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Vivaldi, the new Web browser for power users

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mouser:
Interesting development in the desktop browser world, a new web browser from some Opera folks.  I'm not exactly sold on this, and I was never a huge fan of Opera, but I do agree that I don't like this trend towards making the browser feel and look more and more invisible -- removing menubars, addressbars, statusbars, etc..

Desktop browsers have largely followed this overall trend of slipping into the background. Every new release sees them simplifying their interfaces and removing features that their data collection tools indicate are only used by a small handful. RSS icons disappear, toolbars get hidden away, the URL bar will likely disappear soon for many...

There is, however, still that five percent that actually did use the RSS icon, liked their status bar, and will most likely abandon any browser that hides away the address bar. The power users may be the minority, but they still exist. Exactly what constitutes a power user is up for debate, but looking at the recent history of Web browser "advances" one thing seems clear, the power user is not the target audience. The person who wants to be in control of their experience and customize it to their liking has been left behind by most browsers.

The power user's current solution to the simplification, arguably the infantilization, of the Web browser interface is to get all those missing features back with add-ons. This works to a degree, but it introduces a ton of extra code, some of it written by programmers far less capable than those contributing to the code of Firefox or Chromium. This inevitably means add-ons slow things down. The problem is bad enough that a future version of Firefox will even have a feature dedicated to letting you know which of your add-ons is slowing you down.

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http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/hands-on-with-vivaldi-the-new-web-browser-for-power-users/



iMark:
A very interesting article to read. Vivaldi looks pretty cool and it is bringing something different to the world of web browsers. I personally think the rewind feature would be awesome, although I am not convinced with the fast forward feature. I may use it from time to time but if I wanted to get to the next page of a post on a forum, I would just click next page. Why risk the possibility of not getting to the right next page like they advertise. Although it may be nice to view related articles on a blog.

Windows is also making a new browser called Spartan browser with a little helper called Cortana which is supposed to help you browser the web and suggest stuff to you by looking at your history, search habits etc. They will release it with Windows 10 which I greatly dislike. I wanted a better Windows 7, not a more improved Windows 8. They are also making "holo lenses" which I don't think everyday people will want to use, I wouldn't mind using it for a bit but not to replace my tv,computer and phone. However these are all different topics that can be discussed on other posts.

Overall I think Vivaldi is pretty cool and I may even use it when it comes out.

Renegade:
Just about every major feature in today's browsers started out in Opera: tabbed browsing, mouse gestures, pioneering support for Web standards, and even the clustered page thumbnails when you open a new window or tab (a feature known as "speed dial"). These all started in Opera and were then copied by Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and (sometimes) IE.
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Given that Opera really has been the main innovator in browser UX, they very well may pull off a new trend.

I'll give it a try sometime. I use Opera as my primary browser, and it has been lacking since they swapped engines.

rxantos:
It's no accident that Vivaldi offers most of what Opera 12 offered. Vivaldi's CEO is Jon S. von Tetzchner, co-founder and former CEO of Opera. Von Tetzchner's primary goal for Vivaldi is to rebuild the browser that Opera once was—the power user's browser.
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Now I understand what happened at that company, it changed leadership.

I will give Vivaldi a try. I really liked Opera 12, but despise the new O-Chromium with a passion. It made me go to WaterFox and different other programs Never liked the way Chrome and all Chromium based browsers (including the new Opera)sends information behind your back.

Ath:
I will give Vivaldi a try. I really liked Opera 12, but despise the new O-Chromium with a passion. It made me go to WaterFox and different other programs Never liked the way Chrome and all Chromium based browsers (including the new Opera)sends information behind your back.
-rxantos (March 08, 2015, 09:44 PM)
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But this new Vivaldi browser is using the WebKit/Blink rendering engine, the same as Chrome is using, doesn't that bother you?

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