhhh don't tell anyone - Opera 10 is the best

(With Opera Mini - sync, link, notes and unite ?)

Go on ... it's 'pretty good' like a Ferrari is a 'pretty good' car !

Comment from Mike Madden on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T22:31:53Z

Maybe you should benchmark it with a Windows computer since most users don't use Macbooks. Most programs perform worse on Apple computers anyways compared to Apple products.

Comment from Night on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T22:08:58Z

I love Opera and Opera Software to invents new features everytime.

Modern browser use a lot of feautures created by Opera Software.

Comment from wiipe on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T21:50:15Z

"Will Anybody Use It"

What's with the snarky attitude towards Opera? It's not like it's struggling. The desktop user base has grown 65% in 12 months. It has 40-50 million users by now.

Comment from Patii on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T21:01:27Z

Actually I will not use it because I have an Unite built-in, and I don't want to stop using it lol
I'll wait for the Unite version but thanks to Opera for making my life better and my internet experience nice and faster ^_^

Comment from Roman on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T20:16:25Z

Sure. Its not only a great browser, it coveres some aread which nobody else covers. A recent example is a kiosk project of mine. Besides I quite like it as "the neutral" browser on my sytem. It doesn't login to anything and shows me things as they are when not logged in. Yes thats not a primary use but its in use often. Opera is irreplaceable yet not the most successfull story. They made one major mistake: they wanted money. Nobody buys a browser. And frankly there is no major killerfeature in Opera. At least not anymore.

Comment from Pavlo Zahozhenko on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T18:19:26Z

I will use it! Actually, I already use it on my netbook, have been using Opera 10 since beta. Saves traffic + lightweight = priceless

Comment from autom on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T18:12:49Z

lately, i actually toggle between Chrome and Opera more and more. have yet to check out the latest version from today though.

Comment from Defunkt Shirts on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T18:05:25Z

Opera Mini on the blackberry saves my life!!! Not literally but you get my point...

Comment from Vikng Boy on 2009-09-01

2009-09-01T17:06:38Z

Been online for over ten years, and have yet to use it. I tried their pda version on my Treo 755, and it basically gave it a heart attack. I had to uninstall.