Author Topic: Web-Browser Review: Opera 10.00 (Read 59,726 times)

KynloStephen66515 · « **on:** February 02, 2010, 01:46 AM »

Basic Info

App Name	Opera
App URL	www.opera.com
App Version Reviewed	10.00
Test System Specs	Tested on multiple systems from very old to top spec
Supported OSes	MS, Apple, Mobile, Console
Support Methods	Online Support
Upgrade Policy	Free Automatic Updates
Trial Version Available?	Unlimited Free Version (No Trial Needed)
Pricing Scheme	Free
Reviewer Donation Link	Donate to Stephen66515, the Review Writer
Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product	Dedicated User

Intro:

Opera Web-Browser is, in my opinion, the best option for browsing websites. With advanced security features, speed-dial function (first page can carry up to 20 links with automatically updated images of that page).

Easy to install widgets (Opera carry a huge list of free widgets for the user to download)

Easy to change themes

Voice recognition capable

Ability to store notes and connect to your e-mail client (basically an outlook style application)

Awesome RSS Reader

Options to Save, Manage, Import and Export your browsing sessions, so if you have a few tabs open that you usually use, you can set that to be the default session.

Option to restore previous session after unexpected crash or system reboot.

Much Much More...

Who is this app designed for:

Any security conscious users, and also anybody looking for a fully featured web-broswer that is easy to navigate, easy to figure out and easy to use.

The Good

98% of the softwares features.

The needs improvement section

I have found a few facebook applications do not work on opera, and depending on 'Thirds Party Addons' you may not be able to play on some Online Bingo websites. Asides from that, I find no other problems with Opera.

Opera Turbo, only works when IT wants to, and when it does, has a love for showing websites in a single line, no formatting and no images...basically, until they say they have 'updated' this in an upgrade, don't use this option!

Why I think you should use this product

Because I think you deserve the best!

How does it compare to similar apps

It does not compare to other browsers, because it has so many options and is so much better, I won't even put it in the same league as browsers like Internet Explorer

Score

99.5%

scancode · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2010, 01:51 AM »

No cons? What about user-made addons? >.>

* scancode hugs fx

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2010, 01:56 AM »

how is user-made add-ons a con? nobody makes you install them lol

scancode · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:09 AM »

Quote from: Stephen66515 on February 02, 2010, 01:56 AM

how is user-made add-ons a con? nobody makes you install them lol

I was talking about the lack of them.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:36 AM »

u CAN make addons for Opera...

scancode · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:39 AM »

Quote from: Stephen66515 on February 02, 2010, 02:36 AM

u CAN make addons for Opera...

Are you talking about that 'widgets' thing? C'mon, you can't modify the browser's UI >.>

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2010, 04:51 AM »

Quote from: scancode on February 02, 2010, 02:39 AM

C'mon, you can't modify the browser's UI >.>

Nope, but why would you want to lol

Tuxman · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2010, 05:02 AM »

Because you can do that in better browsers than that proprietary Opera thingy.

Josh · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2010, 11:36 AM »

Because opera developers, no matter how much they claim otherwise, do not know what is best for every user? Because user made addons let me PERSONALIZE my browser to the way I surf and the information I want available? Because opera developers choose to not add support for certain features *cough* autocomplete *cough* that are widespread in every other major competitor?

Do you want me to continue?

Plus, why does this mini-review feel like every other comment I see from an opera user? They fail to admit where their product falls short and any mention of a way in which the product does instantly results in a comment like "Who uses that" or "You can do A by doing B C D followed by E while holding F G and H"?

nosh · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2010, 12:03 PM »

Josh, why would you want to post such a thoughtful response you think too much just use Opera lol

urlwolf · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2010, 01:40 PM »

I'd flag this as spam if I could. What have you learned after reading the review?

Darwin · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:20 PM »

Two points:

1. Pro - Opera 10.5 beta is SVELTE compared to all others WRT resource utilization.
2. Con - No Roboform. Need I say more...?

Josh · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2010, 05:25 PM »

What I learned through this "review" is the same thing I already knew...Opera users, generally, treat themselves as elitists due to their low market share. It seems any product which holds a small portion of the market for such a long time ends up being tagged as an elitist product simply because "I use something not very many others use, look at how cool I am".

