Author Topic: Trying to switch to Opera: Need help, tips (Read 15483 times)

wreckedcarzz · « **on:** February 28, 2011, 08:35 PM »

Hey all, been a while since I've posted anything, but I am stuck and need assistance, so I've turned to you, DC!

I've been a big fan of Firefox for a long time, especially the addons and extendability of it. I tried out Chrome (which, avoiding a long story, was a letdown), and am awaiting IE9 to go gold. In the meantime, I have FF4 beta and decided to give Opera 11 a whirl (I use Opera Mobile on my phone, and like the simple interface a lot, and the speed is much faster than the standard Android browser). However, I've come to a few snags in the process; I went around in the settings and changed the options to my liking (some awkward/unusual defaults threw me off, like Control+Tab going in last-used order, not tab-bar order, etc). I am using the content blocking as an attempt to keep advertisements at bay (I'm missing Adblock Plus, but the list I have isn't half bad - anyone got anything better, though?), and Unite is a nice little addition, although I haven't played with it much yet.

My main problem is that I cannot find anything to bring my Firefox passwords into Opera

. And seeing as I used a password generator (the app name escapes me atm) and have 25 character alpha-numeric-symbol passwords for the majority of sites (about 50 or so different sites), I would really like to avoid having to re-type each and every one into Opera. Reading from Google hits, it seems the two have inoperable password encryption/storage methods, but I'm really hoping for a simple fix for this. I'm dealing with the lack of Adblock Plus, BarTab, Betterprivacy and HTTPS Everywhere, I just need my passwords! Anyone have any insight?

Oh, and any other miscellaneous suggestions that you have, go ahead and throw em at me. Even without the usual addons, I'm liking Opera lots, and if there are ways to get more cool functionality out of it, I'd really like to know!

-Brandon

fenixproductions · « **Reply #1 on:** March 01, 2011, 06:59 AM »

Adblock Plus
-wreckedcarzz

I've used RMB ads blocking few times only because I preferred to edit its urlfilter.ini file. Maybe this can work for you?

HTTPS Everywhere
-wreckedcarzz

It may be possible with UserJS?

I just need my passwords! Anyone have any insight?
-wreckedcarzz

Was using Opera for years and I can only say that its passwords management always sucked. No import, no export, just pray

Paul Keith · « **Reply #2 on:** March 01, 2011, 08:28 AM »

Longer article for urlfilter.ini:

http://my.opera.com/...ml/tag/urlfilter.ini

Sadly Opera 11 is unstable to me so I'm not sure if I would suggest such extensions as this:

https://addons.opera...ds/1.0.8/?display=en

My main problem is that I cannot find anything to bring my Firefox passwords into Opera

This is one reason why I use LastPass but assuming you really don't want to re-type it all in one go, you could type it as you need it. The big difference about Opera's Wand and Firefox/Chrome's default password manager is the Wand is not really a password manager.

It's a type -> it saves -> then you no longer need to type your password or even know which places you have a password for mechanic and so things like typing it all in isn't as useful as you may think in practice.

HTTPS everywhere

https://addons.opera...tps/1.96/?display=en

Was using Opera for years and I can only say that its passwords management always sucked. No import, no export, just pray

Export is copy pasting it from the Applications Data directory if I'm not mistaken.

http://my.opera.com/...ed-passwords-in-wand
http://www.opera.com...support/kb/view/313/

Exporting out of browsers though is a manual type and re-type.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #3 on:** March 01, 2011, 08:50 AM »

I haven't had the same experience as Paul Keith regarding the stability of Opera 11.
Even though I'll say it's unstable, I don't think it is more so that any other version

I've been using opera 11 as my main browser ever since it came out in alpha version and honestly I think it's pretty good. Also, I've been using NoAds for a while and had no problem other than occasionally it blocking some scripts it shouldn't. (when this happens, go to the bottom right corner of the page, and click the button so that it'll stop blocking scripts)

Opera wand really has always been very closed, but maybe lastpass will work for you. (Disclaimer: I've never tried it)

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #4 on:** March 01, 2011, 03:10 PM »

Spoiler
Adblock Plus
-wreckedcarzz
I've used RMB ads blocking few times only because I preferred to edit its urlfilter.ini file. Maybe this can work for you?

