As I have stated previously, I am a download junkie. I am constantly downloading and trying out new (and mostly free) software. Over the last year or so, I have tried literally hundreds of different programs, including at least 20 different browsers. Of all those I have tried I now use primarily two browsers - Opera and Flock. I use Opera about 80% of the time - it has an excellent buiilt-in mail program (which I also use), and it is the fastest browser out there when it comes to page loading (for specific test results look here). I also use Flock, which is built on the Mozilla platform, but unlike Firefox, it is specifically designed for those of us who blog. I’ll say more about it in an upcoming post.
But first, I want to encourage those of you read my blog (all ten to twenty of you) to give Opera a try, if you have not done so already. Until last year, many refused to try Opera since it was not a free browser (although if you did not want to pay the $39 for it, you could use an ad-based version). I did this myself, because I found that even with the ads, Opera was the most versatile and fastest browser. Now, however, Opera is free, and it’s latest version (Opera 9) is getting rave reviews. One recent review comes from Gareth McCumskey, the editor of ISP Directory, who also reviews and grades Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox. Of the three major Windows browsers he reviewed, Opera 9 received the highest marks, followed by Firefox and IE. In particular, he grades the browsers as follows:
Internet Explorer - 36%
Firefox - 88%
Opera - 93%
You can read McCumsky’s full review here. In addition, the UK’s best-selling internet magazine Webuser has an overwhelmingly positive review of Opera. You can find their review here, but this is their ending paragraph which they entitle Verdict:
Evidently seeking to innovate rather than imitate, Opera 9 leaves other browsers in the shade. It’s packed with clever features that make web surfing simpler, speedier and safer, but is still straightforward to use and loads pages at lightning speed. Although Firefox fans may miss having thousands of extensions to play with, Opera’s versatility and powerful performance make it a worthy rival to the browsers from Mozilla and Microsoft, who will probably be eyeing some of its new tools with interest.
So let me say it again, in case you haven’t heard it by now - try Opera. If you use it for just one or two weeks, I am sure you will make it your browser of choice.
Disclaimer: I am not, unfortunately, being paid anything for this recommendation : )
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Last 3 posts in Blogosphere
- My Restless Nature and Blogging - November 20th, 2007
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Jim wrote,
Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got to go download me some Opera!
not.
Link | August 12th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Jen wrote,
It really is cool and faster than IE. It doesn’t work well with my work website, so I still have to use IE for that. Though I have to admit, it’s made me lazy since I don’t have to remember passwords and can’t access new sites requiring a password elsewhere.
Try it, Jim!!!!!!
Jen
Link | August 14th, 2006 at 3:00 am
Tweak wrote,
Opera’s fans
It is a perennial issue: why is Opera’s marketshare not growing, when we have a product that attracts a large group of devoted users? I’ll leave it to our sales and marketing department to look at this professionally, but one …
Link | August 27th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Jim wrote,
Eh. I can do all those things with Firefox. I’ve never liked Opera’s clunky look, though perhaps you can customize it out the wazoo… sort of like you can do with Firefox.
So I already have what I need. Why switch and have to relearn how to do everything?
Link | August 28th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Will wrote,
Yes, you probably have everything that you need in Firefox as far as looks and particular functions. This may be especially true if you don’t want to download your email or rss subscriptions as I do (these two features alone are invaluable to me since I am not always in wireless range). However, Opera will still be the faster browser when it comes to downloading web pages while also being much less of a ram hog than Firefox.
Of course, one of the things I enjoy doing is fooling around with software, and I love the ability to almost infinitely tweak the appearance of Opera. I have two very distinctive looks now that I use, one of which uses a modified “ribbon” (seen in Office 2007) approach to browsing and developed by Rijk and described on his blog Tweak (http://my.opera.com/Rijk/blog/show.dml/134372). Even though I have a widescreen, I love having as much of the scrren available for viewing and not taken up menus, etc, and this particular setup uses a small strip out the top, wich changes depending upon what I am doind, and a small panel on the side (about a half inch) to help me move quickly between tasks.
My goal is not so much about converting Firefox users who are happy, as it is to expose IE users (those poor things) to another and better way to surf the web.
Link | August 28th, 2006 at 8:25 pm