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Opera 9 Beta released

opera.com — The Opera 9 beta is public. Very nice browser with new features such as Widgets. Will this be the client that gives Firefox and IE a bit of a run?

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  • Forma, on 10/12/2007, -20/+10Same as the previous weekly but nice for all that :D
    Definitely Dugg.
    • soogy, on 10/12/2007, -6/+48Not the same as last week's post, this is the beta.

      Opera 9 rocks. It has support for all the things that stopped me from making the switch from Firefox in 8.5. CTRL-T for tabs, better CSS support (opacity), etc.

      Opera, especially 9, is A LOT faster than Firefox and uses memory IMMENSELY better, and that's enough for me. The only problem is many so-called web-designers don't test their websites in Opera, so I have to make the switch from time to time.

      I still do my web development in Firefox, though. Can't live without the Developer Toolbar.

      If you haven't tried Opera, now is the time. By the way, I love the way my comment gets -dugg for writing something not pro-FF.
    • twollamalove, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13I've noticed better JavaScript support in Opera 9 as opposed to Opera 8, too.
    • jjk5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Passes ACID2 test now as well, compared to the 8.5. Seems to not have anymore hiccups with GMail as well. I like the thumbnails when you hover over a page.
    • mkoko, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5maybe no problems with gmail, but google calender sure doesn't work with it...
    • tavyc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15@soogy: Opera has a Web Developer toolbar too: http://nontroppo.org/wiki/WebDevToolbar
    • madeingermany, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4tavyc, too bad I can only click once on the green thumbs up ;)

      Thanks a lot for that link!
    • foxhoundadmin, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3highlight! highlight, dammit! i want my f'ing HIGHLIGHTER! opera has find, but no highlight. ugh! THAT is why i use firefox over opera. although, firefox... sucks compared to opera. just try using firefox at myspace without it crashing. firefox still has some catching up to do, imho.
    • exorcyze, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@foxhoundadmin:

      The find in page functionality does highlight. I even changed the default "search" combo next to the toolbar to *only* have the find in page (i use "g search terms" in the address bar for searches). In addition you can get a user.js (from, oddly enough, userjs.org ) that will auto-highlight any search terms if you come to a page from google. :)
    • Forma, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@ Soogy. This Beta is build 8367. The second latest weekly (11 April) was also build 8367, they are most definitely the same. (the weekly after that was not used because of too many buggs, no idea what they were though)
    • deaderthanyou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You are correct. This is the same build from a week ago.
  • jessecrouch, on 10/12/2007, -25/+9i love opera so much, but i think things are really going downhill for them. widgets are no competition to ff's extensions. it's still the fastest browser, but ff is catching up scarily fast. DO SOMETHING opera software!
    • Kazbaeden, on 10/12/2007, -11/+30I can't stand FF because of its extensions. When I install opera, everything is there that I need (gestures, tabs, skins, rss, mail) and I don't need to configure anyrthing.

      But, if extensions are a make or break deal for you, then have a look at these pages:

      http://virtuelvis.com/archives/2005/09/opera-and-firefox-extensions-ii
      http://virtuelvis.com/archives/2005/01/opera-and-firefox-extensions
      http://www.opera.com/support/tutorials/userjs/

      And now that Opera is Free, I think FireFox has a long way to go before its as refined.
    • detrate, on 10/12/2007, -14/+21Kazbaeden: Not everyone WANTS that stuff built in. I love the fact that I can pick and choose my extensions.
    • sHARD>>, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24You realize that FireFox is now *slower* than Mozilla? How is it catching up fast?
    • Kazbaeden, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18You can turn anything you want off. Opera has done a great job at giving the browser an amazing degree of functionality while maintaining a minimalistic feel. So you can have all the features on or all the features off, and it still feels the same.
    • grammarpolice, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29Opera has something that no other browser has!!!!!

      If you go to a picture gallery and click a picture to display, instead of pressing back and selecting another picture to display, you can just press space-bar to view the next picture in the gallery!! Browsing pictures has never been so easy!

      That's one of the many reasons I love Opera
    • grammarpolice, on 10/12/2007, -30/+3The do have something that no other browser has!!!!!

      If you go to a picture gallery and click a picture to display, instead of pressing back and selecting another picture to display, you can just press space-bar to view the next picture in the gallery!! Browsing pictures has never been so easy!

      That's one of the many reasons I love Opera.
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14detrate: I like built-in stuff because it guarantees me that one feature won't conflict with another one (you don't have this in ff, because of that you need to be careful what you install).

