Switching browsers.
I have been using Firefox since it was called Phoenix, probably around version 0.6. Hence a lot of features have become second nature. Some of the features that I like the most are
- Tabbed browsing (of course)
- Opening links in the background
- The sessionsaver extension that allows you to restore the tabs and windows exactly as it was when you last closed Firefox.
- Selecting a text and searching that text in google using the right click menu.
- Opening a new empty tab for a new page or new search.
As you can see, the features are also available in Opera mostly by default without even needing any extensions. In addition, Opera also has the advantage of being faster. Being a person who loves to investigate new software, I decided to try out and see if I could make Opera my primary browser.
Even though Opera has all the features that I need, I could not make the switch and reverted in less than a day. The reasons - the differences though minor cause a major inconveniences. The following are the differences:
- Opening links in the background.
- In Firefox, I right click the link and the second link is "Open Link in New Tab" which opens links in the background, if the options are set correctly.
- In Opera, there is a item to open the link in a new tab and open the link in a background tab. Hence the item I need is the third item.
- Selecting a text and searching that text in google using the right click menu.
- In Firefox, this automatically opens the google search page in a new tab
- In Opera, the current page opens the google search page and I "loose" my page.
- Opening a new empty tab for a new page or new search.
- In Firefox, this is just Ctrl+T.
- In Opera, this is Ctrl+N. However after some digging around opera's preferences I was able to make this Ctrl+T.
I guess these are the three main reasons that I was unable to switch to Opera. Am I being a very unreasonable person to not even try to overcome these annoyances? Do people who consider the opposite switch also face the same kind of problems? Are we such rigid creatures of habit? Is there a way Opera can be made to do what I want to do, how I want it to be done? - Some of the questions that I would like answered.
posted by bluerpk @ 2:12 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I'll try to answer some of your questions. First, if Opera can be changed to behave like you want it to: I haven't tried all, but it's very likely, yes.
I must admit, I just hold down shift or shift+control when I want to open results in a new page or background page, but I would be very surprised if this behavious couldn't be made as standard in the menues.
All the menues are text files that can be edited, to change the position of entries, delete or add entries. You'll get help and pointers in the Opera forums with this.
As for the other stuff: Yeah sure, we're creatures of habits. How set we are varies of course; some may switch easily if the alternative do what they want, even if it's in a different way, while others shiver in fear if a button has a different colour.
I tried using Firefox myself exclusively for some months, but what made me get back to Opera was that even if FF did what I wanted - with extensions - it never did it as good as Opera. Some of it I could live with, while other stuff were a source of frustration.
Others have different preferences and needs, and will choose differently, no problem accepting that. I do think, however, that you'd need at least a week to get a taste of what the alternatives can do, wether it's Firefox, Opera, Safari, or whatever. The programs deserves to be judged by what they are, and not by what we're used to.
IMHO, of course.
Thanks a lot for clarifying the issues. I will have to try your suggestions.
The search results opening in the same window is a major inconvenience for me and I should dig a bit deeper into how it could be made as the default behaviour.
Otherwise, I really like the speed of Opera and the feeling of fluidness when I am using it.
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