I guess I'll check back with version 33 and see if it boasts any improvement.

Why bother? Your mind is closed (and already made up)

Closed to what exactly?

There's nothing in Opera 15+ to be closed to. All the features previously pioneered by Opera are gone or degraded.

What exactly is the value proposition of Opera (With extensions) over Chrome with extensions?

Neither has the features or flexibility I actually want (or use).

so you'll be happier with another browser. So... see you back at version 33 (but my guess is: far before that number! LOL).

Frankly Opera 15+ is much like Windows 8, some really great under the skin improvements marred by a fatally flawed (and ugly) UI.

Just press the Alt key for the menu (or Alt f4 if it doesn't work for you) (if it does, it's just one key, right next to where you're finger is set up on a normal keyboard). That's simple.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, I know how to access the (incomplete) menu. The "Show Menu Bar" option is missing. When will it be restored?

-- There are lot of download managers, particularly in the Chrome store. Just do a web search for "download manager Chrome Store." And try a few. You can always uninstall them if you're unhappy. To use a Chrome Extension, all you need is to have installed the Opera extension, "Download Chrome extension" https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/download-chrome-extension-9/?display=en Or Extension Source Viewer https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/extension-source-viewer?display=en [/blockquote]

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Opera's Download manager was a fit for purpose tool, the current one is not. When will it be restored? (If I wanted to use chrome extensions I would use Chrome.)

How do I turn off themes (Don't like em don't want em)>
-- You can import your own art for a theme. If it really turns you on to have nothing as a background, why, save a blank page on your computer. Then right click on the speed dial page, click on change theme, create your theme, choose file (and make that blank page your theme). It's easy to do. Now if you see something better on the web that you could live with, just right click on it, and save it as your theme.

What part of "Off" is hard to fathom? "Off" means I don't have to do silly unnecessary things. Themes are bloatware.

How do I get private tabs (mobile can do it)
-- None of the other major browsers do any more for desktop, not Firefox, Chrome, or IE. Not sure why? Probably the privacy for the user is better with a private window.

So Opera now follows what other browsers do? Feature loss.

How do I block content?
-- Simple. Get an Opera ad-block extension. I use AdBlock Plus,
https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/opera-adblock/?display=en-GB
and Disconnect in tandem https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/disconnect/?display=en.
Some people use AdBlock https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/adblockforopera/?display=en by itself, or AdBlock Plus alone. These ad blocking extensions are quite excellent. I have absolutely no problem with ads, and am delighted with how well it all works.

I'm delighted you're delighted, but if it's no longer a feature, it ceases to be a reason for using Opera over other browsers.

-- Have you even looked at the browser. Are you so lazy that you asked these questions without even trying to understand the browser. Recently closed tabs is the fourth menu item from the top. They all show up there. You can open any of them. If you want a fancier setting, there are extensions that do it, like the Opera extensions, Simple Undo Close, or Browser ++. The Chrome Extension, Sexy Undo Close Tab is quite good.

Who was the moron who moved what used to be a simple button onto a menu? That's incredibly backward.

It's simple to do the vast bulk of these things. You can't get your menu back, but that's in most cases one click on the alt key to see the menu (or at the worst if that doesn't work (alt f4, or click the logo).

I don't want the inverted logo tab, I never wanted it, I want a menu that starts with "File"

No reason you can't adapt easily.

There's no reason I can't just as easily adapt to any other new browser. Why should I invest in Opera?

Complain less. Welcome change! There are a lot of good features in the new Opera including faster speed, and ability to access sites better.

A query is not a complaint, the complaint follows:
Change shouldn't be 'welcomed', change should to be managed, I understand the business case for abandoning Presto, however what I don't understand is the abandonment of long established features.

Sadly you've provided no compelling argument for Opera, but plenty for extensions, sadly extensions are available in multiple platforms.
I guess I'll check back with version 33 and see if it boasts any improvement.

<blockquote>
Just press the Alt key for the menu (or Alt f4 if it doesn't work for you) (if it does, it's just one key, right next to where you're finger is set up on a normal keyboard). That's simple.</blockquote>

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, I know how to access the (incomplete) menu. The "Show Menu Bar" option is missing. When will it be restored?

