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A Preview of Opera 9.5

jrowl writes "Opera 9.5 Alpha is scheduled to be released tomorrow, and CyberNet has a review of the browser's new features based on preview code. Some of the most prominent new options include a full history search, bookmark and Speed Dial syncing, and an 'Open with' menu option to pull up a website in another browser that's installed on your PC. 'This is one of those things that I had said Opera needs to work on the most. By this point, most Firefox users have grown accustomed to keeping their bookmarks synchronized with an online service. Now Opera users will have the same pleasure! All you need is a free My Opera account, and you'll be able to privately synchronize your bookmarks, Speed Dial sites, and Personal Bar with their server. You'll then be able to access that data whether you're at work, home, or anywhere! To setup synchronization just select the "Synchronize with My Opera" option from the File Menu.' There's also a video to go along with the text."

162 comments

  1. I want is a way to tell it which torrent program by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...to use when downloading a torrent. I prefer to use utorrent instead of the built-in Opera version, and I don't see any option to use an external program.

  2. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Richard Stallman, is that you?

  3. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by MrNemesis · · Score: 5, Informative

    tools > preferences > advanced > downloads > untick "hide files opened with opera", find "torrent", edit to your hearts content. Same for any other MIME type.

    --
    Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
  4. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    go to opera:config and there is an option to disable the intergrated torrent handling. when you click on torrents now your OS should give you the choice what program to use

  5. Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sync your bookmarks with an online service? Sounds rather privacy invasive to me...

    1. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by olehenning · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sync your bookmarks with an online service? Sounds rather privacy invasive to me... You don't have to do it if you don't want to.
    2. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Jee's, do you have to go and destroy this guy's paranoid fantasy?

    3. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by alex4u2nv · · Score: 0

      Don't like sharing the porn links? thats fine! I have my own pfft =)

    4. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's only "privacy invasive" when companies other than Apple are doing it.

    5. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Ash-Fox · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sync your bookmarks with an online service? Sounds rather privacy invasive to me...
      What I like about Google Browser Sync is that it will let you encrypt your personal data so Google can't even read it directly if they wanted to -- That said, they could in theory brute-force the password you provide for encrypting/decrypting the content. But this is better than what's being done in the majority of other services.
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    6. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But if you don't trust Google to keep your bookmarks secure, how can you trust their program to do a proper encryption? Maybe they have a backdoor there that will allow them to access your "encrypted" bookmarks. There is no such thing as trusting them somewhat.

    7. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      But if you don't trust Google to keep your bookmarks secure, how can you trust their program to do a proper encryption?
      I've looked at the source of the extension, and it looks like it's using AES encryption. AES is recognized as "proper encryption".
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    8. Re:Syncing bookmarks with an online service by renoX · · Score: 1

      >But if you don't trust Google to keep your bookmarks secure, how can you trust their program to do a proper encryption? Maybe they have a backdoor there that will allow them to access your "encrypted" bookmarks. There is no such thing as trusting them somewhat.

      That's not true: you're using OS XXX, but you know that this OS has flaws so you patch it.

      Without encryption, to send sensitive data to a provider, you must bet that he is able to keep his servers secure for outside and inside threats forever, with encryption you only need to bet that he is able to do proper encryption, a much safer bet.

  6. Re:Who cares? by ukatoton · · Score: 1

    I think not, He'd be asking for GPL

  7. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by olehenning · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you want to further edit torrent functionality, take a look at opera:config.

  8. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't care about the source, as long as it runs on my Banana Phone(TM)!

  9. Re:Who cares? by Renegade88 · · Score: 1

    The scary thing is that I think you're serious.

  10. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by lolocaust · · Score: 4, Informative

    Tools > Preferences, click the Advanced tab, uncheck "hide file types opened with opera", search the list for "applicaion/x-bittorrent", click edit and select "open with default application".

    They really should make it much easier to change this, the opera client is horrible for those of us who are already familiar with other clients. It was probably designed for those people who don't really know what to do with a .torrent file.

    --
    Why does my post history abruptly stop? I want to laugh at the stupid things I posted as a kid.
  11. Firefox bookmark sync??? by MMC+Monster · · Score: 2, Informative

    To the best of my knowledge, Firefox does not have automatic syncing of bookmarks with a central server. There are definitely add-ons that allow it (such as foxmarks and the google toolbar (I think)). From this point of view, I think Opera has one up on Firefox by including it in the default installation (unless you don't believe in adding features to a browser that not everyone will use, of course).

    Please note: I am not an Opera user. I use Firefox (with foxmarks).

    --
    Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    1. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Lawrence_Bird · · Score: 1

      will the opera sync allow you to do so on your own private server?   I've a plugin for firefox to allow for that.
      Trust no one

    2. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      Did you type that on a typewriter and sent your message via a courier to Slashdot? :-)

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    3. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "From this point of view, I think Opera has one up on Firefox by including it in the default installation (unless you don't believe in adding features to a browser that not everyone will use, of course)." - by MMC Monster (602931) on Monday September 03, @09:52AM (#20451347) Totally, 110% agreed... Opera truly is, "the superior warrior", as far as webbrowsers go, by ALL means!

      (& the best part is, Opera has ALL of the features a body can need, WITHOUT using addons (though it has that via Opera widgets), & is LIGHTER ON MEMORY than FireFox &/or IE typically!)

      You can check memory residency yourselves by loading FF, & Opera (& IE for Windows users) & test memory size occupancy via taskmgr.exe (or similar tools like Process Explorer) yourselves & see what I mean...

      Opera's also faster than other browsers (best overall test I know of for that is here):

      BROWSER SPEED COMPARISONS ON MANY TASKS & MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEM PLATFORMS:

      http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html

      Opera also passed the "ACID2" test, for standards compliance... & iirc, before ANY other did... but, don't quote me on THAT account (before any other browser, because it may NOT have done it first, but the point is, that it did... be nice to know if it WAS first to do so, though, so thanks for ANY "FYI" on that account):

      http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/03/12/1416222.shtml

      And, Opera had features other browsers (major 3) copied from it:

      FIREFOX MYTHS:

      http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/FirefoxMyt hs.html [comcast.net]

      (AND, yes folks: Opera had tabbed browsing before IE, or FireFox/Mozilla AND YES, it can be extended with addons, if you look up "Opera Widgets")...

      PLUS, Opera 9.23.8808 final build IS FREE + FULLY FEATURE LADEN, more than any other browser imo, without addons thrown in (as is, outta the box/stock oem model)

      APK

      P.S.=> Opera also shows LESS security vulnerabilities than the other 2 of the "big 3" & their most current builds/models/versions:

      Opera security advisories @ SECUNIA (0% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/10615/?task=advisories

      FireFox security advisories @ SECUNIA (43% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12434/

      IE 7 security advisories @ SECUNIA (56% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12366/

      apk
    4. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by lekikui · · Score: 1

      How well does Opera handle 60 tabs open simultaneously? w3m does that no problem.

      Furthermore, I seem to recall webkit being the first browser to pass Acid2, but don't quote me on that.

      Finally, of course, Opera is non-free.

      --
      "Lisp ... made me aware that software could be close to executable mathematics." - L. Peter Deutsch
    5. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Vacuous · · Score: 1

      Safari, and I _THINK_ Konqeror passed acid2 before opera did.

    6. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The article's writer said he could open 100 tabs.

    7. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I keep around 30++ tabs open on a daily basis, quite well... if that's any indicator!

      "Finally, of course, Opera is non-free." - by lekikui (1000144) on Monday September 03, @01:18PM (#20453127) Correction: Opera IS free, & has been for quite some time now...

      (& Opera's the fastest performing typically, & has some of the least in memory consumption, AND YET, Opera is FULLY FEATURE LOADED (& yet weighs less in RAM than "strippy" browsers like IE &/or FireFox) without addons (though it has these as well in widgets))

      Opera is an innovator on features (like tabbed browsing, which it had before the other 2 major players in IE/FF) compared to FF &/or IE as well...

