I have always been a Firefox guy. When I first started getting into the PC world and once the internet started to become commonplace in homes across the world, the battle for browsers started to heat up. Taking the dive into the broadband waters, I started to toy around with browsers, email clients, search engines, etc. Just as Google started becoming the new Yahoo!, Mozilla started to become the new Internet Explorer in terms of popularity. Stronger security, tabbed browsing, and a small footprint made for an easy transition. However, many of us forget where all of firefox’s key features originated from.
To Pay or Not To Pay
During its early reign, Opera was “pay to play” software. Called Trialware, Opera gave users a period of time to play around with, then required a purchase to be able to use it. Luckily, in 2000, this requirement ended, and advancements and popularity started pouring in.
Opera (Wikipedia Link)
Developers nicknamed Opera the “Fastest Browser on Earth,” and although this may have been true at some point in time, newer studies show that although it is indeed faster than Internet Explorer, Firefox still clocks in at a bit better speed…but honestly, the normal web surfer will not notice the difference, at least I havn’t.
Like a Security Blanket, It keeps You Safe
To be honest, any average Joe surfer will not be able to see, hear, or touch the secuirty differences between all of the browsers, so there is no sense in talking about all of the security mumbo-jumbo. Bottom line here is that Opera does a wonderful job of protecting you from today’s web hazards. It will warn you if you have connected to an unsecure site that is known for any malware and phishing practices. Also, when using a secure connection, Opera uses the latest in security technology called SSL 3.0 or another excellent security protocol called TLS. Opera has admitted to some security vulnerabilities, and like all web browsers like IE, Firefox, and Safari, the developers are working to fix these issues.
Features For The Masses
Ah yes, my favorite part, the features! Images make the world go round, so here we go:
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- Main Screen
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- Appearance Options
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- Tabbed Browsing
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- The Wand
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- Speed Dial
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- Extra Options
Conclusion
Thats right, I took the plunge, I figured “why not”. I have always heard of great things about Opera, but I am a huge GUI fanboy, and was never a fan of the simplistic GUI of opera.
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