Submitted by As said yesterday, Opera Software today released the second preview of Opera 9. New features include a widget engine, web page thumbnails, syntax highlighting in the source viewer, a content blocker, and much more. Download it for Windows, UNIX, and Mac OS X.
Too sad it still does not work for Gmail…:
http://img203.imageshack.us/my.php?image=operanogmail9tq.jpg
Erh… Something wrong with your computer, so.
It works perfectly with MacOSX version :
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=96685217&size=o
I think the bad point : Java 1.3 on MacOS-X, not Java 1.4 or 1.5 support, like in Camino / Firefox / Safari
Man, there is something wrong with your gmai, all of the words look different than mine!
On another note, the Opera 9 preview seems to be a universal binary, pretty cool! I am suprised they got it out before Omnigroup has done with Omniweb.
[i]Too sad it still does not work for Gmail…: [i/]
Works fine on my Gentoo Linux box.
Too sad it still does not work for Gmail…:
It’s very strange. It usually works with Gmail’s simple view, or whatever they call the no javascript version of it.
And it works with the javascript version too, if you change the browser identification string to “Mozilla”.
well, something’s wrong with your computer/settings. i’m using it right now, and it <bold>looks & feels & behaves the same as in IE</bold>.
richt text editing + inline address completion works fine, too.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6024/gmail2cd.png
[of course the “google mail view” is set to “standard”, not the basic html version].
Really annoying that you still can’t position toolbars like you want to – are forced to top, bottom etc. Where the actual position of Top is predetermined
Is this what you want?
http://nontroppo.org/-/media/mainbar.htm
This is what I want:
http://matzon.dk/brian/pictures/ff_layout.png
Matzon, the address bar can be easily put over the tab panel:
http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=beztytuumedium4nm.jpg
Edited 2006-02-07 15:58
yeah, gotten that far too – but can’t add my bookmark folders
Bookmark folders – are you talking about the personal bar?
well, not the bar specifically – but any folder created in my bookmark list
You can drag and drop to any toolbar any individual tab, bookmark, or url from address bar. It will create a linking button. No folders, but still convenient.
I use the Start Bar with text lables disabled as the usual destination. It appears whenever you click in the url field but is disabled by default in the latest preview.
I think this shows conclusively that Opera Software aren’t reducing their efforts to develop the desktop version of their browser.
The content blocker is a particularly nice thing to have, I’ve seen a lot of people complain about the lack of this. Along with site specific preferences this gives the user a lot of control over how they view web pages, a very good thing in my opinion.
Really annoying that you still can’t position toolbars like you want to – are forced to top, bottom etc. Where the actual position of Top is predetermined
I’m not sure what you mean, I find that toolbars in Opera are very customisable. Can you explain what you are trying to do? Where would you put the toolbars other than the top, bottom or sides of the window?
In my case, I want the tab panel below the address bar, furthermore I want to be able to merge the Main, Address and Personal bars.
I am aware that you can’t reorder the tabs panel on Firefox either, but for *me*, it just makes more sense to have it where the content is.
Goto customize->buttons and throw the content you are after (in this case an address field, etc) onto the main bar and you have what you are after.
These widgets don’t burn through much memory but can start eating CPU power once there are a few on the screen at once. Lots of widget RSS readers don’t make much sense when opera is already more than capable of it, but I’m sure the calculator and such will be appreciated.
The most easy way to testdrive Opera9 is via klik [ http://klik.atekon.de/ ]
The klik client is installed with a 20 kByte download, usually within 20 seconds:
wget klik.atekon.de/client/install -O -|sh
(The klik client is pre-installed on Kanotix systems.) After you’ve successfully installed the klik client, just type
klik://opera9
into the URL field of Konqueor or Firefox.
klik creates one single file from other binary packages, by default located on your Desktop. This single file, with the *.cmg extension, may be moved to any place (USB stick, CD RW, any other directory in $USER’s reach, like $HOME). The *.cmg is self-contained a compressed image file system including all required direct dependencies. It is run by loopmounting it without root (only user) privileges. (root is required only once, during klik client install, to add the loopmount mountpoints into /etc/fstab).
The opera9.cmg is created by the klik client itself, after downloading the Debian package from the Opera website.
The beauty of the klik-ed Opera9 is that you can run it without a need to de-install the previously installed Opera version. klik apps do not interfer with the native package manager, and they do not install any files into /usr/bin/, /usr/lib/ or any other system directory. Since a klik-ed program is contained in a single file, it is very easy to get rid of it again. Just delete it.
klik did draw its inspiration from NeXT and Mac OS AppDir folders. It added the conversion into a single image, and the compression (saving up to 7ß% of disk space) and the web service delivering the “recipes” to the clients so they can auto-create the .cmgs thmselves.
Otherwise, klik-ed programs usually work very well, across various Linux distributions. In fact, I’m writing this posting from a opera9.cmg running on a SUSE10.0 with the .cmg created from a Debian package…
See the klik FAQ [ http://klik.atekon.de/wiki/index.php/User%27s_FAQ ] if you have any immediate questions.
