Opera 9.0 Test Review

General Opera is a complete continuation Internet which includes within the same application a web navigator, a RSS reader and software for download; it is thus more in the absolute a rival of the Mozilla continuation that an alternative isolated via-a-via Internet Explorer and Firefox which are them “only” of simple navigators.

It has its own engine of made graphic, the good named “Presto” and is thus completely independent of the engine of returned Internet Explorer (Trident) or of that of Firefox (Gecko). But this continuation truly positioned in alternative only very recently by choosing from now on the total exemption from payment. Indeed, up to one recent period, Opera was a paying continuation. A free version was available but an advertising stringcourse was posted then uninterrupted in the interface, which was particularly painful.

However since the end of the 3rd quarter of last year, Opera Software became completely free, without losses of functionalities. A thing important to by the way note Opera, it is that it is truly multi-platforms. It is available for Windows of course, but also for Mac, Linux, FreeBSD

Solaris, OS/2 and QNX. We will try to test Opera on each platform we named and see how Opera work on Linux, Mac etc..

Opera is an application which was built around three large axes:

* Speed,
* The respect of Internet standards,
* Safety.

In the field of the speed, it is undeniable; no other navigator is not also fast, separately can be small K-meleon which remains nevertheless very with the margin. The speed is visible as well with the starting of the application during surfing; the speed of returned is really impressive.
Opera web browser interface

The Opera interface differs only little from the interfaces of its competitors Internet Explorer and Firefox. The favorites are called “bookmarks” and importable during the installation or later via small “the file”, “to import and export”. It should be noted that the possibilities of imports are numerous, the bookmarks being able to come either from Internet Explorer, or of Firefox even of Linux browser Konqueror.

The Opera interface is completely skeletal, the user choosing the toolbars to be posted among the 7 available ones (panels, on the left, bars principal, bars personal, bars page, bars statute, bars of address and bars navigation), each one being then “customizable” via the menu “Personalize”, with type of posting, buttons to be removed or add, label text, etc Once installed, it is thus necessary to spend a few moments to be familiarized with Opera and to parameterize it to make truly a navigator of it “Measure”.

Opera 9.0 Functionalities

Just like Firefox, Opera proposes navigation by a tab which makes it possible to have only one open authority of the navigator. It is skeletal in the Opera preferences but its operation is almost identical to that of Firefox. There are few others functionalities:

Blocking of the popups : a simple function which does not require the addition of any “bar” or assistance of a third software like the firewall or the antivirus. It is activated obviously in the preferences, but this function is also accessible via small “tools/preferences” which proposes some basic functions like the management of the popups, from the animated files (flash, gifs, sounds, etc) as well as the identification of the navigator whom we will develop further.

Seek integrated : Opera has a bar of integrated research which makes it possible to quickly find information which one need that it is on the fabric or in the visited page; of course, this bar of research is entirely skeletal and the choice of the search engines is not final.

Management of passwords : Indeed, if the management of the passwords does not have anything exceptional, the functionality “magic wand” it is other thing. One fills a form in Opera once and for all and at the time of surfing and in particular at the time of the inscription on various forums or commercial sites, it is enough to use the rod to fill the forms automatically. It is not the essential functionality, but it contributes to clearly differentiate Opera from the other navigators.

Navigation by the voice : I did not test it, but it acts more than one function “gadget” for the moment, even if it is synonymous with much hope for certain people with a reduced mobility or a handicap. According to what I read here or there, it is not yet completely at the point and better is worth to correctly have a command of the language of Perfidious Albion to hope to be able to benefit from this functionality.

Navigation with the mouse : then that, it is frankly a question from point of view. Personally, I find this method of unbearable navigation, question usually undoubtedly. Then to please to you, I tested, and that functions well, for little that one manages to be accustomed to it, personally, I definitively gave up. The guiding principle: to parameterize continuations of movements with the mouse to assign them to actions of navigation following”, “preceding” style “, etc It should be noted that this functionality is also available on some of IE such as Maxthon for example.

Sessions : the principle of this functionality is to record the tabs open to a moment given to make it possible to reopen them of a blow later. Demonstration for the example, I am accustomed to beginning the day with a rapid glance on SoftwareTipsPalace.com Blogs News but also on the site of the CNET. Once these three sites open in tabs, I record the session “file”, “session”, “to record this session”. The next morning, rather than to go to seek three different bookmarks, I click just on the name of the session which I recorded beforehand

Management of the email : then there, attention here is a functionality which makes really to Opera a navigator with share. Opera intrinsically manages the email in its system of tabs. That parameter very easily via a tool for creation of account which makes it possible to import since many applications (Outlook, Thunderbird…) and you find yourselves directly in your navigator with an interface close to that of any customer of traditional transport.

Operation points out that of Lotus, in this direction the users of Thunderbird but especially of the Microsoft tools are likely to be disturbed a little by the system of “sights” of the files. It is a practice to take, logic different from that of the Microsoft tools. Moreover, via this interface email, Opera a living room of cat IRC, skeletal proposes since the type of account. A small hundred living rooms is accessible, the list being on http://my.opera.com/chat/.

RSS Feed : a simple functionality: when small logo RSS is posted in the bar of navigation, it is enough to click above to add feed in question. It is consultable then via small “feed”, quite simply. Nothing revolutionary good and the reader are terrible, since no outline of the news is available.

Opera is an excellent navigator, of share the richness of its functionalities and its respect of the standards. When the decision to leave Internet Explorer is made to turn to a more effective navigation, there is not thus only the Firefox alternative. But just like for the red panda, Opera requires a time of adaptation. It is necessary to traverse the preferences, to test, personalize its toolbars, etc once the catch in effective hand, Opera constitutes a judicious choice which makes it possible to gather in only one application navigation, the email and flows RSS. It is extremely fast for the posting of the Web pages and offers a perfect comfort of use. On the other hand, it suffers from the comparison with Firefox in term of flexibility and personalization. A version 9 is available with some additional functionalities, in particular of the widgets, the support of the Bittorrent remote loadings and the previsualisation in the form of icons of the sites.