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Well, Wii will reportedly come with Opera, the web browser that pioneered mouse gestures.

Well, Wii will reportedly come with Opera, the web browser that pioneered mouse gestures.

But the 650 still has major problems. The browser sucks really badly.

Have you tried using Opera Mini? I've been using it on my Treo 600, and have been quite happy with it.

Actually, Lisandro might not have realized that the latest public beta of Opera 9 contains a built-in Content Blocker. I find it even easier to use than Fx's Adblock extension, and the latest weekly builds of Opera 9 have refined the feature even further.

See here for info and download links to the Opera 9 beta release: http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/04/20/

Actually, Lisandro might not have realized that the latest public beta of Opera 9 contains a built-in Content Blocker. I find it even easier to use than Fx's Adblock extension, and the latest weekly builds of Opera 9 have refined the feature even further.

See here for info and download links to the Opera 9 beta release: http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/04/20/

Or you could, you know, switch to FireFox or Opera. It's certainly not Google's fault that you continue to use a broken browser that allows all those things on your list to affect you.

It actually looks quite normal in the latest Opera Weekly Build.
Get it at http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/

Don't get me wrong, Firefox is my favorite browser, but Opera is pretty nice too. Looks like their Wii Opera will have a good amount of functionality (including AJAX, in many Web2.0 apps such as Gmail) according to their press release
Luckily, I don't think the Opera browser on the Wii will end up like WebTV (*barf*) turned out to be, since the motion sensitive controller could be used to emulate a mouse. The question is, will Opera release a keyboard for their browser, will Nintendo release an all-purpose keyboard for other games, or will it be an onscreen keyboard?

http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2003/02/14/

Hmmm. Scratch that.

* * * * * *

You'll pay to know what you really think!
--Bob

Huh? This is the same type of bull that makes me hate IE only websites. At least most IE-only problems can be attributed to stupidity instead of malice. If someone tried to deliberately hinder my access to their site because I use Firefox, I'd likely never visit the site again.

Just curious ... but would this be more palatable if the site were to advocate having your pages determine if IE were visiting your site, then use a special stylesheet that was crafted to make rendering look just slightly borked (on IE)? I know Microsoft tried this approach on their MSN sites ... making the site look slightly off if you used Opera7, so people assumed Opera7 had buggy rendering.

I'm not advocating that, but the subtle approach ("hey, this site does look so good in IE, I'll switch to Firefox") sometimes has different effects than a blatant "you are running IE, switch to Firefox" message.

No. IE doesn't override CSS. It cascades it. Better yet, use Opera, User CSS and Shift + G.

Here's a picture of Nokia's all-in-one product.

What are their UI people smoking? Or did they hire some Opera UI people?

Opera is the most customisable interface I've ever encountered, and not just browsers.

Fair play. I was referring more to the IE7 interface compared with the goofy default layout of Opera's UI. You're very correct in how customizable Opera's UI is - although it's often EXTREMELY obfuscated as to how to customize many things. Nevertheless, what you want to customize can almost always be done in Opera, though it'll take some requests for help in the forums.

Not so with IE7, as far as I can tell. I can add, remove, and rearrange stuff on the toolbar, but I can't move the toolbar into different locations, as I could with previous versions of IE.

I'm hoping this isn't the final UI form. If it is, then it's taken several large steps backwards in UI customizability from previous versions of IE.

It's not like it's a big deal to me, since even with all its nifty new features (well, new to IE), I'll still be using Firefox, but the ClearType issue fucking up font display is going to mess with the usability of some of the sites I've designed, which is really irritating.

As far as Opera, I'm eagerly awaiting the final release of 9. I'm hoping I can customize it enough to use it as my main email client, as I freaking hate Thunderbird (and Outlook and Outlook Express, and, and, and...) I'd like the Hugin and Munin scripts updated for version 9.

Also, Opera 9 Beta 1 is out today, which includes a generic content blocker. It has a nicer UI than FF's AdBlock, and does pretty much the same job.

Also, Opera 9 Beta 1 is out today, which includes a generic content blocker. It has a nicer UI than FF's AdBlock, and does pretty much the same job.

No. It won't be Japanese only.

From http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/02/15/

"Oslo, Norway - February 15, 2006: Opera Software today announced that it will deliver the World Wide Web to Nintendo DS users in Japan."

And From http://ds.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=3341

"Whether or not Nintendo Ltd. has decided to bring this add-on to the United States remains to be seen."

I've said the same thing:
but I expect tighter intgration, even in outlook

And Opera http://www.opera.com/ is even better. I'm being serious.

