Opera 6 - Better and Better (Opera Web Browser)

Member Name: wulf

Product:	Opera Web Browser
Date:	17/12/01 (213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free (adware), Many useful features, Small download (easy to try)

Disadvantages: Some sites still only work fully on IE

As a professional webmaster, I like to keep informed of what browsers people are using. When Opera 5 was released under an 'adware' licence (ie. no charge in return for banner ad space embedded in the browser) a few months ago I installed it and have been happily using it alongside Internet Explorer ever since. A couple of weeks ago I found out that Opera 6 (Op6) had been released and so made the 3Mb download to find out how it was coming along.

The biggest problem faced by Opera 5 was that some pages didn't display properly, largely due to those pages have been written specifically around the strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities of Internet Explorer. I'm happy to report that many of these problems seem to have been dealt with now (although I'd still urge my fellow webmasters to write pages that are not 'tuned' for one specific browser to the detriment of others).

Here are some of the features that pull me towards using Op6 as my primary browser:

- Multiple Document Interface: when browsing, I tend to keep several windows open at once (so I can read one while the others are downloading). With IE, each browser runs in a separate window; with Op6 you now have the option to do that, but can also keep all your browser windows together in the one Opera interface.

- Page Ready Icons: each window can have one of three icons, reflecting whether it is downloading, ready for reading or has been read. This saves wasted time flicking from window to window to see what is ready.

- Themes: you can decorate Op6 with your choice of background and foreground skkins and customised buttons. The default theme is very attractive, and there are several other very usable examples on the Opera website.

- Progress Feedback: When a page is loading, you can see how much has downloaded, how many images it contains, and other statistics. This lets you make a judgement about whether you need to wait for the r
est of the page. For example, the textual content of a DooYoo page loads relatively quickly; what slows it down are the graphics... and a handy button lets you display the page either with no graphics or just the ones that have already come down the pipe. The slower your internet connection, the more useful this feature is.

- Page Zoom: Text too small? Page not fitting on your screen? Opera lets you zoom in and out - anywhere between 20% and 1000% of the original size.

- Mouse Gestures: Most programs now allow you to make use of the right mouse button to produce a context-sensitive pop-up menu. Opera also lets you hold the button down and move the mouse around to give instructions from 'Open a New Window' to 'Go back to the Previous Page'. Learning one or two of these gestures can save a lot of time - it's even easier than 'right click, move to item on pop-up menu, left click to run'.

There's more, plenty more, but this will give you a flavour of some things that Op6 can do, most of which are not available in other browsers. If you're using one of the releases of Op5, you will have several of these options, but I've mentioned several enhancements worth considering (although the greater compatibility with existing pages is probably the most important reason to think about upgrading). You may try it and dislike it (like I've done with the recent Netscape releases), but its worth a try; it's certainly clear evidence that web-browsing on the Windows platform can be smoothly accomplished with something other than Internet Explorer.

[nb. as you would expect, this review was posted using Op6 ;-) ]

Summary: