Bing as Default Search Engine in Opera 26
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Deleted User last edited by
I'm going with solution number 2 (out of my mentioned comment). I was reassured by Opera's devs that they really want this to happen themselves. They just didn't come up with a solution yet that prevents third-party programs from fiddling with your search engines.
I don't understand how solution 2 is supposed to protect us from malware changing default. If we can just replace the JSON file and bring back a default from before, can't malware just edit or replace the JSON to add something random?
sidenote: I miss Bing as well.
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l0uwii last edited by
Seriously upset that Bing is no longer able to be selected as the default search engine, and frankly I'm not going to settle for a manual add even if I could set manual search engines as the default.
I did get an explanation, but unfortunately I'm legally not allowed to share it with you. I can tell you this much: Opera didn't swap Bing with DuckDuckGo because they felt like it, but they did so for a reason. IMO Opera's non-communication policy often offends people and isn't the best idea after all, but as I'm not working for them, I can't change that.
I'm going with solution number 2 (out of my mentioned comment). I was reassured by Opera's devs that they really want this to happen themselves. They just didn't come up with a solution yet that prevents third-party programs from fiddling with your search engines.All I (and probably most here) want is the ability to select Bing as the default search engine in the Search Engine settings menu, drop-down style. Besides maybe Yandex, I struggle to see what other search engines would even be meaningful to add. Bing has 20% of all search marketshare now. If there's some legal conundrum or some under the table deal that Opera made which has resulted in Bing being removed, Opera better settle it quick. Count me out if it means that Bing is a second class citizen when it comes to search engines on the browser. In the mean time, I've switched back to Internet Explorer, though I'm none too happy about it.
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mksimsvk last edited by
Thanks candytaco you solved my problem i do not understand why after so big demand they still not do any changes to the browser or at least release some manual in theyr blog for people to solve this issue .
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Deleted User last edited by
While I don't care for Bing, it's ridiculous that search engines were ever locked up in this way.
I'm going with solution number 2 (out of my mentioned comment). I was reassured by Opera's devs that they really want this to happen themselves. They just didn't come up with a solution yet that prevents third-party programs from fiddling with your search engines.
Sure, as they said two years ago when they first introduced the anti-feature. The problem is that the entire idea is ill conceived. If the user installs something that hijacks their search engine, tough for them! There's simply nothing you can do to protect against this without taking it out of the users hands entirely.
If a user installs malware, all bets are off. Protecting the search engine isn't even worth consideration in this scenario. No doubt Opera have their reasons, but nobody should buy their excuse.
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ottomaddox last edited by
Hi .. using Opera 26 and came here looking for the same info: "Where the heck is Bing as a default??"
Just sharing my little workaround, which seems to work well. Went to Bing homepage. Right-clicked inside their search box. Chose Create Search Engine. Added the Engine, with the one-letter shortcut "b". Now, when I hope into the Address Bar, I just type "b [whatever search terms]" and it takes me to my Bing results. So with the typing of one extra letter, you get Bing as your default.
Hah -- don't really understand WHY it works. After all, you can make a Bing shortcut in Opera as an added engine, but this way it also sends your query along for the ride, rather than typing "b" and THEN doing the Bing search.
Not sure if this quite what people want but just tossing it out there. I've JUST started using Opera, so I'm sure more experienced Opera users are already doing this. Cheers...
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khoaatl last edited by
Hokays. I solved this. It appears that they removed Bing from the defaultpartnercontent.json file between 26.0.1656.24 and 26.0.1656.32
here is an older version of that file, pulled from my 26.0.1656.24 files. Replace the file in the Opera\26.0.1656.32\resources\ folder, and voila, problem solved! If you still have the 26.0.1656.24 folder in your Opera installation, you can just copy that one. Download mine if your folder already got removed.Thank you soo much candytaco. This works!!!
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gfrex last edited by
If Opera is worried about malware adding default search engines, why not just check the search engine file for changes and if any changes were detected since last launch, run a check on the URLs through Phishtank?
There will not be any completely safe way to do search engines as people will always find ways around it, but like wofall said, if a user has malware, they probably have much more to deal with than fake search engines.
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Deleted User last edited by
I'd like to see an official statement from any admin on this forum about this bing issue, please, I've used it as my default search engine for a long time now and I'd like to know the official reason for which they removed Bing, after reading that, I'll start to look for alternative browsers, even if that means using internet explorer, or even better, does anyone here know how to properly customize firefox? thanks
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Deleted User last edited by
Seriously? You want us to help you customize FF? Go over to the Mozilla forums and ask there. Sheesh!
