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Opera Goes To 11, With Extensions and Tab Stacks
surveyork writes "Opera Software released Opera browser 11 for desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). The main features are support for extensions similar to Chrome and Tab Stacks, Opera's version of tab management. The extension catalog is still small, with roughly 200 extensions, but steadily growing. The browser is very fast — Chrome-fast — and lightweight, with a new installer which is 30% smaller than the one in the previous version. Other enhancements include visual mouse gestures and better address field. There's no hardware acceleration yet, but it could be coming in a further dot release and benefit XP users as well as Mac, Linux and Windows 7/Vista users."
It's still fairly buggy, I'm surprised they are releasing it so soon.
The compatibility with websites has finally improved so as to be usable, which is great.
It's decently fast, although Minefield (not FF 32bit v) is faster on my machine.
Now, if only they will allow me to customize keybindings and get extensions that work. At least here, Opera adblock doesn't block ads.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
I avoided Opera for years mainly because they're nazi like adherence to standards meant many pages would display incorrectly (even with UA set to FF or whatever), it never having extensions so no adblock or checkthemall or whatever addons you might want.
The fanbois making false claims about Opera being the first to innovate many things never helped.
I have been using it next to FF beta 8 and Chrome and it has gotten a lot better. It's decently fast, and I quite like it.
Some of the things you mention are just false though. I notice no difference with text rendering on my HD screen, the chrome takes up less room than both IE and FF*, although not Chrome, the form elements look identical to the ones rendered in any other browser...URL input also is no different...seemingly you have simply made these things up.
The things that annoy me is that it uses shift + ctrl to open a new tab instead of the defacto standard ctrl, and there is no way to have tabs you open from a link open next to the active tab and have new blank tabs open at the end of the browser. Also, no working adblock despite what hosts files trolls say.
I just wonder how the opera fanbois will mod this post.....
*this is after disabling the ridiculous toolbar down the bottom...it uses the space a lot better than both FF (which has all that wasted space in the title bar) and IE (which put the address bar on the same level as tabs). Although it at least has a proper toolbar, unlike chrome....
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
I don't understand why any knowledgeable user would want to use a closed-source browser nowadays. Any specific benefit Opera might have over another particular browser would be outweighed by the drawbacks, IMO.
"Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."