      Plus, & imo, most important, if you saw my last post @ its termination in my "p.s." section?

      Opera has NO SECURITY FAULTS REMAINING UNPATCHED...

      (IE & FF are what?? 43% & 56% unpatched in those areas (security related vulnerabilities))

      And guys... & in today's online world???

      Security IS important.

      APK

      P.S.=> You're a "wee bit behind the times" on Opera not being free...

      & as far as the ACID2 test?

      I am not sure myself which browser passed that test first (which I stated), but Opera was up there in the ranks, but I am not sure enough (as I stated in my last post reply here in this thread) to say "IT WAS #1"...

      Again, it's up there, & the important part is, that it has... apk
    8. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by sircrown · · Score: 1

      I often have over 100 tabs open in Opera at any given time. Mostly due to laziness but that's neither here nor there.

    9. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those might be the ones that "held me back" from stating Opera passed the "ACID2 TEST", first (per my "disclaimer" above in the post parent to yours)...

      I would like to see some documentation on Safari & Konqueror passing the Acid2 test first though... & to know which of them, passed it before the other, like Opera has passed it.

      (Don't get me wrong: This is NOT "personal" in my doubting you in my demanding backing documentation to substantiate your claim (see, I have been the "victim" of 'anecdotal internet legends/rumors/urban myths' online before, having been misinformed, without backing proof substantiating claims I have read from others, even those I trust for being highly skilled/knowledgeable, because they too, got misinformed! Hey - it happens!))

      So, thus, I like to see accompanying documentations (which is why I use them myself in posts like this one)...

      Thanks for the info. though, if you do not find time to post that proof/documentation from a reputable source though... that can be time consuming, & on your part, it is the thought that counts, above all else.

      APK

    10. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Sancho · · Score: 1

      The only plugin I saw that allowed that required that it be an FTP server. I'd just as soon be able to encrypt my login credentials, thankyouverymuch. Maybe it's changed since then.

      Anyway, you're trusting Opera, already. You're trusting them with your web browsing, and with your login details (for sites where you log in) and with your CC information (when you buy something online through Opera.) I don't see what the issue is.

    11. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by rh0 · · Score: 1
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid2


      Here's the chronological order in which browsers (and authoring tools) passed Acid2 (I'm only counting public releases, not nightly builds):

      1. Safari
      2. Konqueror (except for scrollbars, lol)
      3. Prince
      4. Shiira
      5. Konqueror (with scrollbars)
      6. Opera
      7. iCab
      Firefox's Acid2 compliant branch has been merged into the trunk. Firefox 3 will likely be Acid2 compliant.

      --
      "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." -- Mahatma Gandhi
    12. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Arterion · · Score: 1

      A courier new, even.

      --
      "That which does not kill us makes us stranger." -Trevor Goodchild
    13. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Totally, 110% agreed... Opera truly is, "the superior warrior", as far as webbrowsers go, by ALL means!

      OK. I'll see your opinion and I'll raise you one opinion. Firefox truly is "the superior warrior" as far as web browsers go, by all means.

      (& the best part is, Opera has ALL of the features a body can need, WITHOUT using addons (though it has that via Opera widgets)

      I can say the same of Firefox. It has all the features a body can need, read everything I need, without using extensions.

      & is LIGHTER ON MEMORY than FireFox &/or IE typically!)

      You can check memory residency yourselves by loading FF, & Opera (& IE for Windows users) & test memory size occupancy via taskmgr.exe (or similar tools like Process Explorer) yourselves & see what I mean...

      Your mileage may vary.

      Firefox here has 63,332K been open all day, currently have 5 tabs open, been open and used all day. Just opened Opera and quickly browsed my frequently used websites all in a single tab, 58,720K. Can't say I see a difference with this very informal test nor can I say that I've ever had a memory consumption problem with Firefox.

      A couple weekends ago I decided to catch up on what's what and who's who on Stargate using Wikipedia. While reading I opened most linked articles in new tabs to be perused after reading and closing the current tab. I eventually had literally hundreds of tabs open with no apparent slow down (2.4 GHz P4 500M memory).

      Opera's also faster than other browsers (best overall test I know of for that is here):

      BROWSER SPEED COMPARISONS ON MANY TASKS & MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEM PLATFORMS:

      http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html

      Again, your mileage may very. I experience a perceptible delay for initial page loading in Opera despite setting a lower First Update Delay setting in opera:config. In my experience, Opera also lags behind in the last remaining images to be loaded on a page. It also annoys me to no end when I open new tabs via links in Opera, if the page does not start loading immediately the tab and URL is blank. If the page is slow to load and you switch to the tab you see nothing. Its nice to know what it is that you are waiting for. If you open a link in the same page and it does not immediately start loading the page there is almost no visual feedback that any action has been taken. As far as you know, you never clicked on the link.

      Opera also passed the "ACID2" test, for standards compliance...

      Whoa , stop right there. Acid does not guarantee conformance with any specification as not all web standards are tested. It does not gauge the actual level of standards compliance, only that the browser developers focused on at least this small part of compliance. It only tests those things that the creators "feel" will be important to web developers (i.e. their opinion of what's important).

      As a side note, it was first Safari then Konqueror that passed both non-official builds and officially released builds before Opera even passed in a weekly build (not an official release). Why bother stating it was the first if you can't even take the few second required to check your facts?

      And, Opera had features other browsers (major 3) copied from it: ...
      (AND, yes folks: Opera had tabbed browsing before IE, or FireFox/Mozilla AND YES, it can be extended with addons, if you look up "Opera Widgets")...

      I could not care less when each of these browsers gained tabbed browsing. We are living in the here and now. It is now that this feature is in the spotlight and desired by users. Now that all major browsers sport this feature it is no longer a defining feature.

      PLUS, Opera 9.23.8808 final build IS FREE + FULLY FEATURE LADEN, more than any other browser imo, without addons thrown in (as is,

    14. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by JPriest · · Score: 1

      I use multiple browsers here. I didn't like the free version of Opera (6?) that was around in the Firefox ~0.8 days, but I have to say the current version of Opera is a much needed improvement and definitely worth another look.

      --
      Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
    15. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by superiority · · Score: 1

      "Finally, of course, Opera is non-free." - by lekikui (1000144) on Monday September 03, @01:18PM (#20453127)
      Correction: Opera IS free, & has been for quite some time now...
      I think he meant that it is not free. As in speech.
    16. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looks solid enough, & thanks for the info. (as to the order of browsers that passed the ACID2 compliance tests).

      APK

    17. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What good is free open source code to those that don't write or understand programming languages?

      (I.E.-> I wonder how many people here, or really elsewhere, actually can do that, & make use of it, in other words... I say that, because after all - The majority of computer users aren't coders & it takes time to digest + understand what's going on in others' code to begin with even for an experienced programmer/software engineer!)

      Also, most browsers are created in C/C++ (& those 2 aren't the "most readable" languages there is, @ least imo & I've been writing code professionally for over 14 years now, & years before that in academia/on my own (there are far more "human-ready" languages than C/C++ are, such as BASIC (VB is a good one here) dialects, & even PASCAL derivants (Delphi/Kylix is a good one here), as far as commonly used computer languages on the PC today)).

      QUESTION: Is firefox's code "open/free"??

      APK

      P.S.=> OpenSource code has 1 drawback, because it can be a "double-edged sword":

      Open Sourced code is far more easily studied for exploits!

      (However it can conversely help fixes happen faster, admittedly, too, & here is why)

      Closed-source code has to be trace debugged (disassembled really in this case) to get @ it, & generally, that means Assembly language "dumps" are given to you from most "debuggers" (disassembly tools), & that's even more difficult to use than C/C++ are, & thus, more difficult to study for hijack, & C/C++ are the actual language(s) most webbrowsers are written in & I personally have always found ASM worse to work in than even C/C++... apk

    18. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by MMC+Monster · · Score: 1

      Any reason to have 100 tabs open? Well, besides p0rn?

