1st let me be clear.
I've been using Opera and promoting it as better than everything else so far back that I had to dig around in the archives to find what version I started using. And it seems I started with 2.0. That said over the course of all these years I found that Opera allowed me to do things I simply couldn't do elsewhere.
It's not a question of what's "new" or trendy, or a really cool look, it's about functionality, usability, intuitive interface, tools.
I've only just installed Opera 20 on a new machine, win 7, and it would seem that I've been using an older version on my iMac for a long time. So what do I find?
Opera 20 is Chrome, which I had been using for a few months because someone suggested I check it out. Chrome is now my default browser. Why? cause it works, is uncluttered, and it's simple. But it has a problem. I can not alter how the pages are displayed.
it's a WYSIWYSW [what you see is what you're stuck with] browser. So I get on my horse and ride over to download Opera 20, because I need to be able to zoom in to 150+ to read from a Hi-rez monitor on some pages, and keep the other 4 windows i have open visible. Wrapping the web page is gone, so if you zoom in, text now is out of the window, UNLESS I make the opera window Full screen. This is one of the reasons I've been using Opera since forever.
EXCEPT text wrapping the page to fit the window is no longer available! and other unique to Opera tools and functions are gone!
I realize that most average users never knew some of the things one could do in Opera where there. But because I date back the the primordial soup of "the Internet" I can say I love all the changes that have made "The Net" what it is. New stuff however does not mean trash everything that used to be in the tool box.
As a mechanic I will always have use for a Hammer, a Screwdriver, and Wrenches. As an Engineer
I will always need pencil/pen and paper. As a Musician I will always need a Piano [digital or otherwise] that has real Keys.
As a chef I will always need Knives, Pots and Pans. As a Person I will always need a Plate and Flatware to eat with.
Just because something can be "improved" doesn't mean you throw away things that are useful. ALL of the old tools could still be there, assuming the higher-ups at Opera decide they should be there. It's that simple and I can illustrate why these "old" things are needed using Win 7 to Illustrate.
Premise: 1. If the classic widoze interface were useless why are there millions of DLs from hack and tweaks sites to enable the old interface for Explorer? [the answer is obvious] Because people need the old interface to make FULL use of their computer.
2.If you need a search function that allows detailed queries of your HD to find specific files or items, having a bland, featureless Explorer search tool is useless,,, and the result is? Go find a tweak, hack, plugin, or other 3rd party tool that does what WINDOZE Explorer use to do.
It is the same for Browsers. I've been using Opera since way back because is wasn't like everything else, and now it seems I'm being forced to choose from an assortment of Chrome variants, so I guess it would make sense that if Opera is Chrome with some of the buttons in different places, why don't I just go to the horses mouth and use Chrome? and yes it is a rhetorical question.
If you miss all those things that you used to be able to do with Opera, please speak up.
If I've missed the tools because they are hidden somewhere I haven't looked, sorry.
If your just gonna bash me because you like starting arguments, well, go elsewhere.
I'll be waiting and watching for the "powers that be" to put the tools back in the tool box, until then, I say au revoir Opera.
And I apologize for the rant, to all the "kiddies" who find me an "ol Fart". One day you will be around long enough to understand what I'm talking about. it's ok, You'll catch up. 