1. I do not and have no plan to use any social media platforms because of security related issues related to my career. I would need clearance to do so.
2. I know where history and settings are if I need to use them and I shouldn't have to do anything with them typically once the browser is set up so there is no reason to have them accessible from 2 different places. It makes no difference if they are on the sidebar or the top left tab it's the same amount of clicks so its just re-DUHndant.
3. Some people like it. Goody for them. Please put a lock on it so it will stop popping out when I am working on something? That's all I ask. it has popped out at some of the most inconvenient times and wiped out pages or work or caused typing messes and other issues. I don't care if its there and I am not asking to remove it -- just allow me to lock it because I will never use it. I have over a dozen folders in bookmarks with well over 100 bookmarks in them that are spread across the top bar that I use daily so I don't need to repeat them in the sidebar either. I think that's fair. It's bad enough that I must occasionally wipe all the promotional crap off things after an update but at least those don't jump out into what I may be working on.
   It has created problems where I work and now because of it, we cannot have Opera in our desktop office pc's anymore and it just picks the worst times to up and pop out when it wants. I know of at least 10,000, probably more pc's that have had it removed from where I work through the entire company and if something is not done to lock it I will find something else as well for my home and work laptop. You need to realize. Adblockers can be put into almost anything other than Edge, and VPN's are best left tied at the network head or modem, router or switch where they are most efficient and effective.
   The entire success of opera was based on its ability to be user customized, don't ruin that now or I will be one of the ones leaving. Just put a permanent lock option on it and stop it from randomly popping out. I know its there and if I ever find a need for it then I will use it when I am ready. Until then its just annoying and causing too many problems in my life.

Personally, I do use the sidebar but I also hide it when I'm not interested in it. I then don't want it to reappear unless I choose to display it (and vice-versa).

If they add something new (most recently Instagram) to the sidebar, they want you to be able to see it. It shouldn't appear after regular (minor) updates unless you have something enabled that is trying to notify you - if it appeared recently, try disabling some of the items in the sidebar.

That's nice, but I don't care about what they add to the sidebar, I don't want to see it, that's why I turn it off. What is the point of having settings if they keep getting changed on updates?

GGs.

-Recently saddened long time user.

I can only guess there is some opinionated guy in charge at Opera who refuses to budge on his/her idea, and all his subordinates just go yeah ok boss, whatever you say sir...

I mean...that's how it works at my workplace...the boss is an idiot and everyone just does as he says because it's easier to.

Remove all icons, hide sidebar, wait a bit and after next Opera update, the sidebar is back.
Hiding the sidebar is simply not permanent.

And that will never happen

But it's one of Opera's best features, I just hope developers add Gmail and Outlook to the sidebar to make it more work focused.

I don't think it's one of opera's best features. In either case...it's an annoyance....if you set it to disabled...err that means I want it to be disabled...not annoyed ever 5 days when it pops out again... if you didn't want that feature you'd be annoyed too....

Opera is going down hill Let the user be in control people...or user's will go where they can be...