Opera vs Firefox

[Feek]

I installed the latest beta at the weekend again to give it a try and I persevered throughout the whole weekend but yesterday I had to go back to Firefox as there were too many minor irritations.

Firstly, having to play around with the skin.ini to set the tab width to something more user friendly is awkward, but perfectly doable although from time to time the tabs seem to resize themselves and the only cure is to close it and reopen.

If I've got a web page with a number of links and I want to open a few of them (pictures ), I have to hold down shift and control as I click the link to get them to open in background tabs and not take focus.

Once I get to those images, if they're too large for the screen, they don't get resized automatically to fit. There may be a setting for this somewhere but I couldn't find it.

Alt-S. I mentioned this in a previous Opera thread. A lot of my browsing is forum whoring and the standard keyboard shortcut to submit a post in all other browsers I've used is alt-s. I'm used to just typing in that text entry box and hitting alt-s to submit. It doesn't work, and despite spending a lot of time trying to find a way to make it work, it just doesn't. I can see from internet searching that I'm not the only person who has thought this a problem.

I found its method of using bookmarks quite clunky, the way they expand out into multiple panels doesn't compare with a scrollable list of bookmarks.

I do like the quick link screen and the ability to use ctrl-1, ctrl-2 etc to open a fresh tab and go straight to that page. It's good, it works and it works well.

It seems speedy, this is good.

I don't like the border around the page. This is minor, but annoying! When the browser is full screen it has a amall border on the left side.

The last thing I can think of is that Vista doesn't seem to recognise it as a browser! When I launch Opera, it always tells me that it's not the default browser and would I like to make it so? I always say yes. Next time, it asks the same question and if I manually go to set the default programs, Opera isn't listed. This is probably an OS thing but it’s annoying me.

All in all, I can see the potential and if weren’t for the few things I've listed, I'd be sticking with it. In fact, not all of those would need to be addressed but all together they make it unusable for me.

[Mark]

The Vista default browser thing is probably UAC playing it's usual games. Though you really shouldn't have to, right click Opera, run as Administrator, say yes to the prompt, close. Should fix that.

[Feek]

I have UAC turned off.

[LeperousDust]

Originally Posted by Feek

I installed the latest beta at the weekend again to give it a try and I persevered throughout the whole weekend but yesterday I had to go back to Firefox as there were too many minor irritations.

Firstly, having to play around with the skin.ini to set the tab width to something more user friendly is awkward, but perfectly doable although from time to time the tabs seem to resize themselves and the only cure is to close it and reopen.

You mentioned this last time, i couldn't advise on this as i've never has a problem with the tab sizes, they do get small eventually but only after you have about 20+ open and i start using the favicons and just remembering roughly where they are (yes i've never realised myself that isnt good!). I'm sure there used to be some sort of way to make tabs stay the same width and stack over two lines, but i can't remember where that was...

Originally Posted by Feek

If I've got a web page with a number of links and I want to open a few of them (pictures ), I have to hold down shift and control as I click the link to get them to open in background tabs and not take focus.

Fair enough, i think thats a good default setting, opening in front of you is intuitive and doesn't every other browser do that? For future reference though, if you middle click it does the same as firefox, or you could use the rightclick up down mouse gesture too. No keyboard needed.

Originally Posted by Feek

Once I get to those images, if they're too large for the screen, they don't get resized automatically to fit. There may be a setting for this somewhere but I couldn't find it.

Yes opera's problem, if you have fit to width turned on (ctrl + f11, or in the view menu) from the initial page you were opening the images that is given to the links you open as well and that should work. Alternatively there is a UserJS script i use to use (from someone else) that worked a lot better, you could tell it how to default big images (ie fit screen) but by clicking on the top left of the window you could cycle through fit vertical, fit horizontal, normal, etc...
//Edit: Ta-da!

Originally Posted by Feek

Alt-S. I mentioned this in a previous Opera thread. A lot of my browsing is forum whoring and the standard keyboard shortcut to submit a post in all other browsers I've used is alt-s. I'm used to just typing in that text entry box and hitting alt-s to submit. It doesn't work, and despite spending a lot of time trying to find a way to make it work, it just doesn't. I can see from internet searching that I'm not the only person who has thought this a problem.

New beta screws around with the old shortcuts, it didnt make old users happy, and it didnt attract many new ones either, no idea why they did that. But after enough moaning there is an option now in tools -> preferences -> shortcuts to tick "use single key shortcuts" that should bring it back. The reason to lose them in the first place as because the single key shortcuts opera has used for the last few years have always been know to mess up some other OS's

Originally Posted by Feek

I found its method of using bookmarks quite clunky, the way they expand out into multiple panels doesn't compare with a scrollable list of bookmarks.