      Also when new version of FF gets released some extensions might stop working, because author didn't updated them...
    • vamsi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@ grammarpolice: I find it ironic now that the dupe police have arrived
    • onelin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@detrate:
      of course, because the features you don't want opera to come with take up SO much space. Not only is the installer small (smaller than FF even before DLing mandatory extensions), but mouse gestures, voice, rss, etc are all disabled until first use. There is pretty much no UI overhead in the additional features.

      The first feature I think I'm actively avoiding is the built in bit torrent support, since it's not sophisticated enough.
    • Indyan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A very comprehensive tweaking guide for Opera
      http://www.pallab.net/2006/04/12/extending-opera-the-ultimate-guide-to-customizing-opera/
  • d3bruts1d, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Widgets aren't supose to be competition for FF's extensions. They are completely different.
    • D4r7h3v1l, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10yea, d3
      I will definitely try this out when I get back home tomorrow. I use FF, but I like to keep an open mind. I have tried Opera in the past, but I always end up liking FF's 'feel' (don't know how to describe it) better.

      BTW, I didn't know you were active on Digg, d3. Well, it is an Opera story :-P. This is marty, BTW.
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I think you like the IE feel. FF has similar interface to IE, Opera has somewhat different interface, but you can reorganize it to look & feel of other browsers.

      I think they should offer presets for UI, so user could choose (I really like the Opera's UI - it makes more sense to me)
    • phoenixp3k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5They had that already! http://portal.opera.com/startup/customize/ (bottom of the page)
      With a few flicks you can fool the other users in your house that they are using IE, Safari or Firefox, all you need to do is change the icon and they'll be fooled (With Opera 9, just Mask the Browser As. and they won't get any trouble at all)
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@phoenixp3k I think they should offer the choice while installing the Opera. I used Opera for some time, and I wasn't even aware of that.
    • D4r7h3v1l, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I don't mean the "feel" as in looks. I made it look just like FF, button placement and all. I can't put my finger on it. It may be the responsiveness of the buttons or something minor like that, but it was just different somehow.
  • syff, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Lovely!

    I've tested all the weekly builds of Opera 9 so far, and they've proven that Opera is without doubt the best piece of software that exist - regardless of type! Opera is lightyears ahead of every other browser out there when it comes to speed, usability and customizibility.

    Internet Explorer user: switch, now!
    Firefox user: please give it a try.
    • 7of7, on 10/12/2007, -9/+10Heh, I use Firefox because I can't live without Farky and adblock, but every time I see someone who is militantly against IE I'm tempted to switch to IE just to spite them. All the people who have code in their site to check for IE user agent strings and harass IE users can go straight to hell.
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I'm not a professional website designer, I was writing website for myself as a hobby and I must say that there are two types of browsers:
      - IE
      - everything else

      If your HTML/CSS is correct it should render fine on FF/Opera/Safari etc but it will be a mess on IE.
      So I understand people that want everyone to stop using IE (it just adds a lot more work for webmaster)
    • gonzales, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2if it's adblock, Opera Beta comes with Content Blocker, which allows you to click and collapse objects on a page permanently.
    • knightnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Have they sorted the NTLM authentication yet? Without that Opera is useless as a corporate tool (too many people behind nasty MS Proxy Servers).

      And still no local file save without having to use Java VM - ugh.

      So for simple use Opera may well be better. But otherwise ...
  • ericnmu, on 10/12/2007, -9/+21best. browser. ever.
  • IHaveIssues, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7About Extensions vs Widgets - it's an individual decision. I would rather have the base software and add the touches that I like versus having a little bloat and having to remove stuff. To each his own.
    • gonzales, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3correction.. most of opera's features are actually disabled until to decide to use them, ie gestures, mail, rss. also, opera's installer is 4.6mb with all features included and firefox's "minimal" browser with no extensions included is already 4.9mb. how can you possibly call opera bloated?
  • fac3less, on 10/12/2007, -14/+5Opera annoys me for some reason -- just the way it starts up I guess.
    I'm also quite used to the firefox shortcuts: apostrophe, alt-d, ctrl-t, etc.

    Too lazy to switch or even consider switching. :)
    Firefox for the win.
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12Then customize opera's keyboard shortcuts to be the same as the one's you're already used to :)
    • Numfar28, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I believe you can remove Opera's start up dialog box...and Opera 9 has changed some of their shortcuts, including Ctrl-T to open a new tab. You can customize all keyboard shortcuts, too, as mentioned.
    • phoenixp3k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8You don't even have to do it manually, just go there http://portal.opera.com/startup/customize/ (and pick Firefox keyboard shortcuts)
      --bottom of the page
    • aaronm67, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3kinda pissed me off when they changed all the shortcuts. it made long time users have to go through and change them back to the old opera way (CTRL T = bookmark, ctrl d = paste and go, etc)
  • rvalles, on 10/12/2007, -68/+3It's not free software as in the GNU/FSF definition, so it's privative software (software that takes away your rights).