HTTPS Everywhere
-wreckedcarzz
It may be possible with UserJS?

I just need my passwords! Anyone have any insight?
-wreckedcarzz
Was using Opera for years and I can only say that its passwords management always sucked. No import, no export, just pray

-fenixproductions (March 01, 2011, 06:59 AM)

I was unaware of the right click blocking, which is nice; I am already using Tamil's "Optimized Filter" ini file, as well as the counter blocking, but the right click option will let me get the stray ones that make it through

I am unfamiliar with UserJS, I've been seeing it mentioned a lot, I'll have to read up and tinker a bit it seems to understand.

Spoiler
Longer article for urlfilter.ini:

http://my.opera.com/...ml/tag/urlfilter.ini

Sadly Opera 11 is unstable to me so I'm not sure if I would suggest such extensions as this:

https://addons.opera...ds/1.0.8/?display=en

My main problem is that I cannot find anything to bring my Firefox passwords into Opera

This is one reason why I use LastPass but assuming you really don't want to re-type it all in one go, you could type it as you need it. The big difference about Opera's Wand and Firefox/Chrome's default password manager is the Wand is not really a password manager.

It's a type -> it saves -> then you no longer need to type your password or even know which places you have a password for mechanic and so things like typing it all in isn't as useful as you may think in practice.

HTTPS everywhere

https://addons.opera...tps/1.96/?display=en

Was using Opera for years and I can only say that its passwords management always sucked. No import, no export, just pray

Export is copy pasting it from the Applications Data directory if I'm not mistaken.

http://my.opera.com/...ed-passwords-in-wand
http://www.opera.com...support/kb/view/313/

Exporting out of browsers though is a manual type and re-type.

-Paul Keith (March 01, 2011, 08:28 AM)

I'm using that same urlfilter.ini right now, but it doesn't catch everything (but the right-click blocking options should fix that).
I'm also looking into the NoAds extension now, as well as the Redirect to HTTPS; will give 'em a go and see how it works out. The worst that can happen is a crash

Spoiler
I haven't had the same experience as Paul Keith regarding the stability of Opera 11.
Even though I'll say it's unstable, I don't think it is more so that any other version

I've been using opera 11 as my main browser ever since it came out in alpha version and honestly I think it's pretty good. Also, I've been using NoAds for a while and had no problem other than occasionally it blocking some scripts it shouldn't. (when this happens, go to the bottom right corner of the page, and click the button so that it'll stop blocking scripts)

Opera wand really has always been very closed, but maybe lastpass will work for you. (Disclaimer: I've never tried it)

-jgpaiva (March 01, 2011, 08:50 AM)

I haven't had any problems with it yet; themes, addons, Unite, even the built-in Mail client works well. Hopefully things stay that way

I'll give the Lastpass extension a shot, too. I'll still have to at least open my current password manager and copy/paste to LP, but that's better than doing it one character at a time.

Thanks all

Dormouse · « **Reply #5 on:** March 01, 2011, 04:26 PM »

I use Lastpass and AdMuncher (not free). Both work fine on Opera, or any other browser I fire up.

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #6 on:** March 01, 2011, 04:55 PM »

I've looked into AdMuncher before, but paying to remove adverts seems kind of counter-intuitive. I mean, the ads are there for the site to not charge you money, so you pay a different company to remove them? Why not just get a premium membership at the site (when available)?

I've also signed up for LastPass and am going to move all my main passwords over when I get home to see how it works.

Ath · « **Reply #7 on:** March 01, 2011, 05:00 PM »

and am going to move all my main passwords over when I get home to see how it works
-wreckedcarzz (March 01, 2011, 04:55 PM)

Is that as risky as it sounds

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #8 on:** March 01, 2011, 06:26 PM »

and am going to move all my main passwords over when I get home to see how it works
-wreckedcarzz (March 01, 2011, 04:55 PM)

Is that as risky as it sounds
-Ath (March 01, 2011, 05:00 PM)

It's not risky at all - all I'm doing it opening up KeePass, right clicking each password, copying it, and pasting it into LastPass.

