Opera Embraces Extensions For v.11

dkd903 writes "Opera is one of the most solid browsers around. It is very fast, extremely customizable, and has a lot of functionality that others do not have. Opera is also a very strong supporter of Web standards; it was one of the first browsers to pass the ACID 3 test. However, Opera has always been confined to a relatively small user-base because of one critical thing — lack of extensions. Well, that is about to change — at least the extensions part. Today, it has been announced that Opera 11 will support extensions."

Well...

[the_one_wesp]

It's about time! I'm now excited about Opera again.

'Problem' is not Extensions

[mpapet]

If Opera has a 'problem' it's that it's most well-known as software one needs to buy versus Firefox and IE being included in the purchase of a Windows product.

They must be given a huge amount of respect for staying relevant and commercially viable versus costless competitors.

I'm glad they are doing extensions. While I live underneath a rainbow with unicorns and fairies, I'd suggest making Firefox extensions portable to Opera.

Opera user here!

[Nichotin]

I have been using Opera for quite some time, and the speed and feature set is very good. What I do wish for, more than extensions, is to have each tab have it's own thread in a similar fashion as Chrome. I have experienced some crashes on my Mac because of plugins, and it would be good to only have one tab crash, not the whole browser.

Re:That's What's Holding It Down!

[Anonymous Coward]

What is strange about the interface? I've been using Opera since the 90s, and when forced to use another browser I've never noticed anything extremely different. I've never noticed the preferences being in unusual places either, so I'd be curious if you could expand.

Personally, the reliance on extensions is the problem with other browsers. Mouse gestures specifically is something I can't comfortably browse without, and I always feel its lack when I have to use another browser. This is one place where Opera just works and all other browsers are broken as far as I am concerned.

I've never understood Slashdot's hatred for little Opera either. It's the only browser with a built-in shortcut to Slashdot (just type /. in the address bar). I guess just because it's not FOSS?

Hurray!

[parlancex]

I used Opera for about 7-8 years and loved it, and I still do, but I recently had to switch to Firefox because the security vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Flash Player plugins were just too great of a risk and I need the blocking plugins that Firefox has. Although I was able to replicate a lot of my Opera experience in Firefox through plugins, like speed dial, a plugin that emulates the search strings functionality, mouse gestures, etc., the startup times, load times, and UI in Firefox are way slower than what I knew and loved in Opera. I hope noscript, adblock and flashblock-esque plugins make to Opera very quickly so I can finally go back.

Re:Well...

[sznupi]

They are sort of there already. People are making apps for Opera Unite which don't really use online/"serverlike" capability, just do useful things locally. And userjs, capable of adding stuff to right click menu, even longer.

So it's part adding few polishing bits, part marketing / it needs to be "extensions" apparently.

Why?

[MonsterTrimble]

I use Opera on both my desktop and laptop and I honestly don't understand what the heck people have against using Opera as their browser. It's super fast and lightweight, the built-in RSS feeder is the best I've seen anywhere, and it works on 99.9% of the websites (the only issues I've had is when Adobe releases a particularly buggy version of Flash). And although I will get strung up for this, I LIKE Opera's Unite feature. It makes file sharing super easy when I need to set up something quick and easy for sharing photos with family or friends.

Frankly, the stock Opera gives me everything I need in a browser. Why do I need extensions again?

Tamper Data?

[Shemmie]

First browser to give me Tamper Data and Web Developer Toolkit extensions gains a big fan. Sick and tired of 400 meg RAM use from a browser. I'm looking at you, Firefox. O'course, sods law would be that somehow my extensions cause the FF memory leak. :o/

Re:Still too unstable

[aliquis]

I don't understand you basis of comment in the least unless you're being a dick and trolling.

It's quite simple actually:
If you have used it once and then never used it again you probably don't know much about it ...

So your saying any user experience is invalid unless its YOUR user experience?

No. But actually having experience, and recent such, does make a difference.

What are the reasons to switch to Opera? Just because I don't see a reason doesn't mean there are not. I never asserted I was representing every user; which your comment seems to imply you believe you are.

I never stated my opinion at all. All I said was that yours probably doesn't matter much since you're not even an Opera user. But thanks for giving it anyway.

So rather than troll and troll moderation, why should people switch when firefox is plenty good for loads of people?

Why should they switch to Firefox when ... is good for loads of people?
I don't say people should do anything at all.

If so, clarify.

I used Opera around the same time as Mozilla 0.7 when no browser was really good.

Switched from Firefox 1.0.7 to Opera 8.52 when Firefox had huge memory leaks.

Have used very shitty Safari 2 for long.

Safari 3 wasn't good either if 5 is the current version. 4 worked.

I haven't used Firefox 4 since it doesn't run on my OS, Firefox 3 is decent, Opera is decent, Chrome is probably decent to, heck even IE 9 is supposed to be decent and I assume Safari 5 work to.

I doubt any of them really suck. Judging from history I would probably had chosen Opera or Chrome. But there is plenty of good browsers around and standard support seem to be a more and more important point for the developers of all of them.

Re:That's What's Holding It Down!

[hkmwbz]

Actually, since Opera removed the ads, their desktop user base has doubled every two years. Opera now has more than 140 million users in total.