    Marked as spam.
    • incognegro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+30You, sir, are a certified *****. Needs no further explanation, just by the merit of your comment and username, you clearly fail at life. Please remove yourself from the gene pool, for the sake of humanity. Thanks.
    • xAXISx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10How would it be 'taking away your rights'? You'd have to have rights before they can be taken away. Plus, downloading the software gives you more flexability than you had before, certainly not taking away your rights. Completely incorrect context.
    • madIvan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Bullcrap. GPL takes away more of my rights than Opera ever could, just to satisfy infantile magalomaniac Stallman's distorted view of reality.

      If anything, Opera is a perfect proof that FOSS is _not_ by definition better.
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5As in the right to choose closed source software if I wish? Imposing freedom defeats its purpose.
  • unclejesse0, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18I love Opera. I've tried Firefox and its a great browser but I think that Opera as much much better. It's a very beautiful browser too, and its functionality is excellent. I've played with the widgets for Opera 9 and they are pretty cool. Once there is a large collection of widgets to choose from it will really awesome. I'm very excited about Opera 9.
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2From what I heard, widgets idea comes from Mac. If that's true, I belive there are already lot of widgets. Is it possible to use them in Opera? That would be great.
    • q00p, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1To cross the Dashboard/Opera widget bridge I guess you would need to:
      - Supply two definition files (config.xml and Info.plist)
      - Filter out Mac specific functionality, such as Scripts and Finder plugins
      I am probably missing a few things, because I am just guessing...
    • Izzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@takeda

      actually MAC took the widget idea from a group of individuals. If i remember correctly it was the konfabulator guys. this the dashboard vs konfabulator debate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konfabulator#.22Dashboard_versus_Konfabulator.22_Debate
  • MadOgre, on 10/12/2007, -20/+7Opera is decent, but calling it the fastest is a bit much.

    Mozilla suite user.
  • Rousterfar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I keep going back and forth between FF and Opera. Opera is far faster and more stable, but there are some FF extentions I really can't live without. If Opera had the level of extention support FF does, it wouldn't be a competition for me anymore.

    I'm actually really liking the latest build of Flock and may end up using it for a little time.
  • trakais, on 10/12/2007, -22/+6I hate Opera because of their refusal to finally implement CTRL+ENTER to dotcom the address in the address bar! Also it is too cluttered. If it's a browser, then a browser. I don't need mail and other tools in there. FF forever :)
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9It already has Ctrl+Enter to add www. .com to an url.
      You won't even notice the mail and other features unless you enable them, and it will still have a very low memory footprint.
    • pdeco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Its implemented in beta 9.

      Opera doesn't need to be told ".com", one can just enter "digg" as the url adress and it will redirect. Most overlook what CNTL + Enter were in
    • unclejesse0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Actually I find that the mail feature is very useful. I used to use Thunderbird but then I got sick of having to open a seperate application just to check a few emails. Now I use the mail built in to Opera and it is much easier.
    • pdeco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Bury my first comment.

      Its implemented in beta 9.

      Opera doesn't need to be told ".com", one can just enter "digg" as the url adress and it will redirect. Most overlook what Ctrl Enter were in 8.54, CNTL Enter was the shortcut for the magic wand which auto fills your username and password.
    • Rassa, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2trakais

      I had the problem too. In opera:

      Tools -> Preferences

      On "Advanced Tab" click on "Network". Click on Server name completion button. Uncheck first box for "Look for local network machine" After doing that the normal ctrl + enter will work for adding www. and .com
    • MyDocuments, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1but what about the other shortcuts? the one reason why i won't use opera over firefox is how easily navigable firefox can be with the keyboard.

      ctrl+l to get to the address bar and either
      a) ctrl+enter to complete .com
      b) shift+enter to complete .net
      c) ctrl+shift+enter to complete.org