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    19. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "OK. I'll see your opinion and I'll raise you one opinion. Firefox truly is "the superior warrior" as far as web browsers go, by all means." - by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03, @08:10PM (#20457817) It's no mere opinion, again - see these url's:

      Opera security advisories @ SECUNIA (0% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/10615/?task=advisories

      FireFox security advisories @ SECUNIA (43% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12434/

      IE 7 security advisories @ SECUNIA (56% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12366/

      "I find it hard to believe that Opera has existed for so long with such few vulnerabilities unless it is because nobody is realy paying it attention." - by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03, @08:10PM (#20457817) Funny - isn't SECUNIA often cited here as a site that deals in security related matters & cited here @ /., must mean SOME respect as to their findings... again, see those above.

      "All I know is that my usage Firefox truly is "the superior warrior" as far as web browsers go, by all means." - by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03, @08:10PM (#20457817) Well, SECUNIA data shows otherwise... "Read 'em, & weep!".

      APK

      P.S.=>

      "Why bother stating it was the first if you can't even take the few second required to check your facts?" - by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03, @08:10PM (#20457817) Can you not read? I said it MIGHT have been the first, but that I was not sure... but, I also stated the important part here was THAT IT DID PASS ACID2 TESTING, & this is all.

      apk
    20. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by lekikui · · Score: 1

      Okay, so I was wrong on the tabs thing. Ah well.

      As other people have mentioned, I didn't mean free as in price.

      Finally, at someone a little higher up the tree. Open source code means that if there's a bug, people can patch it and get rid of the problem. The _only_ people who can do this for Opera are the developers. So if there is a bug, and nobody obviously finds it, it stays there. How many security bugs are /still/ being found in Windows XP after all these years?

      Firefox (or Iceweasel in this case) might have more outstanding problems (most of which are probably very minor issues), but, and most importantly, any major bugs can be spotted and fixed by the community as fast as they make their way into the code base. To look at it another way, many of the security issues in Firefox have likely never been exploited, but are only known because people can read the source and find these problems. Can you say that you know where the problems in Opera are? No, because you (or other coders) can't check the source to find potential problems before they become an issue. The only way to find your bugs in Opera is by working out a way of exploiting them, which a potential buffer overflow (for example) in Firefox could be found by noticing something not being checked in the source. If it was a chicken coop, the Open model is fixing or marking potential problems, the Closed model is fixing them once a fox has been shown to be able to get in, which can be too late.

      Make sense?

      --
      "Lisp ... made me aware that software could be close to executable mathematics." - L. Peter Deutsch
    21. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Firefox is "Free" rather than free (look it up if you don't know the difference) as well as feature complete out of the box. Others are free to add extensions if they wish, however, they are unnecessary for a complete browser experience in my opinion." - by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03, @08:10PM (#20457817) As to that statement above? Well, I'm only going to point you here:

      http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=286721&thresho ld=-1&commentsort=0&mode=thread&pid=20461435#20463 605

      That's from myself, speaking as a professional developer.

      E.G.-> I've been writing code professionally all the way from shareware/freeware (featured in many magazines, books, newspapers, Microsoft TechEd 2000/2002, commercial applications (portions thereof & being sold today by Microsoft Certified Partners) & more for wares I wrote over the last 15 years in this field, for that portion - if you would like a list of that, I can provide it for you, quickly), & up to "enterprise class" level information systems that run "110% bulletproof & bugfree" for companies without alterations (major ones, not adding reports etc.) after they passed muster & went into production (years ago no less on most, almost a decade now).

      Additionally? I have helped FireFox's team find & fix bugs before, & you can write them on that, OR philipp @ NTCompatible.com, as regards problems FF had with NTCompatible.com's "homegrown" forums board engine - I will give them 1 thing: They showed up & spoke to us all there DIRECTLY, & fixed what I spotted in less than 2 days time... pretty cool!)

      ----

      This data on unpatched vulnerabilities I used? Hey - It's no mere opinion, again - see these url's from a respected site online as regards security:

      Opera security advisories @ SECUNIA (0% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/10615/?task=advisories

      FireFox security advisories @ SECUNIA (43% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12434/

      IE 7 security advisories @ SECUNIA (56% unpatched):

      http://secunia.com/product/12366/

      ----

      That is all (what is in the URL above, as to YOUR definition of "free", & it's downsides, as far as security is concerned) in regards to your "play on words" (because, that's ALL that is, & free to myself means NO COST in actual monies to use it, pretty simple)...

      APK

      P.S.=> & yes, some of the data I put up above was also to 'back up my status' as an experienced professional developer in this field as well (since you demand that type of thing & accused me of not reading something, when you blatantly tried to put words into my mouth I never said (regarding passing ACID2 for Opera)... apk
    22. Re:Firefox bookmark sync??? by 666999 · · Score: 1

      In my general browsing and reading, I can easily end up with that many tabs open, usually in a total of about 10-15 windows. It's mostly responses to comments I haven't read yet, blog posts or links to sites I want to check out, or full discussion threads that I want to bookmark for later perusal.

      Safari 3 handles it fine, crashes once every month or two.

      Firefox 2 gets much too slow after the first 20 tabs and 5 windows and has to be closed before the whole system starts to feel sluggish.

      Opera 9 performs pretty more or less as well as Safari.

      Camino does a pretty good job, but also gets slow after opening about 50 tabs.

  12. No Source No Sale by ajs318 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Does this one come with the Source Code?

    Fair enough, I'll stick with Konqueror, then.

    --
    Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
    1. Re:No Source No Sale by Renegade88 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      I would be shocked if you could prove that you have ever modified the source of Konquerer, much less contributed to the code base. More likely you are just another guy screaming the have the source code without the ability to personally do anything with it. I know, you never actually do scan code of open source products, but you could if you wanted too.

    2. Re:No Source No Sale by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah but if civilisation falls to the machines and he's sat in nuked out wasteland googling for ways to bring those metal bastards down at least he knows his web browser is working for him and not for the damn robots.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    3. Re:No Source No Sale by ben+there... · · Score: 1

      It's kind of like preferring Wikipedia to that 2 year old Encyclopedia Brittanica on the shelf. There are valid reasons to prefer Wikipedia even if you never edit it.

      That said, I like Opera. It doesn't feel right for my default browser, but it is good. They've made a couple of small improvements that I've suggested on their blogs. I hope the small Norwegian company continues to do well, with phone browsers and all their other products.

    4. Re:No Source No Sale by Twisted64 · · Score: 1

      Is this source code delicious? Because otherwise there's no reason for the average user to request it.

      --
      Consciousness is a myth. Trust me.
  13. Opera vs. firefox by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With the open/closed source thing set aside, Opera is superior to firefox by a large margin especially in security areas.

    1. Re:Opera vs. firefox by rprins · · Score: 1

      Opera is such a solid piece of work, I use nothing else nowadays. Although my main reason for this is that Opera has automatic tiling; all my tabs appear next to each other. Also resizing webpages works flawlessly, text and images are always enlarged properly. Both are mighty handy when you surf on a 30" screen.

  14. Re:Who cares? by ajs318 · · Score: 1

    I agree.

    You're not going to get very far being anonymous, though. Create a proper login and use it.

    Meanwhile, we have to get writing to our elected representatives stressing the importance of Source Code Access and how it benefits everyone ..... and we have to make it look like a proper movement. And we have to convince ordinary people of why it's important. "Eat this nice cake, but don't ask what ingredients are in it because that's none of your business!"

    --
    Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
  15. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nah. There are about 10 people out there that use it that care, so it doesn't matter how greedy they are. They must take in like $100 a year in revenue.

  16. Re:Who cares? by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 1

    No, no. That's just Theo de Raadt. All the zealots look the same anyway,

  17. Re:Who cares? by heinousjay · · Score: 1

    You're going to need a better metaphor. For instance, I've cooked tremendous amounts of food for large numbers of people, and most never cared how it was made.

