Opera renews search deal with Google
Published December 11th, 2006 4:04 PM EST By Daniel Goldman
Last week Opera renewed its search deal with Google. Under the deal Opera will continue to have Google Search as part of the main toolbar in the browser.
Opera gets a cut in the advertisement revenue from the Google search results when users search from the browser.
Hint: Instead of typing your search query in the search field, type the letter “g” followed by your search query in the URL address field (i.e. “g Opera Watch” will search on Google for the term “Opera Watch”).
(Here’s a little tidbit: Opera was the first to include a search field inside of the browser, and Opera was the first browser company to have such a deal with Google).
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Wow. Opera does it again. That’s a pretty steady deal they have got going with Google (I remember the last time you blogged about that on Operawatch).
But, I didn’t realize that Opera was the first to incorporate the search bar in the browser? See, that is a real first. I know that when it comes to tabbed browsing, Opera was the browser to make it popular, but can’t take credit for actually beating everybody to the punch. Asa credits Netcaptor with that feat - a good 5 years or so before Opera incorporated tabs into the browser.
Yet, Opera does get recognition for tabs as “their thing”. Which is a good thing, because they did bring it to the forefront, to the point where all the major browsers now have it. I never used Safari, but I am sure they’ve got tabs, too.
Speaking of which, and about the search bar, I would say there is a lot in common between Opera and Safari. Again, I never used the browser, but I think that Opera is the Apple of all browsers.
Opera is nice, clean, and extremely innovative. Another one of Opera’s creations (correct me if I am wrong): mouse gestures. A slew of actions that can be performed with a twitch of the wrist. Opera heavily supports keyboard shortcuts, and as is pointed out in this post, shortcuts to search. Opera released recently a right-click add this to your search bar functionality, which still is not up to par in the other browsers. Opera is extemely innovative. Yet, although they might get the recognition, they won’t make it bug. They’ll always be lagging behind. Why? Because they have the Apple-worm.
Those are my thoughts. And that is why I use FF
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Do people still use the search field in the address bar even though they can use keyword search (like described by Daniel, “g Opera Watch”)? Just wondering.
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I tend to use both. When I am doing a search and know exactly what I’m looking for, I use the keyword search. I use the search field for when I have to paste something in from another program to go and search for. I sometimes just use one or the other on a pure whim though.
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I only use the keyowrd search. I don’t find it as accessable to search in the search field (mainly because I don’t know the keyboard shortcut that focuses the search field and i’m too lazy to search for it, haha). I just press F8 followed by “g search terms here” all the time. Infact, I don’t think I’ve actually gone to google and searched using their webbased form in almost a year now, hehe. Hopefully google will begin supporting Opera more in the future tho. Nice bit of info about Opera being the first to include such a search feature.
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I don’t know what EC’s problem is…
Who cares what ***-a thinks? InternetWorks had tabs before anyone else, but Opera actually had MDI without the tabs first, or at least one of the first, ages before anyone even considered adding tabs.
Whatever the “Apple-worm” is, clearly EC has something he is trying to say, but he doesn’t seem to want to say it in plain text. Instead, he insinuates?
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LOL. The above was supposed to be:
Who cares what Asa thinks?
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What we really need is a “live” search field with suggestions, like in Firefox. And for the love of god, a way to recall a list of recent searches, which is the most basic thing in the world.
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Mika,
what I was trying to say is that Opera has all of the innovation of a good software company, let alone a browser - yet, they still have yet to make it big. They impact the community, yet they fail to gain more than less than a small percentage of the browsing community.
What is it that holds them back? What is the reason that they are the Apple of the browsing industry - not a bad company, good at creativity and possessing a good sense of what is lacking in today’s computing world, yet unable to be what and where they want to be.
I think that they need more marketing - which I happen to believe they might have started, as I see more and more ads for Opera in magazines and the like. But, they should really have more recognition than they do - and I don’t know why they don’t!
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“Opera was the first to include a search field inside of the browser, and Opera was the first browser company to have such a deal with Google”
More recognition of Opera’s innovation in the browser field. Top stuff!
Dava
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Is anyone aware of how Google’s deal with Opera actually works on a technical level? I have modified my search.ini to add Google Australia, and to clean up some of the extra parameters in my searches, including the one flagging Opera. Do Google record simply every Opera visitor based on the UA string and credit Opera Software for that, or only when the switch is present in the URL you access?
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There’s a special “opera” part of the string when you search from Opera, like there’s a similar string for Mozilla. I doubt that Opera makes money if you remove it.
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Its so stupid to make it huge that Opera has this Google search and made another deal with GOOG.
It is more problem for noname Opera than for giant Google if Opera doesn’t have that search.
Opera is IN NO POSITION to “threat” Google, that
“hey if you don’t close a deal and pay us Opera, we will remove your search box from our browser( that has userbase like max 2% fa fa fa”..)
As people are used to search using Google, then if Opera would remove the Google search as a “punishment”, it would shoot then in its own leg, as people don’t want these days a browser anymore from which you cannot search Google…
So
I SUGGEST to GOOGLE CEO “in behalf of GOOG stockholders” THAT GOOGLE WILL NOT PAY FOR OPERA ANYMORE FOR THIS **** AND SAY FUKOF Opera - things have now changed and are as they are - we will not pay anymore - , because Opera is forced in its own interest (whether it gets payed or not) to include the Google search.
FFS I want bigger dividends from GOOG.
You people there in West should learn capitalism isntead acting like commies…
Google pays for **** he would actually get for free (and there is no shadow of doubt about it).
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How about google toolbar for Opera, or at least equivalent functions - up a level, automatic search for google search terms in the page etc etc
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I think is a good deal to Opera makes money.
But Opera should not erase the possibility to choose others, like yahoo, etc. I know that you can choose it tweaking conf files, but it would be great not to do so.
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Wow, so really I think Opera rulez. I use Opera from 2 years and its cool. No problems, faster browser! Opera is (freeware) browser.. Have Fun with Opera.
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I don’t want to search form my browser. I want search turned off. I’m have a hard time finding out how to disable this. If I can not get rid of *** I will not use Opera.
At this point the built in search, which is the next worst thing next to spy ware, is all that keeps me from Opera. It is fast and I like it a lot. But sending everything I do to google is not an option.
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RichardStrong, you could easily remove the Google search field from the browser. Right-click on the GoogleSearch, and click on “Remove from toolbar.”
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by this being spyware. Opera sends nothing to Google, except when your doing a search (of course).