      OR
      ctrl+k to get to the search bar and
      ctrl+up / ctrl+down to choose your search weapon of choice

      overall, i think opera probably is the better browser (i've used 9 as my primary for months at a time) but i really don't need the built-in mail, bittorrent, widgets. i'm the kind of firefox user that runs adblock+filterset.g and that's all.
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@MyDocuments:
      Ctrl + Enter is already implemented for www.com
      shift (+ctrl) + Enter can easily be added by customizing the keyboard shortcuts under advanced. As can ctrl + K and I'm not sure about ctrl +up/down but I assume they can easily be added.
    • aaronm67, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ctrl + l still gets you to the location bar
      rather then using the search bar, simply type the search into the location bar, for example, to search google "g digg" to search google for digg. this feature is similar to firefox's bookmark keywords. Once you get used to this, you'll love it.
      too add sites to your automatic searching, go to your opera directory and edit search.ini. i added wikipedia, dictionary.com, and a few others.
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You can automatically create searches by right clicking on a text box ;)
    • aaronm67, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2wow, very cool. I did not know that by simply right clicking in a search box you could create a search. Has it always been like that? or just in the opera 9 betas.
  • wonderbud, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19Ive been using opera 9 for a few months now, and yes Opera is the best piece of software out there.

    Its just great.

    Theres nothing else to say, it renders pages faster than firefox, or IE.

    Unlike firefox it really truly feels like it was designed with the user in mind. For instance: When you close a tab in firefox it goes to the tab that is farthest on the right. In opera when you close a tab, it goes the the most recently used tab.

    If you accidentally close a tab (believe me, it happens), in FireFox your screwed. In Opera you just press CTRL + ALT + Z and it pops back up just like you had never closed it.

    By the way, Mouse gestures are the SH*T.

    Give it a whirl
    • intrktevo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2i wish there was an option to choose which tab becomes active when you close the current tab.
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@intrktevo: In opera you can:
      Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Tabs > The top combobox
    • athenius22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ Wonderbox:

      About your feature list:

      1. Tab Mix Plus (http://tinyurl.com/r2lk6)
      2. See #1.
      3. Mouse Gestures (http://tinyurl.com/le7jf)
    • TheTankengine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I absolutely LOVE the mouse gestures.

      I used to use Opera 8 for a little while because I liked the features and I thought it was a very slick program. However, I kept switching back to ff because of ctrl+enter and a couple other shortcuts, plus the 3 or 4 extensions I used.

      I will definitely be switching back now! :)
    • TheTankengine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I forgot the voice (highlight + v) feature built into Opera. Amazing+
  • chad78, on 10/12/2007, -31/+7Opera sucks. I mean it's slick and fast and everything. But every time I see a browser problem it's either in IE or Opera. If Opera *really* wants to compete - it needs to learn to render web pages properly. Until then, it can rot.
    • sHARD>>, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21Opera 9 passes Acid 2. IE doesn't. Mozilla doesn't. Firefox doesn't. Opera is generally one of the most complaint browsers out there. Most of the time when I find broken pages it was because they were designed with workarounds for Firefox or IE. Actually try a browser and understand it before you bash it. Making an educated decision in polite society is *okay*.
    • joshc25, on 10/12/2007, -12/+2I'd have to agree with chad. Even though it does pas the acid 2 test, I've had quite a few problems with Opera displaying pages incorrectly that Firefox, Safari (which passed the acid 2 test first) and IE all display fine.
    • supert0ad, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5*sarcasm* and we all know that acid2 is the only test of code compatibility you need to worry about.*/sarcasm* coding for firefox is by far the easiest, with opera being a close second, and ie way off
      personally the only reason that i don't use opera is the nonstandard gui. firefox just feels lighter, even if it isn't.
    • takeda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Try this http://portal.opera.com/startup/customize/
      On the bottom of the page you have settings that will make Opera look&feel like IE/FF or Safari
    • m4v1s, on 10/12/2007, -0/+41. Opera does not suck, Firefox does not suck, IE does not suck, it is all a matter of preference.
      2. You want to talk about browser problems...
      IE: http://secunia.com/product/11/ 19/99 unpatched
      FF: http://secunia.com/product/4227/ 3/29 unpatched
      O: http://secunia.com/product/4932/ 0/13 unpatched

      3. See the bajillion other "Opera passes the ACID2 test" comments.
    • Devz0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4josh. almost every single website that isn't rendered correctly in Opera is entirely the web site's fault. either they specifically target opera and display incorrect things, or they use CSS incorrectly. Opera displays what it is given
  • Flinty, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15Gotta say Opera is simply the best. Everything in one application, IRC, Email, RSS, Download Manager and Even a Torrent client!
  • Rassa, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7I would move to Opera full time if they had extensions. Firefox is just too flexible right now. I need these functions now that I am use them.

