WorkAround.

Windows 10 (x64) | Creators Update

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I still considering whether or not I will stay because 2000+ bookmarks and passwords is hard to transfer outside, especially with poor bookmarks editor.

you would have to go back to version 45 to get the option back and nuking the auto-update file to stay there (stupid there's no built-in option to disable auto-updating that any decent software should have but that's another issue for another time)

Or you can switch off the network before open Opera, then it will load as the flag enabled behaviour, - tedious but effective -.

Windows 10 (x64) | Anniversary Update
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Well, the thing is this particular option used to be not an experiment but an actual setting already.

It was an experiment, there used to be a flag to enable 'delay loading of background tabs' option in settings. When the feature was considered stable enough, they removed the flag.

You must be talking about #lazy-session-loading-default-enabled which wasn't added until version 41 when #extended-lazy-session-loading was also changed to enabled by default (was disabled in versions before), the "Delay loading..." setting however was added way before this in version 23 (implementing the #lazy-session-loading experiment in versions before) whose normal behaviour (ie: #extended-lazy-session-loading disabled) was to only load tabs when they were made active. So this desired option to only load active tabs was an actual setting through versions 23 to 45 and was the default behaviour up until 41 where the extended experiment was enabled by default, they then removed this option in version 46 when they implemented the extended experiment replacing it as the normal (and only) behaviour for delay loading.

The removal of the option makes zero sense, it would have been so damn simple to add an extra option to enable/disable the extended delayed loading but instead they dumb it down.

@jackwhite9999 said in Keep #extended-lazy-session-loading flag:

Is there no way to have all non-selected tabs never load unless selected?

Not in since version since 46, you would have to go back to version 45 to get the option back and nuking the auto-update file to stay there (stupid there's no built-in option to disable auto-updating that any decent software should have but that's another issue for another time).

Is there no way to have all non-selected tabs never load unless selected? Having this feature makes complete sense. Why is this even an issue?

It was an experiment, there used to be a flag to enable 'delay loading of background tabs' option in settings. When the feature was considered stable enough, they removed the flag.

It was a very long experiment then. Too bad the Chinese developers have decided to end it.

No, simply no. Session is for a reason, which is to continue where you left off.
I don't see a point in loading tabs before activating them.
Where did Opera's policy go?
I mean what about traffic savings?
What about Opera Turbo, which is now gone from menu and is available only from options page?
I pay for each GB of traffic, so my suggestion is to give #extended-lazy-session-loading option back, or even put that functionality to options page as "Don't load tabs until selected".
Otherwise I'm forced to use another browser on my laptop. And I'm sure it's not only me.

That is so true.

You close them before closing Opera.

No, simply no. Session is for a reason, which is to continue where you left off.
I don't see a point in loading tabs before activating them.
Where did Opera's policy go?
I mean what about traffic savings?
What about Opera Turbo, which is now gone from menu and is available only from options page?
I pay for each GB of traffic, so my suggestion is to give #extended-lazy-session-loading option back, or even put that functionality to options page as "Don't load tabs until selected".
Otherwise I'm forced to use another browser on my laptop. And I'm sure it's not only me.

So how do we start opera without tabs being loaded in the background?

You close them before closing Opera.

How do I stop that behavior?

Suggestions Box is not a place to make questions.

Well, the thing is this particular option used to be not an experiment but an actual setting already.

It was an experiment, there used to be a flag to enable 'delay loading of background tabs' option in settings. When the feature was considered stable enough, they removed the flag.

Together with that experiment there was another one to allow background tabs to load progressively after Opera had started when 'delay loading of background tabs' were enabled. That experiment also ended, with the feature being turned on.

They may be dropped if deemed not sufficiently useful, or they may be promoted to actual settings. Or replaced by something else, which may or may not be better. Most flags are actually from Chromium, and as such Opera may not even control whether it stays or goes.

They will be removed when the experiment ends, regardless if it will be turned into a feature/setting or if it will be just dropped.

Well, the thing is this particular option used to be not an experiment but an actual setting already. Turning on "Delay loading of background tabs" prevented inactive tabs from loading on startup. This behaviour was changed some time ago, and users were forced to use the flag.

As far as I know, Chrome (and Chromium) has never had its "Delay loading of background tabs" option. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the option was removed by Opera, not Chromium, developers for some reason. It can't be that hard to bring it back, can it? Let there be three options: load all tabs at once, delay loading, and prevent loading. Why not?

So the flags are inherently probabilistic and we can hope this one will spontaneously reappear next time, right? :

Like the warning in flags page says, they are experiments. They will be removed when the experiment ends, regardless if it will be turned into a feature/setting or if it will be just dropped.

Usually flags don't come back but you can always hope.

Perhaps tab throttling is suppose to make up for it.

Nope, tab throttling does nothing for me.

See the top of flags page for the answer.

Oh, I see... So the flags are inherently probabilistic and we can hope this one will spontaneously reappear next time, right?