The impending demise of Opera?
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jrista last edited by
Well, I think the day has almost come. I've been a die-hard Opera user for a long time, nearly a decade now I think. The announcement that Opera was going to move to Chromium for their rendering engine originally fueled hope that the browser might gain more life after it's long and slow demise (and increased number of web sites actively blocking it, despite total compatibility with all features used by said sites.)
Since the release of Opera Next, I have really been nothing but disappointed. Opera up through version 12 was STUPENDOUS because of one thing: FEATURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You had it nailed, every essential feature for using the internet was present in Opera. There was nothing the browser did not do, and it did all of them quite well. It had features no other browser on the face of the planet had. It was the reason it had a cult following, being so immensely capable as it was.
Opera Next? This is about the single most gimped browser on the planet. The development team has focused on everything EXCEPT the things that their users seem to care about. For example, the single largest feature demand since Opera Next hit the streets: Bookmarks? Were five separate version releases in, now at Opera 20, and BOOKMARKS are still nowhere to be found. NOWHERE! BOOKMARKS!!!! Good GOD, I cannot STRESS how USELESS the stash feature is. It is 100% USELESS. It's pretty, but it's useless. WHERE THE HELL ARE BOOKMARKS?!
What about BASIC customization? I think I can change a search engine in one of the places search is used. What about the rest? What about the ability to change around the UI to be more conducive to how I work? What about thumbnail tabs, or at the very least, tab popup previews (I used both features, as I am a multi-window browser...in some browsers I keep thumbnail tabs and a few tabs, others I have dozens of tabs open so popup previews were often essential for finding the pages I needed.)
Here is a really EXQUISITE feature of Opera 12 that I have a CRITICAL need for: Ctrl-tabbing between tabs such that I can swap back and forth between two pages directly? In Opera 12, I used to be able to ctrl-tab from my current tab to the previously used tab, then ctrl-tab back. Now? Now, tabbing works in the same useless manner that Chrome does: It cycles through ALL OPEN TABS! That is USELESS! Not only that, it's a WASTE OF TIME and EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING!
What in god's name is going on here with Opera? You guys have COMPLETELY LOST SIGHT of the things that made Opera up through version 12 the wonderful browser it was: It's unique features! What are you doing now? WASTING time with more useless or unproductive features like Stash, or making Opera "JACC", Just Another Chrome Clone! Chrome SUCKS! Compared to Opera 12, it's a pitiful excuse for a browser. Opera Next? It's even MORE pitiful. In it's current state, it's a waste of disk space (and I have about 20TB of space...so that should REALLY TELL YOU SOMETHING.)
I'm so incredibly disappointed and dismayed about Opera Next that I can't really even express it. I'm mortified at how you've DECIMATED it's features, how you just threw out the door every single useful feature I used to rely on to make my web browsing experience pleasant, enjoyable, and productive. I am CONSTANTLY frustrated by all the crappy behavior, such as the ctrl-tab behavior, the lack of tab previews, etc. Opera has become a pitiful excuse of a browser, and doesn't even qualify as a shadow of it's former self...its a fragment of a shadow of the shadow of Opera 12.
I really, truly, seriously hope the Opera developers get their collective head out of their collective ass, and start working on adding back the things that once made Opera 12 the best browser on planet earth: It's unique, perfect features that made browsing the web a wonderful experience. Drop bullshit features like Stash, and restore those simple and critical features like bookmarks, the most ubiquitous feature that EVERY modern browser offers. If by Opera 21 I don't at least have bookmarks, I'm done. Forever. Because this is just some kind of cosmic joke, and it's no longer funny.
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Deleted User last edited by
When people are determined to self destruct, there is very little, you can do because you might save them one day but the person will self destruct another day, Same has happened with Opera, the company is determined to self destruct. They are taking / creating every opportunity to do it.
Since Opera 15 onwards, the management decided to start digging their grave and now they are close to achieve their goal ! It is beyond my understanding what went wrong with them, and so wrong that they are willing to loose their loyal users for what, another Chrome clone !! This is unbelievable. I mean who wants another chrome clone, already so many are available and some of them are much better than the current Opera versions.
I am unable to understand why management is under the impression that if we change to Chrome engine, people will use their browser. Even if they provide few new features, the problem is the underlying Chrome engine is messy and memory hogger. As for the functionality, any new feature can be added using extensions.
I have been an Opera user for nearly 15 years now, because it was the best browser. Tried to convince my friends and colleagues to adopt it. Many did and were happy too and knowing that I used to feel good. I am sure there are so many users here who had done the same. But now I don't even recommend my new friends and colleagues.
Now with version 15 onwards, it's been a frustrating experience and total disappointment. I still use Opera 12 and visit this site hoping that one day management would reconsider their decision about switching to Chrome and come up with something and make their loyal user base happy once again.