    Adblock Plus (Opera's version is weak as best)
    NoScript (You could do this in opera but its not near as user friendly)
    External Application Buttons (Possible with a website but program icons have to be built into the opera skin)
    Customize Google (Probably possible with user.js but way too much work.)
    Bug Me Not (Love the right click feature of this, I am that lazy)
    Gmail Space (Might be possible with a widget, no idea though)
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I love Opera's content blocker.

      Right click -> select content to block -> click on done

      Whenever you go back to that page the content will be blocked.

      Please remember to use it wisely. Block only the annoying ads. Ads pay for the web pages that we visit. Without them, sites like digg couldn't be possible.
  • soft, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I've been using Opera 9 for a few months now, I like it a lot (less likely to suffer from the memory problems I have with Firefox 1.5) but as mentioned above, I don't like how things are already included (such as email) and there's nothing that rivals Firefox's extensions.

    Widgets are nice and should become more powerful over time and it's clear that they've redone the rendering engine. If they split it up like Mozilla did with Firefox I would make it a default browser, but for the moment it's just something I use in addition to Firefox.
  • A-Dog, on 10/12/2007, -21/+6Opera? Are you kidding. I've tasted the Opera kool-aid on many occasions with miserable results: Doesn't render pages correctly, doesn't work with my most used sites period, packs too much junk into the interface that takes an hour to eliminate so you can have a simple freakin browser to surf the web, not program a satellite. Firefox? Many people love it, and I've had that kool-aid too. Used it for almost two years. Finally I got fed up with the memory issues, and work-arounds for certain sites. Didn't go back to pure IE though, took the Maxthon alternative route. Sure, it might be an IE clone, but it also has the ability to run on the gecko engine, as well as have built-in features that you have to spend time downloading and installing on firefox...and then worry about compatibility in upgrading...no thanks.

    • unclejesse0, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5You've got a point. I am kond of sick how Opera doesn't have good AJAX support. So that makes Google calendar unusable for me which really sucks. But I'm too in love with Opera to switch to something else.
    • NoMoreNicksLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7When I started working on my site, I assumed that it could only ever be Firefox-only. SVG was the big thing that would hold stuff back, but I was afraid I'd have to do all sorts of crazy cross-browser javascript too. Opera 9 works, and the few bugs were due errors on my part that Firefox ignored.

      But then, you're an IE user, so why am I bothering? I'd show off some cool stuff that isn't even possible in IE, but you wouldn't even have a real browser with which to view it.
    • Tobey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"You've got a point. I am kond of sick how Opera doesn't have good AJAX support. So that makes Google calendar unusable for me which really sucks. But I'm too in love with Opera to switch to something else."

      Google calendar works great for me. What version are you running?
    • NoMoreNicksLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@Tobey

      More than just that, it works with identical syntax of what Firefox uses. No need to do any cross-browser fiddling.
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Kool aid refers to meaningless propaganda from the makers or sellers of a product.

      All of the praise that Opera gets is from satisfied customers.
  • blachole, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1I got to say, I tested this release and it is far faster then Firefox, but if I have to pay it's not worth it. Overall I have tested it and know where its flaws are. I guess I'll just wait for them to fix it and see if Mozilla can pull off a speed increase in there next release.
    • soft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10You don't have to pay for the desktop edition, it's only certain portable editions that they charge for. Like Firefox, they make money via Google's search for the desktop edition.

      One place where Opera is by far the best is Pocket PC, it's far better than the heavily cut-down Pocket IE and there's no other competition - and this version is also free.
    • pdeco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Opera is free.
  • inaxdaze, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I've tried Opera a couple of times, but I just couldn't get in to it. I like how I can keep my copy of Firefox clean (either by extensions or editing the style sheets) so I can only include things I use often. The main thing I noticed is that Opera can be rather confusing when you first set it up and configure the options - it was a little overbearing.

    I still have it installed, but I've been using Firefox for so long, it's hard to stop and get in to something else (especially since I can just pull my profile, through it on another computer, and continue browsing right away with all of my settings in tact [you might be able to do that with Opera, but I'm not sure]).

    Still, I'm sure other people enjoy it so more power to them. The more competition, the better.
  • Lexrst, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I've been using Opera since version 5 or 6 and have always loved it - primarily for the built-in popup blocker that has been a feature long before MS even thought about it (and before the Google Toolbar for IE).

    I've used the 9 beta for a while now and love the Digg widget (it's the only one I've enabled so far). Mouse gestures are fantastic and so is session saving upon exit. How I lived without tabbed browsing before is beyond me. I've also been running the IE 7 beta... it's crap compared to Opera.

