| The pros and cons of Opera and Firefox |
May 20, 2005
Reviewer Kris Shaffer compares recently released Opera 8 to Firefox 1.0, at NewsForge.com. He provides an overview of newcomer Opera 8's capabilities, and contrasts the two web browsers in terms of style, customizability, and default features.
Released last month, Opera 8 has received a mixed reception so far. Generally, reviewers agree that Opera 8 offers innovative features unavailable in other browsers. Some have found Opera 8 creates more problems than its new features solve -- automatic page re-sizing makes some pages unreadable, for example, and lack of compatibility makes some pages unusable. However, testing Opera 8 and Firefox 1.0 on SuSE 9.1, Mac OS X Panther, and Windows 2000, Shaffer reported no such difficulties.
Shaffer found Firefox to be "more consistant with 'standard' shortcuts," and that it behaved more like other browsers, whereas Opera 8 seemed more idiosyncratic. While Opera 8's shortcuts are easy to learn, Shaffer says, they may trip up new users.
Both Opera 8 and Firefox 1.0 are extremely customizable -- both in form and function -- Shaffer reports, though the browsers use opposite approaches. Firefox starts lean, and gives the user the opportunity to add buttons to the toolbar and install extensions. Opera, on the other hand, starts "bloated" forcing users to pare down unwanted options. The result is that Firefox is easier to use for the novice, but less functional immediately post-install than Opera 8, according to Shaffer.
In part because of this philosophical difference, Opera 8 is not as expandable with extensions as is Firefox. Also, since Opera is not an open source product, there is little available in the way of user-generated tweaks beyond "skins" to alter the browser's appearance. However, Shaffer notes, advanced users can hack the browser by editing some of its configuration files.
"Picking one of these browsers over the other will likely come down to issues of convenience, personal preference, or the particular tasks one typically uses his browser for," Shaffer concludes. "Both Opera and Firefox are excellent browsers, with a lot to offer any user."
Read more of Kris Shaffer's comparative review -- along with reader feeback -- at NewsForge.com.
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