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Reflections from an Opera user


Andrewski
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Mozilla over firefox is more a lifechoice... one is bloated but contasins everything and the other is sleeker and contains only what you need.

 

Another way is jack of all trades, master of non....

For5 example Moxilla composer is OK but not the best... but if you want everything consistent then perhaps Moz has advantages ?

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Thanks for that. So I will stick with FireFox. I have gradually been adding extensions as I get to understand them and think I can use them. I really dig this idea because FireFox then has nothing I don't or won't use.

I have also made some of the changes suggested to speed up FireFox and they certainly do make a difference.

 

Cheers. John.

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I think I can speak from some experience about this. I've been using Opera/Win for years, since version 4, and Opera/Linux since right about when version 6 was introduced. I have both Windoze and Linux version licenses. I've only been using Firefox for about a month, since the last beta release, but I'm gettin' a handle on it.

 

I really, really like Opera. It's a lean, mean, web-grazin' machine. Easily configured almost any way you want it. Java is included if you want, and a snap for even a n00b to setup if you already have it installed. Opera has just about everything you might want or need already built-in and is still small and quick. The Opera guys obviously know what they're doing, but they gotta be paid to use it unencumbered.

 

With Firefox, configuration is less intuitive and it's not as flexible. Java is not included, goofy to setup and would frustrate a raw n00b from the Windoze world who didn't understand command lines and creating symlinks. Lotsa stuff included in Opera has to be installed and configured seperately as extensions. The Firefox guys need to re-think some of this stuff and probably will, but they work for free.

 

That said, I've still converted to using Firefox when I need a Java-enabled Linux browser. Why? Well, 'cause Firefox is also a lean, mean, web-grazin' machine. But the biggest reason is Firefox plays nice with several websites Opera struggled with or outright refused to, so I don't have to start Win4Lin to run IE for those sites - nice. I can only guess this is because more webmasters are testing with Firefox now because of all the press and newfound popularity. If so, I expect that trend to continue, but for testing against Opera to continue to be ignored by webmasters. Speed is basically a toss-up, but I give a slight edge to Firefox for stability, it really is a rock. I've found differences between them in how a few sites are rendered, but either one might be better, just depends on the site. No particular advantage either way there I can tell. I don't need the mail client in Opera, which I always stripped out after installing anyway.

 

Notice I said I use Firefox for a Linux broswer...at this point I'm still using Opera for Windoze. Firefox/Linux is a keeper, but Firefox/Win has been a mess. Completely fouled up importing Opera's bookmarks, I can't get Java to work, some extensions I like aren't available for the Win version, etc, etc. Opera for Win still drills & thrills Firefox for Windoze. Makes me wonder why Firefox has gotten so much press as an IE replacement when Opera's been a better alternative than either one all along.

 

I can't think of any reason to use Mozilla over Firefox, especially with Thunderbird available now for those who want a GUI mail client.

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I think I can speak from some experience about this.  I've been using Opera/Win for years, since version 4, and Opera/Linux since right about when version 6 was introduced.  I have both Windoze and Linux version licenses.  I've only been using Firefox for about a month, since the last beta release, but I'm gettin' a handle on it.

 

I really, really like Opera.  It's a lean, mean, web-grazin' machine.  Easily configured almost any way you want it.  Java is included if you want, and a snap for even a n00b to setup if you already have it installed.  Opera has just about everything you might want or need already built-in and is still small and quick.  The Opera guys obviously know what they're doing, but they gotta be paid to use it unencumbered.

 

With Firefox, configuration is less intuitive and it's not as flexible.  Java is not included, goofy to setup and would frustrate a raw n00b from the Windoze world who didn't understand command lines and creating symlinks.  Lotsa stuff included in Opera has to be installed and configured seperately as extensions.  The Firefox guys need to re-think some of this stuff and probably will, but they work for free.

 

 

Configuration is more intuitive imho, very centered Edit>Preferences

Opera has menus and options everywhere.

 

When I installed firefox i didnt touch any symlinks or do any work. "pacman -S mozilla-firefox java flashplugin" installed it all for me (pacman is the arch package manager) This is because my distro does a good job of providing packages :)

Back when Texstar was still goin I did the same on mandrake, urpmi mozilla-firefox urpmi mozilla-flash urpmi mozilla-java.... or through gui, rpmdrake.

 

So installation really isnt an argument, that all depends on the distribution and maker of the packages.