    I only occasionally encounter rendering problems - and they're certainly not as bad as the numerous 'script errors' in IE.

  • cheez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14i'm still excited for opera for the ds
  • Buelldozer, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3I think I'm two weeks behind on weekly releases, but as of that date NTLM authentication STILL isn't working. I'm also seeing an increase in the number of websites that Opera doesn't render correctly. That may be AJAX related or it may not be, it's highly annoying regardless.

    There is a lot to like about Opera, but there are definetly some rough edges that need to be filed off.

    My overall favorite web browser right now is Konquerer. Fast, clean, correct rendering and extensible as you could wish. Unfortuneatly it only works in *nix, which is...inconvienent.
    • Buelldozer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I just downloaded and installed the V9 Beta and I'd like to update my previous comment about NTLM authentication. It IS now working in the Beta. Finally, I can logon to OWA at the office with it!
  • BenStockwell, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1I think I'll stick with Firefox. Maybe I'll consider Opera when it goes open source and GTK based.
    • NoMoreNicksLeft, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6So stick with it. Firefox is cool too... just don't start thinking that Opera isn't either. As for open source... the guys are trying to make a living, and unlike any company out of Redmond, their software is decent enough that they deserve that. Gtk? Well, Qt is ugly as sin, but so is Gtk... even after you've changed the theme back to Openstep.
    • Numfar28, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I like open source software as much as the next geek, but really, you should come up with a better reason for not even TRYING something different.
  • Dingo128, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11I starting using Opera about 5 months ago, I was growing tired of all the crap that IE could cause. Firefox was great, but it was missing some polish that I could not put my finger on. Then I got Opera, it was so sweet. It has the reliability I was looking for, it is way more safe than IE, and it to me has a more professional polish that Firefox can't match. Now, if it had the Ad block capabilities of Firefox I would be totally set.
    • Buelldozer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Dingo,

      Try the Opera 9 Beta. They've upgrade the adblock capability to the point that it's actually useful. Not as good as the adblock extension that FF has, but certainly useful.
  • nyenyec, on 10/12/2007, -12/+0I've tried to use Opera for a couple of months. It had all kinds of problems with the sites I use most, like gmail, my blog editor, etc. Some sites that I use fall back to a dumbed down version when I'm using Opera, which is quite annoying. You really notice how useful all those AJAXy goodies are when they are suddenly taken away from you.

    I kept going back and forth between Firefox and Opera for a few months, than stopped using Opera completely. The nail in the coffing was the lack of an _easy_ way to set up anything resembling AdBlock.
    • Numfar28, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Opera 9 - Right-click on page, Block Content..., click on ads, click done. Quite easy, really.

      Personally I'm quite impressed they made it that easy considering they're a commercial company and all...I'm pretty sure we'll never see IE go that far.
    • Rosco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Numfar28

      That is what has peaked my interest in this version. AdBlock is my make or break line for a browser now. Does this have the ability to import Filterset.G into it?
    • Numfar28, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Rosco

      Based on some quick googling, it seems the answer is no, unfortunately...but who knows, maybe by the final release they'll have it.
    • LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Some AJAX site give a dumbed down version to Opera because Opera 7.54 didn't used to support it and they assume it still won't work two versions later. Some sites have a way to bypass the browser check, like Google Calendar where you just hit the cancel button and it works fine. Others, you'll have to right click, Site Preferences.., Network, Mask as Mozilla. Then, it should work. It didn't work in GCal for me, so they must do some other funky stuff, but it works fine on other sites.
      The Web Openers and Ambassadors are working hard to get all those sites to stop blocking Opera. Hopefully once Opera 9 actually comes out, they'll stop blocking it.
  • GeneHACKman, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1I've grown very disappointed in Opera. Integrating my webmail into a sidebar is nice, but alot of dynamic pages do not work as well in Opera as they do in Firefox, Flock, or even (gasp!) Internet Explorer.
  • firefusion, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I'm a huge Firefox fanboy but I must admit this is a VERY impressive release. The speed of this browser is truley awesome, the features are excellent and the feel is polished. It still just isn't Gecko, even if it does support Acid2 test and FF doesn't I still prefer Gecko as a rendering engine.
  • BenStockwell, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1"I like open source software as much as the next geek, but really, you should come up with a better reason for not even TRYING something different."