Anyways ill continue using Opera 12, till it becomes totally outdated.
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saudiqbal last edited by
Agree with you, I m using Opera since version 6, But now there is nothing left in Opera, no customization, no features, just a basic browser, like some kid made using visual basic.
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denzyl last edited by
Still using Opera 12 while waiting for Opera to recover its senses and return to being the best browser in the world, rather trying to become just the fastest version of chrome.
I use to be able to keep desktop, laptop & phone all synchronised. I can now only do that by using Opera 12 & Opera Classic
As Jrista says:
● NO BOOKMARKS!!!
● Opera Link is crude!!!
● Very little Customisation or control!!! -
oldarin last edited by
Demise? We get the perfect workflow optimized UI and with Blink the most powerful rendering engine ever! If you want features, just use the similar related add-ons for it!
A browser should only consist of features which are absolutely NECESSARY for browsing, features which are expanding it and slow down the experience or making it more bug ridden should be outsourced!
Opera has done the only right thing and i am glad that they did it!
The new UI has no clutter, it is nice and it is not necessary anymore to move things or push things around until the perfect state has been created. It just works 100% out of the box and it is fast while Blink renders nearly all sites perfect.
Seriously, customization is overrated, a browser is no toy, it is a working tool.
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linuxmint7 last edited by
Seriously, customization is overrated, a browser is no toy, it is a working tool.
And not everyone's work-flow is the same as yours.
The old (Classic) Opera's GUI could be taken down to the bare minimum if one should so desire, or pimped out with all manner of buttons, toolbars and GUI tweaks the user may wish to have, or may even need. The point is, we had choice, which is not an option any more.
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oldarin last edited by
Of course you have the choice.
Search the fitting add-ons or get someone who is willing to write an add-on which offers the desired features. Works for Firefox too, the add-on classic theme restorer is perfect for people who are willing to pimp their browser again with tons of useless features!
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linuxmint7 last edited by
Of course you have the choice.
Yes, which is to stick with Classic Opera (Presto), which I will do.
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beansatlevelcrossing last edited by
I just installed Opera 20, after I had realized quite late there had been an update since 12.
I kept clicking like crazy to find the options I couldn’t find, got shocked, read this thread and finally realised. Then immediately freed my disk from that load of c***!
I can’t believe it. I’ve been using Opera since the late 90's...
Disappointed and outraged, that’s what I am! -
mypoz last edited by
I am myself using Opera 20 with some nice addons, especially 'Easy Tab Manager' addon and the 'Classic Images' and 'Classic Tabs' addon. I also use the 'Tab Hamster' addon for sessions saving. These addons I have aforementioned, recreate much of that Opera 12 (Presto) experience for me but there are still limitations in the extensions API as to how far extensions developers can customize Opera.
That's the difference between Opera extensions and Firefox extensions (addons). The Firefox offers it's extensions developers Two models, one model is like sandbox and the other model is native and offers nearly total control of the Firefox browser and system it's running on. Whereas opera extensions (as they currently are) are more like userscripts and follow that sandbox model.
For me, I was one of the many users that ranted and raved about lack of Opera native features found in Opera 15+ (compared to Opera 12). I never had any complaints about the transition to the Blink chromium engine because I think Opera did a good thing moving to Blink.
I just wish that the Oera team would listen to it's users instead of being silent and retreating away like a defeated army general! I wish these forums had active Opera team developers that would LISTEN to us instead of users having to resort to writing up these non complacent topics.
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jrista last edited by
For everyone saying that you can just get addons or plugins, your generally missing the point. I don't want to have to hunt around and dig into the bowls of plugin sites to find something that kinda sorta maybe might possibly do what I need, if I stand on my right big toe while patting my head when the full moon is out.
Opera just used to WORK. It had EVERYTHING. It was eminently CUSTOMIZABLE. It was BLAZING FAST. It was EASY. I chose Opera for all of those things.
Today? Opera doesn't even do BOOKMARKS!! I mean, OMG!! If there is ANY feature that EVERY browser MUST have, its BOOKMARKS!
And Opera Software can't even get that right. I've been asking for bookmarks, along with thousands of other people, since Opera 15. Were now, what, Opera 21? What a joke! This company has completely LOST everything it had going for it with Opera 12 and prior. No one who used Opera gave a bloody damn about the browser engine. They gave a damn about Opera...that unique little browser that did it all, did it all well, and usually did fancy new things first.
The Opera of today is a pale, pathetic little shadow of the shadow of what it once used to be. There is absolutely NOTHING compelling about Opera today. I mean, a lot of people complain about Windows 8...but that is only because Windows 8 was change. When it comes to Windows 8, things changed, but they did not LOSE any real functionality. The old form of some functionality morphed into a new form, but it was all still there. Microsoft didn't decimate then decimate again the features and functionality of their Windows operating system...they transformed it, made it new, and today, I absolutely LOVE Windows 8. It took me two days to get used to the start screen, and I can still do everything I used to do and more.