Stephen, I hate to be so critical publicly but if I wanted to see a "review" where an opera user gives me 200 reasons they the product is great with absolutely no shortcomings listed or no objectivity given, I would go to the opera forums. I would then ask them why after all of these years they fail to implement common features found amongst all other browsers and choose to ignore thousands upon thousands of user requests. I would then put on my flame-retardant pants because those are the only replies I would receive minus the one or two who agree buried in those replies. It's almost as bad as walking into a linux IRC channel after installing ubuntu for the first time and asking how to install a program "RTFM NOOB!!!!!"

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:21 PM »

Josh, OK, if you want a couple of downfalls, please read the edited review...I felt they where UN-needed as they will not apply for 99% of users. But seeing as you now think I merely overlooked these, I WILL add them.

Tuxman · « **Reply #14 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:23 PM »

I don't know if I should take a review which contains "It does not compare to other browsers, because it has so many options and is so much better and stuff" seriously.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:27 PM »

You would note, a review is a person(s) personal opinion's of a selected product. The above review, is MY personal experience with Opera.

Take it or leave it, it wouldn't bother me if anybody switched over to this browser to be perfectly honest

Tuxman · « **Reply #16 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:30 PM »

Reviews should actually describe a product's features and not just say "OK, it has some features, but the main thing is: Whoa, this is great!!!111"...

Josh · « **Reply #17 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:44 PM »

You also come forth to say that "I wont even put it in the same league as internet explorer". I see no justification for this comment based on this review. IE is a browser, Opera is a browser. What basis do you make these comments on?

What are these "Advanced security features" you speak of?

What makes the RSS reader "awesome"?

Quote

Easy to change themes

Ability to store notes and connect to your e-mail client (basically an outlook style application)

Options to Save, Manage, Import and Export your browsing sessions, so if you have a few tabs open that you usually use, you can set that to be the default session.

Option to restore previous session after unexpected crash or system reboot.

All of these are capable of being done in Firefox, IE and Chrome. How are these "Opera-unique"?

Darwin · « **Reply #18 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:51 PM »

I do love Opera, but the lack of 3rd party add-on support is a deal breaker for me, so much so, that I've never spent any time using it as my main browser. I'm not sure what I'd think of it if I set it as my default browser for a week... A worthy experiment, probably. Might just have to do that one.

FWIW, to elaborate a bit on my earlier post, I tested Safari 4, Chrome and Chromium 3, Firefox 3.6 and IE 8 against each other with the same set of tabs open. Opera was much, much faster than anything else and used the least amount system memory as well. I finally settled on IE 8, thereby ending a year-long relationship with Firefox. I just couldn't take the explorer.exe crashes that it produces under Windows 7 64-bit any longer. Had them at least once a day with Firefox installed and haven't seen one since I uninstalled it. Chrome/Chromium have special spots on my hate list because of their useless uninstall routines that leave themselves set as your default browser even after you've uninstalled them.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:55 PM »

Taking into account all the useful comments that have been given to me, my further reviews will contain a much more evenly based approach. I realize that this one seems biased, but being some-what new here, I am used to the way I used to do reviews, which where MORE than sufficient on other forums and media outlets.

Keep the comments coming guys as I would love to see what I can add into anything else I put onto here.

Thanks

NigelH · « **Reply #20 on:** February 02, 2010, 11:11 PM »

Stephen66515, it's your review. You get to write what you feel.
Don't moderate your review based on what you think someone else would like to hear.
*edit* Sure, more content would be welcome, but not your position.

For what it's worth, every single time I try to start using Firefox for regular use (a new release perhaps), I end up remembering that I seriously dislike it. I do use it occasionally for one plug-in (DownThemAll) and, even then, I only use one particular feature of that. But for that, I would not even bother install it.

Opera rules (in my world anyway) since version 2.1!!

Josh · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2010, 01:25 AM »

Nigel, I do not expect ANYONE to alter their position on a program, issue or debate based on my thoughts. What I do hope for, especially on DC, is good content in a review. Simply saying "everything" is good and "There are no cons" does not help someone, as a reader, understand why a program is good. That is all I am asking for here, not that he change his viewpoint on opera.

One thing I have noticed on DC, in particular, is that when a user writes a mini-review and includes a good amount of content, the MR topic will get a lot more attention than one which uses wording as described above by myself and other posters.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2010, 01:31 AM »

Also, Nigel, I mis-understood what Josh was requesting and after speaking with him I now understand that my old way of writing reviews is not comprehensive enough for DC.

Since taking on this constructive criticism I have found I can write a much more in-depth review which will be more appropriate and informative to the end user

Josh · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2010, 01:50 AM »

And generate more conversation/debate here on DC which is what I am all about!

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 03, 2010, 01:55 AM »

precisely, although, this topic has created a bit of chat eh