Where did all my bookmarks go in Opera 16?

[meadebaron]

meadebaron last edited by

I like the speed of Opera -- but I have to ask: Who is the "genius" that got rid of Bookmarks and a bookmarks bar? I agree with the other responders that this "Stash" thing is retarded as well -- for there seems to be no way to get it back! Every decent browser has a bookmarks bar option -- so I find Opera to be impractical until it re-implements a Bookmarks Bar! Wake up -- Opera!

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Since I downloaded a new update I opened Opera up again, and began browsing, until I needed to see my Bookmarks in order to find something, and realized, oops, no Bookmarks on Opera! So, I'll close it and not use it again until the promised Version 18, and hope the assurances Bookmarks will return is accurate, cause it sure is nothing more than an exercise in EXTREME futility (& frustration) to try and use a browser, in 2013, that has no Bookmarks (or other common features, like setting your desired fonts & sizes, etc, that browsers have had for many, many years).... I still can't believe these versions are released and supposed to be used, without the most common features, it's really insane....

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Originally posted by StevenCee:

Since I downloaded a new update I opened Opera up again, and began browsing, until I needed to see my Bookmarks in order to find something, and realized, oops, no Bookmarks on Opera! So, I'll close it and not use it again until the promised Version 18, and hope the assurances Bookmarks will return is accurate, cause it sure is nothing more than an exercise in EXTREME futility (& frustration) to try and use a browser, in 2013, that has no Bookmarks (or other common features, like setting your desired fonts & sizes, etc, that browsers have had for many, many years).... I still can't believe these versions are released and supposed to be used, without the most common features, it's really insane....

The developers are working on it but since the implementation still have some bugs it's disabled by default.
This bookmarks bar is the initial implementation of bookmarks that will evolve as they release new versions (e.g. a fully featured bookmarks manager is not there yet, etc):

1. Open the opera:flags page, enable the Quick Access Bar back-end
2. Restart the browser
3. Opera -> Settings -> Interface: tick the box to show the Quick Access Bar

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Originally posted by rafaelluik:

The developers are working on it but since the implementation still have some bugs it's disabled by default.
This bookmarks bar is the initial implementation of bookmarks that will evolve as they release new versions (e.g. a fully featured bookmarks manager is not there yet, etc):

1. Open the opera:flags page, enable the Quick Access Bar back-end
2. Restart the browser
3. Opera -> Settings -> Interface: tick the box to show the Quick Access Bar

What & where is the Opera:flags page? I've never heard of it, nor do I see it anywhere. And if I did, and enabled the "Quick Access Bar back-end", what would that accomplish, as I have no clue what that is either....

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

Originally posted by StevenCee:

What & where is the Opera:flags page?

Type it in the address field.

Originally posted by StevenCee:

And if I did, and enabled the "Quick Access Bar back-end", what would that accomplish, as I have no clue what that is either....

It's a bookmarks toolbar. In Chropera, you use your bookmarks either as speeddial or as "Quick Access Bar" (bookmarks toolbar). There's no normal bookmarks manager, such as sidepanel or bookmarks window.

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

I typed it in, and when I hit Enter it changed the address to: opera://flags%20page and I got a blank page saying:

This webpage is not available

The webpage at opera://flags%20page/ might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.

So now what? And why am I reading that Opera 18 is available, and Opera 19 is almost ready, but when I click on About Opera, it says I have the most updated version?

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

opera:flags

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

Originally posted by daniel:

Bookmarks will return in a future update. In the meantime we have Stash and Speed Dial.

In the meantime we're stuck with Opera 12 or we have already chosen another browser and waved Opera bye-bye.

I am not sure what's on the Opera's board of directors mind regarding their web browser product. Is it seen rather as cost than as anything producing an income? How does Operas strategy as a company look like?

As a loyal Opera user for years it is hard to avoid getting the impression, that switching to a standard web browser platform and accepting a major cut in previously available functionality for months to come, means Opera does not care about th future of its web browser much more.
I'd be surprised if web stats wouldn't show a significant decrease of Opera users compared with other browsers over the last months.

Having said that, an overhaul of Opera 12 would also be needed - e.g, Flickr browsing is even with a rather new Macbook getting very slow with Opera 12 - compared to e.g. Safari and Firefox. Plus safety becomes a concern now too since last update was 7 months ago.

Update: Looking at Operas Third Quarter report (http://www.operasoftware.com/content/download/4581/153916/version/2/file/3Q13_Presentation.pdf) the indication is clear: Desktop is loosing ground (revenue "growth" - 25% YTY) whereas mobile grew by 110% YTY and produces already now more revenue than the desktop side. So in short: The platform move is mainly a cost-take out. Development focus is elsewhere.
Time to look for a replacement browser, as sad as it is...

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Yeah, that doesn't sound good for the desktop version..... and I still have a hard time getting my mind around just dropping bookmarks from the browser... It's like a new car without headlights.

I did the flags thing, and this is at the top of the page:

"Careful, these experiments may bite
BEWARE! These flags control experimental or unstable features. They may not work, or may cause your browser to crash. You may lose data, or your privacy or security might be weakened. Features may come, go or stop working at any time. Be careful - here be dragons!

Wonderful, but I think I'll wait until or if Opera ever reinstitute's bookmarks back into the browser, some workaround is not worth screwing with my whole computer... Come on guys, this is hardly the way to win new users....

[srk052004]

srk052004 last edited by

Opera for Windows ... doesn't have bookmarks either! All I have is this blasted "sync" so that I can access the bookmarks from Opera Mobile.

This even more idiotic than the recent Google Maps "upgrade." What were the developers thinking?

