Which web browser is better for browsing porn? Opera? Or Firefox?
Published January 3rd, 2007 11:43 AM EST By Daniel GoldmanBefore I get a lot of heat for this post, let me start off by saying that I don’t endorse porn, and like someone (TreeGo) mentioned in the comments on my post about browsing porn on the Wii Opera browser “the porno industry is not mankind’s friend. Some may think it is, but they are deceived. It is self-destructive and ruins families and shatters hearts of people over and over.” I totally agree, and I’m sure Opera Software thinks the same.
However, we still need to face the fact that the porn industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Jesse Ruderman from Firefox blogged yesterday about an email he got asking which browser he recommends for browsing porn, is it Firefox? Or Opera?
It’s funny he brings that up, cause I remember a while ago seeing a website that called Opera a “Porn Browser”, and proceeded to list all the features and tools in the Opera browser that makes your porn browsing easier. I looked around for this site but couldn’t find it.
From the short research I’ve done now, here are some of the benefits to using the Opera browser for browsing…
Fast Forward – Open an image, and hit the SPACEBAR key to automatically go to the next image in the gallery (Or use the Fast Forward Mouse Gesture).
Delete Browsing History – Easily conceal your tracks by deleting all your browsing history. In the menu bar Tools > Delete private data…
Full Screen Mode – Hit F11 for full screen mode.
Mouse Gestures – Navigate the web with your mouse, without using the keyboard.
Pop-up blocking – Avoid those annoying pop-ups.
Tabbed browsing – Of course you could have open multiple tabs at the same time.
Stay secure from viruses – Let Opera’s secure and tight code keep you safe from malicious viruses and exploits.
Any others to add to the list?
I’m sure I’ll be getting into lots of trouble for this; many people I personally know read this blog. 
Update (11:57AM): Thanks to Jere, who posted in the comments the link to the page I was looking for. Here it is: http://www.samulilintula.net/netti/opera/pr0nOpera.html
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http://www.samulilintula.net/netti/opera/pr0nOpera.html
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Jere, Thanks — I’ve update the post with your link.
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I remember a post on… some site, probably Mozillazine, years ago when Mozilla(?) added the ability to selectively delete parts of your history (rather than all-or-nothing). Someone remarked that it would soon be the ideal browser for this purpose.
Checking, I see that both Firefox and Opera have that ability now.
And of course there’s the fact that Gecko’s image rendering library is (or at least used to be) named after what was expected to be its most common use: libpr0n.
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Just for factual correctness: that article is well over two years old. However, today Opera’s features are still equally important
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You’re forgetting that Opera is a European company.
Guns scare them, boobs do not.
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http://www.squarefree.com/pornzilla/why-firefox.html
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“the porno industry is not mankind’s friend. Some may think it is, but they are deceived. It is self-destructive and ruins families and shatters hearts of people over and over”
What??? Opera is used by Amish people too?
I find it amusing when right wing conservatives are ready to jump in any conversation if it will allow them to bash anything that has to do with the most natural of all - human sexuality.
Well for TreeGo’s information porn is about 40% of the Internet and if you don’t like watching it then don’t. He can use Opera’s pop-up blocking and content blocking features and his screen will always be clean.
Which proves the point of Daniel’s post today that yes Opera is the best browser for surfing porn. Any for anything else.
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I don’t know if Opera has an official stance on pornography (that involves consenting adults), but it might be worthwhile to consider that Norway (and Scandinavia in general) has its fair share of pornography/erotica. Here’s an article about Norway and pornography: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_2_41/ai_n6112873/pg_1
The pr0nOpera site is pretty informative, but here are a few more things you can do with Opera for those interested in multimedia files (that are not necessarily porn):
Drap-and-drop saving of files into the Transfers side panel.
The ability to set specific actions when clicking on different filetypes, such as saving all jpgs to one folder, and mpgs to another without a confirmation dialog box.
The ability to block content on ad-heavy pages.
The ability to set site-specific preferences.
Various image and download-related user javascripts (such as “Extra download links”) at userjs.org
Easily accessible “Quick preferences”
Fit-to-width mode to scale down large images, which also allows you to view images really well on small screens (such as on mobile phones)
RSS reader that displays newsfeeds with inline images
Built-in bittorrent client
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I have never run into problems using Opera for that purpose. It also has the bonus of being less susceptible to spyware then other “popular” browsers.
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if you are a right handed person, you might like the option of browsing with only the keyboard as well
nice topic btw
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“You’re forgetting that Opera is a European company.
Guns scare them, boobs do not.”
Lol.
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That’s all available in Firefox, and Opera needs at least one feature: “Save Image In…” to save
pr0nfavourite images in a folder with a double-click on them.using
most porn sites are designed for IE in mind, Opera’s quirks mode isn’t up to par with Firefox’s. non-standard pages break under Opera to easily. So for the time being, viewing porn on firefox is better.
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I think the reasons are pretty well summed up in the article Shrike linked to. Yes, the one about FF, ‘cept most of the stuff that matters is also in Opera. And, as with many features, many of them were in Opera before they suddenly became revolutionary once Mozilla copied them. Or, you know, before FF even existed.
* Tabbed browsing
–Not really much of a selling point anymore. It was ten years ago, but..