    Even throwing out the personal anecdote, there are a lot of "secret" recipes out there in various bakeries and restaurants, and even most food sold in stores gets vague with the ingredient list when it comes to flavoring.

    Of course, in my opinion, source code access isn't all that important. It's nice when it's there, but I don't get my panties in a bunch when it isn't. And I'm one of the tiny minority of people worldwide who could understand it.

    --
    Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
  18. Better synchronization required. by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

    There have been bookmark synchronization extensions for Opera already...

    The synchronization still doesn't compare to Google browser sync.

    Until I have a browser that's multiplatform, allows online synchronization of passwords, cookies and bookmarks (no manual FTPing files about, file shares -- don't work too well since I may have more than one computer's browser open), ability to import Firefox's passwords, cookies, bookmarks -- there is no alternative to Firefox for me.

    I suppose at the very worst I could go through my passwords and enter them manually in Opera, but I have so many.

    --
    Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    1. Re:Better synchronization required. by TychoCelchuuu · · Score: 1

      Doesn't it worry you to have all your passwords and stuff being synced for you by a third party? Couldn't they look at them if they really wanted to?

      --
      Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.
    2. Re:Better synchronization required. by Ash-Fox · · Score: 0

      Doesn't it worry you to have all your passwords and stuff being synced for you by a third party? Couldn't they look at them if they really wanted to?
      Google browser sync encrypts the data. See Google Browser Sync FAQ.
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    3. Re:Better synchronization required. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, not really. Google already owns my life, a password or two won't matter.

  19. Re:Who cares? by r_jensen11 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How are they greedy if they don't charge for their desktop browser, especially if that's the only browser of theirs that you use? If somebody is trying to integrate their program in with their system and make a profit off of it (e.g. Wii), then it makes sense to me that Opera should get a small profit. They don't have to, but I seriously question how doing so is Evil(TM)

  20. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Forcing everything to be open source wouldn't be a good thing.
    Think of projects like Folding@Home.
    If they'd release the source some idiot could change the source in a way that fake results (or something like that) get sent back to the server. If enough people would do that the whole project would get messed up.

  21. Can't wait by Mark+Gillespie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Been eagerly awaiting Kestrel for months now. I already think Opera is miles ahead of any other browser around, these latest changes put it further ahead.

    I tried Firefox for a while, but it was extremenly frustrating, security vunrabilities what seemed like every few days, and more bloat and memory useage that I wanted.

    I tried Opera, and after an initial learning period, came to love it. The fact I can use Opera on my destkop, my mobile, my PS3, my Wii is a bonus. The fact I will soon be able to have synced bookmarks between all of these devices is awesome.

    1. Re:Can't wait by drdanny_orig · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I've been an Opera user for years (since 3.6* at least) and finally, with the 9.2 releases, think I'm ready to make it my default browser. There are still a couple of Firefox extensions that I wish would make it to Opera (like Flashblock and ForecastFox) but I still find myself using it 50+% of the time, mostly because of the speeddial feature.

      --
      .nosig
    2. Re:Can't wait by DeepZenPill · · Score: 1

      I was a longtime Opera user before Firefox 1.5 and then I made the switch to FF. Opera has come ahead in leaps and bounds since and I use it occasionally, but the absolute only feature that is keeping me from going back to Opera is the lack of ad-blocking functionality.

      I deal with all of Firefox's glitches and occasional memory leaks just because it lets me block out ads, and when I use Opera it's a jarring reminder everytime that the internet is so damn full of ads.

    3. Re:Can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right click site > Block content > click on ads to block > done

    4. Re:Can't wait by Sancho · · Score: 1
    5. Re:Can't wait by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      Opera does ship with content blockers - right-click somewhere on a web page and hit the "block content" option. Click on the banner ads, edit them to block your own wildcards. Before that you could add a filter.ini file definition to your opera6rc.ini but that was a bit of a PITA to use.

      They can't ship by default with an ad blocker else I imagine they'd get reamed by online ad companies for "stealing" or some such cobblers.

      --
      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    6. Re:Can't wait by fbjon · · Score: 1

      No no, Flash animations can be blocked like any other images: right click->block content -> click on offending page elements.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    7. Re:Can't wait by drdanny_orig · · Score: 1

      No, no, no. I know about Opera's Block Content, and how to wildcard the urls, etc. The FlashBlock extension for FF replaces hte animations with a button that allows me to decide if and when to play it; and it happens automagically, not just after I've blocked specific content.

      --
      .nosig
  22. Why? So we can be as trackable here as yourself?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "You're not going to get very far being anonymous, though. Create a proper login and use it." - by ajs318 (655362) on Monday September 03, @10:02AM (#20451433) Per my subject line: It's not "good security" in & of itself, imo @ least, to have an account that is registered here on this website, for the very reasons I note above...

    And, as far as being "A/C's" here, per my subject line above?

    Well... how's this (for a viewpoint)??

    "You will dress only in attire specially sanctioned by M.I.B. special services. You'll conform to the identity we give you. Eat where we tell you. Live where we tell you. From now on, you'll have no identifying marks of any kind. You will not stand out in any way. Your entire image is crafted to leave no lasting memory with anyone you encounter. You are a rumor, recognizable only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly. You don't exist. You were never even born. Anonymity is your name, silence is your native tongue. You are no longer part of the system. You are above the system, over it, beyond it. We're "them." We're "they." We are the Men in Black." - Zed, to Agent J & Agent K

    APK
  23. Re:Please fix bugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kestrel (9.5) should fix a lot of problems with Google services.

  24. Synchronize both Opera and Firefox by F�an�ro · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What i would like to see is a way to synchronize both Opera and Firefox Bookmarks with each other seamlessly.

    All solutions I have seen so far seemed to result in either overwritten or duplicated bookmarks.
    Synchronizing passwords would be nice too.

    This forced me to choose one browser for almost all my surfing, which ended up being opera, but I figure others may choose differently, so this would benefit Opera too.

    1. Re:Synchronize both Opera and Firefox by ben+there... · · Score: 1

      I don't know if it would work for you, but you could try using Google's Bookmarks.

      With Firefox and Google Toolbar, you've got the star button.
      And in Opera, though a toolbar might be better, it looks like you can use a javascript bookmarklet. Only problem is quickly accessing them again in Opera.

    2. Re:Synchronize both Opera and Firefox by imemyself · · Score: 1

      I sometimes use a little program called BookmarkBridge(http://bookmarkbridge.sourceforge.n et/index.html). By itself it can only sync between browsers on one computer. I find it pretty useful (because I use IE, FF, and Opera on my laptop), but YMMV. It can sync between Opera, FF, IE, and I *think* that I read that it works with Konqueror. That could be my imagination though. It can run on Linux and Windows.

      I use it on my Windows laptop. It has a GUI, but it can also be run from the command line. I have a scheduled task that sync's the bookmarks every half and hour or something. BookmarkBridge stores the bookmarks as an XML file. I also have my scheduled task copy the XML file to my web server, so I can access it through the web (via an XSL stylesheet).

      It's not a perfect solution, but it works well enough for me and I would much rather use it than have my bookmarks controlled by Google, or del.icio.us. Since BookmarkBridge is OSS, it probably wouldn't be too hard for someone to make it natively support storing its XML file on an FTP server or something.

      --
      Every time you post an article on Slashdot, I kill a server. Think of the servers!
  25. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Theo de Raadt is that you?

    There, fixed the GP post...

  26. All well and good... by MrNemesis · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...although there's a few features that haven't been mentioned here but were part of the developer announcement, including:

    Faster tab switching in UNIX (this is one of my biggest irritations about opera at the moment - tab switchng under windows is nearly instantaneous, under X there's a perceptible delay)
    QT4 builds
    64bit builds

    I imagine alot of this comes from the new rendering engine which is probably 64bit clean. It would have been nice to be able to configure bookmark syncing to use something other than an external web host (it's blocked for me at work), for example using FTP or WebDAV, or even just an external shared folder.