    I've used Opera before. I'm not against trying a piece of software. Alot of Linux geeks, including myself like rolling our own packages. You can't compile a program that's closed source.
    • Numfar28, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Fair enough, a good point. I would think that Opera 9 has enough customization options for most people, though.
  • Jakub81, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I am former Mozilla user. I am former Internet Explorer user. I tried Firefox, Netscape, K-Meleon, Maxthon and a few other browsers. Some of the browsers are fine, some other not so. But Opera really stands out from the crowd. It's simply the best.
  • atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11In addition to being the best browser it has: e-mail, IRC, RSS feeds, bittorrent and now widgets.
    With all that already installed it still works faster than Firefox and the interface is snappier.

    Sorry but I need 20 extensions in Firefox to make it work as Opera and it still feels like a patched work.
    • howie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Declin, you already have that option. Opera is just a basic browser by default, and mail, RSS, etc. are hidden until you actually start using them. So your wish has already come true...
  • jcook793, on 10/12/2007, -17/+0no.
  • Portfolioso, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Anything is automatically better than IE. Opera is nice, fast and may use less memory than Firefox (and passes Acid2). However...

    I just prefer Firefox and all if the extensions. I'm more accustomed to it and will always use it
  • everbright, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Opera is not perfect. But I think it gets a nice middle point between firefox and IE. What I mean is that firefox is flexible and powerful with all the extensions. But if you are lazy as me, you don't want to go out and find extentions and install and have to restart the firefox every time. IE, on the other hand, is too feature-poor. Opera, out of package, has nice features yet can be configured to do more advanced things. I use Opera for daily browsing and Firefox for web development stuff (yes, Firefox is a nice web dev tool).

    BTW, you can put a button of "Open in IE" on your toolbar. This is handy if you find the webpages not working properly in Opera. Drag and drop it from:

    http://www.aimwell.org/Help/Buttons/buttons.html

    A lot of other cool buttons too ....
  • constantine11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Does Opera have another RSS reader (extension, plugin, etc.) than the mail program that it comes with?
    • pornel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3No, that's the one. It may seem odd to someone who used RSS in Firefox/Safari, but it has it's advantages.

      Items in RSS feeds are threated like mails/usenet posts, so you can mark them as read (press 'G'), you can filter them (have filter view that merges serveral feeds on certain subject).

      If you want some light RSS reader, you can add some web reader to Opera panel (just drag tab onto panel on left)
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Opera comes with an excellent RSS reader out of the box in addition to their mail client.

      It also has bit torrent, irc, notes an a million other features in a nice 4 MB package.

      I can't make a sandwich in 4 MB.
  • Anhaedra, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1Cool! More useless ***** to waste my RAM with!
    • awa64, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8As opposed to your precious Firefox, which has a LARGER memory footprint even BEFORE installing all the extentions required to bring it close to having the same functionality?
    • Anhaedra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My "precious" firefox? I use firefox, but that doesn't mean I like it. Memory leaks and crashes ahoy!
  • unrealed, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2All I want to know is : does Opera 9 support Google Calendar ?
  • SmartyMcGenius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Is there a portable version of Opera available?

    The last time I tried Opera, I didn't care much for it. Too much extra stuff + no adblock (except with some sort of kluge.) I'd try it again though. Especially now that I know I can customize it to have the same controls as FF.
    • Tommy2k4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Portable opera is currently only at version 8.54, hopefully 9.0 beta will be supported soon.
      www.opera-usb.com
    • SmartyMcGenius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thanks Tommy2k4!
  • atlvick_7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6This browser rock!!! I've been playing with it for the past 30 minutes or so and it's become my default browser over firefox. I love the new widgets idea and I love that there's a widget for digg.com! This is a must download!
  • Jammerdelray, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've used opera 9.0 technical preview to get away from having to update firefox extensions and themes....reinstall after a new version comes out etc. it's just not feasible....with opera you still have to update your themes.....you can use userscripts with opera tho the same ones you use in greasemonkey do not work with opera. It's just a heck of alot easier to use firefox.
  • undeuxtroiskid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+42 of the things you mentioned already exist in Opera. Right click on a webpage, select "Edit site preferences" --> Scripting --> uncheck "Enable JavaScript". Can be done in roughly 3 seconds. And the bug me not extension can be done through userjs, http://userjs.org/scripts/general/enhancements/bug-me-not
  • unrealed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Has anyone tried out Google Calendar on Opera 9 Beta? does it work?
    • LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah, as long as you click cancel when the dialog box pops up.
  • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4My favorite feature in Opera is the one that is never mentioned.

    You can turn off the layout an decoration of any web page. It makes unreadable or hideous sites accessible.
    • 15charmaxwtf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Is it like firefox's View>page style>no style ?
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Is it like firefox's View>page style>no style ?"

