Jewish World Review May 21, 2004 / 1 Sivan 5764
Opera: This browser sings
By Mark Kellner
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
A Web browser is a Web browser is a Web browser, right? Well, not if the
browser is Opera, a nifty little product from a Norwegian-Swedish-Texas
combine. You can pay $39 for a copy, but the free, ad-supported version
might be all you need or want to surf the Web, gather news feeds and handle
your e-mail needs.
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
Motion's new tablet a step up
Opera Software last week released version 7.5 of the browser for Windows,
Linus, Unix (the FreeBSD variety), OS/2, Solaris and the Mac OS. Downloads
of the various versions are available at www.opera.com. There are several
substantial changes, the makers say, and I'm inclined to believe them.
The interface in the new version is different: along with fast browsing, you
can integrate various Internet activities easily, and make them accessible
from a new panel selector: one click takes you to e-mail, another to
contacts, another to various Web links or bookmarks, and so forth. The
program adapts to meet your preferences: a mail browser opens when reading
mail, or you can select and edit contacts with a right mouse click. This
integration makes it possible to spend much of one's working day in one
place, Opera, instead of shuttling from address book to e-mail application
to browser.
Opera Mail is described by its makers as "offering intelligent e-mailing
with support for fast content search, a contact database, a newsreader,
automatic filtering, and now features a spellchecker and RSS newsfeeds."
Those newsfeeds offer a quick view into various publishers' offerings; among
the pre-configured options for Opera users are BBC News and Wired magazine's
technology reports. I've not yet plumbed all the depths of Opera's e-mail
client, but there certainly seems to be enough here for most users, and for
most situations. The way it is integrated into the main browser is a very
positive design and usability feature.
The new version also offers an instant messaging, or "chat" client. In this
case, it's compatible with Internet Relay Char, or IRC, and supports both
private and group chats. This is great for companies or workgroup members to
keep in touch without shouting across offices or down hallways.
Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software, said in a statement that he's
confident about the new product: "Internet users who are looking for
something faster, packed with fun features and innovations that will also
make them more efficient when online, will find Opera a thrilling
experience."
I don't know if I'd use the word thrilled, but I'm certainly impressed. The
banner ads, which can either be random or "customized" to reflect the topics
of the Web pages you're viewing, are really unobtrusive, which is why I'm
not saying it's essential to buy the product: Opera is happy to let you have
it free as you view the ads. It also works well across platforms, at least
from my testing of both Macintosh and Windows versions.
The browsing experience is delightful, however, because it is fast, and
because it's particularly easy to adjust the size of a Web page's onscreen
display. Not every last page will scale perfectly - blame it on designers
who work outside the Web's established standards - but in most cases, taking
a page from 100-percent to 150-, 180- or even 200-percent size will make the
whole thing easier to read and more pleasant to view.
Another nice thing to view are the various looks, or "skins" with which you
can customize Opera's on-screen appearance. It can look like Netscape,
Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari or just about anything else. These little
add-ons are free at the Opera Web site, and offer loads of fun.
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