<blockquote>
How do I revert my download manager back to it's single line elegance (which could display >20 download, as apposed to the current 4)>
-- There are lot of download managers, particularly in the Chrome store. Just do a web search for "download manager Chrome Store." And try a few. You can always uninstall them if you're unhappy. To use a Chrome Extension, all you need is to have installed the Opera extension, "Download Chrome extension" https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/download-chrome-extension-9/?display=en Or Extension Source Viewer https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/extension-source-viewer?display=en [/blockquote]

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Opera's Download manager was a fit for purpose tool, the current one is not. When will it be restored? (If I wanted to use chrome extensions I would use Chrome.)

[blockquote]
How do I turn off themes (Don't like em don't want em)>
-- You can import your own art for a theme. If it really turns you on to have nothing as a background, why, save a blank page on your computer. Then right click on the speed dial page, click on change theme, create your theme, choose file (and make that blank page your theme). It's easy to do. Now if you see something better on the web that you could live with, just right click on it, and save it as your theme. [/blockquote]

What part of "Off" is hard to fathom? "Off" means I don't have to do silly unnecessary things. Themes are bloatware.

[blockquote]
How do I get private tabs (mobile can do it)
-- None of the other major browsers do any more for desktop, not Firefox, Chrome, or IE. Not sure why? Probably the privacy for the user is better with a private window.
[/blockquote]

So Opera now follows what other browsers do?

[blockquote]
How do I block content?
-- Simple. Get an Opera ad-block extension. I use AdBlock Plus,

https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/opera-adblock/?display=en-GB

and Disconnect in tandem https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/disconnect/?display=en.

Some people use AdBlock https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/adblockforopera/?display=en by itself, or AdBlock Plus alone. These ad blocking extensions are quite excellent. I have absolutely no problem with ads, and am delighted with how well it all works.[/blockquote]

I'm delighted you're delighted, but if it's no longer a feature, it ceases to be a reason for using Opera over other browsers.

[blockquote]
-- Have you even looked at the browser. Are you so lazy that you asked these questions without even trying to understand the browser. Recently closed tabs is the fourth menu item from the top. They all show up there. You can open any of them. If you want a fancier setting, there are extensions that do it, like the Opera extensions, Simple Undo Close, or Browser ++. The Chrome Extension, Sexy Undo Close Tab is quite good. [/blockquote]

Who was the moron who what used to be a simple button onto a menu? That's incredibly backward.

[blockquote]
It's simple to do the vast bulk of these things. You can't get your menu back, but that's in most cases one click on the alt key to see the menu (or at the worst if that doesn't work (alt f4, or click the logo). [/blockquote]

I don't want the inverted logo tab, I want a menu that starts with "File"
[blockquote]
No reason you can't adapt easily.
[/blockquote]

There's no reason I can't just as easily adapt to any other new browser. Why should I invest in Opera?

[blockquote]
Complain less. Welcome change! There are a lot of good features in the new Opera including faster speed, and ability to access sites better.[/blockquote]

A query is not a complaint, the complaint follows:

Change shouldn't be 'welcomed', change should to be managed, I understand the business case for abandoning Presto, however what I don't understand is the abandonment of long established features.

Sadly you've provided no compelling argument for Opera, but plenty for extensions, sadly extensions are available in multiple platforms.

I guess I'll check back with version 33 and see if it boasts any improvement.

How did we go from 12 to 22 in a little over a year when it took more than a decade to get to 12?

I'm not entirely sure how I can adapt to version 22 when I can't even personalize the on screen tool and menu bars.

Now I've arguments about how the menu bars use up valuable screen real estate, but it's my real estate, and my 19' monitors.

Apparently the real estate argument doesn't apply to the download manager where 4-5 lines are now used where an elegant single line sufficed.

So here are a few questions.

How do I get my windows title bar back on full screen?
How do I get rid of that stupid "O" tab and get my file menu back.
How do I revert my download manager back to it's single line elegance (which could display >20 download, as apposed to the current 4)
How do I turn off themes (Don't like em don't want em)
How do I get private tabs (mobile can do it)
How do I block content?
What happened to the list of closed tabs?

Once I figure out how to do these things then I may consider myself adapted.