Ath · « **Reply #9 on:** March 02, 2011, 01:35 AM »

My risk assessment was based on the words "all my main passwords", combined with "to see how it works". The risk is in the fact that you want to see how it works, but you are using your main passwords, that can open quite important information... These terms don't combine well in safety-land, IMHO.

Lashiec · « **Reply #10 on:** March 02, 2011, 09:26 AM »

If you were using KeePass all this time to store your passwords, migrating them from Firefox to Opera is a piece of cake. As long as you use the Auto-Type feature, that is, which, judging by your comments, you don't seem to. You would not need to migrate anything even, since the app is cross-browser and cross-platform (not as much as LastPass, though).

Also, LastPass can read at least one of the two KeePass database formats and import the passwords without going through so much hassle :)

InstantFundas · « **Reply #11 on:** March 02, 2011, 10:52 AM »

Here are some tips from a 5 year Opera user

Ctrl+click on an image to save it. Nice and quick.
On search engine results page, press <spacebar> at the bottom of the page to automatically load the next page. It also works on other websites and blogs that has pagination, although on blogs the behavior is erratic.
SHIFT+Spacebar scrolls page up
Ctrl+click opens link in new tab
Ctrl+shift+click opens link in background tab, i.e. the new tab does not steal focus
CTRL+Mouse Wheel to Zoom in and out
CTRL+Spacebar to open homepage
Hold down the right mouse button and roll the mouse wheel to cycle through the open tabs
To add a new search engine, just place your mouse pointer on the search box, right click and from the menu click Create search
Install Opera widgets and use them as standalone programs. No opera needed.
And yeah, do checkout the extensions.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #12 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:01 AM »

InstantFundas: thanks for the "shift+spacebar" tip, I didn't know about that one

Paul Keith · « **Reply #13 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:14 AM »

Here are some tips from a 5 year Opera user

Ctrl+click on an image to save it. Nice and quick.
On search engine results page, press <spacebar> at the bottom of the page to automatically load the next page. It also works on other websites and blogs that has pagination, although on blogs the behavior is erratic.
SHIFT+Spacebar scrolls page up
Ctrl+click opens link in new tab
Ctrl+shift+click opens link in background tab, i.e. the new tab does not steal focus
CTRL+Mouse Wheel to Zoom in and out
CTRL+Spacebar to open homepage
Hold down the right mouse button and roll the mouse wheel to cycle through the open tabs
To add a new search engine, just place your mouse pointer on the search box, right click and from the menu click Create search
Install Opera widgets and use them as standalone programs. No opera needed.
And yeah, do checkout the extensions.
-InstantFundas (March 02, 2011, 10:52 AM)

You forgot the rarest feature that even extensions rarely implement in other browsers: 1 and 2 for switching between left and right tabs as well as customizable keyboard shortcuts, ones that allow things such as ctrl+shift+w to close the tab and instead of switching to the right, it switches to the left.

Sigh...too bad Opera keeps hiding and switching these around now. Unless you saved your keyboard shortcuts file, expect a lot of these hotkeys to disappear or change on a whim. I'm not even sure they even have a hotkey for saving sessions with the active window checked. Opera's features are getting a re-haul and I apologize for sounding like a hater, I just wanted to warn users who might think to switch to Opera specifically for those features.

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #14 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:42 AM »

My risk assessment was based on the words "all my main passwords", combined with "to see how it works". The risk is in the fact that you want to see how it works, but you are using your main passwords, that can open quite important information... These terms don't combine well in safety-land, IMHO.
-Ath (March 02, 2011, 01:35 AM)

Ah, yes, I'm not overly concerned though. *grabs tin foil hat*

If you were using KeePass all this time to store your passwords, migrating them from Firefox to Opera is a piece of cake. As long as you use the Auto-Type feature, that is, which, judging by your comments, you don't seem to. You would not need to migrate anything even, since the app is cross-browser and cross-platform (not as much as LastPass, though).