* You can quickly open a link in a new tab by Ctrl+clicking or middle-clicking the link.
–Check.
* Control. Firefox blocks unrequested pop-ups and never allows web pages to create hard-to-close full-screen windows. Firefox gives you options to prevent web sites from resizing and focusing windows.
–Check.
* Security. Malicious web sites can never install spyware without your permission. Wank in peace.
–Check.
* Privacy. Everything you might want to clear in order to cover your tracks — cookies, cache, download history, history — is in one place in Options. Firefox even provides a “Clear All” button to clear all of this information quickly.
–Check.
* Extensibility. The Pornzilla bookmarklets and extensions can improve your porn surfing experience far beyond what any browser vendor would dare.
–Check. Bookmarklets work in Opera too, and the extensions are either built-in in Opera, or not really too related. What decent browser doesn’t offer zoom these days, anyway?
And come on, since when is Mozilla Corporation not a browser vendor?
* New windows open quickly.
–Check. Without comparing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they opened quicker in Opera.
* When you download a file and Firefox asks you to select a download filename and location, it starts downloading the file using a temporary name while it waits for your response.
–Check.
* You can save video clips quickly by Alt+clicking the (thumbnail) link to the video clip. If you save video clips this way, Firefox won’t even prompt you for a filename (unless you select “Ask me where to save every file” in the “Downloads” section of Firefox’s Options).
–Hm, that actually sounds useful. I should probably configure a similar shortcut in Opera.
From the context menu in Opera, this is called “Save to download folder”.
* You can control whether videos are displayed in the browser window or saved in the “Downloads” section of Firefox’s options.
–Check. This goes for all filetypes, not just videos. You can configure pictures to download automatically when you click them, instead of open, for instance.
* File > Save As… works for movies being displayed by the Quicktime plug-in.
–Never really tried. Never really saw a porn site using QuickTime either.
* All visited URLs are shown in location bar autocomplete, so you can quickly see which galleries and which images you’ve seen within a given site.
–Check. Also known as..history? Please show me the graphical browser which doesn’t have history.
* Firefox has an image-rendering library called “libpr0n” and a cute, unofficial mascot named Firefox-ko. Firefox grew out the Mozilla Suite, whose codename is “Seamonkey” (see monkey). One of Mozilla’s slogans is “free the lizard”.
–While libpr0n is funny, the rest seems slightly grasping at straws.
Some of the bookmarklets were cute, though. Thanks for those. For the effort put into this, I really wish I was able to say it was anything but yet another example of “Firefox is better than all other browsers because it can do some of the same things as them.” propaganda. With the sheer amount that is out there, it is no wonder people start believing it after a while. How fanboys are made, ladies and gentlemen..
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@Payalnik: in Opera you can use [Ctrl] + click on images to save them.
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Although this topic is pretty much guaranteed to get people worked up, I think it’s worth considering the scenario dispassionately:
Which browser is best for a regular internet user with security and privacy concerns?
All the usability features of Opera benefit users for all site types. Security and privacy benefit anyone who ever sends personal email or does their banking online.
The web delivers pr0n using the same technology as any other form of content, which means it has the same potential risks (not some other form of potential risk, no browser handles moral debate for the user).
People are just blase about the risks associated with everyday tasks.
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How about saying that Opera is the best browser to visit any website? The whole Wii+Opera issue will open web developers to stop using old hacks and respect web standards.
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I always use Opera for porn. It is my porn-browser of choice and enlightens the whole experience.
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For those of use who read your blog via RSS at work, the presentation of a topic which might be considered “Not Safe for Work” (NSFW) is problematic. Some work environments take the viewing of anything “porn related” via the work computer as a “terms of service” violation and can and do crack down on unwitting employees. The reason is that in the US firms can and have been subjected to litigation by both male and female employees for tolerating a “hostile workplace.” I don’t endorse political correctness for its own sake, but I can’t be subjected to the risks of it either. You might want to consider setting up a separate blog space for NSFW topics so that you can continue to keep all your readers in this one.
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@HeiZahn: Consider that most of those “Firefox is better…” articles are really only comparing Firefox to IE6, and it’ll make more sense.
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Porn is “self-destructive and ruins families and shatters hearts of people over and over”?
Not at all!
Porn is anything from a slow and juicy ******* to hardcore SM ***, A2M, and all that.
How does watching people have *** “ruin families”?
The anti-porn hyperbole is just another reason why religion should be abolished.
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Firefox and Opera, both are safe for porn browsing… unless your parents are at home.
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Firefox.
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posted with Mandriva 2007
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Jeers
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Lynx
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I think opera and firefox both are same features but opera better for downloding or firefox is better for browsing this is my comments thanx…
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Hi! Why I can’t fill my info in profile? Can somebody help me?
My login is Kisakookoo!
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Here is a video demonstration of opening many tabs in Firefox with the “All in One” gestures add-on. This is the right way to surf TGP sites.
http://one.revver.com/watch/135913
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I personally use FireFox. It has the benefits mentioned by Jesse, and it has the major advantage over Opera, it’s Free Software.
But seriously, having to type is a real pain with one hand, no matter what you are doing …
So until one or the other fixes that …