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Opera might well be the browser to beat in 2006.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
Opera Web browser: Safer than Internet Explorer and a tough competitor for Firefox


June 4, 2006


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, The Post-Standard

   In 1994, a small Norwegian company developed its own Web browser, which it called Opera. Nobody seemed to notice the new contender at first -- after all, this was the era that Netscape dominated, holding as much as 90 percent of the browser market.
   But as the browser wars of the late '90s turned into a battle between Microsoft's new Internet Explorer and Netscape's increasingly dowdy Navigator browser, Opera took on a new role. It became the alternative-lifestyle Web browser, the equivalent of a Saab in a market dominated by the computer versions of Toyotas and Hondas.
   Stuck in that role, Opera probably had no chance of a break. Most people don't like to take chances, whether on automobiles or software.
   Programmers at Opera Software made life even harder by adopting unconventional bookmarks, window operation and other features for Opera. For many years, switching from Internet Explorer to Opera was an exercise in pain management.
   But those days are over. The latest version of Opera, available free from www.opera.com, is still a little different in three or four ways, but you'll probably find those differences a delight the first time you discover each of them. Considering the price -- the software is entirely free, although persnickety users can buy a year of e-mailed support for $24 -- Opera might well be the browser to beat in 2006.
   For example, Opera is able to open dozens upon dozens of Web pages at the same time, using tabbed windows. Closing Opera with all those windows open, as you might have to do if you need to hurry out the door, isn't a disaster, as it might be with any other browser, because Opera reopens all of them the next time you fire it up. (You can turn that feature off if it seems too much like Big Brother, but I sure do appreciate it.)
   Opera's bookmarks are now outstanding. If you organize your bookmarks in folders (Hint: Your life will be much easier if you do), you can easily open all the bookmarked sites within a folder with one click. They'll open in tabbed windows within Opera, so you won't get spillover browser windows all over your screen.
   Opera's rendering -- the way it shows various parts of Web pages -- is the best I have seen. It's the only browser I've ever used that actually deciphers the annoying IE-specific functions and menus in sites designed to work only with Internet Explorer.
   Like Firefox, Opera is available in many versions. I've tried the Wiindows, Linux and OS X versions. I'm running the Mac OS X version now as my primary Web browser.
   Opera's security is one of its best features. It's clearly up to the level of security in Firefox, the free browser widely admired for its safety and security, and is far ahead of Internet Explorer 5 and 6.
   Among its secondary features, Opera has a searchable Notes function that stores notes you write in a mini word processor -- you can drag the left divider to make that window wider or narrower -- and even lets you add selected text from a Web page to your collection of notes with a right click.
   Opera also has Widgets, the way Mac OS X does, except that Opera's Widgets work in Windows and Linux, too. A beautiful heart-shaped clock became my favorite Widget right away, but I also found one of the many calendar Widgets very handy.
   Opera's browser has an e-mail program built in. It works well and is much safer than the default Windows e-mail program, Outlook Express. I prefer Thunderbird, the free e-mail software from Firefox's designers, but you might find Opera Mail more suitable.
   Having recommended Firefox over Internet Explorer last week, I'll add that Opera would be an excellent alternative also. Firefox is more customizable, but Opera has a smoother feel. I use both, and would never want to be forced to choose between them.