Edited 2006-02-07 11:40
You can merge toolbars by simply dragging everything from one toolbar to another then turning off the redundant toolbar. You can use spacers to split the buttons onto multiple lines and arrange them how you wish.
I’m not sure about the tab bar as I don’t use it (I prefer using the windows panel and ctrl+tab) and I’m not using Opera right now. The reason it isn’t possible to put it below the address bar is that the address bar is placed on every open page, while there’s a single tab bar in each Opera window. This isn’t something you notice when using Opera like a conventional tabbed browser with a single page maximised in the Opera window, but it makes sense when using Opera’s MDI features like tiling and cascading multiple pages within the window.
yay, that works for the addressbar – but not for the bookmarks (only individual bookmarks, not for a folder).
As for the case of the tab bar, it doesn’t make sense to say that it’s attached to each page when I can add it to the main bar …
As for the case of the tab bar, it doesn’t make sense to say that it’s attached to each page when I can add it to the main bar …
I don’t think you’ve understood me. It’s the address bar that’s attached to each open page, the tab bar is separate from the pages. If you cascade or tile the open windows rather than maximising them all you’ll see what I mean and you’ll understand why it isn’t possible to put the tab bar below the address bar. You can drag the content of the address bar to another toolbar, but the address bar itself is attached to every page.
I’m not ordinarily an Opera user, I’m just playing with it to see how it handles widgets. The first thing I dislike about the widgets is that they do not persist if I close out the browser, and even when the browser is open, they only appear on one of my four desktops (using GNOME 2.12).
Does anyone have any better experiences with the Opera widgets?
All that said, I’ll probably write a simple widget for an rss feed just to see exactly how it works.
If you’re trying Opera just for the widgets, you might want to wait till an actual version with widgets comes out. It’s the first Technical Preview with a feature they’ve added for the very first time, which usually means it’ll be a bit “rough”.
But if you’re interested, you can try posting in the Opera beta testing forum: http://my.opera.com/community/forums/forum.dml?id=31
Or try the bug report page: http://www.opera.com/support/bugs/
Wow, I’m every day impatientlty checking Opera beta forums to catch new TP ASAP – but I discover it first on OSNews
Thom, you seem live in right timezone.
(Mod my offtopic down or whatever – new Opera is way more important:)
I really wish Opera would work on the interface. It’s a really nice browser, but the interface needs work. I know you can customize it, but when I’m done closing toolbars and all that stuff (in older versions, 9 seems cleaner) the interface looks so dated that I just go back to FireFox. I mean, I remember using Opera a good eight years ago and the interface hasn’t even changed much in those eight years.
Opera has some fantastic features, but geez it needs a better interface for me to use it everyday.
Um.. can you give some specific examples? Also, if you’re on windows, try the native skin. It looks great.
I honestly don’t know what aspect of Opera’s interface is “dated.”
@Jimmy
> I know you can customize it, but when I’m done
> closing toolbars and all that stuff (in older
> versions, 9 seems cleaner) the interface looks so
> dated that I just go back to FireFox.
How does it look “dated” exactly? Because of the icons?
> I mean, I remember using Opera a good eight years ago
> and the interface hasn’t even changed much in those
> eight years.
Hasn’t changed much?! It has changed drastically! The skin is completely different now. The toolbars are completely different. The functionality is completely different. What has NOT changed?
> Opera has some fantastic features, but geez it needs
> a better interface for me to use it everyday.
What is the problem with the interface? It has the standard browser controls, and only the address and tab bare are visible by default.
No, but seriously… What on earth are you talking about?
The font used in the program; its the same font used in Windows 3.1 programs. Bold isn’t cool. Bold was created so that things would jump out; not for everything to jump out.
The buttons; too small. I like big buttons. BACK FORWARD STOP RELOAD are all I need. Instead I get REWIND, BACK, STOP, FORWARD, FAST FOWARD, and “Wand” which I have no idea what that is all about. Where’d the reload button go?
Toolbars; the only toolbar I want is the address bar. I don’t want a search bar. I can type in “google.com” in the address bar. I can live with the Tab bar. The “View” toolbar is incredibly useless to me, and should only be available in the Options menu, so that a dedicated icon doesn’t have to take up space.
The whole progress bar thing really gets on my nerves too. I hate whenever Opera loads a page, I have to see whats loading in the address bar. I have broadband, so when I am looking at minimalistic pages, the load graphics appear and disapear very quickly, and after a while gives me a headache. Thankfully I can turn it off.
So that’s why I hate the interface. I guess for power users, its great, but for me its too ugly and doesn’t appeal to me.
Bottom line;
I want a simple browser that is secure, renders pages correctly and is simple to use. Opera just isn’t a simple application to use.
Where’d the reload button go?