Is it called Opera?

Opera has built in voice recognition already, so could someone clairify the point of building this into a search engine?

"My Voice is My Passport, Verify Me..."

Adobe Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/
Sun Microsystems Java: http://www.java.com/en/
Azureus: http://azureus.sourceforge.net/
iTunes: http://www.apple.com/itunes
Winamp: http://www.winamp.com/
AudioScrobbler: http://www.last.fm/
Mozilla Suite: http://www.mozilla.org/
Opera: http://www.opera.com/
GIMP: http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/
GAIM: http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

I also suggest to get:
B's Recorder gold: http://www.bhacorp.com/products/gold8/index.html
Corel Painter IX: http://www.corel.com/
Powerquest.. sorry Norton Partition Magic: http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/s ystem_performance/pm80/index.html

I'd like to write a small descriptions for each software but I have busy now so this is just fast reply. :)

I second Microsoft Power Toys and add some more:

* AutoIt for simple automation tasks and creating small programs with graphical user interfaces

* Firefox, of course. Opera is also a good choice.

* Daemon Tools for mounting ISOs as virtual CD/DVD drives

* Trillian--AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSN, and Yahoo messenger client


* QuickTime Alternative

* RealPlayer Alternative

* IrfanView--small, free, fast image viewer



* SysInternals utilities--useful for admins

* Scanner--shows hard drive usage as stacked pie graph of files/folders

* 7-zip: similar to WinZip or WinRAR or StuffIt

* Foxit [PDF] Reader--a lite alternative to Adobe


Following ones aren't free but are very useful Windows-only programs:

* FinePrint--n up printing, universal print preview, etc.

* MaxiVisa--use a networked computer like a secondary display

* TextPad, though I opt for the open-source and FREE SciTE

These are the first programs I install on every Windows machine I get my hands on. They serve a very simple purpose: to take care of all the Windows quirks and negate the need for any maintenance whatsoever:

1) AVG Antivirus: This is amazing, lightweight and updates almost every day (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1);

2) CCleaner (Crap Cleaner): Removes all the "crap" that gets stored on Windows machines (unused and temp files) (http://www.ccleaner.com/)

3) Opera Browser: The best browser, IMHO. No need for for any any extensions, lightweight... it simply rocks. Oh, and mouse gestures with simplify you life! (http://opera.com/)

4) Foxit: Simple, no frills, lightweight pdf reader (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php)

5) Executive Software Diskeeper: Automatically and seamlesly defrags the hard drive and optimizes access time to most used files.

BTW, all of the above programs are free, except Diskeeper.

For me, thats basically it. I personally have no need for a software firewall, but if you do many recommend (Free) Black ICE (http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_dynamic.main ?SP=1&PN=10&sid=26412) or ZoneAlarm.

And before anyone asks, using Opera (rather than IE) I have NEVER had any Spyware problems, so no need for Ad-aware or Spybot S & D.

Using the above, you'll be alright and won't run into any mayor problems using Windows. Just make sure that you don't install any programs that contain spyware (Google for spyware before installing. If it does contain spyware I sure you'll find a suitable replacement that doesn't).

The article sure made a big to-do about how typosquatters target kids, implying that the Bad Guys want to get 11-year-olds to steal their parents' credit cards so that they can visit neopetsporn.com or something.

So, what, I'm supposed to install this on my PC instead of teaching my kids how to hit the "esc" key and then hit "back"? As a parent, I've always figured it was *my* job, not Bill's, to teach my kids to surf safely. Heck, I even gave the rest of my family detailed instructions on how to respond if they accidentally visited the porn squatter at the dot-com next door to my family's domain name.

Of course, I guess if you're using Internet Explorer, you probably need some sort of blocker for the sites that send you to Popup Hell or otherwise highjack your browser. Strange how I never have this problem myself (coughcoughcough).

No, with all due respect, you are very much mistaken. Javascript has had horrible security issues, which keep popping up (pun intended). Not quite as bad as MS Windows, but certainly a contender.

"Show me an attack vector that works with just javascript."

Ok, since you didn't qualify your statement, here are a few from a quick google search, since I'm lazy. Note the email-related ones. Study the issues around javascript (including its architecture) if you want more information.

http://www.anu.edu.au/mail-archives/link/link9704/ 0016.html
http://www.peacefire.org/security/hmattach/
http://esj.com/security/article.asp?EditorialsID=8 95
http://www.opera.com/support/search/supsearch.dml? index=781

"but for the adverage person, remote is better"

I've already mentioned that what most people do leaves them open. Most people don't understand security. And most people really don't care. Your original question was directed towards myself. Anyone calling themselves a security expert who blindly lives by depending on remote maintainence is one who is an easy target. Knowledgeable users know how to protect themselves. And the best actually do, since the loss of reputation capital is significant (see how Kevin Mitnick got taken down the last time).