    Opera still doesn't work well with my company's filters, all of which require NTLM auth. Opera still doesn't seem to manage this successfully and asks for for a password every time I open a page, unless I pass through a local NTM proxy (NTLMAPS).

    That said, it's still my favourite browser under Linux and Windows.

    --
    Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    1. Re:All well and good... by QCompson · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Faster tab switching in UNIX (this is one of my biggest irritations about opera at the moment - tab switchng under windows is nearly instantaneous, under X there's a perceptible delay)

      I experience the same tab-switching slowdown from windows to linux on firefox. Might this be a wider issue with X?

    2. Re:All well and good... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They probably won't go QT4 unless they also go GPL/MPL/dual-license. Opera pays something like 1700$+ per copy of QT. =/

    3. Re:All well and good... by muszek · · Score: 1

      I've used Opera since 3.something (when it required some 3rd party patch to display Polish characters properly) and I've always loved it. Until half a year ago or so when it suddenly started to work really slow (and slower as the session got longer). I gave up after couple days of trying to do everything with no success. I think it must have been something with QT (I'm on Ubuntu). Switched to Firefox and still, after that half a year, I really miss it.

      FF is decent, but it's all about those little things. Open a page, scroll down a bit and refresh. Opera automatically scrolls back to a previous position, FF displays the top. Many of those things can be opened with extensions, but it's a lot of work to find all of them. Again, simple things like re-opening a closed tab (CTRL+Z in Opera, Tab Mix Plus introduces this functionality in FF). Or clicking on a "back" button - Opera instantly loads it from the cache, firefox re-loads the page (not always, I don't know what's the reason of either behavior), which is not only a waste of time and concentration (anything longer than instant is), but can be really annoying on those rare occasions when you submit a form and something goes wrong (i.e. server doesn't respond) - often after going back you're presented with a nice clean form.

      On the other hand, FF's extensions are a huge help once you get to know and use them. I wish I could get a combo (Opera + FF's extensions).

    4. Re:All well and good... by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      Isn't Opera already using QT on Linux?

      --
      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    5. Re:All well and good... by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      Luckily I haven't had any of the slowdown problems you mention (Gentoo, Debian and Ubuntu, dynamic linked version). Been using it since v5 on windows (my first ever non-IE web browser) and v6 on Linux.

      I know what you mean about FF though - I want to like it, but I just find the Opera UI so much easier and faster to use, and the speed difference (real or apparent) adds up after a while. Mouse gestures under FF are still shit compared to Opera IMHO - they're far too laggy and are often mis-detected for me, and I still haven't found a convenient way to modify all of FF's keyboard shortcuts easily. What extension do you use to replicate the remember-scroll-position-on-reload function, or is this something you don't have?

      I'm hoping that Opera will release some sort of extensions API at some point in the future, but at the moment there aren't a huge amount of FF functions/extensions that I miss that I can't replicate under Opera - there's a userJS script to emulate flashblock, for instance.

      --
      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    6. Re:All well and good... by muszek · · Score: 1

      What extension do you use to replicate the remember-scroll-position-on-reload function, or is this something you don't have? that's something I don't have. haven't looked for it though, so there's a chance some dev felt like doing it.

      but at the moment there aren't a huge amount of FF functions/extensions that I miss that I can't replicate under Opera I use two kinds of extensions - ones that add "general" functionality (either modify FF's behavior to my liking, like Tab Mix Plus or add some little feature, like MeasureIt) and ones that are specific to a site, like Slashdotter (javascript-based collapsing of threads is its coolest feature) or AdSense Notifier. Some of these, especially from the latter group, will never be introduced by Opera folks - the only hope is to let 3rd party developers provide them.
    7. Re:All well and good... by LuSiDe · · Score: 1

      Yes, Opera on Linux uses QT. Opera AG probably gets some nice discounts from Trolltech for their QT licenses. GPL/MPL/whatever has nothing to do with Opera or the fact Opera uses QT. As FreeBSD/AMD64 user, I welcome the 64 bit ports very much. The speed improvements are a nice benefit, too. Centralized bookmarks Netscape had in the functioning of LDAP server support. Nice, but it got cut out of Firefox. Now its back in Opera (and Google made sth like that too) although using different protocols.

      --
      WE DON'T NEED NO BLOG CONTROL.
    8. Re:All well and good... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I experience the same tab-switching slowdown from windows to linux on firefox. Might this be a wider issue with X?

      X doesn't know anything about tabs. Tabbed browsing is implemented by the application. In short, X knows about Windows (which can be inside other windows, so tabs may be implemented as (unmovable) windows, just like some toolkits implement buttons as windows) and drawing stuff, plus of course mouse and keyboard input.

    9. Re:All well and good... by Fweeky · · Score: 1

      Opera has site-specific user JS, so you should be able to do things like Slashdotter, though some of the fancier context menu modifications are probably trickier.

  27. Re:Who cares? by xtracto · · Score: 1

    Nothing in the openness of closedness of the code preventes anyone from changing the results of Folding@Home... that would be security through obscurity,something we know does not work (or you should now after being in slashdot since... forever AC).

    The proper way to prevent such things is via cyptographic techniques sucha as encryption and/or digital signatures, which I know not a lot about but am sure a fellow slashdotter eager to demonstrate their knowledge will extend upon.

    --
    Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
  28. Benchmarks by David_Bloom · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.apple.com/safari/

    According to Apple's "objective" benchmarks, Safari and Opera are tied for everything except HTML load performance, which doesn't count because Safari cheated.

    It will be interesting to see how the 9.5 performance improvements affect this :-)

    --

    Karma: Excellent (fuck, even in the future moderation doesn't work!)
  29. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Son?!

  30. Kestrel by Tangent128 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Aside from the welcome tweak to the "remember password?" dialog, I'm satisfied with the browser as-is. I'm more excited about the rendering engine upgrades, like the improved CSS support.

    Have they also improved SVG & XSLT support? Specifically, cross-document <use/> and the "document()" selector? ...And when will we get the 3d Canvas?

    1. Re:Kestrel by Excors · · Score: 1

      when will we get the 3d Canvas?

      I would hope it'll go through some standardisation process before they try adding it to an official release; and that process hasn't happened at all yet, so it would be quite a while. (Opera experimented with a <video> feature some months ago, then submitted a proposal to the WHATWG, and it changed quite substantially when put into the specification - hopefully they'll use the same process for other new features.)

      At least they've improved their 2d canvas support for Opera 9.5 (adding getImageData, setTransform, etc, and fixing a few bugs) - but there's still a long way to go before any browser does 2d correctly or matches any other browser, so I guess it'll be years before 3d is well supported.

    2. Re:Kestrel by Tangent128 · · Score: 1

      At least they've improved their 2d canvas support for Opera 9.5 (adding getImageData, setTransform, etc, and fixing a few bugs) - but there's still a long way to go before any browser does 2d correctly or matches any other browser, so I guess it'll be years before 3d is well supported.
      Well, setTransform is a consolation prize, anyway. Should make faking textured 3d easier, and allow for proper skewing.
  31. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You know, you could do it anyway by disassembling it. Not that I'd condone such activity (sending wrong data to the FAH servers); infact, I'd report anyone who engaged in such behavior, and hope he'd get what he deserves (two years in jail, perhaps).

  32. Software as near-art by jihadist · · Score: 1

    Light, fast, loads quickly, rarely crashes, has some innovative features that the vaunted Apple "interface gurus" could learn from. What's not to like about Opera? I'd like to see it market itself more aggressively.

    1. Re:Software as near-art by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

      What's not to like about Opera?
      Ugly, cluttered UI that sticks out like a sore thumb no matter what OS you use, and it's closed source. Other than that, nothing really. It's a pretty solid browser.
      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  33. Re:Opera not OSS by Mark+Gillespie · · Score: 1

    Errm, 9.5 Kestrel comes in 64bit builds for *nix systems (no Win/Mac 64..)