      It is like firefox's version, but taken to the next level. Not only can you turn off the style and layout but you can also use a couple of alternate ones. A couple of them provide a high contrast version for people with disabilities, and so on.

      In fact, opera is great for people with disabilities. It provides keyboard navigation, voice commands and narration. :-)

      I just use it to read the obligatory myspace of geocities page that has a black polka dot background with gray neon text.
  • exorcyze, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It's interesting to me the complaints about AJAX not working. I've done a bunch of Ajax stuff myself and opera contains all the capabilities of communicating to the server, getting the data, and replacing the HTML. In my opinion, what you're seeing is lazy developers discriminating against a browser - which I think most of the people here reading digg should be able to agree is asinine.

    Also, things like gmail, google calendar, etc work just fine for me.

    Regarding interface, give 9 a shot. Out of the box, Opera now has a very trim UI that I think is pleasant and minimal, with the ability to easily customize (skinning, adding / removing things, etc).

    There are also TONS of things you can do to achieve the same functionality as you have in Firefox extensions. Check out the links posted in the comments above. And things like Adblocking are extremely simple and built in.

    And I don't see the things like Mail, etc significantly affecting my memory footprint when I haven't set them up. And even when I have them enabled, the difference is negligible.

    You can also set it up to run off USB if you so desire.

    It seems to me that there are a lot of assumptions here based on either expectations or past experiences. Opera 9 is completely a new beast, and I think there are more than enough people here that would be surprised if you weren't even somewhat pleased with the browser.

    That said, I can understand that not everyone will like it. Sometimes it comes down to intangible things. That's fine, sometimes that happens. However, knocking down something else just because it's not what you're used to is a little ridiculous.
  • Metal_Guru, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Opera is starting to look better. But I still can't have it replace Firefox.
    I like how they removed the damn huge sidebar by default. I like sidebars but it's too bloody huge. I'm not blind. Can't we adjust the size of those icons (not all opera icons)? I find opera too hard to customize some things... to darn long to dig around among the menus. I never got rid of the sidebar in the previous versions so I gave up with Opera.

    Plus, too many sites are beginning to release extensions straight for Firefox, and so I have to stick with Firefox. Those MEM probs should be fixed soon.
    • Metal_Guru, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1In addition, I can't seem to get bookmarklets to work with Opera... that sucks. :(
    • exorcyze, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They work just fine for me - can you give more details on the problem?
    • Metal_Guru, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Maybe it's just Blinklist.com... but I can't get their bookrmarklet.
    • LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Right click the sidebar (it's called the panel) and click "customize". Go to the Toolbars tab and make sure it's still outlined in gold. Then, change the style to "Images Only". That should save a lot of space :)
      There are also tons of compact skins over at http://my.opera.com/
  • tensionrev, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Not that anyone will read this but IMHO:

    Opera > Maxthon > Firefox > Safari > IE
  • CanuckMakem, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1My browser kicks your browser's ass..... BLAH BLAH!!!

    btw - I use Flock.... :)
    • swanson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1After using flock, I think i could be made as a group of extensions and a theme, it just isn't that different from ff.
    • Izzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I still have to find the point for flock to exist, isn't is just FF with some themes and extensions builtin ?
  • rossbrown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Did anyone else notice it automatically imports your firefox bookmarks? Did previous versions do this? I can't remember. I really like it so far.
    It doesn't support Google Calendar yet.
    • swanson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3yes, opera 8.5 imported ff bookmarks.
    • LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3it supports Google Calendar, you just need to hit cancel when the prompt pops up... It's a little squished, but as far as I can see, everything works fine.
  • swanson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I used to switch between ff and opera but I just found myself constantly switching back to firefox because the hundreds of extensions, so I now just use ff, and the way that loads of websites don't work with opera (although mostly not the browsers fault) is really annoying. The only way I would use opera was if there were extensions that matched firefox's. I love operas interface and speed but need extensions and compatibility, firefox can feel quite bloated and slow but the positives outweigh the negatives.
  • chriswm, on 10/12/2007, -12/+1In answer to the headline's question of "will this be the client that gives Firefox and IE a bit of a run?", my guess is no. Opera is a browser used by a niche group, and the fact that you have to pay to use it is the greatest factor in preventing widespread adoption. The world thinks internet browsers should be free just like air is free, and those who pay for their browser are similar to those who pay for specialty flavored bottled air. Sure, there's a benefit to using Opera, but it's not a big enough benefit to compel everyone to use it.
    • reeeeeeese, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Except... you don't have to pay to use Opera anymore.
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