Opera? Opera can't even do bookmarks!!!!!!!!
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A Former User last edited by
Yes. Opera 20 does have bookmarks — by default as a Bookmarks Bar, or you can install a plugin to add a menu. Development of Bookmarks Manager, side panel, etc., is not a priority. Stash is also bookmarks, as are speed dials.
http://blogs.opera.com/desktop/2014/02/opera-21-today/#comment-1256495634
I could manage happily with just the Bookmarks bar, if I had the customising options to modify keyboard shortcuts, menus, mouse gestures, and toolbar buttons. I have over 1,000 bookmarks. The menu is something I seldom use — the side panel I use more frequently.
Import/Export of bookmarks is an essential feature to encourage migration for others, but I never use it now since I don't use other browsers — only Opera 11 or 12 (and 20 for testing purposes).
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lem729 last edited by
pesala, there is an App, Keyboard Control for Opera, which provides some customization of keyboard shortcuts. Some of the shortcuts seem to work for me. A few don't. There are mouse gestures summarized in the help menu of Opera 20, though they are someone limited. 1000 bookmarks would be a lot
One needs a bookmarks extension/plugin to deal with that. Jrista, on bookmarks, set up the personal toolbar by going to settings and putting a check in "show the bookmarks bar" Then add to your browser a bookmarks extension for bookmarks you want to show on by clicking on something for a vertical display. I'm using the Opera extension Tidy Bookmarks and it seems pretty good to me, though there are other choices.
On your complaint about going back and forth to the next tab, and the one before (you say you have a "critical need for it" and can't do it, you can go forward to the next tab by going, control tab, and backward with control, shift, tab. So you can do, exactly what you complain that you can't do. You do not have to go through all the tabs to return to the original one. Also, there's an Opera extension, The Switcher, where you can easily use the keyboard to switch between tabs.
On Tab previews, you might look into the Opera extension, "Download Chrome Extension," which makes it possible to use Chrome extensions. The Chrome extension that may (or may not) be useful to you is "TooManyTabs for Chrome" which gives an ability to see all of your open tabs (a birdseye view, with previews?). Anyway, it's something to explore if you haven't already.
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haavard last edited by
I should perhaps mention that according to the most recent financial report, the number of users on the new Opera versions is outgrowing Opera 12 and older. Users on the new versions also seem to use the browser more, and fewer of them stop using it over time. In addition to that, the company is profitable and revenues are growing.
There's no reason to worry about Opera going away any time soon.
We'll keep working on the new Opera, but people who still don't like it can still use Opera 12.
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lem729 last edited by
I've shifted and made Opera 20 my default browser, but still have Opera 12.16 for special occasions, and some of its unique features.
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werewolf last edited by
yeah, i'm still using opera 12 too, firefox as my primary - but FF has become very buggy lately and i read that it is the least secure browser. I can't get IE to work properly for me for some reason. Chrome is fast, but I need a browser with a bookmark sidebar, like opera 12 or FF, for my 4,000 bookmarks. What to do?
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jrista last edited by
Pesala, stash and speed dial are NOT bookmarks. I don't know how much I can stress that. I have thousands of bookmarks in Opera 12. Stash is a joke, as it can only hold a couple dozen links before they drop off the bottom. Speed dial is just a fancy way to start a new tab with the option of launching into one of a few very commonly used sites. That is not bookmarks. Bookmarks are a hierarchical, folder-based structure where one can store and organize as many links as they want, in any fashion they want, that's searchable and cross-referenced, WITHOUT LIMITATIONS.
It's the limitations bit that has me so pissed off. Opera Next is nothing but limitations. Limits everywhere. I'm sick and tired of losing the sites I want to track because they fall off the bottom of Stash. Not to mention the fact that stash is the worst means of ORGANIZING the links I'm interested in keeping around EVER.
Again, this is THE MOST BASIC feature of EVERY browser...except Opera Next, that is.
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A Former User last edited by
The Bookmarks Bar is a hierarchical, folder based structure, where one can store and organise as many links as one wants, in any order that one wants, but it's not searchable, and can only be sorted one-time alphabetically. It's not without its limitations, but it is a viable solution to the problem of finding previously bookmarked sites.
Stash is not a joke. Its a valid solution to keeping temporary bookmarks for a particular project, that you probably want to discard later. It's not something I would use, if I used Opera 20, which I do not, but it is a useful addition for some users. In the previous browser, I create a session for this kind of use, then delete the session when it's no longer needed.
I don't know why you're even using Opera 20 if you hate it so much. If I come across a site that is broken in both Opera 11.64 and Opera 12.16 I might try opening it in Opera 20, but I would more likely use Firefox for that site.