  34. Clear download list on exit by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

    Does Opera 9.5 have a UI for this function yet?

    1. Re:Clear download list on exit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Opera already, tools > delete private data > tick only "clear history of file transfers" , click "Delete" > Done.

    2. Re:Clear download list on exit by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1
      In Opera already, tools > delete private data > tick only "clear history of file transfers" , click "Delete" > Done.

      That is not what I asked. Reread the subject of this message, paying particular attention to the words "on exit" at the end.

    3. Re:Clear download list on exit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Type "opera:config" in address bar then click "TransferWindow" and setting "Keep Entries Days" to 0 achieves the results you want.

    4. Re:Clear download list on exit by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1
      Type "opera:config" in address bar then click "TransferWindow" and setting "Keep Entries Days" to 0 achieves the results you want.

      Been there, done that. That's not a UI, that is knowing the internals of Opera configuration capabilities. If Opera is to be thought of as anything but a series of tweaks and kludges, then the ability to remove file transfers should be placed where it is more appropriate: on the Advanced|History section of the Options dialog. FireFox does this, what is taking Opera so long to catch up?

      Instructing someone to use opera:config is a blatant admission that the UI is not done.

  35. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You've never eaten a hot-dog?

  36. Bookmarks by Dazza · · Score: 1

    By this point, most Firefox users have grown accustomed to keeping their bookmarks synchronized with an online service. Really ? Do you have any figures to back that up ?

    If we're going to pull 'facts' out of our collective ass, I'll state that most Firefox users probably don't even realise you can do such a thing.

    --
    -- "I know that this is vitriol, no solution, spleen-venting, but I feel better having screamed, don't you ?"
    1. Re:Bookmarks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By this point, most Firefox users have grown accustomed to keeping their bookmarks synchronized with an online service. Really ? Do you have any figures to back that up ?

      If we're going to pull 'facts' out of our collective ass, I'll state that most Firefox users probably don't even realise you can do such a thing.

      "Our"?? Ouch. Please do not pull anything out of mine, I am a Seamonkey user.

  37. While Leaks are not being repaired in Firefox... by nektra · · Score: 1

    ...And Mozilla is forgetting the very nice Thunderbird.

  38. YUCCCH by PCM2 · · Score: 1

    To the best of my knowledge, Firefox does not have automatic syncing of bookmarks with a central server. There are definitely add-ons that allow it (such as foxmarks and the google toolbar (I think)).

    I knew there was a reason why, when the summary implied that "everyone who uses Firefox is syncing their bookmarks," I had never heard of such a thing. From the Foxmarks Web site:

    Foxmarks is a startup that goes beyond the Web 2.0 hype. The company is poised to turn search upside down by harnessing the collective intelligence of its users' bookmarks to help find desired web sites much more easily ... Foxmarks' novel search approach goes leaps and bounds beyond simple page ranking and text indexing. By combining algorithmic search with community knowledge-sharing and the wisdom of crowds, Foxmarks connects users with the sites that are most useful and relevant.
    Great. Another service driven by selling marketing data about me to companies I've never heard of. No f'in thank you.
    --
    Breakfast served all day!
  39. No ADBlockPlus? No thanks by Lord+REL · · Score: 0, Troll

    as they dont have a system to block ads using an updating block list all the benefits are useless to me

    1. Re:No ADBlockPlus? No thanks by fbjon · · Score: 1

      Updating block lists? That level of ad-phobia is insane. Anyway, in Opera you use wildcards in the block URLs instead, "http://ads.*" catches a wide swath of ad services.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    2. Re:No ADBlockPlus? No thanks by Frogbert · · Score: 1

      Of course block lists need to be updating. If there weren't every ad provider would eventually change to cats.* servers and your block list would stop working. As soon as Opera gets something even close to Adblock plus I'll be switching, but until that happens I simply get a better experience on the web when I'm using Firefox.

    3. Re:No ADBlockPlus? No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So set up a cronjob to fetch a block list. Is that so hard for an adphobe?

  40. Re:Troubling for Sony by Mark+Gillespie · · Score: 1

    Easy as that, you can also edit the advert URL to add wildcards.

    Opera has better ad blocking that any other browser I have seen (Including Firefox).

  41. Synchronized Bookmarks? by mad.frog · · Score: 1

    By this point, most Firefox users have grown accustomed to keeping their bookmarks synchronized with an online service

    Oh really? I've been using it since it was Phoenix and didn't know it could do this. Nor have I ever read about anyone doing this, nor talked with any of my many Firefox-using friends who mentioned it.

  42. Re:Who cares? by Walter+Carver · · Score: 1

    Nahhh, he said BSDL, it must be Theo :-P

  43. but does it support SPNEGO? by XaXXon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Because everything else does and at my work we're about to make opera users very sad.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPNEGO

    1. Re:but does it support SPNEGO? by PositiveLogic · · Score: 1

      Found a -claim- to have support BUT no followup was ever registered:
      http://my.opera.com/community/forums/findpost.pl?i d=1959825

      --
      If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
  44. Netscape had synchronized bookmarks in 1998! by Rythie · · Score: 1

    Netscape Communicator 4.5-4.8 had roaming profiles which sync'ed your bookmarks with a LDAP server and your address book, cookies too. This feature kept me using Netscape long after it was really dead, for some reason people seem to have forgotten about this great feature. http://www.acns.colostate.edu/aspx/www.acns/bulls/ nsroaming_whatsroaming.html http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/1411/LWD990901netsca pe/ http://www.geocities.com/petru2/netscape_roaming.h tml

  45. Long time by Joebert · · Score: 2, Funny

    I did three tests for each browser and averaged out the time it took for each to completely load our site. Here are the results with the slowest browsers first:
    Internet Explorer 7: 18 seconds
    Firefox 2: 15 seconds
    Opera 9.23: 12 seconds
    Firefox 3 Nightly: 11 seconds Opera 9.5 Alpha: 8 seconds
    Wow, that seems like a long time for a webpage to load, actually.
    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  46. RSS Syncro? by hcabbos · · Score: 1

    Can RSS feeds be synced with myopera.com?

  47. New Opera, just as incompatible. by GISGEOLOGYGEEK · · Score: 1

    Sure, Opera is fast ..

    But speed doesnt matter when it fails to display so many web pages properly.

    Call me back when Opera is as compatible with websites as Firefox or IE.

    --
    George Bush + Linux = "I will not let information get in the way of the fight against Windows"
    1. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      A slight correction: Those websites are compatible only with certain browsers, not the other way around. *Especially* if someone went through the trouble of making a complex website work in both IE and FF, you know that they're designing for browser-specific features and bugs. Just because they ignore Opera doesn't mean Opera doesn't display pages properly (not that it doesn't have rendering bugs either).

    2. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by toriver · · Score: 2, Insightful

      When people then are asked to identify the "so many web pages" they invariably come up with some shitty Active/X reliant application. And no, Opera will not support that.

      However: If I see a site that does not work in Opera and an equivalent site that does, I conclude the author of the first site has a problem - not Opera. Saying that Opera should have even more error correction than today is like the doctor in the classic joke:

      - Doctor, it hurst when I do this!
      - Then don't do it!

      HTML was designed to present information in a way the USER preferred. Your use of "properly" means the web page designer has some right to overrule the user's preferences. Which seems to be the way things are headed, tragically...

    3. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by GISGEOLOGYGEEK · · Score: 1

      Actually, yes it does mean exactly that ... if Opera is less compliant with the webstandards. Are they?

      I've never had to go out of my way to make a website that works with both FF and IE, generally if a website passes html and css validation they just work ... but not necessarily in Opera.