Also, LastPass can read at least one of the two KeePass database formats and import the passwords without going through so much hassle
-Lashiec (March 02, 2011, 09:26 AM)

Just a thought, but can I export my FF passwords into LastPass, and then they will sync up with Opera? Or would I have to use the desktop application to do that?

InstantFundas, thanks for that list - I've used a couple of those before, but new ones, especially like loading the next page and one-click image downloading, are going to be handy to know!

Paul Keith · « **Reply #15 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:46 AM »

They will/should sync up with LastPass. Sometimes it takes a while but it kind of defeats the point of Lastpass if they don't.

InstantFundas · « **Reply #16 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:46 AM »

You forgot the rarest feature that even extensions rarely implement in other browsers: 1 and 2 for switching between left and right tabs as well as customizable keyboard shortcuts, ones that allow things such as ctrl+shift+w to close the tab and instead of switching to the right, it switches to the left.
-Paul Keith (March 02, 2011, 11:14 AM)

Those were just from the top of my head. There are tons of hidden features.

Oh, another one: open the side panel, click on the '+' sign and select "windows". Now open the windows panel and you can see the list of all opened tabs. Ta-da! that is the tree view Chrome and Firefox is experimenting with now. Opera had it for years. Now you can drag and arrange tabs and even move them from one window to another.

Sigh...too bad Opera keeps hiding and switching these around now. Unless you saved your keyboard shortcuts file, expect a lot of these hotkeys to disappear or change on a whim. I'm not even sure they even have a hotkey for saving sessions with the active window checked. Opera's features are getting a re-haul and I apologize for sounding like a hater, I just wanted to warn users who might think to switch to Opera specifically for those features.
-Paul Keith (March 02, 2011, 11:14 AM)

Thats' a good advice. Backing up the opera settings folder is what I do.

NigelH · « **Reply #17 on:** March 02, 2011, 06:02 PM »

I use these often ...

Ctrl+shift+c - copy text to note (search and launch anytime via Notes in side panel)

Ctrl+shift+L - fast media download via a Links page (or see Tools menu)
Use on a page with direct media links (mp3/mpg/jpg/pdf etc.).
Use search to filter displayed list of links (e.g use .pdf in search)
Select some or all links, right click for menu.
Use Save Linked Content As.. for individual specific downloads or use Save to Download folder for one pass multi-download.

Use the Show Images button to rapidly switch images on/off (or use cached images only).
Via the same button, change the display mode to user mode etc. I use this a lot to remove clutter from a web page.

Type opera: in address bar to access various opera internal stuff like config, history, cache etc.

PS: Make sure you know how to backup your wand, notes, bookmarks etc..

jgpaiva · « **Reply #18 on:** March 02, 2011, 07:32 PM »

Ctrl+shift+L - fast media download via a Links page (or see Tools menu)
Use on a page with direct media links (mp3/mpg/jpg/pdf etc.).
Use search to filter displayed list of links (e.g use .pdf in search)
Select some or all links, right click for menu.
Use Save Linked Content As.. for individual specific downloads or use Save to Download folder for one pass multi-download.
-NigelH (March 02, 2011, 06:02 PM)

This thread is quickly turning into a goldmine!

InstantFundas · « **Reply #19 on:** March 02, 2011, 10:33 PM »

Use the Show Images button to rapidly switch images on/off (or use cached images only).
Via the same button, change the display mode to user mode etc. I use this a lot to remove clutter from a web page.

-NigelH (March 02, 2011, 06:02 PM)

This is my favorite. I always browse with cached image. Pages open in a snap.

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #20 on:** March 03, 2011, 02:09 PM »

They will/should sync up with LastPass. Sometimes it takes a while but it kind of defeats the point of Lastpass if they don't.
-Paul Keith (March 02, 2011, 11:46 AM)

Done, amazingly simple. Thanks

Definitely bookmarking this thread in case I need to refresh my memory on these little shortcuts and tricks