Opera for the DS is based on Opera for Devices, not Opera Mini. Basically, it'll be a bit more fully-featured than Opera Mini, but still tailored for the small screen. Opera for Devices Page - With Opera DS Info.

From an Opera forum FAQ thread:

Q: Are PDF and Flash supported.
A: No

You'll buy a DS card and plug it in.

Yes, Safari is quite capable. However, the parent post was clearly talking not about the Mozilla browser, but about Mozilla evangelism .

This is the project in which people would report websites that blocked non-IE browers, relied on IE-only technology or quirks, or made poor assumptions as to what browsers were out there (like telling a Mozilla 1.4 user to "upgrade" to Netscape 6.0). Volunteers would then contact the webmasters and encourage them to use cross-browser techniques, fix their coding errors or browser detection scripts, or whatever was necessary to get the site to work in more browsers and on more platforms than just IE6 on Windows.

Opera has a similar program called Open the Web.

Groups like Mozilla's Tech Evangelism, Opera's Open the Web, and the Web Standards Project have done quite a bit over the last few years to reduce the number of high-profile websites that only work in Internet Explorer, laying the groundwork to make Safari, Opera, and Firefox into viable alternatives for the average user.

Even better, follow the link. It turns out that ALL the main browser people, MS, Mozilla, Opera and KDE got together and agreeded on colours and padlock information and layout for the address bars. It won't just be MS colouring the bar in IE7, everyone will, and in a common, standard way.

So if every browser is going to do it, in the same way, then how come only MS is being dismissed here?

Sigh, yet another case of the cure being worse than the disease. I happen to enjoy having some free memory to use for other applications. Running a web browser that has ambitions of being an application environment just doesn't appeal to me.

Of course, you could also use the one browser that's been innovating the field. Running Opera is like seeing the features that Mozilla will steal five years from now.

Although Firefox is a heck of a lot safer than IE, Opera currently has a better security standing.

(This correction would have been posted much sooner if Slashdot did not have an insanely long timeout on ac posts).

Although Forefox is a heck of a lot safer than IE, Opera currently has a better security standing.

Alternate patch link here

For those not paying attention there are now weekly builds of Opera 9 on the Opera Desktop Team Blog

Web browser security summary

(As of March 23, 2006) "Internet Explorer has had 47 advisories. 11 were marked as moderately critical, 8 were marked as highly critical, and 5 were marked as extremely critical. There are still 36 open advisories, including 10 that were marked as moderately critical, 2 that were marked as highly critical, and 1 that was marked as extremely critical.

Firefox has had 24 advisories. 8 were marked as moderately critical, 7 were marked as highly critical, and 0 were marked as extremely critical. There are still 2 open advisories, including 1 that was marked as moderately critical.

Opera has had 17 advisories. 10 were marked as moderately critical, 2 were marked as highly critical, and 0 were marked as extremely critical. All reported vulnerabilities have since been fixed."

Just one of the many reasons that I love Opera .

here.

IE user, your house is on fire. Run for the hills! Go! Go!

There's the Fangs extension for Firefox (which doesn't actually speak). IBM Homepage Reader has a free evaluation download. JAWS screen reader has a demo version (if I remember correctly it expires after half an hour of use, then you have to reboot to use it again). Safari can be used as an aural browser. EMACSpeak can be used as an aural browser (in conjunction with EMACS-W3), and was the first (to my knowledge) to support aural CSS. However, it's only really any good if you have a hardware speech synthesiser - its software support depends on an old, obsolete library that is hard or impossible to get hold of these days. Opera has an aural mode.

Actually, that list surprises me somewhat. A couple of years ago, it was just JAWS, IBM, and EMACSpeak if you could get it to work. The past couple of years have really improved matters.

It depends on why you are testing really. If you are doing it for legal reasons, you're probably okay testing in just the aural browser that's most convenient for you. But if you are doing it for a genuine attempt at compatibility, you'll need to test in JAWS, it's the most popular by far.

It's quite a pain to use demo versions when you are only trying to make your websites more compatible with them. The best thing to do if you can't justify buying them is to develop a website so that it works without images, Javascript or CSS, and then test in the aural browsers, writing down everything that doesn't work quite right. Then fix up what you need to, and keep your notes to hand the next time you develop a site (i.e. write a "style guide" for your code).

many problems that exist in Firefox and no other browser... There are major memory management and CPU hogging bugs the Mozilla developers have not been able to fix

My point is not that these problems are okay — they're not. If you find any of these serious problems in any browser, report it right away so the problem can be fixed. My point is just that there's no reason to keep harping on the fact that browser X has problem Y, and acting as if other browsers don't also have a few issues of their own with problem Y.

On my Windows Mobile 2003SE I use:

- CAB Installer: you can select where install programs
- GSPlayer: Simply audio player for Pocket PC
- Mozilla Minimo: web browser
- Opera for windows mobile: web browser
- TCPMP: media player
- Total Commander: file manager
- Vbar: task manager
- WiFiFoFum2: the best WiFi scanner and war driving software for Pocket PC
- PocketPuTTY: ssh access
- .NET VNC: VNC viewer

I will suggest also a daily visit :) to this great website: FreeCABs (Your Link to Free PPC Software which can be installed without a PC connection)

Opera 8.5: http://www.opera.com/download/

Opera 9 Technology Preview 2: http://labs.opera.com/
Weekly builds of Opera 9 TP2: http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/
Changelog for Opera 9 TP2: http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/w90p2.html

Opera 8.5: http://www.opera.com/download/

Opera 9 Technology Preview 2: http://labs.opera.com/
Weekly builds of Opera 9 TP2: http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/
Changelog for Opera 9 TP2: http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/w90p2.html

Opera 8.5: http://www.opera.com/download/

Opera 9 Technology Preview 2: http://labs.opera.com/
Weekly builds of Opera 9 TP2: http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/
Changelog for Opera 9 TP2: http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/w90p2.html

Opera 8.5: http://www.opera.com/download/

Opera 9 Technology Preview 2: http://labs.opera.com/
Weekly builds of Opera 9 TP2: http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/
Changelog for Opera 9 TP2: http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/w90p2.html

Pick up one of the weekly builds at http://my.opera.com/desktopteam ..

The Content Blocker is still definitely work in progress, but every build has had some very nice improvements to it all.

Here is a remembrance of Geir Ivarsøy from someone at Opera Software who knew him: Death in the Family

If you search Google for "why Opera" you'll find pages like this one, with a nice list of reasons for why you should consider Opera.

The best thing you can do is to simply download it and give it a fair go. If you surf around and read about Opera you'll discover lots of nice little touches that make browsing more convenient. Maybe you'll find that you love Opera. Maybe you won't. It's a slightly different approach than what Firefox is doing, but at least you won't have to rely on extensions for functionality. That can be both good and bad, I guess. (Opera seems to be a bit more efficient on the memory usage than Firefox, mind you.)

But Opera is actually also extensible in various ways, such as User JavaScript ("Greasemonkey"), and similar. There are lots of nifty things to discover, such as custom made toolbars.

Anyway, the Search Engine Journal editor asked Opera users to convince him to use Opera. He got quite a few useful replies. Maybe they will be of interest to you, too...

here is the url to goto and find info http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/ it supports almost every os and is a very small file size, if u like the features of firefox then opera might be right for u...

I would think -- based on my own experience and observations -- that number two on the list of things that is pushing people towards Firefox, after security, isn't tabbed browsing, but Adblock. FWIW, Opera 9, currently at "technical preview 2", also has a "content blocker" -- see here -- and though it's reportedly less powerful than Adblock, I for one am likely to find that Opera 9 will suit me better than Firefox does. (Yes yes I know that it's been possible to block content in Opera for ages, but it's never been very convenient.) The fact that it isn't Free gives me qualms, but only mild qualms.

Anyway, IE 7 may (may) turn out to be more secure than IE 6 (not difficult), but that's only one of the things that has been pushing people away from IE.

That and the fact that once you've had one security nightmare with IE, or one spate of never-ending-popups installing malware/adware, you never ever trust it again. IE 7 might possibly close the stable door (yeah, right), but the horse has already bolted ...

Neglecting Firefox's inability to pass Acid 2.0. this might be better for you.

nope. That's not true. The beta 8 would complain for anything less than 256 bit. When the final was released they pulled back to 40 and 56 bit keys which hadn't been sold for some time. They received such a backlash, they changed it for the release version of 8.

Here's an example of a cert that is up to spec but Opera claims that it's not: http://my.opera.com/Tired/homes/files/old_forum_im port/cap-001.png