Agreed i suppose, but i don't even organise mine i just use quick find, thats if i even use the bookmard pane, i just use the shortcut names i've set most of the up with (intuitively) in the url bar.

Originally Posted by Feek

I do like the quick link screen and the ability to use ctrl-1, ctrl-2 etc to open a fresh tab and go straight to that page. It's good, it works and it works well.

It seems speedy, this is good.

I don't like the border around the page. This is minor, but annoying! When the browser is full screen it has a amall border on the left side.

I'd never noticed this until i had someone else point this out to me, on the left is there because of the panes you can click out, although f4 does just fine so you should be a llowed to remove it. Thats the only border i can see. On Full Screen theres nowt at all just checked, not even the border to the left.

Originally Posted by Feek

The last thing I can think of is that Vista doesn't seem to recognise it as a browser! When I launch Opera, it always tells me that it's not the default browser and would I like to make it so? I always say yes. Next time, it asks the same question and if I manually go to set the default programs, Opera isn't listed. This is probably an OS thing but it’s annoying me.

Mine works fine (even the beta), i'll blame Vista x64 sorry.

Originally Posted by Feek

All in all, I can see the potential and if weren’t for the few things I've listed, I'd be sticking with it. In fact, not all of those would need to be addressed but all together they make it unusable for me.

I think i've made excuses for most of them now

[Feek]

The tab thing isn't an issue any more, I found the tweak option in skin.ini, but it's a shame I had to do that - The rest, I'll play again this evening, ta

[Feek]

Wayhay, I found the thing making the border - It was the clicky thing to expand out the left panel so that's gone.

I've changed the shortcut thing so I'll see if that works when I submit this message.

The image script is loaded, that works and resizes nicely, I added the image prefetch script that's linked from the same page - Ta.

Never really used middle click before, it's quite stiff on my mouse (fnarr) so I'll run for a few days and see if I can get used to it.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, I downloaded a urlfilter file which has helped with the adverts but I'm seeing a lot more adverts than I've ever seen before. The FF adblock addin is much better, but I guess it's a case of tweaking the filter file as I find stuff.

Right, with these tweaks I'll give it a few more days trialout, thanks

Bah - On single click shortcuts, alt-s still doesn't do anything.

[LeperousDust]

Right, middle click i don't like doing that either as my mouse isn't really middle click friendly. I use the up down mouse gesture personally. Mouse gestures are the way forward anyway, look at those

I'm VERY suprised with urlfilter.ini failing. Where are you seeing ad's? Getting upto date urlfilters sometimes is hit and miss maybe, but i haven't updated mine in ages now, mine definately works great. Although the odd bit of flash gets through, becuase it isn't a script like the FF plugin just a literal URL filter which has its upsides (perfomance) and downsides (some crap still gets past ).

This alt-s thing i'm gonna have a look at, i'm assuming its some kind of submit command? I'm checking that now as we speak Hope this helps!

[Feek]

It all helps, Alex - In fact all these little tweaks are making a big difference

I see right click, down, up as the gesture to open in a background tab - Seems to work, it's just remembering to use it!

And the ads I'm seeing most are automatic word underlines in some news items/forum posts - I've tried adding the URL into urlfilters but in this specific case it hasn't worked -

This sort of thing http://www.ukrm.org/feek/advert.jpg, where the double underline is put in automatically and hovering over it gives that pop up.

[LeperousDust]

Your advert.jpg doesn't seem to load for me, but i think i know what you're on about, theyre kinda scripted events, which annoyingly are the only thing i think opera urlfilter can't block... Because of the very simple nature it works. There maybe a script that you can add to UserJS that quietens them, i've never looked into (i avoid double underlined things like the plauge! ). What are the specific advers called again i know they have a name but i can't remember it!

I'm no closer with alt-s i'm afraid, i've never used it, and i'm just used to pressing tab then enter, thats my only answer there. It is some command issued by the browser which means it can definately be replicated by opera but i dont know what i'm looking for in the advanced shortcuts section. I've tried looking for "submit" and things on that line but turned up nothing.
I'm being pretty lazy and can't be arsed checking, but i think this is the urlfilter list i'm using It's working great for me, tip dont make the urlfitler file too big (it just means opera takes a little longer to start up inititally thats all).

Mouse gestures will transform your browsing habbits, and one day you'll wonder why the F**K windows explorer doesn't use them, or most other things by default.

[MarcLister]

Not just me then Alex!

I was thinking, "Er, there's nothing here".