[meadebaron]

meadebaron last edited by

Okay, so I've adapted to Speed Dial & Stash -- which I find to be nice features. So the Bookmark issue has evaporated for me. This issue remains for me: HOW DOES ONE DO TABBED BROWSING IN OPERA?

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Ok, I now have Opera 18, which I was told was going to see the return of BOOKMARKS.... Great, now I see the dropdown window for "Bookmark Importer", but don't see anything else pertaining to them, no bookmarks bar, no sign of where all the bookmarks I had previously in Opera, might be. Only this:
"Import bookmarks as Speed Dial items." ... which I don't exactly call "bookmarks returning".

So what's the deal, were we being misinformed, are Bookmarks going to return, or will that be just more waiting for Godot?

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

Originally posted by StevenCee:

So what's the deal, were we being misinformed, are Bookmarks going to return, or will that be just more waiting for Godot?

The short answer: It's waiting for Godot.

The long answer:
Some say bookmarks never disappeared. They were always available as speed dials.

Others say bookmarks are back now as QAB (bookmarks bar). Two catches here (or three, depends on how you count):

You have to activate this highly advanced and strictly experimental QAB first in opera://flags and then in the settings too. After this invocation of QAB you will get the same speed dial items in the QAB format. There is no other bookmarks manager than drag-and-drop on the QAB and some fiddling in the speed dials.

This is bookmarks in Opera 18.

[benmarko]

benmarko last edited by

I am really curious...why was the bookmarks folder removed in the first place? It seems such an indispensable tool, what was the rationale behind it? Quick Look and Stash (ESPECIALLY STASH) are horribly poor substitutes. I can't fit all of my bookmarks in those, it would get crowded very quickly.

How soon until the bookmarks folder is restored???

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Exactly! Why were they removed, why these inadequate, more cumbersome substitutes, and why isn't it clearly evident how to utilize the supposed replacement methods? This is such a fundamental element of using a browser, to simply do away with them, without explanation, without clear information about how to accomplish what bookmarks enabled us to do, if that's even possible, simply makes no sense! Why do I, & many other users with even less internet experience, have to use a "highly advanced and strictly experimental QAB", in an attempt to make up for the disappearance of what was working just fine???

I'm beginning to lose my faith in the common sense capabilities of programming geeks, as this kind of wack, two steps forward, three steps back, "updating" of software that only adds more complication, and screws up or eliminates features that were working just fine, is becoming all too common, even with Apple's own programs...

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

Steven, I have confronted Opera's employees directly with these issues. You can read one of my best posts here http://my.opera.com/community/forums/findpost.pl?id=14723742

What makes this post particularly valuable is that it received an official answer that follows almost immediately:

Originally posted by bkazmierczak:

• Whoever decided to merge bookmarks with the speed dial decided to provide bookmakrs already, which as for now are added as QAB, but there will be more

So, "there will be more", they say. This answer was given two and half months ago. No further hints meanwhile either in word or action. This brings us back to the short answer: Waiting for Godot. Evidently it's easier to find something else to use.

[stevenjcee]

stevenjcee last edited by

Originally posted by ersi:

So, "there will be more", they say. This answer was given two and half months ago. No further hints meanwhile either in word or action. This brings us back to the short answer: Waiting for Godot. Evidently it's easier to find something else to use.

Well, I sure hope they get on it soon. I'm having good luck with using Opera, as it doesn't get bogged down in RAM, freeze and crash anywhere near as much as Safari, which has become nearly unusable for me. But every time I want to create a bookmark, or go somewhere I had previously bookmarked, I realize I can't do that here, and it really does drive me crazy, as I cannot even imagine what the developers were thinking, to just delete them from one's experience in browsing the web....

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

Originally posted by rafaelluik:

Relax, your old bookmarks.adr file is definitely stored somewhere (that's if you didn't use Opera Link).
It must be located at home /Library/Opera...

About "getting to many sites", I've been using the Speed Dial and its groups as the sole place to store my favorites and it works fine for me. Right now I have more than 500 links there. I can either open the links with the mouse or type in the address field to get them as suggestions.

Um, I am relaxed. Migrating from Windows to Mac is increasingly common, yet I have yet to see an easy posted solution about migrating bookmarks from Win 12 to Mac 15 Opera. A relatively simple script could be provided that would accomplish this without the user having to delve deep into the directory trees. In any case, on my Mac,the Window>Bookmark Importer is grayed out.

It appears that the transition for legacy users could have been a little better thought out...

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

I used opera from way way back, and I urge everyone I know to use it as well.

Some time back I became a manager for an IT company, and with this, ehem, power, came the decision to use Opera as the secondary browser for the company (we *could* never forsake IE). Just doing my share to promote the browser.

The latest update, however, is just way too bizarre and frustrating that ive decided not to support the product anymore.

To the opera team, its been a privilege using the best browser ever! You were so far ahead of your peers and in some aspects you still are.

I feel Opera is not just a part, but was a pillar in the history of internet browsing. Along the same veins with Winamp, Napster, etc.

I'm sorry it has come to this, but goodbye.

[Deleted User]

Deleted User last edited by

I have used Opera EXCLUSIVELY for sixteen years. I use it because Opera has always been for "us"... not the establishment. Now it seem Opera has sold out; turned their back on the loyal users that have stuck with them all these years.
We don't want excuses- we want a MENU BAR~ We want BOOKMARKS~ We use PCs and sometimes laptops. If you want to bow down to the phone users, design an "app" for them... But leave our PC browser ALONE! I really hate to say this, but until there is a "good" change here, I'm using Firefox. (I NEVER thought I would say that!)