SillyDog701

[richard mitnick]

So, I just installed Opera on two computers. One was just a test, but it went well enough for me to go to the trouble to install it on the computer where I will use it.

The whole thing went very well. I needed it on my work computer because try as I might, I could not get SeaMonkey to save the passwords for my seven Google Reader RSS feeds. It is not as simple to use for my blog work as are SM and FF; but it is just a matter of getting used to little differences.

One thing I am realizing is that so many people are fanatics about the browsers they use is just that they are used to them and configuring a new browser that works differently is a chore. I mean the worst to use for me are IE and Safari. IE configuration involves so much drilling as to be too daunting. Safari simply handles many things in a klutzy manner.

For someone who wants just the simplest browser for common tasks, by far Safari is the ticket.

I cannot make Opera the default because my financial organizations do not support it. Maybe I will start a campaign.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[James]

I have Opera installed on my computer as well as Opera Mini on my ipad. BUT... I use neither as my default. As you can see, FF remains my desktop default browser and Safari is my default on the ipad. While there is something clean and sleek about Opera, it's too quirky... too "odd" to bother getting used to. But when I'm bored, I fire it up and surf for an hour or so. There are many reasons why Opera has never caught on and remained less than 2% of users worldwide. Too many sites don't support it (including my own financial institution) and it's not exactly the most secure as well as the most efficient browser. If I were concerned with a lean, mean fighting-machine... Chrome would be the browser of my choice. Chrome will only get better and it's only a matter of time before it surpasses IE to take the number one spot. I remain with FF for the simple fact that I'm stubborn and it's more convenient to go with what I've always used (Netscape... Mozilla... Firefox). Good luck.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0

[richard mitnick]

Hey James- How are you? I tried Chrome, ran it as a default on six machines for a month. It's just not for me. I still prefer SeaMonkey browser, but Opera is helping me on one computer where I have a problem in SM that I cannot solve, even with help here and at the Mozillazine forums.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0

[James]

You know, Richard, based upon your post I decided to fire up Opera. It really is a very capable browser. Like you, Chrome is a browser I've struggled to like. Part of my issue is more with the parent company than the browser. There is just something about Google's thumbing its nose at privacy violations that rubs me the wrong way. Best wishes to you, Richard.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[Anonymosity]

My problem with Opera is that the developers apparently do not care that it is not working properly for Mac users. Opera 10 to 11 to 12 beta cannot change the font in the interface when you try to change either the type of font or the size. Also, Opera does not display some pages with forms correctly. Those pages look as someone cut vertical strips from them and then glued what was left back together. They seem not to care about the existing bugs, but want to add in new bells and whistles.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.6; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0

[richard mitnick]

Well, James and Anonymosity. this may have been a short lived adventure.

NASA put up a video - only 46 mg - which I wanted to use in a post. But, I could not find it on YouTube. So, I downloaded it to my computer, and then uploaded it to YouTube.

Opera could not do the download to my computer. The little wheel spun for about five minutes. SeaMonkey downloaded it in under a minute. This is not tolerable.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0

[James]

That's unfortunate, Richard, and I entirely agree: it's intolerable. I'm currently using Opera since I don't have the restrictions or higher demands that you have but I can't honestly believe it will take over and become my default browser. I'm going over to my financial institution and see whether they will now accept it.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[James]

btw... Richard. For your pop mail (or IMAP) what mail client do you use?

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[richard mitnick]

James-

I use Outlook in MSFT's Office suite. I use my ISP's domain, not web mail. Except, I am likited to five email addresses from the ISP, so on one computer I use Gmail, but there also via Outlook.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0

[James]

Richard, I want to invite you to read another thread I'm starting in the lounge on email. It's a short video and it presents the argument that email is fast becoming a thing of the past. Take a look. I'm not advocating it but think it bears discussion.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[James]

Ah... one more update. I just logged into my financial institution and they accepted my browser. I'm really starting to wonder if I might be able to switch to Opera on a permanent basis. I will not activate their email program since I've never liked it and frankly could never really understand it. It's not as intuitive as Mozilla's. But the browser is really a nice piece of work.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; U; en) Presto/2.10.229 Version/11.64

[richard mitnick]

So I am back here again about Opera. I used to consider myself a browser junkie. Now, I think I fully qualify as browser rat.

Right now, SeaMonkey is refusing to save user id's and passwords on one machine - that is one out of seven!!
And, Firefox is not shutting down properly on two machines. After I shut FF down, if I come back and re-launch it, I get a message that it is already running. Running and useless. I need to go to Taskmanager and shut it down.

So, another shot at Opera, especially on the work machine, which is the one on which SM refuses to save user id's and passwords.

At work, I qualified it on three financial sites and used it also for blog work. One of my big problems was understanding the "wand", the password manager icon. Now, I have that down and it has so far been fine. No extra clicks. When I complained at an Opera forum about the difference between password management in Opera and FF and SM, they came back, very politely, and said, we just do not do it that way, this is the way we do it. O.K.

One thing that gave me a problem I just needed to learn: Opera does no always show the whole link, eg for a YouTube video. So, copy and paste the link looked impossible. But, go up and highlight the link and the whole thing is actually there.

FF remains the default, but Opera is growing on this rat.

SeaMonkey is still my favorite.

UserAgent: Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; U; en) Presto/2.10.289 Version/12.00

[James]

LOL... I think that many of us understand AND sympathize with you, Richard, in that we "too" are browser "rats" or "junkies" as the case may be. Netscape will forever be my all-time favorite browser, followed by Firefox then Opera, then SeaMonkey and lastly IE. My "issue" with Opera is related to the mail. Yes... I could run it as browser only but the fact that it is a suite seems to compel me to set up the mail. And while I am able to get the mail portion running (even though I hate the way it looks), I am totally mystified by the newsgroup settings. So... Opera will always remain an "also-ran" browser suite for me. It will probably never become my default.

BTW.. I've also experienced that issue you have with FF being closed and yet still running and being required to go into the task manager to stop it. Not good.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:13.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/13.0.1

[richard mitnick]

Hey James-

Yes, the mail. The mail has never been a part of my Netscape, Mozilla, SeaMonkey or now Opera experience. I always fail to remember that many people see these as the suites that they are. I never ever forget to defend those who favor this concept over the FF/TBird thing.

I think that the whole reason for keeping up with other browsers, even when one favors something coming out of the Mozilla tents, is that however good those guys are, they do invariably make things that break. IE does not break and neither does Safari; but that is all about them that I think is good. Chrome can arrive stealing in in the dead of night with changes to which we would never agree. We will see with Opera. I just got 12 on two machines.

Hey, you will see that in this message I am on FF, because it is still the default which opens from the email notification.

Best, always.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:13.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/13.0.1

[James]

So, Richard, I'm assuming you therefore use either Windows Live Mail or more importantly, Outlook. Am I correct? For me, Outlook is overkill. I use it at work since we have no choice in the matter, but at home I've generally made us of Windows Live.

Now for the Opera issue. I have tried repeatedly to set up the newsgroup reader using the exact same server settings that I used for both Thunderbird and SeaMonkey (both of which work beautifully) but with Opera it is a no-go. First off, it insists that there is an authentication issue and constantly demands that I enter my user name and password. Furthermore, it does not download all of the newsgroups offered by my ISP and I've no idea why this is the case. Have you any experience with Opera's newsreader?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:13.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/13.0.1