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blackbird71 last edited byI'd like to see an official statement from any admin on this forum about this bing issue, please, I've used it as my default search engine for a long time now and I'd like to know the official reason for which they removed Bing, after reading that, I'll start to look for alternative browsers ...
Let's see if I've understood you correctly: if you can get an "admin's" official statement about the "bing issue", after reading it, you'll start to look for alternative browsers? Why on earth should any "admin" bother to respond under that condition? By the way, I do know how to "customize" Firefox - but this certainly isn't the venue to discuss that.
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christoph142 last edited by
I'd like to see an official statement from any admin
You wouldn't have to ask if you read my previous post on this...
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linuxmint7 last edited by
You wouldn't have to ask if you read my previous post on this...
The thing is Christoph, a lot of people don't bother reading (which can be very useful and quite enlightening), they much prefer to spout uninformed nonsense and illogical threats.
I just wish common sense would prevail, but 'it' sadly seems to be becoming a lost and forgotten trait.
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commonrail last edited by
I used the trick with altering the defaultpartnercontent.json file to get bing back, but today bing got thrown out and replaced by DuckDuckGo again, so I had to overwrite the .json file again...
It's working again and for now it's ok, but if this keeps going like that and Opera won't let me decide what search engine I want to use, I have to change the browser. This would be a sad thing because I've been using Opera for a very long time so far, always trying out the others and Opera always was the one which suited me the most, but the fact that it just changes my settings without asking is absolutely unacceptable.
Not the way to go Opera developers...
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Deleted User last edited by
@commonrail Not the way to go Opera developers...
Which searchengine has to be implemented may be the decision of other parts of Opera ASA company, marketing, HQ, not Developer's section. Opera's monetary decision, which contracts are signed. You know, that some searchengine providers pay for integration.
Change the defaultpartnercontent.json file by hand. Or pay much money for reintegration.
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polaromonas last edited by
@commonrail I just noticed this too. Seriously Opera, DON'T mess with my setup. This is really disrespectful of my choice.
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Deleted User last edited by
What is the problem? Really? If you want Bing, navigate to that site, bookmark it and drag it onto your bookmarks bar. The only difference now is that you are required to make one whole extra click which I realize is a very, very difficult thing to do but heck... even I can do that.
And if you don't like the bookmarks bar, put Bing into your Speed dial. Same difference.
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iron84 last edited by
I've been using Opera since, I dunno, 7.13 maybe (or whatever version was out around september 2003).
After windows 8 came out I switched to Chrome for around a year, since opera couldn't even be set as the default browser, plus various other annoyances, which, to me, was the start of the "one step forward, ten steps behind" mentality at Opera HQ.
Then I switched back to the new opera with version 17 I think, when tab pinning was added (or, rather, restored), as like many others I was lamenting missing most of the features, but at least most websites now worked correctly (except anything that uses flash, switching tabs makes flash lose focus, which is pathetic), but hey, at least it's not Chrome, right?.
And now...now...this **** happens.
For now I will use the workaround posted in this thread (many thanks to the tipster), but I'm getting pissed off badly.
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A Former User last edited by
I read somewhere in the Opera Blogs that they added DuckDuckGo because many Opera users had been requesting it and they wont allow custom default search engines for security reasons (or something like that). Why Bing was removed remains a mystery. I use Bing as an alternative to Google and I find DuckDuckGo a bit limited in its search results. One thing though, typing b before a search is annoying but after reading some of the slightly over-the-top, negative comments here, I'm not going to get worked up about it. It would be nice if Opera brought it back as a default though.
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theashigaru last edited by
@leushino I think the problem is that, to the user, removing Bing as a default search seems capricious. One day it's default and the next day Bing has been replaced by DuckDuckGo. I do believe that Opera had their reasons, but they certainly ought to know how their userbase feels about it. And let me say that I like the addition of DuckDuckGo, but having DDG with Bing and Google is certainly better.
Yes, there will always be those melodramatics who deliver time-sensitive ultimatums to switch browsers as if they hold some kind of bartering chip, but I think the majority of users who take issue with this are willing to give it time to work itself out. If nothing changes within a few months time, we might start to consider other browser options that better suit our internet usage habits.
Opera doesn't need me as an individual user, but Opera does need rapport with their userbase as a whole. That's how a successful business usually works.
