Opera's fast - much faster than Firefox. I'm speaking from using Version 6-9. More secure too. I don't like the ads but that can be taken care of with a small HOSTS file from http://www.geocities.com/yosponge/updates.
I think it really peaked in usablilty in version 6 - the later versions have become a bit clunky and the developers have moved some really nice features around or dropped them - but it's still a top-notch browser. I tend to stick with older versions unless critical security flaws force me to upgrade.
And on security, Opera's a little safer because Opera doesn't have XPInstall/GeckoactiveX. My jaw hit the floor when I found out that the Mozilla team took Internet Explorer's greatest security flaw - one that still is the scourge of the internet - and added it to an otherwise secure product. Fortunately, they were a little smarter in their implementation and it can turned off, which it needs to be. But it was still stupid reasoning.
Bear in mind that with any browser, you need to disable Java, unless you constantly keep it updated. There ARE many kinds of malware that exploit Java flaws and thus can affect any browser.
Opera has a hair less site compatibility than Firefox, and usually the incompatibility is very trivial anyway.
-Do you believe you own your computer and shouldn't be told what you can run and do? Then say *NO* to Microsoft Vista!
-Since half the questions here involve media problems, here ya go: Only use Verbatim or Taiyo-Yuden discs (get your TYs from Rima.com, not Supermediastore or meritline). Forget the rest, no matter what "brand" they sell under. Always burn at 4x speed regardless of the speed rating of this discs or your drive. If you have burn problems with these then you have to update your drive's firmware. For double-layer discs, only use Verbatim DVD+R DL and burn them at 2.4x speed.
Sure, try it. It's Opera 9.01. I'd use it exclusively for a few weeks - if you can't get the feel of it you can always switch to Firefox or use an older version.
-Do you believe you own your computer and shouldn't be told what you can run and do? Then say *NO* to Microsoft Vista!
-Since half the questions here involve media problems, here ya go: Only use Verbatim or Taiyo-Yuden discs (get your TYs from Rima.com, not Supermediastore or meritline). Forget the rest, no matter what "brand" they sell under. Always burn at 4x speed regardless of the speed rating of this discs or your drive. If you have burn problems with these then you have to update your drive's firmware. For double-layer discs, only use Verbatim DVD+R DL and burn them at 2.4x speed.