      --
      George Bush + Linux = "I will not let information get in the way of the fight against Windows"
    4. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      Are you kidding? Not with IE's dozens of CSS bugs you haven't. Every single time I use CSS it ends up having hacks related to IE's box model, if nothing else. Also, when it comes to JavaScript, most stuff that works the same in FF and Opera does *not* work in IE, though JS can be a dicier matter, and is where most of the difficulty with Opera arises.

      Regardless, I've had the opposite experience. Most sites work fine in FF and Opera, and have to be tweaked for IE. How you can even suggest that Opera would be less compliant with standards than IE can't even imagine.

      Anyways, most of the sites I come across that don't work in Opera are either designed for IE (in which case they usually don't work right in FF either) or may support FF, but only through the use of the "-moz-" CSS extensions. Take alpha blending for example. IE has 'filter:alpha()'. FF has '-moz-opacity-filter'. But Opera only supports the CSS3 standard 'opacity' (FF probably supports it too, but I haven't checked). I've seen websites that only try to use the first two to achieve an opacity effect, and ignore the third even though it's the W3 standard.

    5. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually Opera adheres to the standands more so than Firefox and especially IE. In fact, if there's any arguement that could be made about Opera's standards support is that they follow the standards too closely. ;)

      Opera isn't broken, the web sites are! If everyone followed the standards, we wouldn't have these problems. They call them "standards" for a reason.

    6. Re:New Opera, just as incompatible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you're not using a proper doctype.
      The differences in Javascript isn't really that big.
      http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Migrate_apps_ from_Internet_Explorer_to_Mozilla

  48. Re:Please fix bugs by random0xff · · Score: 0

    us Solaris x86 people Well, you and Bob should just be patient and wait until Opera has 10%+ market share before they tackle the really nasty issues with Solaris.
  49. What about sessions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ok i didnt RTFA but what about sessions?
    i use to have constant about 10 to 20 tabs open which reopen when i open opera again.
    also some stuff doesnt deserve bookmarks like 4chan threads and ./ articles i want to read later and just klick them to open in a new tab.

  50. SOCKS5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Opera is up to version 9.5 and there's STILL no SOCKS5 support?

  51. I'm not convinced that syncing with My Opera by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1

    is a good idea. Do we know their servers can keep up with the load of every Opera user syncing their bookmarks?

    Being able to sync with any service would be better. Is that available?

    I frequently consider dumping Firefox for Opera, as I'm getting really tired of random Firefox bugs and performance problems with heavy JavaScript sites. Today I tried to upload some images to ImageShack - first, Firefox wouldn't do the login properly, then after an image or two it insisted on trying to open the PHP page instead of returning the updated page to me. I don't know if this was strictly a problem with Firefox or a problem with the ImageShack server, but a reboot eliminated the problem. It would seem Firefox simply got confused about the JavaScript involved somehow.

    I do appreciate some of the extensions to Firefox such as DownThemAll and ImageHost Grabber. But they really need to concentrate more on making it rock solid rather than adding features. Opera has had its problems, too - I've had issues with downloads failing if I'm browsing in Firefox at the same time - probably some sort of timeout issue.

    --
    Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  52. Re:While Leaks are not being repaired in Firefox.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those leaks are features or caused by extensions (even on a fresh install of Firefox). Sheesh, don't you read anything Mozilla say as soon as anyone points out the massive RAM usage?

  53. Re:Troubling for Sony by cecil_turtle · · Score: 1

    Opera has better ad blocking that any other browser I have seen (Including Firefox). Then you're an idiot. Opera has URL blocking, not ad blocking. Every browser can do the ad-blocking that Opera can do, wildcards included. Firefox's options are far more numerous; even the basic adblock plus extension has list subscriptions, list import/export, regular expression filtering, object tag blocking, iframe blocking, etc. None of which Opera does. And that's without even getting into NoScript, FlashBlock, NukeAnything and dozens of other extensions.
  54. Re:Who cares? by RobbieGee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I realize the parent is just a troll, but I want to point out that Opera is definately not evil! I have been working for Opera since may, and I have found the culture within the company is amazing! The environment is great and the people working there are very friendly.

    On friday August 10th, I became very ill. I was rushed to a hospital and was given treatment. After two days and a lot of tests, the doctors found that my heart is not working as it should. It seems that I have had this condition for quite a while, at least for several years.

    Long story short, I'm still in the hospital and tomorrow I'm operating in an ICD, a heart starter. All the time while I've been here, Anne (personell manager), have visited me regularily. When I was tired of the regular hospital food, they've brought me something else to eat. They got me flowers and twice they brought lots of colorful "get well" balloons, which really shines up the boring hostpital-white-walls. I've had plenty of visits from other colleguaes as well so there is no need for anyone to feel alone here. Even if you are coming from far away to work here, Opera will definately take care of you.

    The hospital here doesn't provide internet access for patients, but Opera (or actually the CEO, Jon) lent me a NetCom subscription for wireless 3G-ultra. This is what I'm using to post this comment, and it works great :-) Right here I actually get somewhere around 1Mb connection, wireless! Now I can talk to my brother who is studying in Australia for free.

    Oh and I'm living in Norway, so I have no monetary problems while being treated. I also get full pay while in the hospital, so I have absolutely no worries about money. All I have to do, is to relax and get enough sleep.

    Speaking of sleep... It's midnight and I have to get up tomorrow and have an operation.

    Thanks to everyone at Opera! "I'll be back" 8-)

    --
    If you get this, we're 10 of a kind.
  55. Re:Opera not OSS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Interesting that this story would get approved by Slashdot given that Opera is closed source and they don't release a distribution for 64bit Linux. That's not interesting.
  56. the best thing that could happen to Opera by wikinerd · · Score: 1

    The best thing that could happen to Opera would be an open source or Free software version. The lack of an open source Opera is exactly what keeps Opera so low in the browser popularity charts. Kudos to Opera for creating a great desktop and mobile browser, and I have to admit that I am amazed at the quality of their software given the fact that they chose the closed source model, but I think their days in business are numbered unless they learn how to make a profit while letting the code be free, preferably under the GPL. It *is* possible to give away the source and still manage to run a profitable business.

    1. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      regardless of source, a 64bit build would be nice. only option for a modern browser on a modern arch is firepig..which i'd love if it lost the second half of its name :)

    2. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by bblount · · Score: 1
    3. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by mikkelm · · Score: 1

      "The lack of an open source Opera is exactly what keeps Opera so low in the browser popularity charts."

      .. what? How? Where is your supporting evidence of such an absolutely outrageous claim? How can you keep a straight face while claiming that closed source code can't turn a profit? Do you have -any- financial insight into how Opera operates? All Opera seems to do is go forward. Mobile devices, Wii, PC, they aren't losing market share anywhere.

      Your personal ideals don't really reflect how the real world operates.

    4. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, I think you've been smoking too many Linux kernals lately. ;)

      "I am amazed at the quality of their software given the fact that they chose the closed source model"

      So you're trying to say that all closed source software is inferior to open source software?

      The real world doesn't seem to work that way. Is Gimp better than Photoshop? Nope.. If it were no one would be using Photoshop. Is Thunderbird better than Outlook. Nope. I could go on, but I hope I don't need to.

      I'm not saying that closed source is always superior to open source. Far from it. But to say that closed source software lacks quality because it is closed source is an act of stupidity.

      I use both closed and open source software. There's quality to be found within both licensing models. There's also crappy software to be found within both as well. The license a piece of software is licensed under gives no indication of the quality of that software.

      You sound to me like an open source zealot. I find people like that as disturbing as I find Microsoft to be. ;)

    5. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      The best thing that could happen to Opera would be an open source or Free software version. The lack of an open source Opera is exactly what keeps Opera so low in the browser popularity charts. Kudos to Opera for creating a great desktop and mobile browser, and I have to admit that I am amazed at the quality of their software given the fact that they chose the closed source model, but I think their days in business are numbered unless they learn how to make a profit while letting the code be free, preferably under the GPL. It *is* possible to give away the source and still manage to run a profitable business.
      Ah yes, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Apple...the list of companies that have failed miserably by not being open source is almost endless.
      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    6. Re:the best thing that could happen to Opera by SethraLavode · · Score: 1

      I think their days in business are numbered unless they learn how to make a profit while letting the code be free, preferably under the GPL.

