opera is so slow in egypt

[arsany-refaat]

arsany-refaat last edited by

hello everybody
i have been using opera for more than a year and i really enjoy it but lately there is an issue happening to me and to all of my friends
after launching opera it takes about 2:3 minutes to load the first page i open then it works fine for couples of minutes then it drops again and so on.
the opera domain seems to be blocked also
i can't open this forum , update the browser or enabling sync without using a vpn (the built in vpn isn't working btw)
any thing i can do that will help ?

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by blackbird71

There have been some past reports that Egypt (as well as several other nations) is blocking Opera, either Opera's specific IPs or a larger block of IPs that includes Opera's. Depending on how the blocking is configured, it may also be slowing down the initial page load (particularly if that also includes the browser's opening handshaking with Opera's servers). Egypt's history of blocking Opera has been uneven - sometimes it's heavily blocked it, other times not so much... perhaps depending on the regional political/instability climate of the day. When it is 'seriously' blocking, everything Opera-related gets shut down in the IP realm: website, sync, and vpn. Unfortunately, it's tough to bypass determined national blocking without using a robust, system-level VPN that may have to be changed often (whenever the authorities add the VPN's access portal IPs to their block-list) or by using a satellite phone/data connection.

[arsany-refaat]

arsany-refaat @blackbird71 last edited by

@blackbird71
thanks for your reply
im really sad with these news .. i hope things get better soon

[naheed]

naheed last edited by

I have came across severa forums that Opera were blocked by some third party in your country. To acces the Opera, the solution for that seems to be is to use the inbuilt VPN. As, with VPN, you can change your location.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 @naheed last edited by

@naheed Certainly, Opera's built-in VPN is worth a try in order to bypass blocking. However, the limited number of portal options it provides to a user makes it an easier target itself for blocking than some of the "heavy-duty" VPNs out there.

It must always be kept in mind that a blocking nation can just as easily obtain a piece of free software (like a browser) as an ordinary user and thus analyze how it works. Consequently, the blocker can quickly determine the array of VPN access portal IPs built into the software and block them. If a VPN has a rich array of access portals that can be software-varied and is independent from the browser, it becomes more difficult for blockers to identify and block the potential VPN access portals.

National censorship and blocking has become a form of 'electronic warfare' with measures and countermeasures being used by both 'sides' (the users and the blockers). However, because the connection to the Internet at large is usually limited to just a few "pipes" in many nations, a monitoring and blocking advantage remains with the blockers. Usually, a national blocking agency has much greater resources than a user (or any given VPN) in trying to circumvent blocking techniques... but sometimes, the determination or competency of the blockers is uneven, and users can find ways around it.

[arsany-refaat]

arsany-refaat last edited by

even opera's built-in vpn is blocked

[dentrexx]

dentrexx last edited by

I'm having the exact same problems too, So what should we do?

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 @dentrexx last edited by

@dentrexx said in opera is so slow in egypt:

I... So what should we do?

There are only two paths of which I'm aware: either a user must obtain relaxation of their national censorship or find a mechanism around it. In most cases, the censorship is political/morality-based and can be extremely difficult for an individual user to bring about changes. Finding a mechanism to bypass the censorship requires creativity, technical knowledge, and carries personal risk in many cases (where getting caught bypassing censorship carries a variety of personal sanctions).

Technically, there are VPNs that appear to more readily bypass censorship in some locales, but that often has to do with allowing visiting businessmen to employ corporate VPN tunneling for business privacy purposes. In some places, satellite phones can be employed (if permitted in that nation or if operating one undetected). And there have been certain organizations that have made 'secret' websites available for vetted members that redirect visits to that website onto the open web, but this has usually been a covert arrangement and not easily joined into.

As noted earlier, anything a user can employ in terms of marketplace VPN software can also be obtained and installed by the censor and analyzed for its connection IPs and techniques... in which case, a determined censor can block it as well. Since there are a fair number of VPNs out there in the marketplace, determined users can sometimes find a VPN that bypasses a given censorship wall, at least for a time... there are no guarantees, but this is the most likely approach for most ordinary users to try.

Unfortunately, as with any repressive practice in the world, those living under it are largely locked into it until such time as the local political/morality atmosphere is made to change.