It’s the same button as the ‘stop’ button, according to context.
it’s the little things, and the big things that you don’t realise are big because they are so smoothly integrated that amke this such a big step forward from the last preview…
the “block content” feature is so elegantly implemented you’d almost wonder what all the fuss is about! i’ve banged a couple of buttons a couple of times, and now i don’t see any ads on the sites i browse the most. and the “create search” feature is also rather nice. thumbs up for this release, big step forward in getting power tools into the hands of people that “don’t usually get it”. can’t wait for the fully polished version. (oh, and the canvas element and svg have both moved forward too)
unconvinced about the widgets though. really don’t see the point, especially as they are non-persistent. close the browser and they vanish…
i see they have fixed the major XMLHttpRequest bug (not being able to set headers), and it does much better on the acid2 test…
the only other major bug that i care about involves xslt (the xslt i use to get IE to display xhtml sent as xml makes opera just disply a blank page, so i have to send a different version of the page to opera)…
the “start bar” is probably the worst thing opera has ever done.
Excuse me? It’s disabled by default in Opera9.
I LOVE the startbar. I put all my core bookmarks there and use that to access them. It’s fast and saves space.
If an optional toolbar is the worst thing Opera have done then that’s a pretty big compliment to them.
The font used in the program; its the same font used in Windows 3.1 programs. Bold isn’t cool. Bold was created so that things would jump out; not for everything to jump out.
I don’t know what you’re talking about here, I don’t notice a significant difference between the text in Opera and the text in other browsers.
The buttons; too small. I like big buttons. BACK FORWARD STOP RELOAD are all I need.
If Opera made the buttons larger then other people would be complaining about wasted space. One quick and easy way to get larger buttons is to turn on text labels along with the icons.
Instead I get REWIND, BACK, STOP, FORWARD, FAST FOWARD, and “Wand” which I have no idea what that is all about. Where’d the reload button go?
The buttons you don’t use can be easily removed with a right click on the button. As for the Wand, that’s used for managing passwords and many people find it very useful. The reason that there’s no separate reload button is that it’s totally pointless. You don’t need to reload a page that’s already loading, or stop a page that has fully loaded, so it makes sense to combine the stop and reload buttons.
Toolbars; the only toolbar I want is the address bar. I don’t want a search bar. I can type in “google.com” in the address bar. I can live with the Tab bar. The “View” toolbar is incredibly useless to me, and should only be available in the Options menu, so that a dedicated icon doesn’t have to take up space.
These things can all be turned on or off in a matter of seconds, but in my experience most people find these useful. In fact one of the most popular addons I see for Internet Explorer is a search toolbar, so it’s not surpising that Opera has one by default. Again, the view toolbar button can be removed with a single right-click if you don’t find it useful, personally I use it often.
The whole progress bar thing really gets on my nerves too. I hate whenever Opera loads a page, I have to see whats loading in the address bar. I have broadband, so when I am looking at minimalistic pages, the load graphics appear and disapear very quickly, and after a while gives me a headache. Thankfully I can turn it off.
Again this is just a matter of preference. I’m sure there’d be a lot of complaints from other people if Opera didn’t display the progress of a page loading. As you yourself point out, this can be changed if you don’t like it.
So that’s why I hate the interface. I guess for power users, its great, but for me its too ugly and doesn’t appeal to me.
A default UI is never going to please everyone, changing it to fit your preferences would annoy the people who’re currently happy with it. The important thing is that Opera is quick and easy to customise, that way it can potentially please just about everyone (or at least all the people who are willing to spend a little time tweaking it). All those things you’ve listed can be fixed in a few minutes, but if that’s too much trouble I can understand why you don’t like Opera.
Anyway, you claimed that the Opera interface was dated and that it hadn’t changed much in the last 8 years, nothing you’ve posted here supports those claims.
The fact that it’s default UI doesn’t perfectly fit your preferences doesn’t mean that it’s dated. I can’t stand the default Firefox UI, does that mean that it must be dated too? A glance at the default UI used in Opera 4 or 5 would show you just how wrong you are about Opera not changing.
it’s enabled by default in opera 8 and disabling it is not a trivial task if you’ve never used opera before…
why i say it’s the worst thing opera has ever done:
1. it’s really annoying. almost annoying as that microsoft office assistant thing. if i click on the address bar, it’s because i want to enter an address. if i want to do something else, i’ll use a keyboard shortcut or find it in the menus.
2. it’s completely useless. the whole point of having a toolbar is so you can get to the stuff on it with one click. if you’re going to make it so you have to click on something first, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a custom menu instead?
It’s useless to you. Stop trying to argue otherwise.
Also, they are disabling it by default for Opera9, so they are listening to their users. So what is the problem?
One last point: You say toolbars are meant for one-click access. Well guess what? It kind of is one-click access. If you open a new tab, the start bar (in 8.x) will be open too and you can click anything in it right away (like in my case, I have my most commonly visited sites). It’s freakin great if you ask me.