      Considering that they are able to make a decent profit while retaining their code, why would they want to re-learn a new business model and then maybe have a chance of making a profit?

  57. Bookmarks? Pff by Poromenos1 · · Score: 1

    I don't really use bookmarks that much (even though with this I might start to). What I really want is can we please please PLEASE have RSS sync? Please?

    --
    Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
    1. Re:Bookmarks? Pff by ZzzzSleep · · Score: 1

      I don't really use bookmarks that much (even though with this I might start to). What I really want is can we please please PLEASE have RSS sync? Please? This is why I ended up using Google reader. Even though it doesn't have the ability to search my feeds... (why google?!? WHY!?!?)
    2. Re:Bookmarks? Pff by Poromenos1 · · Score: 1

      Exactly the same reason, exactly the same complaint. Even though I love the Opera way of feeds, it's just better to have them locally and not have to keep a tab open all the time (the Opera "lock tab" feature helps with that, at least).

      --
      Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
    3. Re:Bookmarks? Pff by ZzzzSleep · · Score: 1

      Looks like I spoke too soon. Google has just added search to Google Reader.
      Huzzah! Although it's giving me problems with 9.50... hmmm... back to 9.23 for now.

  58. Re:Long time - the road to bloatware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Opera seems to be decending the inevitable spiral to bloatware - it's gone from being an order of magnitude faster than IE/NS to almost as slow.

    Now it's full of stupid crap (such as "link previews") which just slow it down. Try running it on a sub-gig processor and you shiver in anticip-a-a-a-ation as it freezes up while deciding what things to render next.

    Come on Opera. Give us a _fast_ option.

  59. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by Akzo · · Score: 1

    Why the difficult way? All the Opera pages I've seen say to use about:config and untick the Enable box under the BitTorrent category.

    --
    Sig is for Signature, so you don't have to manually sign every post.
  60. Thanks Opera, you're already the best. by liftphreaker · · Score: 1

    Opera is already the best browser there is, been using it since the old 3.x days. It has consistently proved itself to be more elegant, faster, more stable, much much less buggy or crash prone and much smaller and slicker than its alternatives, and I even use it on my sony ericsson phone. Great going opera.

  61. Re:Long time - the road to bloatware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is pure FUD. I'm using Opera 9.23 on a 800 Mhz AMD and it's simply F-A-S-T in rendering. Period.

  62. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

    Because:
    a) If anyone wants to alter any other MIME handling behaviour (e.g. get PDF's to open in Foxit), they'll now know how
    b) I wasn't aware of the enable/disable bit in opera:config, cheers for that!

    --
    Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
  63. Kestrel is finally out! by Jack+Malmostoso · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can grab it here:
    http://snapshot.opera.com/

  64. Re:Who cares? by sysprv · · Score: 1

    So you work for Opera? Cool... I applied once, but didn't get in. Anyhow I'm working in Norway now too. Good luck with the operation. -- 1 + 1 + 1 == 11

  65. Faster? by Alomex · · Score: 1

    I've been using Opera for about two years, and since the 9.x it became unbearably slow. I now use firefox or IE instead. Other people have reported the same behaviour and believe it has to do with some nasty interaction with Symantec's AV.

    1. Re:Faster? by enemi · · Score: 1

      MAYBE you shouldn't use THE WORST antivirus software available on this planet. Really, there is not a single worst piece of software out there, not even windows 95 build 1. please replace that shit with avast, it's free, it's fast and it doesn't make a complete mess of your windows installation.

    2. Re:Faster? by Alomex · · Score: 1


      Typical OSS suporter response crap: blame the user.

      And by the way the same problem is there with Avast. I don't know if it also occurs with other AV software.

  66. Re:Who cares? by Pap22 · · Score: 1

    You have a heart condition and you're reading Slashdot? Well, at least we know you have balls of steel.

  67. Re:Who cares? by RobbieGee · · Score: 1

    Actually, they are about 40% dolomite.

    --
    If you get this, we're 10 of a kind.
  68. Re:Who cares? by RobbieGee · · Score: 1

    It is called gratitude and optimism. Try it out, it's great!

    --
    If you get this, we're 10 of a kind.
  69. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude, post something so that we know you're ok... ok?

    Also, Opera is cool, my wife and kid like it better than Firefox.

  70. Re:Who cares? by RobbieGee · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm okay :-) Hopefully they will let me out tomorrow or friday. I've been here for 4 weeks, so it feels like getting out of prison.

    --
    If you get this, we're 10 of a kind.
  71. Take a read! You'll find this interesting... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Okay, so I was wrong on the tabs thing" - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) Yes, you were. Some other things too, read on:

    ----

    "Open source code means that if there's a bug, people can patch it and get rid of the problem. The _only_ people who can do this for Opera are the developers." - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) How many people that rave about "open source" actually CODE though? The majority of users are NOT CODERS... & being opensource has a downside: It is FAR easier to examine actual sourcecode text than trying to pull an assembly language level "dump" via a debugger/disassembler & understand it quickly to create an exploit (this is an ADVANTAGE of closed-source code - it's TOUGH to pull disassembly on it, vs. using the actual sourcecode text to study it & find weakness).

    I know what I'm talking about here, been coding for almost 15 years as a pro.

    ----

    "Firefox (or Iceweasel in this case) might have more outstanding problems (most of which are probably very minor issues), but, and most importantly, any major bugs can be spotted and fixed by the community as fast as they make their way into the code base." - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) I helped to spot & fix a bug in FireFox actually, & you can verify this with their dev. team, OR philipp@ntcompatible.com, & I had no sourcecode for that... & again - how much of the "opensource" community actually writes & understands code, especially immediately, regarding that of material coded by others - this takes TIME, my friend, even IF you have the sourcecode to trace debug.

    (Again - it's FAR HARDER to work with a binary & sending it thru a debugger/disassembler to spot weaknesses in it, this is an ADVANTAGE of closed-source code!)

    ----

    "To look at it another way, many of the security issues in Firefox have likely never been exploited, but are only known because people can read the source and find these problems." - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) My point, exactly... & even IF you have the source, & an understanding of the language? You STILL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ORIGINAL CODING TEAMS WERE USING IT... takes time, & it's NOT for everyone... I am glad to see you understand this much!

    ----

    "Can you say that you know where the problems in Opera are?" - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) Well, when I find them, I report them (only 1 in years now in fact, & I have done so for FF teams, & they did handle it the very next day, once I gave them specifics regarding the NTCompatible.com homegrown forums board engine & what I spotted there... they came over, & fixed it, WITH us!)

    ----

    "No, because you (or other coders) can't check the source to find potential problems before they become an issue." - by lekikui (1000144) on Wednesday September 05, @08:52AM (#20477801) I have helped the "FF" dev team without source before, as noted above!

    (& even Dr. Mark Russinovich (sysinternals/Microsoft fame) do so)...

    I.E.-> I spotted bugs in his pagedefrag.exe, & told him HOW to fix it (what API calls & why, & he agreed & thanked me for it no less, via email)...

    (For helping him removing hardcodes he had for pagefile.sys to C:\ disk only, & also about EventLogs movements possibles & not to hardcode that either.)

    I can & HAVE done so, for many other coders over time (some of some great note per the above)... without sourcecode, just saavy.

    APK
  72. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. Get well, Robbie. You're in hospital awaiting an operation, and still didn't forget to thank Opera -- which they obviously well deserve. You both make an excellent employee AND employer!

    Get well soon!

  73. Re:I want is a way to tell it which torrent progra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's the hard way, for the easy one type opera:config#BitTorrent in the address bar and disable builtin torrent support.