 

Devries: Thanks... I probably wont use opera all to much in the future anyway.

 

iphitus

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I don't want to get into an arguement here, but I don't want Opera to get an undeserved bad rap (or Firefox for that matter)...

 

Configuration (in Firefox) is more intuitive imho, very centered Edit>Preferences

Well, yeah, as far as that goes, but the menu is less intuitvley named (in mho) than Opera's and missing some stuff. Where's setup for lotsa simple things like default email program, java path, etc? And you still have to configure the extensions seperately, in a different menu under 'Tools', which then takes you to seperate menus for each extension. All this stuff should be in one place.

 

Opera has menus and options everywhere.

??? Tools>Preferences - it's all there, except for the stuff under 'View', which is just like Firefox. What could be simpler?

 

When I installed firefox i didnt touch any symlinks or do any work. "pacman -S mozilla-firefox java flashplugin" installed it all for me (pacman is the arch package manager) This is because my distro does a good job of providing packages

That's cool. But it shouldn't matter what distro or OS you run, installation should just go bang-bang. It's a friggin' web browser, any numbskull should be able to install it without knowing anything. With Opera, it's either download with Java or thanks, I have it already so just give me the program, (or I don't know anything, whether I have Java or not or how to set it up if I do so just give it all to me to be sure) then install and go. Anyone who can install anything can install Opera with everything they need included. Firefox seems better suited to more computer-literate types.

 

I put Firefox on for my Dad and my son, both Opera users and at least as savvy as an average point-and-click user, (well, my son is better than that!) to let them try it out. Both had a few questions for me about setup and use where with Opera they really didn't ask anything. They like it now that they've got the extensions they like, etc. But hey, Firefox has just had their first stable release while Opera's had years of developement. Firefox is really good now and will get better. It's already impressive overall, enough to break my years-long Opera habit. The speed and stabiity is great - it hasn't crashed yet.

 

But I still use Links... :lol:

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It doesnt matter which distro you run for Opera because you have only 1 distributer. Only one person makes packages and is legally allowed to make packages. Whereas firefox is open source, distrobutions compile their own versions with their own compilation tweaks and settings.

 

Besides, installation of firefox *does* go bang bang, you just install the rpm, as you do with opera. Java isnt the responsibility of the browser, nor is flash.

 

As for adding extension's options into preferences, I disagree, that would make quite a messy and complicated setup. It's good having them seperate.

 

You say that firefox just had their first stable release, that's true, but it's still got a heritage much older then opera. Firefox was spawned off mozilla, it was the mozilla browser heavily stripped of extras, and mozilla was netscape, which as we know - existed long before IE or any other browser.

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iphitus: there's MandrakeClub packages for flash and java. Mandrake doesn't provide non-free software in its free repositories, as a matter of policy (it's not that it's 'worse' at providing packages than arch, it's a philosophy issue, MDK believe the free version of Mandrake should be 100% free software). BTW, I found that Firefox's automatic-plugin-downloader-thingy worked fine for me, so I didn't need any packages for flash at all (I already had java installed).

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iphitus: actually, Netscape wasn't around 'before any other browser'. That would be Mosaic, which formed the foundation for both Netscape and Internet Explorer. I used it. In fact, the only significant changes to my browsing habits since Mosaic have been the back button, tabs, and RSS feeds. :)

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iphitus: actually, Netscape wasn't around 'before any other browser'. That would be Mosaic, which formed the foundation for both Netscape and Internet Explorer. I used it. In fact, the only significant changes to my browsing habits since Mosaic have been the back button, tabs, and RSS feeds. :)

 

 

Oops, i meant any current browser, I know about mosaic, my bad.

 

also, back inthe days when I used Mandrake Texstar was making packges of Flash and Java.

 

iphitus

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Prior to using FireFox, (I now use FireFox-1.0) I always used Galeon and that was because of the fact that if the browser crashed, when you restarted it, it would relink back up to all the webpages you had opened.  That saved a lot of time and effort.  I now don't know what a browser crash is.

Yes, this is one of the features I appreciate in Opera. It will even restore you to the portion of the page you were viewing too. :thumbs:

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like crashdamage said this is not a war.

I think opera is way more professional but its not open source and the licecnig is weird. Equally I don't wana give either a bad rap... Opera is faster for me...even after teaking firefox but i still love and use firefox...

 

between them its like having a cool 4WD truck and a cool sports car to choose from in my garage... both are infinitley nicer to me than my neigbbours station wagon...

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