Firefox + FireGestures + AdBlock + NoScript = Salvation.

Try that combination. It feels basically like browsing with Opera v12, once you set up your gestures right. Here's a script for FireGestures that enables you to open links in new tabs just like you want to:

"[Hybrid] Open Link in New Tab / Open New Tab"

try {
FireGestures._performAction(event, "FireGestures:OpenLinkInFgTab");
}
catch (ex) {
FireGestures._performAction(event, "cmd_newNavigatorTab");
}

opera lacks the privacy concerns associated with chrome

Except that Opera contacts Google's DNS server on every reques you make, thus letting Google see and record every single web page you visit. How's that for a privacy concern? -They're doing this for money, of course. Opera is a free browser, but just like with all free products, the actual product is you.

s it worth going back to Opera again after they decided to betray the user base and instead go for quick money with the Chrome engine?

No, it's not. The new Opera is basically Chrome's crippled bastard-child. Mouse gestures are missing (can't open a link in a new tab, for example - a crucial gesture), and the rocker gestures are finicky to the point of being unuseable.

I wouldn't say they decided to "go for quick money with the Chrome engine" though - more like, they decided to burn their house down. Judging by some of the comments here, Opera apologists make up the majority of their user base now.

I have Opera 20 and no bookmarks bar. Any suggestions?

Switch to Firefox, I guess.. That's my plan for now. Life without the glorious browser perfection that was Opera 12 will be extremely annoying, but since it's just crashing way too often on Mavericks, I guess I'll have to give up and abandon ship.

Will stick with Opera 12.16 until a better solution comes along.

The sad reality here is that a better solution just might not come along. The vast majority of people just lap up whatever shit they're fed, as evidenced by every browser other than Opera (until v12). I mean, how the hell is it 2014 and Opera still the only browser that ever had native mouse gestures?! Why can't people see what a massive productivity improvement they are?! .. It's because they're blind, and not in the habit of independent thinking.

When Chrome came out, it had two features: 1) Renders web pages, 2) Is fast. -And hordes of nerds rushed into Google's open arms and sang Chrome's praises, apparently with just about zero requirements for a primary web browser. That's just insane, but that's what people are like. They have no clue.

One of the default search engines in Opera Next is Wikipedia, of course. But now they've decided to make it locale-specific somehow, and it points to the sorely lacking Finnish version of Wikipedia, which is not what I want to use.

Opera Next contacts Google's DNS server on every request I make. Without blocking that in a firewall, Google would see (and record) every single web page I open, which is .. a disgusting invasion of privacy on Opera's part.

What are "proper" mouse gestures for you?

Well, for example opening a link into a new tab is missing, the rocker-gestures are now finicky (and for some reason paragraphs of text get selected when I try doing them). But overall, think: "the exact same behaviour as in v12".

Right–click on a search field and choose Create Search Engine. Is this not what you meant?

That's it, but it's not working properly. I've set up http://startpage.com as a search, but when I try to use it, Opera Next just opens the page itself.

This is unlikely to return. The functionality can, however, be recreated using extensions.

Why isn't it returning?

Oh, and I'd like Opera not to contact Google's DNS servers right away upon startup:

Opera Next
wants to connect to 2001:4860:4860::8888 on UDP port 53 (domain)

IP Address	2001:4860:4860::8888
Reverse DNS Name	google-public-dns-a.google.com
Established by	/Applications/Opera Next.app/Contents/MacOS/Opera
Process ID	740

-- And some weird Ad site through "Opera Helper EH", whatever that is. I can't be 100% sure now, but I don't think I had even opened any websites yet:
Opera Next via Opera Helper EH
wants to connect to tu.moatads.com on TCP port 843

IP Address	54.196.232.73
Reverse DNS Name	ec2-54-196-232-73.compute-1.amazonaws.com
Established by	/Applications/Opera Next.app/Contents/Versions/20.0.1387.59/Opera Helper EH.app/Contents/MacOS/Opera Helper EH
Process ID	774

The v12 Mac version has been crashing way too often lately (on Mavericks), and usually won't start again without a reboot. I'd probably keep re-starting it after the crashes, but having to reboot to get the damn thing up again is just too much work.

Opera v12 is still by far the best browser ever created, and the new ChrOperas are a sad, crippled, unusable mess.

I have no idea which of the remaining browsers I should use. We've lost proper Mouse Gestures - nothing comes close to v12's. There are some add-ons for Firefox and Chrome, but they're just not as good, and sometimes riddled with ad/spyware.. It's a weird situation to be in. I don't want to "live" without proper mouse gestures, but what the hell can I do, now that even Opera doesn't have them?!

Guys? What are you smoking? I can sort of understand having to stop maintaining your own rendering engine, but why haven't you reimplemented the most critical features Opera v12 had? What is Opera without proper mouse gestures?! What the hell are you doing? How many percent of your users have you lost already? Don't you want to keep the rest either?

I hate looking at Chrome's crippled settings screen. It just screams "nothing to see here, move along! a browser is only supposed to: 1) render pages, 2) be fast!". I hate it that Opera has become a bastardized version of a crippled-by-design browser like Chrome.

Look, I'm not asking for all that much. The most important things for me are: 1) proper mouse gestures, rather unsurprisingly, 2) custom search engines ("Create Search.."), 3) The kind of tab-switching that v12 had, right-click + mwheel and in last-used order, 4) bookmarks! and Opera Link.

What kind of a damn browser doesn't have bookmarks?! But really, if the new ChrOperas had those four things, I wouldn't have to switch.. then I could just wait around, and see if new versions would get closer to the Glory of v12.

But no.. you're basically forcing me to abandon Opera, which is really sad, and kind of counter-intuitive considering you're the company that makes Opera. Given the chance, I would pay 100 euros for a bug-free Opera v12 for the Mac, without hesitation.