Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Any thoughts on Opera as a default browser?

spaceballl

spaceballl

macrumors 68030
Original poster
I REALLY like the windows version of Opera. I'm using the mac version right now, and it's a bit slower than the windows version, but I think that's just because this is a slow mac. Generally, I think i'm an Opera fan though. Anyone else in the same boat as me?
 
Download the free trial version and the adverts put me off, and I sure aint payin for a browser.

My browsers of choice:

Mozilla - Windows
Safari - Mac
 
i wouldn't pay for a browser when i have two that work perfectly, the two that came with my mac.

Safari

and for times when safari doesn't work

internet explorer

^(i would never just use internet explorer but some sites only allow ie, stupid bank! 😡)
 
stevehaslip said:
i wouldn't pay for a browser when i have two that work perfectly, the two that came with my mac.

Safari

and for times when safari doesn't work

internet explorer

^(i would never just use internet explorer but some sites only allow ie, stupid bank! 😡)
Click to expand...

Same boat... Safari won't load my bill pay on Wachovia, so I have to use IE for that. Otherwise Safari has been sufficient for everything for me.
 
I use Opera on my PB as my default browser. I find it faster than Safari and with many more features. It has extensive security options that Safari doesn't although these can be a pain in exchange for the privacy. It has nice keyboard shortcuts, easier to manage pages and files etc.

It is indeed a wonderful browser, no doubt the best in practice of all. But, yes, one major drawback is that since it is WWW standards compliant not all pages work well, especially those specifically written for IE, like the bill pay sites. So, you will always need a second browser for those. Safari does pretty well from what I have seen but I never really know what is being put on my computer as I surf.

I have no problem paying for quality software, and Opera is one I have paid for.
 
Personally I use Safari for just about all my browsing requirements. When it doesn't work well (e.g. Banking and also surprisingly the TimesOnline site) I just fire up IE.
Both are free and in combination work fine, so I can't really see a need to go any further.
Vanilla
 
Hehe... I hope you love me for posting this:

On Mac OS X use Firefox found here. Why?

1) The Keyboard commands are more or less the same as Safari
2) The browser is much faster than Safari
3) It's open source, updates regulary, but doesn't feel open source... it is VERY refined
4) Safari has major compatibility issues, especially with online banks... I couldn't believe it when I loaded Natwest Online Banking in FireFox FIRST TIME no hassles, no settings changing! Honestly try this browser with your online bank and TimesOnline (Vanilla).

Ok, it is amazing 😛

I'm sure others will agree.
 
I tried Opera version 5.x on Win98SE quite a while back and just couldn't find a way to like it. It was intrusive and needed attention to make it work. I had trouble using it with multiple languages, too.

I use Firefox and Camino mostly but also use Safari and IE when necessary.
 
Duff-Man says...Opera would be wayyyyy down the list of prefered browsers for me...I use Safari mostly but sometimes Firefox, Camino and Omniweb...no need for anything else....oh yeah!
 
i use firefox 0.9 for windows xp and it's awesome. really fast, lean, and easy to use. i like the easy text resizing (at least compared to ie) and it works with pretty much anything. a little off topic but check out this windows xp screenshot! i used wincustomize and this cool skin thingy
 

Attachments

  • my fake osx screenshot.JPG
    my fake osx screenshot.JPG
    58.8 KB · Views: 129
homerjward said:
i use firefox 0.9 for windows xp and it's awesome. really fast, lean, and easy to use. i like the easy text resizing (at least compared to ie) and it works with pretty much anything. a little off topic but check out this windows xp screenshot! i used wincustomize and this cool skin thingy
Click to expand...
I use Safari on my Mac and FireFox 0.9 on my Windows XP PC. I've never needed IE (for Mac) for anything, and in those rare cases where a site doesn't work with Safari, well - this is what I do:
1. Stop visiting the site.
2. If I like the site, send an email to the webmaster (if possible).

Down with ActiveX! It deserves the name ActiveSecurityHole. VBScript is just as bad (and proprietary) - I call it VeryBadScript. Any sites that require these features (besides Windows Update, which I wish was an internet-enabled application like Apple's Software Update) automatically get put on the banned sites list.
 
Vanilla said:
Personally I use Safari for just about all my browsing requirements. When it doesn't work well (e.g. Banking and also surprisingly the TimesOnline site) I just fire up IE.
Both are free and in combination work fine, so I can't really see a need to go any further.
Vanilla
Click to expand...
You can turn the debug menu on in safari by writing the following at the terminal
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1

Then you will have an additional menu item in safari, called debug. Then if you click safari-debug-user agent-, you can choose windows internet explorer as your user agent. Basically it just 'fools' the server by setting the user-agent header. So a lot of sites which don't work with safari, will work.
 
The Safari debug menu works wonders when things go wrong. As my dad is in real estate, he can (almost) access everything on the MLS (I think that's what he needs online, but it probably is another service), except searching. Stupid real estate broker software companies... (No offense if you work for them, I'm just joking.).

Personally, I use Firefox and Safari extensively. My regular browsing is in Safari, but I use Firefox for MacRumors and SSL sites due to some current developer problems.
–Chase
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back